Stork Cellramic of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is pleased to announce the finalization of a long-term partnership with Tiruna America of Green Bay, Wisconsin.

Stork entered into a five-year exclusive agreement with Tiruna to provide tungsten coating services for its corrugating rolls intended for the American market. Tiruna corrugating rolls, which are sold in over 40 countries, are enhanced by a very high-quality tungsten coating process the company developed at their parent company's research facility in Spain. This advanced coating dramatically improves the lifetime of the rolls and is considered the quality leader in the industry.

New processes, new equipment
To meet the requirements of this specialized process, Stork has invested in a new state-of-the-art, robotically-equipped thermal spray booth to apply the coatings and accommodate the rolls, which are typically 150" long and can weigh up to 15,000 lbs. In addition, Stork engineers visited Spain to learn the new process, and visiting engineers from Spain have were part of the installation and implementation process. After setup and qualification, the first sets of high quality tungsten coated corrugated rollers were successfully released at the beginning of 2010.

Wisconsin companies strengthened by agreement
Besides being the market leader in service and resoration of corrugating rolls, Tiruna America is known for a strong focus on technology and after-market support. A family owned business, Tiruna America was formed from a joint venture between Tiruna of Pamplona and Fosber America, Inc. of Green Bay in 2003. Jeff Pallini, President of the eastern Wisconsin company, said of the agreement with Stork, "Until now, Tiruna was utilizing standard tungsten technology from a company on the East Coast. We were very pleased to form a partnership with Stork which offers us a superior product right here in Wisconsin."

Since 1986, Stork Cellramic has been a well-established market leader in thermal spray coatings for printing industries in the Midwest. General Manager Daniel Ruiter was enthusiastic about the announced partnership, saying, "Everyone at Stork Cellramic has enjoyed working with their excellent staff and expanding our skills capabilities with the new thermal spray chamber and the new tungsten processes. We are pleased to be partnering with Tiruna and we look forward to a long and rewarding relationship."