BOSTON – Sappi North America, a leading producer and supplier of a diversified range of paper and packaging products, today expanded its leadership offerings in the packaging market with the launch of LusterCote™, a superior C1S paper for labels and other related end use applications. Sappi is introducing the product to respond to a global customer need in consumer packaged goods, setting the stage for the future with packaging as one of its core business segments.
Sappi's 60 years of experience in the packaging industry began with selling paper to multi-wall bag manufacturers in the 1950s. In 1993, it introduced LusterPrint®, a grease-resistant paper used primarily in pet food packaging. LusterPrint is compliant with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations for paper and paperboard packaging in contact with dry, aqueous and fatty foods. It also can be used in the production of popcorn bags and a variety of other flexible packaging applications.
"Our long-standing experience in packaging gives us confidence that we can meet the growing need for superior labeling papers," said Jennifer Miller, executive vice-president of the coated business and chief sustainability officer, Sappi North America. "The introduction of LusterCote is a natural extension of Sappi's packaging line and proof of our commitment to product innovation in response to growing customer demand. In addition to our North American grades, the wide-range of specialty packaging grades now available from our Alfeld mill in Germany, such as Algro Finess, Parade Prima and Fusion, position Sappi to meet the evolving expectations of the North American packaging market."
LusterCote has been fully qualified by leading label converters in the U.S. and Canada and is produced at Sappi's Somerset Mill in Skowhegan, Maine. It will be sold directly to label printers and converters. LusterCote is initially available in both 55lb and 60lb basis weights.
"We are excited about bringing product advantages to the labeling industry that have long been associated with Sappi's Somerset mill," said Mark Odgers, commercial director of Sappi's Import and Packaging Business. "The excellence of our printing surface and superior bulk and stiffness will translate into yield and converting efficiencies and bring real value to the label market."
Made with nearly 80 percent renewable energy and available with SFI, FSC or PEFC chain of custody certification, LusterCote offers key features that include excellent runnability and stiffness, as well as superior print performance.
"Hammer Packaging is always searching for innovative suppliers who can bring value, consistent performance, and technical expertise to the market," said Lou Iovoli, Vice President of Strategic Partnerships, Hammer Packaging. "Our relationship with Sappi consistently delivers performance-driven packaging solutions, enabling us to advance the goals of our clients."
The launch of LusterCote is a key facet of Sappi's decision to permanently expand its packaging business at a time when converters are searching for reliable and stable providers amid a market disrupted from recent closures, sales and mega-mergers. Sappi's newly formed Packaging Group will be led by Odgers, a 30-year industry veteran who recently managed M-real's North American business.
Assisting Odgers will be Laura Thompson, PhD, Sappi's director of Technical Marketing and Sustainable Development, who led the development of LusterCote. Thompson has been heavily involved in past product development for Sappi and, previously, for MeadWestvaco. She will continue to explore new packaging and technical specialty product opportunities.
Sappi's new Packaging Group will be supported by a dedicated sales team: Wayne Nablo, Sales Manager, Sappi Europe Specialty Products; Scott Marquis, Sales Manager, LusterPrint; and, Tom Glas, Sales Manager, LusterCote.
About Sappi North America
Sappi North America, headquartered in Boston and a subsidiary of global pulp and paper group Sappi Limited, is a market leader in converting wood fiber into superior products that customers demand worldwide. The success of our four diversified businesses – high quality Coated Graphic Papers, Specialised Cellulose, Release Papers and Specialty Packaging – is driven by strong customer relationships, best-in-class people and advantaged assets, products and services. Our high quality Coated Graphic Papers, including McCoy, Opus, Somerset and Flo, are the key platform for premium magazines, catalogs, books and high-end print advertising. We are a leading manufacturer of Specialised Cellulose used in a wide range of products, including textile fibers and household goods, and one of the world's leading suppliers of Release Papers with our Ultracast and Classics lines for the automotive, fashion and engineered films industries. Our Specialty Packaging products, such as LusterPrint and LusterCote, represent an important asset in the food packaging and labeling industries. Customers rely on Sappi for high technical, operational and market expertise; products and services delivered with consistently high quality and reliability; and, state-of-the-art and cost-competitive assets and innovative spirit.
Sappi North America is a subsidiary of Sappi Limited (JSE), a global company headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa, with more than 13,000 employees and manufacturing operations on three continents in seven countries and customers in over 100 countries around the world. Learn more about Sappi at: www.sappi.com/na.
Contact a Sappi Representative
Olga Karagiannis
+1 617 423 5049
