APC invests in electron beam coating and precision slitting tech for tea packaging

American Packaging Corporation (APC) has bolstered its flexible packaging capabilities for tea products by investing in advanced electron beam coating systems and precision slitting equipment. The strategic acquisitions aim to preserve tea's flavor and aroma, enhance pack aesthetics, and accelerate production processes. APC's electron beam coatings deliver a high gloss finish, maintain a controlled coefficient of friction, and offer resistance to scuffing without the use of solvents or emissions that could compromise tea's sensory qualities.

The company's fixed-blade-width slitters provide narrow slitting tolerances, uniform roll profiles, and seamless automated transitions from master rolls to pallets, ensuring faster and more consistent production. APC's state-of-the-art converting facility accommodates flexographic, rotogravure, and digital printing techniques, alongside extrusion and adhesive lamination, to craft packages that meet specific barrier requirements and line performance standards.

The firm collaborates with a variety of substrates, including paper, foil, metallised films, and others, to deliver an extensive range of flexible packaging formats suited for diverse tea brands. APC emphasizes the importance of its tea packaging solutions in sustaining product freshness, enhancing aroma retention, optimizing print and finish quality, ensuring optimal performance on high-speed filling lines, and offering sustainable packaging options.

Established in 1902, APC operates six Centers of Excellence across the United States and employs a workforce of 1,300 individuals. In a recent development, the company announced the installation of gravure cylinder engraving technology at its Columbus, Wisconsin site, enabling the creation of high-definition certified engravings in-house for its rotogravure packaging operations.

By integrating engraving into its operations, APC now manages the entire process, from technology implementation to process control, thereby reducing lead times.