ACTEGA, manufacturer of specialty coatings, inks, adhesives, sealants and compounds for the print and packaging industry, has announced a successful 2023 despite a decline in volumes and sales compared to 2022. The year has been underpinned by significant investments in key production and R&D facilities, developments made, and partnerships formed to support ACTEGA’s sustainable solutions. ACTEGA also launched numerous new products, including those aimed at supporting sustainable packaging solutions and regulatory compliance, and many of which were showcased at some of the industry’s most important trade shows.

Thorsten Kröller, president, ACTEGA, says, “With our business remaining firmly focused on innovation that supports improved sustainability in the print and packaging industries, we have continued to achieve many important milestones this year. In fact, the start of the new year marks just 12 months to go as we progress our goal of becoming a carbon-neutral business by 2025 (as outlined by ALTANA) and therefore, we are certain the year ahead will demonstrate further progress towards this objective.

“Of course, ACTEGA is also known for its product innovations and as such, 2023 saw new inks, lacquers, coatings, and technology added to our portfolio. With the investments in our production and R&D capabilities this year, we are sure that 2024 will bring even more exciting new products that enable our customers to meet industry regulations, improve the sustainability of their products, as well as offer brands high-quality, stand-out print and packaging.”

A year of significant investment

In April 2023, ACTEGA confirmed a $5 million investment in its New Jersey facility. The investment funds numerous developments across the US site. The multiple expansion projects and process improvements planned for the New Jersey site – which is mainly dedicated to coating operations – have already begun, with the full development plan set to be completed in the first quarter of 2024. As part of this ambitious initiative, ACTEGA is implementing advanced technologies with the aim of increasing automation process reliability and efficiency. Standardizing workflows and enhancing manufacturing processes will also enable ACTEGA to optimize its product formulations, further improving accuracy and consistency of quality, as well as increasing overall production bandwidth and operational efficiency.

Shortly after the investment in the New Jersey site was announced, ACTEGA revealed its plans to open a new, extensive facility in Kings Mountain, North Carolina. The project is being supported by the State of North Carolina, providing funding to establish a brand-new production facility. With the goal of bringing together four existing premises located in North Carolina and Indiana, the site is expected to create additional jobs once operational and new opportunities for growth across the ACTEGA business lines. This facility will occupy 22,110 square meter site – twice the space of ACTEGA’s four locations in North America combined.

In October, ACTEGA also announced the completed consolidation of its three Brazilian sites into a new 22,500 square-meter facility in Araçariguama, São Paulo. This state-of-the-art production and R&D site is the result of a major $7 million investment over the last years and cements ACTEGA’s position as an industry leader in the region. Equipped with cutting-edge technology, the facility enables the company to continue to meet the highest safety standards, deliver unprecedented solutions for its customers and further grow its market presence.

In 2023, ACTEGA focused on strategically investing in new facilities across world, including the newly constructed laboratory building in Sedan, France.

Success and innovation at Labelexpo

One of ACTEGA’s sustainable solutions that took the spotlight in 2023 was ECOLEAF at Labelexpo Europe. Show visitors saw this pioneering metallization technology, running live on the ACTEGA stand. The company also revealed that this remarkable solution is now running at faster production speeds, enabling printers and converters producing labels for FMCG to take advantage of ECOLEAF on-demand metallization. By making it possible for more companies to switch to ECOLEAF, more can now look to reduce their carbon footprint by eliminating wasteful foiling processes. In addition, ECOLEAF metallization delivers the high gloss effects usually associated with these traditional hot and cold foil methods, so users do not have to compromise when it comes to quality.

Harald Jasper, managing director, ACTEGA Metal Print, says, “The latest advances confirmed at Labelexpo gave the market some important updates about the technology, but I think the most crucial messages shared during the show came from our customers. Representatives from these innovative companies provided an insight into how ECOLEAF was already benefiting their businesses and generating much excitement among their own customers.

“Looking ahead to 2024, we expect adoption of this ground-breaking technology to accelerate. With the higher speeds achievable, even more companies and brands are keen to harness the opportunity to differentiate their products with high quality, more sustainable metallization processes.”

ACTEGA also presented its latest range of high-impact coatings and inks for labels and flexible packaging at this landmark event for the industry. Samples showcasing ACTEGA’s haptic effect coating series, LED-UV coatings, and White and Metallic Inks captured visitors’ attention and impressed customers and prospects alike with their advanced functionalities.

The first Labelexpo Europe show since 2019 was busy from start to finish for the ACTEGA business lines serving this sector. Of course, the year’s success did not stop there and, throughout 2023, ACTEGA’s Labels and Flexible Packaging product ranges continued to be of interest to prospective customers and at the centre of ACTEGA’s existing customers’ businesses.