UPM Raflatac, a leader in self-adhesive labelstock, is celebrating its 40-year history as a company. According to the company, its business has been driven by a genuine will to understand and serve its customers with leading-edge products, efficient production processes and the capacity to innovate.

The company’s story began 40 years ago in Tampere, Finland. Chemist Juhani Strömberg, working for paper converting company Raf. Haarla, set out to develop water-based alternatives to solvent-based adhesives. Water-based label technology, which was still a rarity for label printers in the 1970s, was a significant advancement because it enabled higher speeds on printing machinery and greater efficiency for label production. Strömberg’s innovations were also a major step toward the sustainable production methods and label materials to which UPM Raflatac remains strongly committed.

Today, the company is a global pioneer in its field with strong prospects for the future. Growth and internationalization started at the end of the 1970s, and UPM Raflatac has since continued its advancement on the global self-adhesive labelstock market. UPM Raflatac currently employs close to 3,000 professionals and has generated sales in excess of one billion euros. The company has 11 production facilities worldwide and offers thousands of solutions for continually growing needs in product and information labelling.

UPM Raflatac strives for implementation of strategy, active research and development, and the resources of a leading forest industry company. An additional strength is Raflatouch – the  way employees operate and work with people both internally and externally.

“At Raflatac, a strong sense of presence has been retained for the company’s history and its founders,” says UPM Raflatac’s executive vice president Tapio Kolunsarkareflects. “New has been built from the foundation of the old. Entrepreneurship has shown itself particularly at times of change, when a strategic determination and shared goal have led to success. As employees, we are mindful that Raflatac is under our temporary custodianship, and that it is our duty to pass on to future generations an increasingly strong and successful company. As proud as we are of our history, we’re even more excited about the future and what we can offer both to our employees and customers in years to come.”

In honor of its 40-year history, UPM Raflatac is publishing a book titled The Story of RAFLATAC – From Internal Entrepreneurship to Global Self-Adhesive Labelstock Business. The book will be published in Finnish and English in spring 2015.