At this year's Phoenix Challenge Foundation college competition promoting the flexographic printing industry, Clemson University utlilized UPM Raflatac's new Raflex MDO film labels as part of their team's successful entry. Partnerships with local manufacturers are very important to the university, and with two UPM Raflatac factories less than 100 miles from Clemson's campus, collaboration has never been easier. Raflex MDO films balance the best performance properties of PP and PE for maximum functionality and shelf appeal, which was key to the team's entry.

Each year, participating teams are given a prompt and must work with a client/partner to fit into their packaging and promotional needs using flexography. In this year's challenge, Clemson's client/partner was the Flexographic Technical Association (FTA). Clemson's goal was to promote the FTA to younger generations and reinforce their scholarship program.

For their final submission, the Clemson team produced a multi-piece, mid-century modern "recruiting kit" featuring fictional character, "Capability Brown." All of the elements within the kit are items that Capability interacted with while preparing for a job interview, including a shampoo bottle with a retro-looking, double-sided label printed on UPM Raflatac's Raflex MDO conformable film label material.

Raflex MDO films are ideal for thicker-width bottles - like the ones chosen for Clemson's kit - and those that require a full squeeze at the bottom of the bottle. Available in both clear and white with RP74 adhesive, Raflex MDO films are suitable for a variety of end uses, including food, beverage and personal care.

"UPM Raflatac's Raflex MDO film materials were a really nice addition to our Capability Brown recruiting kit," says Becky Bunch, a Graphic Communications graduate student at Clemson University and participant in the 2017 Phoenix Challenge. "The labels gave us great performance on-press, conformed perfectly to the curves of the shampoo container without warping or creasing, and really helped our unique label designs stand out on that bottle. Thanks to their high-quality top-coating, these materials had excellent ink reception, and the graphics definitely popped."

"We were honored that Clemson chose to use our new Raflex MDO film label materials for their Phoenix Challenge Foundation entry," says Fernando Giron, marketing manager, Global Films, UPM Raflatac. "We enjoy working with the next generation at Clemson on a variety of on-going projects and preparing them with the knowledge and tools they need to enter our industry."