PARSIPPANY, N.J. – June 3, 2013 – For the second straight year, Sun Chemical’s inks were used on packaging created by Sunshine Plastics that won the coveted “Best in Show” award during INFO*FLEX. 

Sunshine Plastics, a flexible packaging converter based in Montebello, Calif., has won the gold award in the wide web process category from the Flexographic Technical Association’s Excellence in Flexography Awards annual competition for the third year in a row.

It is the fourth year in a row the converter achieved multiple awards in the competition, including its second straight “Best in Show” award in 2013 for the Autumn Lakes Duck A L’Orange wrapper. The converter has also won multiple awards over the past four years from the Printing Industries Association, Inc.

“Winning the gold award for three straight years and the ‘Best in Show’ for two straight years is a tremendous honor,” said James Chuang, the owner of Sunshine Plastics. “What it means is persistence—a drive to push ourselves higher and go further than we have ever gone before. We’ve set a high standard for ourselves and we take pride in living up to that reputation.”

That reputation has earned the trust of Sunshine Plastics’ customers. Frequently included in marketing meetings with their customers, the converter is able to provide input at the beginning of the design process that would help enhance a package’s shelf appeal by making it pop or stand out from its competitors at the grocery aisle.

Part of that trust has been earned because of its partnership with Sun Chemical. A Sun Chemical customer for more than 10 years, Sunshine Plastics turns to Sun Chemical to help provide inks and varnishes that specifically meet the needs of their individual customers.

“We have a lot of trust in Sun Chemical that they will help us meet our needs,” Chuang said. “We’ve come to Sun Chemical for a specific type of ink color or varnish that didn’t exist previously and they would help us get what we needed along with the appropriate type of finish, whether it was a gloss or matted look. Sun Chemical helps us come up with inks with stronger colors and densities, whether for a lamination or surface print job. I’ve asked if there is a way to make the ink a little finer so that we can get a stronger color, and Sun Chemical has delivered time and time again. I really appreciate their capabilities and versatility.”

Sun Chemical offers a wide range of custom-tailored technical support to its customers ranging from polymer design and synthesis and color science to pigment synthesis, chemical analysis, and materials characterization.

“Sun Chemical offers us a lot of flexibility with technical support,” Chuang said. “They come here and help us achieve the previously unachievable. The relationship works because when we need something, we immediately get the technical support we need.”

“It is a pleasure for us at Sun Chemical to provide high quality lamination and surface inks to a forward thinking organization like Sunshine Plastics,” said Terrence Green, an account manager at Sun Chemical. “We look forward to working with them on the next technical need they will have.”

Now as Sunshine Plastics looks forward to 2014 with a goal to win its fifth straight gold award from the FTA, the company plans to push itself in areas it has never been before.

“Our goal at Sunshine Plastics is to show global leadership in flexible packaging,” Chuang said. “Gravure has always been the standard of the print industry. We believe we can take flexible packaging to the point where you can’t distinguish it from roto-gravure. I think we can do it, especially with Sun Chemical as a partner.”