n August of 2014, Crocker Technical Papers joined the FiberMark family of globally recognized brands. Founded in 1972, Crocker provides custom engineered multi-layered papers and boards, uniquely designed and tailored to meet specific customer-specified performance criteria.
Situated on the Nashua River, the Crocker building originally housed The Whitman & Miles Manufacturing Company, a manufacturer of horse-drawn mowing machinery. Then, in 1878 the facility was converted to manufacturing wood pulp for cylinder bristols. It eventually became Mill #6 within a complex of ten Crocker Burbank Company mills. In 1963 Weyerheauser Corporation bought Crocker Burbank. They then sold most of the business in 1972 to the relatively new James River Corporation. Crocker Technical Papers (Mill #6) however, reverted to private ownership and remained so until FiberMark acquired it.
The multi-layered specialty papers are crafted from various combinations of natural and man-made fibers including many species of wood pulp, cotton and synthetics. Through controlled manipulation of fibers and additives, technical papers are delivered with exact performance characteristics to fit each unique customer application. This brand family of products can be found in items that protect priceless heirlooms and historical artifacts as well as being critical components of items that assist in reliable delivery of electrical energy to homes and industry.
Crocker will become a part of FiberMark’s technical specialties and performance boards business in which FiberMark will adopt the Crocker brand name. FiberMark will continue to serve the industrial markets with electrical insulation specialties, archival quality paper and boards, photographic packaging, specialty coating base and other industrial specialties. Crocker dramatically broadens FiberMark’s capabilities and product offerings enabling us to deliver added value to our customers and is a key part of FiberMark’s overall growth strategy.
“Crocker Technical enjoys a select, diverse and imaginative set of customers who continue to entrust us with their requirements. FiberMark’s technical skills, and global marketing and sale’s channels, bodes well for the growth of Crocker’s technical products and its customers,” notes General Manager Larry Gelsomini.
Products
Electrical Insulation
These products can be found in distribution transformers, in power transmission cables and in fluorescent light fixture ballasts, to name a few applications. They all demand purity of composition, high physical strength and uniform fiber distribution and are built to last, enduring years of exposure to heat and physical stress.
Photographic Packaging
Direct contact with sensitized film and papers within retail packages demands purity and uniformity. Strict control of raw materials and process parameters guarantees they are photographically inert and will not compromise our customers’ costly products.
Archival Quality Papers & Boards
Designed to withstand the normal degradation of time and environmental factors such as air quality and ultraviolet light, these papers and boards are used in high-quality picture framing and in valuable artifact and document storage containers. Utilizing high-alpha wood pulp and cotton, Crocker produces critical components for the framers and archivists in white, various colors and even black. The products are manufactured to the rigorous standards set by The Library of Congress, The National Archives and The Image Permanence Institute.
Coating Base
A smooth, uniform surface and durable construction is required for secondary coating, laminating and embossing. Crocker provides several colors and thickness that ultimately become components within wedding/photo albums as well as upscale packaging.
Crocker Industrial Specialties
This family of products is truly a diverse lot and best exemplifies Crocker’s customization capabilities. Raw materials include many species of wood pulp, various synthetic fibers, and cotton linters and rag. End products include high strength shotgun shell, specialized tube stock for ballistic applications, oil filter shell stock and many other proprietary industrial applications.
