R&D MM KARTON: where innovation starts
Innovation is the basis for our leading role as cartonboard solutions provider. FOODBOARD™ is the result of our intensive research and innovation work. These activities are concentrated in our Austrian Frohnleiten parent mill.
The centralised R&D competence centre in the Frohnleiten mill is the largest of its kind in the cartonboard industry. Ongoing investment in research and development as well as use of the latest technology form the basis for our tailor-made solutions. Market trends and planned legislation are taken into account at an early stage – as in the case of the mineral oil regulation.
The competence centre in Frohnleiten covers three priority areas:
1.
Research & development
Here we take up subjects such as the unprocessed cartonboard production or the use of alternative fibre materials, the optimisation of cartonboard properties and the improvement of processability. Special attention is paid to polymer chemistry and its analytical methods for modifying fibres and the development of functional surfaces.
2.
Product safety & compliance
We provide our customers with comprehensive service in all aspects of product safety which is becoming more and more important especially in the area of food packaging. The aim is to deliver high-quality consultancy in the identification, research, evaluation and prevention of health risks in connection with food contact materials, and to draw up corresponding professional assessments. This applies both to questions relating to materials and toxicology and to issues in connection with existing or planned legislation.
3.
Analytic chemistry
In the course of developing FOODBOARD™, around 15,000 migration analyses have been carried out in this department since 2011. Thanks to its comprehensive technical knowledge and state-of-the-art equipment, our team of experts has the capability to determine even the smallest quantities with a high degree of sensitivity and reliability when analysing chemical compounds. That is why we are also a recognised contact partner for major food producers. At the end of 2014, the round robin test organisers, DRRR (Deutsches Referenzbüro für Lebensmittel-Ringversuche und Referenzmaterialien – German Reference Office for Food Proficiency Testing and Reference Materials) conducted comparative tests and confirmed the outstanding expertise in the analysis of mineral oil exhibited by our central laboratory in all sub-tests performed.
For MM Karton, innovation means not only inventiveness and a wealth of ideas in themselves but, going beyond that, their successful market-based implementation. A structured innovation process with the guiding involvement of a strong R&D centre is a precondition. The FOODBOARD™ solution launched in the market successfully justifies the chosen path.
