IPS Testing: Marks 25th anniversary, continued company growth

Contact: Lori Van Handel, Willems Marketing, (920) 750-5020, lori@willemsmarketing.com

APPLETON, WIS. (August 25, 2014) – IPS Testing, an Appleton-based independent testing laboratory serving multiple industries across the United States and internationally, marks its 25th anniversary year this month.

Since opening its doors in 1989 as Integrated Paper Services and now known as IPS Testing, the company has grown from its start-up days of filling a testing need in the Fox Cities left by the relocation of the Institute of Paper Chemistry to Georgia. IPS is now recognized as an industry leader for its comprehensive testing and analysis processes for companies in the pulp and paper, packaging, nonwovens and consumer products industries.

IPS Testing’s ongoing efforts to grow and evolve with the times more recently earned the company the honor of becoming the first independent laboratory to achieve ISO 17025 Accreditation for the flushablity testing services it provides to manufacturers of flushable wipes – a market that has seen rapid growth within the last decade.

Other recently expanded company services include a number of product stewardship measures such as recyclability and regulatory testing. “Today our client base encompasses the entire product chain from mills to converters, printers, retailers and big-box stores for national brand equivalency testing,” said Chris Reitmeyer, vice president of IPS Testing.

In looking back on the company’s early years, IPS President Bruce Shafer recalled the forces that needed to come together for IPS to become a reality. “First of all when the Institute of Paper Chemistry moved to Georgia, it left a void in the Wisconsin market for testing and analysis of paper and nonwoven products,” Shafer said. “These are major industries within our region and often testing can be very time sensitive. Georgia Tech wanted the Institute but had plenty of its own lab equipment. Secondly, a number of key staff members wanted to stay in Wisconsin. Thirdly, several area companies came forward with support to keep a laboratory in the Paper Valley. We needed all three of these factors to come together to give IPS its start.”

At the outset, IPS continued the work previously performed by the Institute, which encompassed five disciplines: Pulp, Physical Testing, Analytical, Fiber and River Studies. IPS also assisted paper mills with product development, quality control and defect analysis. The five disciplines are still represented today by five bars in the IPS company logo, according to Shafer.

“Three of the initial five disciplines still represent a major part of our current business, one example is fiber analysis,” Shafer said. “Our scientists can break down a paper product and determine the trees that were used to make the paper. We are internationally known for this work. The fiber make-up can affect many of the properties of the paper. Regulatory pressure prohibiting the use of endangered species has made this testing an essential quality assurance tool, while other areas such as river studies have fallen away because they are no longer required.”

IPS Testing’s laboratory was first located in Appleton’s Fox River Flats area. As business increased, IPS occupied a portion of Fox Valley Technical College’s laboratory space. During this time, the company started to expand services and cater to the nonwovens industry, at a time when many major manufacturers started to outsource much of their testing needs. This increase in business gave IPS the financial foundation to relocate its two laboratories back under one roof in 2007, when the company moved to its current facility, located at 3211 E. Capitol Dr. in Appleton. In 2012, the company expanded this 17,500 square foot facility to 21,500 square feet to allow for the addition of its flushability testing laboratory and expanded services for the testing of consumer products.

The state-of-the-art ISO 17025 accredited flushability laboratory addition simulates the real-life flushing scenario from toilet bowl to drain-line through disintegration, employing all seven INDA test standards that a product needs to pass to be deemed flushable.

“For 25 years, IPS has helped companies improve the quality of products,” Reitmeyer said. Shafer agreed, adding, “Paper is our heritage and continues to represent about half of our work. The industry is strong, particularly packaging and tissue and towel. The remainder of our work is tied to nonwovens and consumer products. Wet wipes, diapers and surgical gowns are all made from nonwovens. The consumer products market is very competitive, which means that manufacturers rely on testing to continuously improve their products,” Shafer said.

The continued need for product testing driven by today’s competitive marketplace sets the stage for IPS to continue its steady growth path, which has allowed the company to double in size in the last four years, according to Shafer.