Cortec celebrates community, economic development

April 5, 2018
The Cortec Advanced Films (CAF) ribbon-cutting ceremony was marked by excitement and mutual appreciation between Cortec Corporation and the city of Cambridge, Minn.
The Cortec® Advanced Films (CAF) ribbon-cutting ceremony on March 2, 2018, was marked by excitement and mutual appreciation between Cortec Corporation and the city of Cambridge, Minn.

Cortec has been working side by side with local city government and businesses throughout the year to make expansion of current facilities at its Cambridge VpCI® film extrusion plant a reality. The result is an attractive professional front office building and training center, along with a spacious warehouse in back to keep up with expanding VpCI film production and recycling activities. Cortec was honored to have the Cambridge mayor present at the ceremony, along with members of the press and representatives of the local bank and contractor who helped make the project possible.

After the ribbon cutting, Cortec led tours of the production facilities where VpCI polyethylene film and bags are made for protecting new metal components and equipment of all sizes from corrosion. Among other applications, VpCI film or bags can be wrapped around a new engine or aerospace component to keep it from corroding during shipment from the supplier to the end manufacturer. Tour participants learned how the film is extruded and how raw and finished materials undergo stringent quality control to ensure a defect rate nearing zero.

Following the tour, everyone gathered in the spacious new warehouse complex for speeches by the mayor, Cortec’s CEO, CAF’s Production Manager, and the project’s general contractor (BJ Baas). Common themes included excitement over the beautiful new building and appreciation for the exemplary cooperation between Cortec and local business and government.

In her speech, Mayor Marlys Palmer congratulated Cortec on its achievement and thanked Cortec for investing in the local community. She commented, “The completion of this new warehouse and the offices is really inspirational to the entire city of Cambridge, and it’s an awesome gateway to our downtown. . . . And we do sincerely thank Cortec® for their investment in our city and also for the opportunity for employment for our citizens.”

Cortec CEO, Boris Miksic, expressed mutual appreciation for the city. “We love Cambridge,” said Miksic. I mean we feel at home here. People are wonderful to work with.” He also referenced the positive sister city relationship Cortec has promoted between Cambridge and Beli Manastir, Croatia, where Cortec’s European film extrusion plant, EcoCortec®, is located. “For me it’s been a rewarding experience to be here in this town and . . . to be [a] good corporate citizen,” said Miksic.

CAF Production Manager, Tim Bliss, also expressed excitement about the beautiful new building and the growth at CAF. He commented that it was the perfect time for expansion with increasing sales making this typically slow season the busiest time ever. He noted that Cortec has been able to help the community by already hiring new employees to keep up with the demand. Cortec is also helping reduce carbon footprints for itself and its customers through an expanding recycling program that will be housed in the new warehouse. Cortec reduces waste by recycling VpCI film scrap and used VpCI film from its customers and adding it back into new film at a rate that ensures the corrosion inhibiting quality of the product. The new plastic recycling complex will be equipped with Erema reprocessor(s) to offer Cortec’s customers this unique recycling service for used film they no longer need.

Cortec is excited to move forward to fully utilize its expanded office, training, production, and recycling facilities. In the process, CAF is eager to continue to be a good example of environmental responsibility and corporate community contribution while supplying a quality corrosion inhibiting product to industries around the globe.

CAF is the world’s largest plant for production of VpCI films and bags with a nameplate capacity of more than 40 million pounds (20,000 MT). Its location in downtown Cambridge, Minn., USA, leaves it excellently situated with rail service in the heart of the North American continent. It is the only plant in the world dedicated to production of anti-corrosion and compostable films and bags that is fully integrated with its own compounding, extrusion, converting, printing, and plastic recycling services. CAF operates a fully staffed laboratory for 24/7 quality assurance.

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