Daniel Richards is the Business Development Manager at SKYMARK, a UK-based flexible material supplier. SKYMARK has grown from a newcomer in 1987 to one of the largest flexible material suppliers in the UK due to its commitments to customer satisfaction, workforce development, efficiency, and environmental stewardship. It has multiple locations across the UK and Europe with extrusion, printing, laminating, slitting, and bag conversion capabilities. SKYMARK continues to invest in new machinery and capabilities to better serve markets such as hygiene, medical, food, and industrial films. Recent investments include a CPP line, new printing presses, and a Combi 3000 laminator. The company also has an extensive reclamation

1. STRENGTHING THE BOND
Daniel Richards
Business Development Manager
+44 (0) 7816 272 343
drichards@skymark.co.uk
www.skymark.co.uk

2. Our Ethos: QRS
This is our ethos, assuring SKYMARK our growth from a competitive
newcomer in 1987 to our present place as one of the largest flexible
material suppliers in the UK.
Proudly we stand-out from our rivals with our unyielding commitments;
our dedication to satisfying our customer's every need, meeting our
responsibility to our workforce with constant investment in training and
technology, and vigilantly monitoring efficiency, costs and wastage to
remain highly competitive with minimal environmental impact

3. Quality:
We are always looking to improve our
service, our products and our people
across business.

4. Response:
From first contact to final sale, we put
the customer in charge.

5. Service:
This is what sets us apart from our
competitors.

6. Working Toward Mastery
Achieve
Mastery
Projects Worked On
Get
Experienced
Get Familiar
Time Spent

7. Our Locations SCUNTHORPE


Purpose Built 80,000 ft² Site
1 x Blown Extruder
 2 x Cast Extrusion Lines
 6 x Flexo Printing Presses
 (Modern 10c, 8c & 6c with
GPS and auto-wash)
 2 x Slitters
 InkJet In-Register Overprint
Capability
 Extensive Laboratory,
Testing Facility
 Centre of Excellence for
Cast Extrusion, Print,
Innovation and Packaging
Development
ILKESTON
 40,000 ft² Site
 8 x Film Extruders (Mono & Coex
Speciality Films)
 8 x Conversion lines :Extensive
Bag making capability
 Recovery, Reclaim and
Recycling Facilities
 Innovative approach
 Centre of Excellence for Extrusion,
Conversion and Sustainability

8. Sales Growth
£60
£50
£40
£30
£20
£10
£0
1987 1990 1993 1996 1999 2002 2005 2008 2011 2014

9. Global Sales
 UK
 Poland
 Czech Republic
 Italy
 Germany
 France
 Switzerland
 Spain
 Other European Countries
 Middle East
 North Africa
(Algeria & Tunisia)
 South Africa
 USA
 China, Taiwan, Thailand

10. Our Markets
Hygiene Embossed Films
Wet Wipe Laminates
Toilet Tissue
Technical and Industrial films
Food & Non Food Lamination Films
Environmental films

11. Barrier Films
Our lamination film department has recently invested in a new Nordmeccanica Combi 3000 Laminator to
continue our growth within the lamination / barrier film sector.
The Combi 3000 Nordmeccancia Laminator is once again proof of SKYMARK's amibition to be at the forefront
of packaging innovation. The Combi 3000 boasts a number of features including:
• Solventless & Solvent based adhesive system
• In line one colour print facility
• Coating and lacquer
• Water based adhesive
• Cold seal in register application
SKYMARK's growth within its lamination department to date has been focused on wet wipe applications. Now
with the added features the new Combi brings, it will enable Skymark to expand further into the wet wipe
market, but be technically adapt within the frozen food and diary markets.
2012 is set to be SKYMARKs largest turnover within the lamination department with new contracts secured
for many brand and retail owners. Dan Richards - Lamination manager said; “ ...it is an exciting time to be
apart of SKYMARK growth plans, the Combi 3000, like all our investments, will help us in our quest to double
our turnover by 2015”.

12. Frozen Foods Market
• We currently supply into the
frozen foods market in
particular the sausage market
• Our unique feature is our
ability to produce bespoke PE
films to suit
• Specialist blends include high
performance metallocene
blends:
– Good hot tack and seal
strength
– Low seal initiation
temperature
– Puncture resistance
– Sealing through contamination
• OPA/PE, OPP/PE, PET/PE, PE/P
E, OPA/PE.EVOH.PE

13. Diary Foods Market
• Our expertise are in the sealing
layer of the laminate that make
us the 1st choice within our
lamination sectors
• Standard structures include:
– 12OPA/45mLLDPE
• Blue tinted or parchment print
– 15OPA/50mLLDPE
• All structures suitable for HFFS or
VFFS lines
• Specialist blends include high
performance metallocene
blends:
– Good hot tack and seal strength
– Low seal initiation temperature
– Puncture resistance
– Sealing through contamination

14. Polymer Attributes
POLYMER ATTRIBUTE ADDED VALUE
LOW SEAL INITIATION TEMPERATURE PACKAGING LINE SPEED
HIGH HOT TACK / SEAL STRENGTH VFFS COMPLIANT + SEAL INTEGRITY
ORGANOLEPTICS LOW ODOUR AND OFF TASTE
CLARITY PRODUCT VISIBILITY
TOUGHNESS DOWN GAUGING POTENTIAL
PUNCTURE RESISTANCE ABUSE RESISTANCE
LOW HAZE / HIGH GLOSS PACKAGE SALES APPEAL
SEAL THROUGH CONTAMINATION REDUCE LEAKERS

15. CAPABILITIES

16. 3 x Fischer & Krecke 8-10 colour printing presses, fitted with
the GPS Smart system and 1 x wide width 8 colour press
We have invested in the highest quality of printing presses
to keep ahead of the demand for “gravure” quality flexo print.

17. 2 x Cast Extrusion
Servicing the hygiene and diaper market throughout Europe and ROW

18. 6 x Blown Co-Extrusion Lines
Ultra low gauge capabilities. High output, upto 2.6m wide Kiefel line

19. Combi 3000 Laminator
Solvent, Solventless and Water based adhesive system. Inline
coating, inline registered print

20. Bag conversion
A variety of wicketted bag line for bottom gusseted draw tape handle
bags for the tissue and wet wipe market

21. NGR – Reclamation site
Every mindful of our environmental responsibilities we have the facility
to reclaim all our LDPE waste

22. Markets
Process Lamination Hygiene & Technical &
Tissue Reclamation SkyAIR®
Film Medical Industrial
Blown Film
Cast Film
Printing
Lamination
Slitting
Bag Conversion
Processes and Markets
As the table above demonstrate we have the ability to service a wide
variety of markets with t he broad range of manufacturing processes.

23. INVESTING IN OUR
FUTURE

24. Investment in CPP Market (2011/12)
5 layer coextrusion POLYCAST line for the production
of advanced CPP films. As part of SKYMARK’s continued
growth plan, we are investing in an
advanced CPP line.
Capabilities:
• Useful width of 2800mm
• 20mu – 200mu
• 1600kgs output per hour
Markets:
Greeting Cards, Stationary, Produce
flower and textile bags, High temp
resistance and high seal for
laminates, Twist wrap confectionery, Peal
seal for lidding applications.
Medical products, IV bags, Box overwrap
and Labels

25. Gravure Quality Flexo Print
The quality of offset and gravure printing has always been somewhat of a
Holy Grail for Flexo. But, with HD Flexo, the gap is closed. Bringing
consistency, vibrant colours and increased print quality, HD Flexo raises the
industry standard for Flexo printing. Flexo printing can now compete with
offset for quality labels and with gravure printing for flexible packaging. In
addition, digital plate exposure ensures greater consistency in plate
production and in printing.
• Smoother Ink Laydown and Improved contrast
• Exceptional density and tonal range
• Large format plates
• Very sharp barcodes and text
• Considerably improved colour Gamut
• Comparable with Gravure and Offset quality
• Combination of solid and tone plates

26. At SKYMARK we place great importance in Reclaiming and Recycling as much on site
waste as is possible, for example, plain and coloured film, banding
material, paper, cardboard, metals, inks and solvents, oils and redundant computer
items.
Our Recycling system ensures that we Recover and Reuse the maximum amount of
waste inks and solvent and through further research and investment we can now
regenerate our solvent which will enable us to reuse it.
We have invested in modern reclaiming equipment; this is to ensure that the recycled
polymer is of the highest grade for reuse and will meet the demand for recovering and
recycling packaging waste. SKYMARK are an accredited waste reprocessor.
Most of SKYMARK’s polyethylene products can be supplied in a bio-degradable format;
these products will disintegrate within the desired period when buried in landfill
conditions, thereby reducing our impact on landfill.

27. SKYMARK 7 R’s
Reduce • Gauge reduction, investment in machinery, scrap
minimisation
Reuse • Reclaim material, NGR
Recycle • NGR, closed loop waste streams
Research • innovation in sustainable projects, innovation in extrusion
technology to produce superior mechanical properties
Refuse • Through continual investment we refuse to fall behind in
our responsibility
Regenerate • Support brand owner in their quest to regenerate the
environment Regenerate
Rethink • Innovative thinking to produce environmentally sustainable
options for the future

28. Sustainable Development
Sustainability has been expressed as meeting the needs of the present
without compromising future generations to meet their needs.
(1987 UN Brundtland Report)
We endorse the principles of sustainable development, including the
need to balance economic growth, social development and environmental concerns in how
we operate our business and promote our products.
We believe
• All resources are limited and
precious
• Hydrocarbon feedstocks will
continue to be the primary resources
• Economic parameters will drive
market-acceptable solutions
• Technology and product safety will
play a key role
• Reduce, reuse and recycle are
important aspects of a sustainable
business

29. Recycling & Closed Loop option
• SKYMARK has the facilities to recover and recycle plastic packaging waste.
Because we are accredited we can issue evidence of compliance to producers
and schemes.
• SKYMARK is actively involved in developing products containing high proportions
of high quality reclaimed packaging. This policy will reduce the amount of high
quality packaging waste going to landfill.
• SKYMARK has tripled its recovery
and recycling capacity in 2008 by
further investing in new
reclamation equipment.

30. REDUCE & REUSE
• Invested in new analox system: Reduced solvent usage
by 150 MT/annum.
• Invested in Abatement system: Destroys 99% of all
solvent emissions to atmosphere.
• Invested in New slitters with Reduced set up times &
waste.
• Invested in new digital presses with faster setup
time, improved quality and less waste.
• Invested in reusable recycled plastic cores.
• Stopped the use core ends, reducing waste at our
customer’s end.
• Measuring our Carbon Foot Print and aiming to
improve that year on year.

31. Emphasis on
RECOVERING & RECYCLING
In-house dedicated Accredited Reclamation
Centre;
– To recycle all our internal packaging waste, which is
then fed back into our film (where appropriate).
– To Recover & Recycle:
• Our customers’ process waste.
• Post consumer waste (directly from consumers or through
other means).

32. Environmental Investments
• New Extrusion Technology
– To produce thinner films efficiently
• Ink Technologies
– Solvent and Gas emission reduction / elimination
• Investment in optimisation of energy reduction
equipment
• Closed loop waste processing
– Internal reclamation unit
• Many more . . .

33. Other Optimisation Projects
Prioritising & Concentrating on Sustainable Projects
that deliver more than one saving (environmental
benefit, efficiency, cost etc)
• Returnable Packaging
• Plastic Cores
• Plastic Collar Boxes
• Pallets (Own return system similar to GKN)
• Optimisation of finished article to minimised use &
optimise production output / utility using innovation
& design throughout the whole supply chain.

34. Sustainable Packaging
Key Considerations
• Functionality of product
• Required Shelf life
• Packaging Design
• Cost / Economical restrictions
• Consumer waste stream
• Regional waste stream
• Material Safety Clearance
• Temperature / Physical restrictions
• Need to be “Greener”
• Life Cycle analysis (energy & Carbon footprint)

35. Sustainable Packaging - Life Cycle Analysis
A Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) consists of four parts:
• Scope: defines the purpose and boundaries of the study
• Life Cycle Inventory (LCI): quantifies input and output of all
processes in the life cycle of a product & process (raw
materials, energy, solid waste, emissions)
• Impact Assessment: interprets the LCI results to assess the
impact on health and environment
• Interpretation: evaluates opportunities to reduce
energy, material input, environmental burden
LCA’s are situation specific and best conducted
by Brand Owners.

36. CONTINUOUS
IMPROVEMENT

37. Continuous Improvement Team
The effectiveness of this team is directly
influenced by open and constructive
communication between both companies
and the common goal of implementing
improvements to the benefit of both
businesses.
Evaluations:
• Clean sheet review of all Specifications.
• Assessment of process capabilities and limitations of both
companies processes.
• The evaluation of critical parameters for client lines.
• Suggesting change / improvements to specifications, process and
services if required.

38. Supplier / Customer Alignment
SALES
CUSTOMER
QA
DEPT

39. QUALITY &
ACCREDITATIONS

40. Quality is everything
Full control of all aspects of job; from origination through our
own well equipped studio to delivery and aftercare service.
BS EN ISO 9002:2001 Fully Accredited company; striving to
achieve the highest quality possible.
Accredited to BS EN ISO 14001
One of the first to be awarded a Hygiene Accreditation from
the Royal Society of Health & Food Industry; Achieved BRC
accreditation in 2004.
We closely monitor the quality of all raw materials supplied to
us and only purchase from reputable and approved suppliers

41. THANK YOU