Over the past year Pankaboard has made substancial efforts and investments in order to bring forward the overall product quality of its major packaging grades. As a result, Pankaboard is now presenting cartonboard grades, which are bulkier, stronger, optically whiter and improved in terms of sensoric properties, according to a press release from the company.Throughout the entire range of PankaBrite the thickness of the board has been increased by 30 microns. For PankaWhite the increase has been ten microns. This has improved the bending stiffness, which will have a direct impact on ready-made packaging.The increase in the product thickness has been achieved by optimizing process conditions and the quality of the ground-wood pulp, which is used for the middle-layer of the boards.Development in the quality of the ground-wood pulp has also enabled remarkable quality improvements regarding the visual and surface characteristics of PankaBrite and PankaWhite.Extensive work has also been carried out to improve the sensoric (odor and taint) properties of both products in order to meet better the requirements of today's demanding brand-owners.Pankaboard is a privately-owned cartonboard and specialty board manufacturer. Its production facilities are located in Pankakoski in Eastern Finland. The company produces 100.000 tons of board per year, which nearly all is exported to Europe, North-America and Asia. Pankaboard has got both PEFC and FSC certificates.