The dynamic growth of the Polish packaging manufacturer, UNIPACO S.A., can be explained by the company`s early specialisation and expertise in the production of coated paper for flexible packaging. Since 2016, UNIPACO has been using SML FlexPack coating and laminating lines to manufacture paper-based high-end packaging materials. 

UNIPACO which has its headquarters in Pozan, Poland, and a production facility in Kostrzyn nad Odrą is one of Europe’s leading manufacturers of coated paper packaging, with a strong focus on the Central and Southern European markets. Since its foundation in the early 1990ies, Unipaco has developed paper coating to its optimum, and at the same time grown from a small-scale business to become one of the big players in the Polish packaging industry. Key products are papers with PE/PP coatings and paper/aluminium laminates. 

Growing markets for sustainable packaging 
In recent years, demand for sustainable and easy-to-recycle paper packaging in Europe has increased significantly. “Our vision is to expand our markets and provide the best possible quality in coated paper packaging for our clients. Regarding sustainable development, we are constantly striving to further extend the quality characteristics of our products, such as heat sealability and barrier properties, while simultaneously lowering the share of PE/PP. We are now able to coat paper with 4 gsm PE, which is an exceptionally low grammage. This enables the production of paper packaging with a share of plastics under 5 %,” Mateusz Cyman, the Export Manager of UNIPACO states proudly.  

Experience and process knowledge 
Unipaco believes experience, process knowledge and the right machinery are key factors when it comes to the production of high-end coated paper with an ultra-thin grammage. “4 gsm PE is extremely fragile, which can create a lot of obstacles, such as the possibility of pin holes or the delamination of PE. On such a thin coating, everything can influence the end-product: from the air moisture and temperature to the surface of the paper,” Mateusz Cyman explains.  

 
Example: Creative solutions for salad wrapping  
An impressive example of UNICPACO’s innovative potential is a project for a completely new, visually attractive type of recyclable salad wrapping in close co-operation with the packaging paper manufacturer UPM Speciality Papers. Using machinery from SML, UNIPACO coated the translucent paper UPM SolideTM Lucent and the one side coated UPM FlexPackTM packaging paper with 4 gsm of PE. “The paper and our coating helped to create a unique and beautiful product while maintaining humidity resistance for a short period of time, as well as heat sealability,” Mateusz Cyman continues. The new packaging product contains less than 5 % of plastic and can be considered recyclable. “The co-operation with UPM was a great success. It helped us to demonstrate one of the numerous opportunities offered by the utilisation of paper with 4 gsm PE coating. We can show that it's possible to lower PE grammage without losing valuable properties, while simultaneously gaining recyclability,” Mateusz Cyman states. 

Third SML FlexPack line soon in operation 
UNIPACO relies increasingly on coating machinery from SML. The co-operation between the two companies commenced ten years ago, when UNIPACO was looking for a new coating line. “We received SML’s offer for the machine, and it turned out to be much better than those from other companies. We opted for the SML coating system, and we couldn't be more pleased with it. Not only the systems, but the customer service and customer relations are of a superior standard”, Mateusz Cyman says.  

UNIPACO’s third FlexPack coating line from SML is going to be installed in the middle of 2025.  “We are proud of our partnership with UNIPACO, a company with which SML has a lot in common. Like UNIPACO, at SML we favour long-term relations with our customers, we focus on ongoing technical innovation and high-quality standards and, last but not least, both companies have more than two decades of experience in the field of flexible paper packaging,” Johannes Danter, Product Manager at SML concludes.  

Redlham, 16.05.2025