PRO Flexconvert: Mr Aalto, why was now the right time for an open house on the subject of barrier coatings on paper?
Esa-Matti Aalto: We have been working with well-known paper manufacturers and chemical suppliers here in Fribourg since 2016. Since then, we have successfully launched many developments on the market and are experiencing ever-increasing demand from the industry. Chemical suppliers are also seeking contact with us because they want access to the converters. This triad of the paper industry, the chemical sector and mechanical engineering gave us the idea of bringing together everyone involved here in Fribourg. This location is, so to speak, the epicentre or birthplace of many products that are now very well established on the market. The event helps us to bring together the interest groups and to look beyond our own horizons.
PRO Flexconvert: The presentations today emphasized how much the packaging market as a whole is changing. What strategies do you derive from this?
E.-M. Aalto: Legislation, both nationally and at the EU and global level, is increasingly geared towards sustainability. Both types of packaging – plastic and paper – have their place. We will continue to serve both segments. However, we are striving to cover the topic of sustainability as comprehensively as possible. Paper plays a crucial role in this as a renewable raw material that is highly recyclable. But that doesn’t mean we are neglecting the plastics industry. On the contrary, there will continue to be applications that cannot be achieved with paper.
PRO Flexconvert: It is striking that the chemical industry is very strongly represented at Barrier Day – including their own presentations. How can we imagine these partnerships in detail?
E.-M. Aalto: We have real technology centres here at the Fribourg site, but also in Bocholt, which are not exclusively for our customers to test machine configurations. These are also development centres. Suppliers of chemicals come to us explicitly to test their formulations on our machines. We are talking about partnerships that have grown over decades in some cases. We ourselves are always seeking this exchange with the chemical industry in order to be able to test the latest configurations and applications that may have a promising future ahead of them.
PRO Flexconvert: In which segments do the customers you have invited today operate?
E.-M. Aalto: We have a very heterogeneous structure at Barrier Day 2024, which I would describe as very positive. There are packaging manufacturers, some of whom are also paper producers. In addition, there are some newcomers who want to take a closer look at our portfolio in order to possibly launch new products.
This interview was published in PRO Flexconvert. Magazine for Converting Professionals, issue 4, 2024.
image source: © Martin Hirschmann, M2N Media GmbH
