Team hits a three-run homer for coating application

Badger Paper Mills turned to Sierra Coating Technologies when a long-term customer launched a company-wide product improvement program and asked all of their vendors to participate.

Edited by Lynanne Feilen, managing editor -- Converting Magazine, 9/1/1997

Badger Paper Mills turned to Sierra Coating Technologies when a long-term customer launched a company-wide product improvement program and asked all of their vendors to participate.

At the time, Badger Paper Mills, Peshtigo, Wis., produced a wax-coated paper used to wrap a per-ishable food product. The customer wondered if it was possible to improve the shelf life of the product. One way to accomplish this was to increase the moisture vapor transmission rate (MVTR) on the paper they were providing.

"For several key reasons we decided to hire a contract converter to tackle this challenge," says Mark Neuman, vice president of sales for Badger Paper. "We viewed Sierra as an expert in solving this type of custom coating challenge. And, as an added bonus, they're in close proximity of our plant."

Sierra Coating Technologies, a custom converter located in De Pere, Wis., provides integrated solutions for a wide variety of industrial and commercial coating/laminating applications.

"After some initial meetings with the team over at Badger Paper, we began by researching which coatings or processes would deliver the best MVTR rating, while still complying to FDA guidelines," explains Gary Kozloski, director of coating operations for Sierra Coating Technologies. "It took several weeks to find the right formula and test its applications in the lab."

The answer to the problem was the use of a modified styrene acrylate polymer emulsion. The coating provided an excellent moisture barrier and met all the FDA's guidelines for direct food contact. After testing was completed the coating process went into trial production.

"These short-run tests allowed Badger Paper and their customers to get a feel for the end product," explains Kozloski. "After a little tweaking we had a product that satisfied all three parties. The time frame for the project was about two months."

The process for producing the finished product works as follows. Badger Paper manufactures the paper and then ships it to Sierra for the polymer emulsion coating. Sierra in turn ships the rolls back to Badger Paper where it receives a final wax coating and is shipped to the customer.

"One of the advantages we could offer Badger Paper is the convenience of our 62-in. gravure aqueous coater," says Kozloski. "Badger Paper produces this particular stock in 120-in. rolls. Because of the width of our coater, the stock only had to be slit once. This helped simplify the shipping process, since rolls did not have to be slit down into several smaller sections.

"The project was really a three-way win and highlights the benefits of using a contract coater or converter," explains Kozloski. "Badger's customer gets an improved product, Badger satisfies a valued customer, and we get a new client. All in all, the project was a real success."

More information from:

Sierra Coating Technologies, 800/558-2829.