Former Stromsdal that developed the renowned biodegradable Tecta dispersion-coated barrier board is up and running again, under new ownership and named Premium Board Finland. The product quality is even better than before, since the coater was thoroughly renewed just before the mill had to close down due to the financial crises in late 2008. The capacity of the coater is about 100,000 tons and of the board machine about 80,000 tons per year. 

Packaging made of virgin Tecta barrier board offer excellent protection for delicate food products without the need of inner pouches or plastic layers. The water vapour and grease proof barrier coatings are water based and contain no fluorochemicals, heavy metal compounds or waxes. Tecta is fully BfR-approved for use in food contact applications.

“It can be used, for example, in bakery packaging, salad trays, microwaveable packaging, sandwich packaging and frozen food”, says Val Samoriz, CEO of Premium Board Finland. ”The coating is heat sealable and glueable and if there is need for a see through window, it can be made of a biodegradable film that leaves plenty of printing surface for branding.”

He points out that the packaging can be repulped, composted or incinerated for energy recovery without having to separate out coatings or layers manufactured from other materials.

“This makes Tecta a truly environmentally friendly alternative to plastics and plastic-laminated board”, says Val Samoriz. “In addition, its excellent printability makes the graphics really stand out on the shelf.”

Tecta is available in three versions that cover every need from frozen and chilled foods to microwavable and ovenable packaging.

“In addition to Tecta we also produce surface pigment coated folding boxboards for premium packaging”, says Val Samoriz. “Strompack is a GC2 packaging board with a double-coated surface and uncoated back and Stromcard is a GC1 fully coated paperboard with one coating on one side and two on the other.“

Green production

The carbon footprint of Premium Board’s mill is very small because both the raw materials and the energy come from renewable sources. Furthermore, the packagings are fully recyclable after use. Altogether this is of great importance to brand owners that are concerned about the environment and that prioritize packaging quality and printability of the board.

“The raw materials for the board are virgin spruce, pulp and water based chemicals for coating the board”, says Val Samoriz. “The spruce we use is obtained from local, certified forests, and so is the pulp that we buy from pulp mills in the neighbourhood.”

For steam generation the factory has a biofuel plant that runs on biomass and by-products of sawmills, as well as by-products from the board mill itself, such as bark, woodchip and bio-sludge. All bio fuels are locally sourced. The power plant also produces heat for the district heating system in the town of Juankoski.

“Furthermore, the electricity we need is mainly produced in two hydropower plants nearby the factory”, says Val Samoriz. /ins

Premium Board Finland in brief

Premium Board Finland Oy acquired the assets of former board manufacturer Stromsdal Oy in March this year and has recently restarted the mill located in Juankoski in Eastern Finland. The main customers are brand owners in the food, cosmetic and healthcare industry that need high quality and ecologically sound packaging for their products.

The mill has separate paperboard and coating machines, which makes the production very flexible.

The board machine produces three-layer folding boxboard with mechanical pulp in the middle and chemical pulp in the top layers. The coater was modernized in 2008 and it has a coating station on both sides of the web, which enables production of symmetrical high quality paperboard. The coating stations can, in addition, also use different kinds of coating methods, such as blade-coating and rod-coating. The trim width of the offline coater is 2,450 mm.

Captions

Tecta is a 100% biodegradable dispersion coated barrier board that replaces oil based plastics and aluminium in packages that demand water, water vapour, grease and heat resistance. The coating is heat sealable and glueable. Premium Board Finland’s two other product families Strompack and Stromcard are folding boxboards for premium packaging with coating on either one or on both sides of the board.

© Premium Board Finland Oy


For more information please contact:

Björn Forss, Vice-President, Sales

Premium Board Finland Oy                                                                       
Juankoskentie 7
FI-73500 Juankoski

Cell.: +358 40 544 1904

E-mail: bjorn.forss@premiumboard.fi                                                             
Website: www.premiumboard.fi/www/en/

Press release images