Paperboard success stories.

The U.S. corporate media segment makes full use of various CD/DVD products containing annual reports, company presentations and user manuals. It is also the fastest-growing product area for CD cases. The traditional plastic jewel box is being challenged by the so-called Discbox Slider (DBS), which is based on packaging technology patented by Stora Enso Activation. The DBS is manufactured from cartonboard and enables innovative design and printing for brand owners and a safer packaging environment for the CD itself, according to Stora Enso. The world's largest vehicle manufacturer, General Motors Corp., is the most recent company to adopt the DBS for packing its personalized instructional CD manuals.

"The plastic jewel box can no longer meet corporate design and safety requirements," said William McKnight, managing partner of the media packaging manufacturer QC Packaging Systems Inc. "When General Motors was looking for a case for its personalized instructional CD, we sent them samples of the DBS case simply because it would provide the company with the opportunity to display their expertise in automobile design, starting with the packaging for their CD."

The personalized instructional CD manuals are supplementary "Getting to Know Your Vehicle" guides that are installed while the vehicle is on the assembly line. The CD is included in the following models: Cadillac, Chevrolet, Buick, Pontiac, Saturn and GMC. The cases, which are manufactured by a Toronto-based company, QC Packaging Systems Inc., are made out of Performa White DBS cartonboard. Approximately 2 million cases were manufactured in 2003.

"The corporate market is the fastest growing sector for us, and we aim to become the market leader in corporate media packaging in the United States within the next three years," said Patrick Collyer, account manager, Stora Enso Activation USA. "The DBS is popular with brand owners because it weighs only 30 grams compared to 90 grams for standard plastic CD cases with a booklet. This brings major cost savings in direct mailings. The cartonboard itself is also durable, which means no more plastic cases that crack."

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Stora Enso Activation is part of Stora Enso Consumer Boards, a business division within the Stora Enso Group.

SNACK FOOD FOCUS

Another packaging innovation, the Langnese-Iglo Micro-Baguette, was recently launched on the German market. The package won first prize in the Trayforma International Design Award competition (TIDA 2003), which was organized by Stora Enso.

Micro-Baguette is an example of the growing food trend where smaller snacks, weighing typically under 150 grams, are taking over from hamburger products. Langnese-Iglo, belonging to the Unilever Group, launched a 115 gram Micro-Baguette package designed to meet the quality and speed requirements of the snack food market.

"We wanted the product to stand out from other package designs," said Jurgen Schondelmayer of Langnese-Iglo GmbH. "We also wanted to guarantee the 'crispiness' of the contents for the consumer. We needed the help of the packaging industry since the product is heated in the package and also eaten straight from it."

Partners involved in the project were Langnese-Iglo's packaging development department (Germany), CC Pack (Sweden), Stora Enso (Finland) and Henry & Leigh Slater (UK). CC Pack implemented the packaging concept using Stora Enso's Trayforma paperboard as the material for the tray. Special coated Trayforma is suitable for demanding applications where good formability and durability are needed at temperatures ranging from -40[degrees] to +230[degrees]C. The inside of the board tray is laminated with susceptor film manufactured by the British company Henry & Leigh Slater. The susceptor heats the baguette or pizza quickly, keeping it crispy while ensuring product safety. This product is a lightly metallized PET film that converts microwave energy into heat.

The product is now sold in Germany and was expected to be launched in Spain, Ireland, Austria and Switzerland. For more information on the Langnese-Iglo Micro-Baguette package, please go to the following web site: www.storaenso.com/trayforma.