Mondi Commits to Strong Presence in US
- Published: June 19, 2018
VIENNA, AUSTRIA | Mondi Group, a global supplier of paper and packaging, has joined the Pressure Sensitive Tape Council (PSTC), the North American trade association for release liners, and says it is fully committed to further supporting its existing assets and presence in the region’s tape industry. Mondi has long been an active member of Afera, the European Adhesive Tape Association.
Over the past nine months, Mondi has focused on better understanding the needs of the tape manufacturers specific to relevant markets. “As a result,” says Rakesh Kumar, Business Solutions Manager – North America, Tapes and Medical, Release Liner, “we are revamping our product portfolio to introduce a line of polycoated and glassine liners for various double- and single-coated products.”
“Mondi is well represented in this region and definitely intends to stay and grow,” says Jon Bast, VP–sales in the Americas, Release Liner. “[We have] a strong commitment to the tape industry with a clearly defined strategy and the resources to further strengthen its existing position in the US.” The company has a pair of release liner plants—one in Pleasant Prairie, WI, and one in Leonia, NJ, plus a logistics center in Minneapolis, MN.
Alex Schwab, business development director, Release Liner, says, “The company draws on an extensive tape industry experience. Mondi in Europe has a number of coaters running two-sided coated liners in one pass, covering paper, film, and polycoated substrates. Besides having an established supply chain via a network of warehouses throughout the US, we are now putting an additional strong, strategic focus on our US operations.”
Kumar says a good example of the company’s ability to assess and serve specific industry needs in the tape market is its development of an innovative fluorosilicone liner. “We also are one of the few companies, for example, to offer a thin, PET film silicone-coated, back-printed release liner.”
Mondi says North America remains a key global market: The region accounts for 27% of the global release liner market, according to 2017 data from Dutch market research firm AWA Alexander Watson Associates. (https://www.awa-bv.com) By comparison, Asia accounts for 38% and Europe 28%.
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