WILMINGTON, DELAWARE—  Heidelberg has announced a partnership with speciality chemicals giant Solenis, focused on barrier coatings for applications such as paper packaging that can replace plastics. The collaboration is centred on Heidelberg’s giant Boardmaster reel-fed flexo press, which can run at up to 600m/min and with promised uptime of up to 90% and non-stop production. The two firms will work on optimising the various components involved, including the chemical composition of the barrier coatings and application process on the Boardmaster. Solenis is headquartered in the US and employs around 16,500 people worldwide. The acquisitive group is owned by Platinum Equity. Its European footprint includes three R&D and customer application facilities in Germany.The firm’s products are used in a wide range of markets and industries including food and beverage processing, and pulp and paper. Its range includes Contour, a PFAS-free barrier coating that is oil and grease resistant, and TopScreen biowax-based coatings for food grade paper packaging.