Per Lindberg, CEO BillerudKorsnäs

In the wake of the merger of the two Swedish companies Billerud and Korsnäs in November 2012, BillerudKorsnäs, the new entity, has made a series of investments intended to gear up for the new demands of tomorrow’s packaging industry.

The latest extensive remodelling of the board machine has opened up possibilities to tweak the properties of the high-performance cartonboard material further, especially in terms of appearance and printability.

It is more than just a general upgrade,” says Magnus Levinsson, Business Segment Director Cartonboard, BillerudKorsnäs. “This is the next generation cartonboard, one that sets new standards for printability. We have made the print surface more even and applied a triple coating. This contributes to reduced white top mottling and improved colour printing. You get more even print, more vibrant colour, a wider colour gamut and more life-like colour reproduction. Furthermore, the new cartonboards offer improved quality consistency, which means that you can expect excellent results at all times.

Four cartonboard grades

BillerudKorsnäs offers a range of four highly specialized cartonboard grades, specially designed for brands in market segments such as luxury beverages, fine foods, perfume, chocolate and health&beauty products:

 BillerudKorsnäs White is the company’s flagship cartonboard, dedicated to luxury brands with its combination of strength, shapeability and printability.

 BillerudKorsnäs Artisan is a lightweight cartonboard with a silky-smooth surface, for quality printability as well as a “nice haptic experience”.

 BillerudKorsnäs Carry is a very strong cartonboard that offers good protection of heavy content. It is highly suitable for package windows and designs for hanging or handles.

 BillerudKorsnäs Light is an ideal material for dry, chilled or frozen foods. It is moisture-proof and extremely pure, no effect on taste or smell.

The launch is a big, complex process, that also includes grammage extensions,” says Levinsson. “Besides the improved properties, the remodelling of the board machine ensures increased capacity.

Smart packaging

With 8 production units and sales offices in around ten countries, approximately 4,400 employees in 13 countries and net sales of 20 billion Swedish crowns (about 2,3 billion euros), BillerudKorsnäs can offer a comprehensive product portfolio and packaging solutions for a wide scope of applications and market segments (sack paper, kraft paper, fluting and liner, cartonboard, liquid packaging board), all of them based on primary fibres.

Our target remains to deliver smarter packaging, both through better materials as well as better solutions. Smarter packaging adds value at every step of the value chain; attracting consumers, increasing productivity, lowering cost of transportation, reducing waste and not the least lowering environmental impact,” says Per Lindberg, CEO BillerudKorsnäs.