Happy 2011

Beverage packaging reverting to trend?

Over the last two years we have experienced a global economic downturn, declining consumer spending power, volatile packaging materials prices and more difficult access to capital investment. According to Canadean’s latest special interest report ‘Innovation in Beverage Packaging 2010’, this unwelcome combination of factors has resulted in a slowdown and, in some cases, complete reversal of longer term beverage packaging design trends.

For many years the key drivers of beverage packaging design were increased use of added value and convenience features, more sophisticated packaging materials, smaller ‘on-the-go’ packs and more elaborate shapes, designs and print. But over the last two years the focus has shifted strongly to cost and cost-related factors such as materials reduction, light-weighting and improvements in line efficiency, filling techniques and cost-effectiveness. And all this has to be achieved, wherever possible, without the loss of functionality and quality and at the same or a lower price.

As some countries have begun to emerge from recession in 2010, there are signs however that the underlying long-term economic, demographic and consumer-led changes are beginning to have the upper influence again, causing packaging design to revert to trend. These are the findings of Canadean’s report which examines key developments in beverage packaging design at a global level over the last two years.

With deteriorating economic conditions, falling consumer spending power and rising employment in many countries across the world, competition at the retail level has increased enormously since 2008. This has resulted in strong downward pressure on product pricing and hence also packaging costs.

The main beneficiaries of this were initially the discount retailers. They achieved accelerated growth in many countries by taking share from the supermarkets as consumers searched for greater value for money. In response, many of the supermarkets revamped and extended their own ranges to compete with the discounters at the value end of the market. This resulted in an explosion of private label worldwide and yet more competition and pressure on product and packaging prices.

As some countries have begun to come out of recession in 2010, this strategy appears to have paid off for the supermarkets, as although still currently dominated by materials reduction and cost considerations, there appear to be early signs of a return in packaging design towards value added and convenience features.

Some key global trends over the last 2 years include:

• Continued PET growth in most beverage categories – with refillable PET taking share again in carbonates and packaged water

• Hot fill PET being increasingly used for hot fill juices and nectars and panelless hot fill PET bottles taking share in various categories such as iced rtd tea and coffee

• Extended use of bio-degradable plastics

• General shift from heavy, rigid containers to lighter weight, flexible packaging and pouches

• Increase in the growth rate of barrier plastics

• Light-weighting and material saving measures extending from the major to the smaller brands

• Reduction in bottle and closure weights without loss of performance and functionality

• Greater emphasis on environmental issues and a shift in concern from packaging waste and recycling towards carbon emissions and total environmental impact of product and pack

China is now the single greatest powerhouse of global packaging demand, and domestic consumption in China and some other emerging markets is now beginning to take off strongly. As a result, whilst cost performance and environmental factors will always remain key drivers of packaging demand, previous market features are expected to resurface as the key drivers of packaging innovation and change. These include re-rising disposable income levels, a return to trading up and convenience features as well as underlying demographic changes such as long term trends toward smaller household sizes, longer working hours, urbanization and globalization. All these factors will ensure that packaging continues to play a vital role in determining the success or failure of new products and brands over the next 5 years.

‘Innovation in Beverage Packaging, 2010’ is a new special-interest report published by Canadean aimed at providing a summary of trends and developments in packaging design within the global beer, dairy and soft drinks markets. The report is an update of Canadean’s 2008 study, focusing particularly upon developments over the last 2 years. For further information about this report, please email bevpack@canadean.com

3 D packaging and Curtis launches reusable, recyclable pack

Renew, recycle and reuse is the eco-friendly mantra for true sustainability. Curtis Print and Packaging, a front runner in sustainable packaging in the UK, has launched a new product carton to bring the ultimate in reuse and recycling. The 'Inside Out Box' was a finalist for the Sustainable Pack of the Year in the 2010 Packaging Awards held recently in London. The box is cleverly created as an on-shelf product pack designed to unfold and reverse for use as a gift or trinkets box to increase the pack’s longevity. With FSC carton board, vegetable inks and water based varnishes, Curtis Packaging proves that sustainability can be beautiful.

3D Creative, Curtis’ sister company, played a significant role in the design. Their advanced digital print technology produced a series of sophisticated test samples to ensure the best possible results by bringing the concept to life.

Steve Mallett, Curtis Packaging’s sales director, told Packaging Europe: "We exhibited the product recently at London's Business Design Centre and the concept generated phenomenal interest. Our designers have come up with simple, yet ingenious construction so there is no glue and the pack pops easily apart whilst still providing the protection the product needs. In-store, the packaging carries all the necessary information and marketing messages, but the reversed package turns into an attractive gift box for an extended second life. Ultimately, when no longer needed, the inside out box is fully recyclable thanks to the effort we have made to use environmentally compatible materials.”

Neal’s Yard Remedies is the first brand to take advantage of the new design. Its packaging technologist Johanna Everett commented: “This carton perfectly encapsulates our philosophy that beauty should be a synergy between inside and out, and satisfies our quest for combining the WOW factor with our deeply rooted pursuit for minimal environmental impact. This construction works hand in hand with our design; the imagery inspired by the precious damask rose, unfolding to reveal its incredible natural beauty; and ultimately the essential oil at the heart of this organic gift.”

Luxurious collection of hand washes especially designed to compliment the home décor by interior designers

M&H Plastics worked in partnership with CRC Innovations and Chadwicks Sleeves to create a luxurious collection of hand washes especially designed to compliment the home décor. Casa Dolce Casa has been created by a team of interior designers specifically to enhance the home. Four distinctive bottle styles have been produced from Crystal in a sleek grey/black/silver combination ideal for a contemporary minimalist city living, to Damask, a lush floral design in rich cream and dark pinks giving an opulent feminine feel.

CRC Innovations selected the 500ml Flat Base Boston Round PET bottle from M&H’s standard range with a colour-coordinated metallised pump adding a touch of elegance and luxury to the finished product. Chadwicks Sleeves, one of the world’s leading suppliers of shrink sleeves then went on to produce the colourful stylish shrink sleeve packaging.

Theresa Taylor of CRC Innovations said: "Our aim with Casa Dolce Casa was to create an original product designed to compliment the home whilst adding a touch of luxury to everyday surroundings. Working closely with M&H and Chadwicks Sleeves enabled us to create a truly unique concept with a strong overall visual identity."

According to Paul Myhill of M&H Plastics, "This range of products is something totally different in the marketplace.  Hand washes are used in bathrooms and kitchens in many different décor styles, and this stunning new range ensures that the product adds an extra touch of style in any home."

"Shrink sleeving provides an excellent way of ensuring a product has maximum shelf appeal by utilising 360 degrees of the packaging and applying top to toe decoration. We always aim to provide quality sleeving solutions, as well as unrivalled customer service," concluded Richard Cutworth of Chadwicks.

UK Packaging News Awards toast the Impress Beer Keg

The Heineken Beer Keg, manufactured by Impress, won Metal Pack of the Year at the 2010 UK Packaging News Awards in London, on 3 November. Winning the Metal Packaging category sponsored by the Metal Packaging Manufacturers Association (MPMA) takes the total count of awards received to 8, since its launch in 2008 - when the Beer Keg won the President’s prestigious award “Best of the Best” handed out by the World Packaging Organisation.

The Beer Keg which typifies the modernity and convenience of metal packaging, pushes the technical boundaries of innovation to limits which are un-rivalled by any other packaging substrate. Impress has improved the consumer experience with Heineken by creating the world’s first 3-piece can to use Thermo-chromic printing on the design. Through this innovation, Heineken has been able to add a “cold indicator” to the packaging (label) which changes colour when the beer has reached the correct temperature for consumption. 

Impress Business Development & Marketing Manager, Michael Dick, said that the Beer Keg had been extremely successful since its conception and demonstrated the power of innovation in partnerships with customers: “Impress has been involved with Heineken from the very start of the design stage and a high level of trust and co-operation exists between the two groups. By constantly seeking to improve the product with innovations such as temperature reactive inks on the design, we are ensuring that the packaging continues to evolve for the benefit of the consumer. Earlier this year, the metal 2-piece food can was voted iconic packaging of the year by Packaging News and we believe that the Heineken Beer Keg is another modern packaging icon.”

Impress is a global market leader in the consumer metal packaging industry. It is the largest supplier of: seafood cans (worldwide), aerosol cans (Europe and Australasia) and cans for paints and coatings (Europe). Impress is also the second largest supplier of heat processed food cans in Europe and Australasia. Impress is based in Deventer, the Netherlands and had worldwide sales of approximately €1.8 billion in 2009.

P&W designs packaging for Fresh & Easy premium cookies

International Design Consultancy P&W have designed a range of premium imported Belgian cookies for Tesco’s US chain Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market. These imported cookies are covered in rich Belgian chocolate with various fillings such as coconut, caramel, hazelnut and orange.

The dark luxurious photography screams indulgence whilst ensuring the product is the hero of the pack. The photography is enhanced with a backdrop of its ingredients communicating high quality. Premium cues are delivered through minimal contemporary type in zingy colors balanced with a warm metallic silver for a luxury boost.

"To communicate the Fresh & Easy brand values, we like to emphasize the “no artificial preservatives, flavors or colors” message through a flash/icon on the front of pack, this is a consistent message on packaging throughout the store. The design treatment required for this range was that of indulgence. These products were selected as best in class and we feel our design communicated that with elegance. Merchandised in store, these would be identifiable as a top tier choice with the dark background blocking them out as a group and the matt varnish eliminating any glare from store lighting. The design solution utilizes the entire pack showcasing the cookies and through romance copy, describes what makes these the finest choice,” said a company spokesperson

Xennia launches high performance metallic decorative inkjet ink for attractive packaging and graphics

Xennia recently launched its XenInx Onyx metallic ink for use in a wide range of digital decoration applications. Just-in-time customized digital graphics and package production allows reduced inventories and fast response to market demands – now these benefits are available to users requiring metallic printing.

XenInx Onyx metallic silver ink is designed for a range of applications including packaging, graphics, labeling and product decoration. XenInx Onyx can be used in combination with XenInx Diamond or XenInx Alexandrite CMYK inks to produce a coloured metallic appearance. The ink works with a wide range of piezo printheads, and is recommended for use with Xennia printing systems and XenJet inkjet modules using Xennia’s proprietary recirculating inkjet technology.

 

“XenInx Onyx offers excellent print quality on a variety of porous and non-porous substrates, with reflectivity to rival that of metallic inks printed by screen, gravure or other traditional printing methods,” explains Dr Alan Hudd, Managing Director of Xennia. “The ink also offers reliable and consistent print performance with good adhesion and durability. XenInx Onyx metallic inkjet ink allows users requiring metallic decorative effects to reap the benefits of digital printing.”

 

Dr Hudd comments "Brand owners need to print shorter packaging runs every year, and demand a solution able to do this economically, while providing all of the capabilities of their traditional printing technology. XenInx Onyx metallic ink is part of a range of products offered by Xennia allowing cost effective, low risk digital solutions to be introduced into the packaging industry. Package printers can keep producing attractive and creative packaging while addressing the need for customized, personalized printing for their customers."

 

“XenInx Onyx has been developed based on advanced dispersion technology and formulated with carefully selected metallic pigments to ensure high reflectivity of the printed ink. Onyx prints reliably at high speed, has excellent dwell performance and requires minimal need for printhead maintenance,” adds Dr Hudd.

 

Xennia demonstratrf its inkjet capabilities for packaging applications at Pack Expo, in Chicago and showcased its XenJet inkjet modules and XenInx high performance inks, designed to make inkjet implementation faster and easier for packaging OEMs.

Future Kids: The Responsible Consumers of Tomorrow

They may be dwindling in number but businesses are vying for their custom like never before: children. Demographic change may be the words on everyone’s lips but children and teenagers are one of the most important target groups around. They often hold sway over purchasing decisions in the family and will in future be a force to be reckoned with as responsible consumer protagonists.

Birth rates are falling and society is threatened by an ageing population. Businesses are adapting to this by tapping into the key so-called "best-ager" target group with its high purchasing power and by focusing on their needs and demands. At the same time, children must also be recognised and suitably courted as consumers, too. This is because never before has a future generation of children been so affected by changes in society. The current mega trends of globalisation, individualisation, mobility and not least the role of women plus the issue of ecological and ethical lifestyles all impact the younger generation enormously.

Children not only cost money they also spend it. Today they may only be spending money on mobile phones, computer games, magazines or toys. However, strategies are also aimed at the future because children will grow up. Studies show that when a brand has already been firmly planted in a child’s mind that brand will still be popular with and bought by the child later on. Add to this children’s impact on their parents’ purchasing decisions. A current study by consumer researchers at Vienna University has shown that parents are in fact only aware of half the impulse purchases they make at supermarkets at the instigation of their children. About ten items per week are placed in the trolley by mum or dad because the children want these items. And this influence is by far no longer merely limited to yoghurt, chocolate and fruit juice but stretches as far as to car, computer, mobile phone shopping etc. as well as to choice of holiday destination.

Mini Moralists

A current study carried out by Germany’s future institute Zukunftsinstitut (www.zukunftsinstitut.de) defines "the secret wishes and real needs of consumers of the future". The study deals with the growing influence already exerted by children on consumption and culture. A key finding of the study is that children’s consumer wishes now extend to almost all spheres of life - and that in future they will influence their parents’ purchasing decisions even more strongly.

Indeed, it appears that our children’s generation will present society and businesses with a huge set of values and moral concepts. They will want to change many things for the better and are growing into extremely critical consumers. An example given here is the "Plant for the Planet" initiative whereby 7 to 10 year olds and their school friends planted one million trees. Since autumn 2009 this initiative has become international. Also with toys these "mini moralists" will demand different criteria than those demanded in the past. An example of this is the "Green Dollarhouse": a doll’s house from the US company Plantoys featuring a solar energy unit, a wind turbine and a rainwater collector.

Cool Girls - Pretty in Pink

The kids of today form their own ideas about their future lives from an early age. For instance, girls are currently developing a very new female self-confidence: for them it goes without saying to like football and "Hello Kitty" products to an equal extent. For this new generation of girls it is no longer a contradiction to love ponies and pink dresses while leaving space for protests and girl power. "Tough girl products" have a future for these kids as today being a girl is quite simply cool.

Toy manufacturers are increasingly realising that it is no longer the toys but only the packaging that is gender-specific. According to the study, boys and girls should already be able to know who the toy is aimed at from the packaging - regardless of its content - even before they in fact know what sex they themselves belong to. Therefore, one and the same item could be presented in a knight or fairy-themed pack and it would meet with equal enthusiasm from both sexes.

Grown-Up Children

Conversely, the target-group and age-specific marketing of products will become increasingly difficult: the group of "playful grown-ups" is growing to the same extent as that of children who "think like adults". For instance, nowadays we take seeing best-agers on snowboards for granted while teenagers set off to sail around the world single-handed. Cuddly toys for grown ups and leisure fun for young and old alike mean markets are growing together and borders are blurring.

This not only leads to a breakdown in traditional perceptions of pensioners but also in the image of children, conventional boy vs. girl gender roles and the ideal of the nuclear family. Children of the future will be far more mature and independent than they were just a few years ago.

Primarily, manufacturers in all sectors must first decide whether they want to appeal to children or grown-ups. These two groups may sometimes be worlds apart although their needs are often not so very different: creativity, education, health, safety, and aesthetics are also important key concepts for kids. Children should also not be underestimated in terms of their awareness of ethnics and justice: if a product fails to keep its promise the kids will communicate this information mercilessly. And not just on the school playground but now also as easy as ‘ABC’ on social networks around the globe.

Nespresso: Successful design capsules

Not only George Clooney loves it: With turnover of 2.77 billion CHF and a sales increase of over 22 percent in the crisis year of 2009, the Nespresso international fan club is constantly growing. The recipe for success for the pioneer in portioned top-class coffees: the best quality coupled with refined, sophisticated packaging, marketing and design strategies.

Despite the economic downturn in 2009 and in the meantime more than 20 competitors worldwide, Nestlé Nespresso S.A. has announced a powerful turnover result and since 2000 has been able to maintain its average growth of 30 percent. Last year the company introduced a completely new machine series, extended its boutique network to 190 stores and, for the first time, the number of Nespresso club members worldwide exceeded the seven-million mark. The magic word is portion coffee and it has triggered a veritable lifestyle movement. And the fact that this been achieved given the sober calculation that one pound of coffee in individual portions can easily cost 5-6 times that of its counterparts on the supermarket shelves, does not deter the Nespresso fans at all. It's all about the feeling - not reason.

The Nespresso trilogy

Nespresso was already founded in 1986. Since 2000 business has been really booming and the fastest growing division at the Nestlé Group has experienced an unprecedented rise in consumer demand for its high-quality portioned coffees. The company introduced the highest quality "Grand Cru coffees" to the market, which consumers can enjoy both at home as well as in luxury restaurants, cafés, hotels and offices. The unique Nespresso trilogy consists of coffees, intelligent machines and a very special after-sales service.

Everything connected with Nespresso is accompanied by a touch of luxury and exclusivity. That is what consumers love. The stylishness is now in every detail and feature. The product’s advertising icon George Clooney does the rest to maintain and promote the image. The packaging design also comes across as exquisite and elegant. Smart, coloured capsules and elegant dark-tinted folding cartons. They are exclusively sold at stylish Nespresso boutiques at selected locations or mailed to customers via the Internet.

Growth necessitates investments

For all the trendy chic and style, the company does however attach the greatest significance to the fact that absolute priority not only lies in satisfying customer demand, but also in maintaining the highest quality standards for the products and processes within the company. An expansion of the existing packaging line was realized by the Cama Group, which has been cooperating with Nestlé on diverse projects for many years. In this case the project was realized in collaboration with Rockwell Automation. In order to double capacity a robot folding packaging machine was developed with a loading system specially tailored to Nespresso’s requirements. The Nespresso line manufactured by Cama consists of a robot feeder system, a cartoning machine with sideways loading and a wrap-around machine. The feeder system consists of a 2-axle robot with order-compilation heads, which have been developed and tailored to requirements. The sideways-feed cartoning machine loads the coffee capsules into packets containing up to 10 units. After filling, each packet is sealed and coded. The wrap-around machine transfers the packages to shipping packaging, which each contains 20 or 25 packets. The paletizer system then collects the packaging and takes it to the outbound line. All production data is conveyed via the Ethernet to a central data registration system.

"In future Nespresso will also continue to make considerable investments in high-quality production facilities in Switzerland", says Richard Giradot, CEO Nestlé Nespresso S.A. Because growth needs space: This May Nespresso announced the expansion of its production and sales/marketing centre in Avenches, Switzerland. Following the completion of the already launched project, total investment in the programme is set to reach more than 400 million CHF. The work is expected to be completed in 2012.

Safe aluminium capsules

There is also special focus on the primary packaging used for the valuable coffee: the aluminium capsule. The airtight capsule prevents oxidation, offers perfect protection against the air and light, and thanks to the food lacquer coating, every type of coffee has its own separate colour. In the machines a special blade system then ensures the exact perforation of the capsules, optimum water supply and distribution coupled with fast extraction of the coffee. A further, really important aspect: the 100-percent recyclability of the aluminium. As every country has its own recycling legislation, the company for example uses the existing return systems in Switzerland, Austria, Germany, France and Portugal. Similar systems are also set to be introduced in other markets, as the company is seeking to treble capsule recycling capacity by 2013.

Promising sustainability

Nespresso has therefore also discovered the theme of sustainability for itself. As early as 2002, a partnership was founded with Rainforest Alliance, which is actively committed to more sustainability in agriculture. It continues to be an important partner within the "Nespresso AAA Sustainable Quality Programme". In this connection, the prices which Nespresso pays, are, according to the company, 10% above coffee’s highest market value. In addition, firm directives are set to ensure that 75 percent of the export price goes directly to the farmers. Apart from this, the quality of the farms is being constantly improved, which has meant a reduction in the percentage of rejected beans from fifty to five percent. Numerous other projects round off the programme.

Last year the company presented its platform for sustainable innovation entitled "Ecolaboration". The company’s self-imposed obligations up to 2013 are as follows:

• 80 percent of the coffee is obtained from the Nespresso AAA Sustainable Quality Programme farms with Rainforest Alliance certification.
• The used capsule recycling capacity is being trebled to 75 percent worldwide.
• CO2 emissions per cup are being reduced by 20 percent.

Outlook

For 2010 the company is once again aiming for double-figure growth and hoping to exceed the turnover milestone of three billion CHF. The boutique network is being expanded to include a further 30 stores, among others in Brussels, Munich, Miami and New York (Soho). They are being joined by new locations, for example Shanghai, Cape Town and Johannesburg.

Social Media: Opportunity or Risk?

Needless to say every company has its own website these days. But an up-to-date web presence is no longer sufficient: social media have long since had a firm grip on online marketing. And this applies to almost every sector now.

Those wanting to really make an impression on the market will no longer be able to do so in future by just operating a website with current information on the company or the industry. Professional e-marketing is the new buzzword. Here social media like Facebook, Xing, Twitter and the like play an ever more serious role. And what still sounds like a "closed book" to many is becoming more and more important for every sector of industry - including B2B - worldwide. Never before in history has communication and the exchange of content taken place between so many people in such a short space of time. 

Today people chat about products, services and companies on the Internet. Consumers, shoppers and business partners express their opinions and assessments online sharing them with millions of people within seconds. Consumer product tests are a thing of the past - ranking portals and blogs are today’s channels. This holds true for major industrial companies whose employees are becoming ever younger developing into tomorrow’s decision-makers at breakneck speed. Competent, young employees, digital natives and other "high potentials" move in these social networks. Generation Y has arrived - the name for those born in 1980 and following on from the Generation X. They are the first generation to have grown up with computers, WWW and the digital media world and cannot remember the days without the Internet.

Avoid wasted media spending

Like every other challenge the path towards e-marketing starts with a target definition. This usually reads: customers should buy from me – rather than from my competitors. Other targets might be to "lure" more visitors to one’s company website, to develop the regular customer base or to add new target groups. As a second step a clear concept as well as matching offers for the relevant target groups are worked out so that - regardless of the channel – precisely the news of real interest to the targeted individuals can be communicated. Nothing irritates users today more than superfluous information overkill. With the right concept this is not even that difficult. After all, little wasted media spending saves money.

While companies used to be able to determine their web image themselves almost exclusively by means of targeted online measures it is the social media users who decide on the quality of services and products today. By doing so they exert increasing influence on the image of companies. Social-media marketing campaigns capitalise on this fact: companies are to become part of this discussion thereby taking control of opinion forming themselves again. Targeted online-marketing measures focus not only on opinion forming but also on search-engine optimisation. Those actively feeding the new channels such as communities, blogs, microblogs, Twitter and YouTube boost their exposure.

The fact is the media and marketing landscape is undergoing a major change. While until a few years ago printed materials such as adverts, brochures and flyers as well as direct marketing measures dominated the international advertising world, today many marketing activities are realised via the Internet - and increasingly through social media and social networking portals.

There are many means to this end

How important are social media for my company? How can I cash in on them? How can I exert influence? How do I respond to potential risks? Answers are provided by the numerous agencies specialising in sustainable social-media strategies which are currently mushrooming the world over.

There are many different online measures serving the aim: ranging from search-engine optimisation and search-engine marketing to mobile and e-mail marketing and social-media marketing. Especially the latter is currently gaining in importance fast and holds incredible potential - but also risks, which is why working your way into the initially often confusing structures pays off for almost every company in our day and age. For branded product producers this form of marketing has become indispensable in the B2C segment but even their upstream suppliers will not be able to circumvent this route for much longer. Especially those wanting to address younger target groups in whatever way can no longer avoid social media. This has to become an integral part of the marketing mix and can also serve as an innovation tool. Direct communication with buyers produces valuable knowledge and insights for optimisation and innovative drive.

All of this started with Ebay and Amazon: here shoppers started evaluating their sales partners for the first time. And people trusted other people - just because of their purchasing decision - more than any advert and PR copy. A phenomenon forming the basis for modern online communication.

Big companies - big examples

But we have seen many examples of good and also poor e-marketing. Dell Computer and Starbucks are considered role models with their measures: they are making customers their creative directors allowing them to make improvement suggestions - from products to logistics and packaging. Their employees either work towards the implementation of improvements or explain why some things do not work. Starbucks feeds a number of different social-media channels including Facebook, YouTube, Flicker, Twitter and its own corporate blog. This is how companies directly interact with their customers and can find out about and account for direct concerns, comments and questions.

In contrast to this, WalMart is regarded as a negative example. This company denied its customers open dialogue by restricting the comments function in its blog for fear of negative comments. This resulted in innumerable negative comments and posts.

However, social media allow users to not only communicate but also interact with others. This means professional social-media marketing can help to directly address early adopters and key opinion-formers. This type of marketing can target a product, a service or also a person. Many celebrities or politicians have long discovered social media for developing their image.

Over time social media have become a huge platform for representatives of all industries and a door opener for companies of all sizes in order to boost customer-related communication. Here honesty and authenticity are demanded – and continuous alertness - this is because innumerable companies are featured on Facebook and the like without having ever been active there themselves simply because the Generation Y is "talking" about them in their own way.

Sustainability Strategies: the Basis for Success?

The US Department of Commerce recently published a study on how much sense sustainability strategies make for US packaging machinery manufacturers as well as their customers and upstream suppliers. The aim of the study was to find an answer to the question: Can packaging machinery manufacturers act sustainably while remaining successful at the same time - or become successful by doing this?

The extent to which sustainability plays a role in future success and long-term competitiveness was investigated in a recently published study carried out by the US Department of Commerce. On the one hand, it analyses the specific consequences facing packaging machinery manufacturers while on the other it presents intelligent planning strategies and concrete tips for a sustainable attitude. This report forms part of the "Sustainable Manufacturing Initiative Sector Focus Study Series" which informs both public and private stakeholders about the specific challenges associated with the sustainability theme, shares the latest examples of best practice and reveals so-far unexploited potential said to lie dormant in the US machine-building sector, in particular.

Packaging technology plays a key role in the world economy. It provides the basis for operation without which many sectors of business and economy could not even be imagined. Packaging machinery manufacturers supply the technological key to a long and still growing, global value chain. The global market revolving around packaging technology is estimated to total about US$ 25 billion.

What does "being sustainable" mean?

The study aims to find out whether and how packaging machinery manufacturers can remain successful and competitive if they actively incorporate sustainability in their business activities. And: what does it really mean for a company to be sustainable and competitive at the same time?

The market increasingly demands these solutions pushing the packaging sector worldwide harder and harder to adopt sustainable methods: retailers and consumer goods manufacturers have realised that the reduction of packaging-related waste brings enormous savings. They are, in turn, under pressure from consumers who attach ever greater importance to environment-friendly products. Add to this that in Europe more and more laws, regulations and standardisations governing packaging and disposal are being adopted which have a significant impact on global environmental policy.

The study introduces a number of American packaging machinery manufacturers whose business models are deliberately geared to sustainability placing them in the context of the packaging industry and the wide packaging community. It describes how their sustainability strategies impact their competitiveness in concrete terms.

Becoming sustainable - remaining competitive

The conclusions drawn by the study can be summarised as follows: US packaging machinery manufacturers are in a position to offer their customers more sustainable packaging solutions - while retaining their competitive edge at the same time. Awareness about this issue is growing throughout the rest of the global supply chain associated with the packaging and consumer goods industries. Those enterprises offering products and services that fulfill consumer demands for less packaging materials and auxiliaries waste and making higher energy and water savings will succeed. Not least because they are also helping their customers cut costs. In the very near future so-called sustainability reports are very likely to be extended to cover the complete manufacturing process - including packaging.

Initially, processors will face greater expectations in terms of less expensive and increasingly environment-friendly materials. Then consumer goods producers will be confronted with ever higher requirements for offering corresponding packaging solutions that are cheaper for retailers and that avoid waste. And all of them operate in a world where the call for sustainable action is growing louder and louder - and this has not changed in the crisis year of 2009 either.

This is why - the study concludes - it is by no means too early for packaging machinery manufacturers in the consumer goods industry to prepare for the day when their customers will inevitably demand machinery, services and other products that make cost-efficient, sustainable packaging solutions possible.

EskoArtwork to exhibit latest innovations for Packaging Professionals at Emballage 2010

EskoArtwork (www.esko.com) will present its latest innovations dedicated to brands, plate-imagers, printers and processors at Emballage 2010. Solutions to be showcased by the company include a major review of its leading packaging pre-production software suite ‘Suite 10, the latest version of its flexo plate-imaging solution HD Flexo 2.0, and the new fully automated digital finishing solution Kongsberg i-XE10. Emballage takes place at Paris North Villepinte from 22 to 25 November. 

 

At the show EskoArtwork will share a demonstration stand - with its partner, Dassault Systèmes. The companies will present their solutions for optimising packaging operations and managing label production, which are aimed at the consumer packaged goods (CPG) industry. In addition, Décathlon-Oxylane will provide a testimonial at the Emballage ‘Pack Vision’ conference. The company will explain the raft of benefits it has enjoyed since implementing EskoArtwork solutions, such as reduced costs, tighter quality control, excellent reliability and faster time to market launch.

 

Professional tools dedicated to a rapidly growing market

Suite 10 is dedicated to prepress and 3D structural design. The solution safeguards the quality of finished products and enables everyone involved in the production chain to collaborate effectively. The workflow is fully automated and colour management perfectly controlled. Suite 10 incorporates the recent versions of ArtPro, PackEdge, DeskPack, ArtiosCAD and Studio. The interactive 3D packaging design solution, Studio 10, is ideal for packaging manufacturers. It comprises interactive tools for retractable sleeves and labels, and an online library of 3D packaging shapes - a major first for the sector. 

HD Flexo 2.0 - the most effective flexo plate imaging solution 

In 2009, EskoArtwork revolutionised the market with its 4,000 dpi HD Flexo technology, which can produce near-offset quality plates with the help of state-of-the-art halftone printing. In 2010, EskoArtwork introduced HD Flexo 2.0, which enables users to produce even cleaner and more precise plates. The solution offers a greater solid ink density (SID) for vivid packaging colours. The impressive result can be achieved while printing with standard flexo inks and anilox rollers. HD Flexo 2.0 is particularly useful for printers of flexible and corrugated cardboard packaging, as well as photoengravers that want to improve the ‘shelf impact’ of branded products. 

 

New Kongsberg i-XE10 Automated digital finishing solution

The Kongsberg i-XE10 Automated digital finishing solution automates the entire finishing process. It is a complete solution for moulding practically everything that can be printed on light, flexible media. The Kongsberg i-XE10 Automated, which is equipped with a stacker and new machine feeder, has been specially designed to meet growing demand for finishing short runs of small-format digital prints. 

The unique extent of the automation makes it possible for users to operate 24 / 7 and keep all their production in-house. The result is reduced operating costs and shorter turnaround times, which allows users to take on more orders and increase revenue.

 

EskoArtwork partners with Dassault Systèmes 

By combining EskoArtwork’s expertise with Dassault Systèmes’ vast experience in 3D and product lifecycle management, the two companies are developing and marketing innovative solutions for the CPG industry. The result will make managing packaging and labels simpler and more efficient. Integrating Dassault Systems ENOVIA V6 CPG Accelerator with the EskoArtwork Dynamic Content module for Adobe®  Illustrator®  enables users to edit and manage a copy of their labels outside Illustrator®. 

Furthermore, integrating the EskoArtwork WebCenter Viewer solution - a powerful online tool for correcting electronic illustrations - with the ENOVIA collaborative platform and Dassault Systèmes Accelerator CPG  allows users to check all aspects of label and packaging in a virtual environment. EskoArtwork’s knowledge of the illustration sector coupled with Dassault Systems’ POS solutions will make it possible to help customers incorporate their creative work directly into their products’ lifecycle. Overall, the partnership will promote collaboration between companies, reduce the time needed for the illustration creation process, and shorten the product development cycle.

 

Pack Vision Conference: design packaging - a vehicle for a product’s success?

‘Durable + Desirable - Is this the new key to innovation?’ This is the key question that will be debated by Mr. Jean-Christophe Boulard of the National Institute of Design Packaging (NIDP). Joining the debate will be Jan De Roeck, Solutions Director at EskoArtwork, and Loïc Lammertyn, Packaging Manager at Décathlon-Oxylane, who will explain the impact of EskoArtwork’s creative packaging design and production solutions. The conference takes place on Monday, 22 November.

Mark Andy Performance Series to be displayed at Labelexpo India Show...

FINAT Honours its World Label Award Winners - India's Pragati Flexo among Winners...

FINAT, the international association for self-adhesive label industry, takes pride in announcing that FINAT, as every other year, is one of the leading associations with regard to winning World Label Awards. With 27 categories to choose from and with the diverse range of applications available, it is easier to match the FINAT entries to the World Label Award categories. Hence FINAT normally enters more categories than any other association. FINAT consistently wins several categories mostly in the wine/spirits and cosmetic end use segments. From this year’s FINAT 2010 award winners, seven became a World Label Award winner, including Dow Industries, Skanem Hobro, Marzek Etiketten, Tapp Technologies, Skanem Newcastle, Schreiner Group and Royston Labels. Six others have received honourable mention awards. Marzek Etiketten from Austria was the most awarded label producer.

Judging the Best Labels

The judging for the World Label Awards was held last September, before the opening of the LabelExpo USA. The entries came from label associations across the globe. In addition to FINAT (Europe), entrees represented contributions from TLMI (USA), JFLP (Japan), LATMA (Australia) and SALMA. The judging process is fairly rigorous with each of the L8 associations nominating a representative judge under the chairmanship of Tony White. Each entry is scrutinised very carefully for printing excellence, design suitability and degree of difficulty by all the judges. It is precisely these criteria which FINAT meets at every judging session in their domestic competition which gives them the edge. The use of colours, the fineness of print and the technologies used to achieve the results are the main reasons why FINAT wins so many awards. The other fact is that due to the diversity of end user markets for which FINAT members provide services means that only the best of the best are selected for the WLA competition.

Matured label industry delivers excellent quality

Gradually over the years, since the WLA competition began in 1991, the quality of the labels has increased considerably along with the increased complexity of the different techniques or procedures used to create the finished article. “A recent glance back into the archives proved that if the winners from the early 90’s were to be submitted today they would not even get past the first selection process even in the FINAT domestic competition, says Tony White. “This is how far the label industry has progressed in the past few years.”

Winning Awards Categories and Winners

Flexo Line: Dow Industries, USA for IZOD Body Spray.

Offset line: Marzek Etiketten, Austria for Vinidi wine

Offset Wine/Spirits: Tapp Technologies, Canada for Sbragia 2007 Home Ranch Merlot

Non-pressure sensitive: Skanem, Newcastle, UK, for Ocean Pure Hot & Spicy King Prawns

Innovation: Schreiner Group, Germany for Needle trap

Booklets: Royston Labels, UK for Charles Worthington Front

Honourable Mentions Categories and Winners

Letterpress Colour Process: Marzek Etiketten, Austria for Carpe Diem

Silk Screen Line: schäfer-etiketten, Germany for Intra Cosmetic Silkmed Hand Sanitizer

Flexo Wine/Spirits: Spear Europe, UK for Cruzcampo Gran Reserva

Flexo Cosmetics: Pragati Flexo, India for Lakmé Skin Perfect Moisturiser 60ml

Letterpress Cosmetics: Kuresa, Peru for Antigua Bottega

Multi-Process Line: Marzek Etiketten for Brut Polz Rosé.

FINAT is delighted that so many of its members / award winners made it to the World Label Awards. “I believe that it is the competitive environment between the different countries and the high demands of their customers throughout Europe which spurs the printers on to raise their sights with regard to good printing practices,” says Andrea Vimercati, President of FINAT. “We most definitely will highlight the FINAT World Label Award winners during our next FINAT congress which is being held in Sicily in June 2011.”

FINAT, founded in Paris in 1958 and headquartered in The Hague (The Netherlands), is the world-wide association for manufacturers of self-adhesive labels and related products and services. With 600 members in over 50 countries around the world, FINAT has much to offer to label converters and all suppliers to the labeling industry in terms of information exchange and the opportunity to network internationally.