Interview to to Jeff Timm packaging business consultant focus on rigid and adhesives.
There seems to be a lot of volatility in the resins markets recently. Is ft at unusual levels?
There always is a great deal of volatility and I don't think it's unusually high right now.
I think the biggest change-not necessarily this minute but in the future-is an increasing amount of raw material coming from shale oil or gas.
This hasn't filtered down to the plastics industry yet, in part because there aren't yet enough lines to get it from the extraction sites.
A lot of companies are building new capacity in the Gulf for the first time in years because of cheap raw materials.
Remember, resins are a global business so this will also impact Europe, which has no real resin capacity.
It will get killed by shale oil boom.
They won't be competitive because they can't get oil and gas as cheap.
It is a real disadvantage for them and Asia, as well.
What time frame are you talking about?
We're looking at the next three to five years.
Producers are extracting shale oil and gas today but distribution routes are not set so only a few can take advantage of it downstream.
Prices remain high because there's no motivation to sell at a lower price.
The usual motivation to cutting prices is to increase sales, but there isn't more product to sell right now.
When things get loose and capacity builds up we'll see some changes.
That should begin in about three years when capacity and processing capabilities start to match the ready supply.
A lot of big players see (his scenario. Chinese oil and gas producers have started tracking in some regions.
What other impacts will shale-based feedstocks have?
The shale oil boom is a deterrent to developing bioplastics as an option.
After all, the cheaper the so-called "regular" stuff is, the harder' it is to think about alternatives.
Another factor right now is supply. NatureWorks pretty much owns the market for PLA (polylactic acid) right now and absent additional sources, companies will hesitate to sign up.
What is the future of bioplastics?
Adoption of bioplastics is moving forward, but at a glacial pace.
In Europe there are calls for government assistance to make the market more attractive to investors.
Sort of like our government did initially with tax breaks and other subsidies to create ethanol.
But in the end the future depends on the fickle consumer.
If consumers are willing to pay more for sustainability then there will be a market for bioplastics. I wonder if that desire will form, though.
A lot of people talk about environmental consciousness.
They say "yes" in surveys when asked about whether the environment is important to them, but only 40% take action, for instance, by recycling. It doesn't match up.
Packaging suppliers can stress sustainability all they want, but if the public doesn't care it doesn't matter.
This is exacerbated because oil-based products are getting cheaper.
Biobased materials will as well, but I still think there's a wide deità between bio and regular products.
Does your analysis apply globally?
Not necessarily.
The Europeans are way ahead of us in North America in taking environmental concerns seriously.
Look at the big debate over so-called oxo-biodegradable products. All kinds pf academics, EU agencies and industry groups are weighing in to determine whether it's real or not. Hopefully it will be finalized this year.
Even organizations like the SPE (Society of Plastics Engineers) and the SPI (Society of the Plastics Industry) reject many of the manufacturers' claims. Oxo- biodegradability makes the product dissolve when exposed to air.
It doesn't eliminate it-it just turns it into tiny little dust stuff. True degradability means it would turn into carbon dioxide and water and disappear.
How do you see the fight over banning plastic carrier bags corning out?
After all, they are one of the most visible and used plastic containers out there.
The bag battle is an example of how the plastics industry did a terrible job of being an advocate over the years. It argues plastic bags and other packaging can be recycled, but the industry has only paid lip service to helping in that recycling.
It just didn't do anything to help recycling.
Bag recycling is very difficult, more so than rigid.
Many municipal systems that take rigid plastic won't take bags. In my area and some others, people can take bags to a grocery store for recycling.
That puts the onus on the individual and not everyone is eco-conscious so most bags end up in trash.
Also you have to have somebody to buy recycled materials.
Without a market it's a loser no matter who does it.
In general, most companies still don't design packaging for recycling.
I don't see any excuse today to make a package that can't be recycled.
There are ample material and design choices in any format.
I still think we need a national recycling program.
Today, every municipality in U.S. can set up their own rules and requirements.
It's too disorganized and confusing.
I'm not a big fan of government doing everything, but a national program would make it easier for manufacturers to sign up.
Source : Packaging Strategies , December 2014
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( 2.9 / 1791 )
Big packaging ideas are born out of three small words: A better way.
When developing new solutions in the packaging world, we need to ask ourselves, "Is there, a better way?”
Flexible packaging has exploded in recent years, and for good reasons:
- Lower distribution costs
- Accessibility of customizable solutions
- Less waste.
But, we've also seen a "'sea of sameness" at retail, particularly evident in the spouted pouch category. Baby food, motor oil, hand soap all have the same format but not the same consumer interaction.
The spout offers consumers several benefits, but we asked ourselves, "Is there a better way to combine flexible and rigid structures?”
Earlier this year, a new format called BLENDERPAK was launched.
The format of the pouch is designed to increase new usage occasions away from home and invite more users to powder drink mix categories, such as protein powders, fruit, drinks, nutraceuticals, meal replacement shakes or fiber supplements.
BLENDERPAK is a single-serve pouch with a rigid fitment inside that acts both as a gripping strut ture and mixing ball.
The pouch is pre-filled with one serving of powder, so the consumer only needs to fill the pouch with water and shake.
The patented “MixingMesh” technology helps break up the clumps of powder and deliver a smooth beverage.
Throughout the development of BLENDERPAK, we worked with consumers who regularly use powder in the concept and final design verification phases.
Sixty-six percent of consumers of powder mixes use it away from home at least four times a week.
Their feedback was clear, this new formar will help them rake their powdered products on the go more easily and because it is convenient, they would use it more often and in more places, thus increasing product consumption and sales.
During die development of this pouch format, consumers revealed live elements ideal for taking powder on the go:
1. Make it Portable
2. Break up the Clumps
3. Cold and Fresh When I Want it
4. No Cleanup
5. Eliminale the Scoop
1. Make it Portable
With 80 percent of protein users drinking their powder at home, and 66 percent currently using it away from home four time a week, the powder industry is losing out on new usage occasions. People who want it on the go don't have an accessible way to use it.
For consumers and brands, it's a lose-lose situation.
One consumer offered insight: "I've craved it [when away from home], but I don't take it with me. So I just skipped it."
The direct-to-mouth trend in packaging has taken off in baby food and is finding its way towards adults, strongly evident in the adult beverage industry with the rise of portable wine and cocktails.
Consumers reacted favorably towards the idea of drinking from a pouch and the new usage occasions it would invite: "I could throw [BlenderPak] in my laptop bag, I'd probably drink [my powder] more. I'd have this as an afternoon snack every day”.
2. Break up the Clumps
When it comes to powder drink mixes, one thing is clear - there's nothing worse than a clumpy drink.
Some users get around this by making their beverage in a blender, which prohibits them from using the product on the go, while many others use a shaker bottle to help mix up the powder.
Clumping powder is a problem that users face both at home and away from home, and is a key insight that led to the development of the unique MixingMesh technology inside of BLENDERPAK.
While there are many on-the-go beverage pouches on the market today, BLENDERPAK is the first with mixing and gripping technology.
Another consumer savs, "I like the plastic mesh lo help stop it from being gritty and to mix it up really well.
The cage gives me something to hold on to, kind of like a cup."
"I like that it has the built-in shaker, because it's easy for me to just go.
This would only take a couple seconds, versus what I have to do takes a couple minutes.
Anything that's simple and easy to use is perfect and it goes with me.”
3. Cold and Fresh When I Want it
While ready-to-drink protein drinks may appear to be a solution, many consumers prefer to stick to the powder product for taste reasons.
The ready-to-drink needs to be kept cold, whereas BLENDERPAK can be freshly mixed with cold water.
Consumers said they liked BLENDERPAK because it wouldn’t spoil and could be easily stored in places like the car, gym bag, or the office unlike many ready-to-drink alternatives.
“ I could leave some of these in my car.
I'm not worried about it going had. This is great because you're not going to miss that meal.
You can grab it and it's easy. You're not making a mess and it's quick," says another consumer.
"You can have some in your car and in your gym bag. that way you always have it with you. It doesn't matter if they get hot or cold and all you have to do is add water, it makes it easy to make better choices, rather than to have a shaker bottle and have to measure [the powder] out.”
4. No Cleanup
There were two leading complaints when it came to cleaning up after powder. First, the scoop gets lost in the jug and consumers having to dig in the powder to find il, meanwhile a cloud of powder has settled on their kitchen countertop.
More insight from the tester: "The. scoop is always in the powder so I always have to reach in and shake it off.
The powder always gets everywhere."
The second pain deals with the shaker bottle.
Some consumers use a traditional shaker bottle sold at most nutrition or vitamin stores.
Many complained the bottle is difficult to wash and said they would use a disposable pouch away from home.
Additional test group comments included, "The biggest pain with the bottle is that if you don't wash them out right away - they stink."
"Having something that's disposable is something that would be convenient in certain circumstances. I don't always work out near my home or I am coming back to my home."
BLENDERPAK is a single-use no-cleanup solution and requires no extra cups, glasses, bottles, or spoons.
We live in an on-the-go society, and a no-mess, no-cleanup solution appeals to many consumers who are active outside the home.
5. Eliminate the Scoop
Most powdered products are available in bulk-size canisters with the scoop is buried inside. The canisters are too large to use away from home, so many consumers resort to transporting portions of powder in a plastic bag or tupperware.
"It's just more dishes and more stuff. It's two extra containers that I'm carrying around every day. It's a 10 second step but when you're doing it every single morning, that's the biggest pain."
BLENDERPAK is pre-filled with one serving of powder already inside, so there's no scooping and no measuring needed.
"The biggest pain is packing it up to go. Either you're taking it in a baggie or a plastic container to put it in. It's inconvenient to get everything prepared."
A Better Way
By talking to powder drink mix users about their on-the-go lifestyle we were able to discuss common problems, like clumpy and messy powder. We were also able to dive deeper into other problems, such as why ready-to-drink isn't a suitable replacement, the freshness factor, and discovering the opportunities for new usage occasions at work and in the car.
Ultimately, consumers told us that convenience is king. We look forward to consumer reactions to BLENDER to see if, in fact, we've delivered a better way.
Source : Flexible Packaging Magazine
Edit by Steve Callahan
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( 3.1 / 1793 )
The revolutionary one-way KeyKeg®, suitable for any liquid and especially carbonated drinks, is developed according to the bag-in-ball concept. This lightweight disposable keg has been developed specially for beers and offers you extra protection, longer preservation, more sales and a clear reduction of costs.
The KeyKeg® is available in a 20 and 30 litre version and weighs only 1.0 and 1.4 kg respectively. The extreme low weight results in up to 25% more beer, wine or cider per transport and voluminous transport of empty kegs back is no longer necessary.
In export markets, KeyKeg® solves all the logistic problems connected to steel kegs, which disappear because of theft and losses. At low-volume outlets KeyKeg® provides easy use and long preserved quality after broaching.
http://keykeg.com/
JUST Release : SLIM LINE
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( 3 / 594 )
INNOVATION, it’s what we’re all seeking today in the consumer packaged goods (CPG) industry.
Yet, why has it been so challenging to implement?
A. Manufacturing processes, long-established infrastructure and supplier relationship and a quick eye for profits encumber today's CPG companies.
While there are facelifts and graphic changes taking place with packaging redesigns, companies are resisting investing resources into making profound packaging changes.
The resistance is largely because companies have invested enormous resources into owing their own manufacturing equipment and factories.
B. The "innovation resistance" is mainly on "consumables", which are products that are perishable and or consumed at a high rate.
Durables , such as consumer electronics packaging and toy packaging, cosmetics, are not consumed at the same rate and aren't perishable, so they can be packaged overseas and by hand.
Consumables, instead typically require an automated filling infrastructure.
This type of infrastructure is a huge investment for a company. Once that investment has been made, companies really don't want to negatively impact it by having to change it.
C. The factories of the end-users companies are set-up to optimize the production of yesterday's ideas and are unable to satisfy tomorrow's needs.
The consumable products industry derives much of its profit from economic scale and efficiencies.
They can produce packaged product inexpensively due to the efficiency of high volume /high speed production and it's their investment in high speed/volume automated manufacturing that makes this possible.
This investment encumbers change because equipment is typically built to do thing efficiently and not oriented to design or personalization.
Consequently a company often cannot afford to change their existing equipment before it has been depreciated.
Also changes takes time!
Most companies won't tolerate the time associated with the changeover.
Change is the "antithesis" to efficiency (= costs saving) and so is costly and in hard economic period like that is though to accept.
D. Many consumer products sold on the market compete purely on cost! Profits are often derived from reducing the cost of raw material used and packaging for many buyers is the main cost to be reduced.
This strategy and attitude may have worked for a while but not for ever; Private Label has become more sophisticated and their product quality has improved to the point of parity in some instances that they can do it cheaper than a Brand Company.
The focus for national brands need to be on providing a value-added point of difference by creating a better experience.
When you have a point of difference by creating a better experience, you can typically command a higher price and packaging can play a strategic role in achieving that key target.
E. So Brand companies must stop thinking of packaging as an "expense" and start thinking of it as an "Investment".
The world has changed and packaging is the newly discover "brand ambassador" and the value-added differentiator, as advertising has become fragmented.
There are naive expectations that a profound structural packaging change can happen quickly and without a financial outlay.
Appropriate time and inventive freedom needs to be given to packaging exploration so as to create something different.
Source : Packaging Strategy - Interview to Peter Clarke - Product Ventures
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( 3 / 1871 )
Convenience features such as easy opening, reclosability, portability and one-handed use continue to drive food-packaging innovation for a range of processed foods, including entrees, snacks and even foodservice products.
To make microwave cooking of chilled and frozen entrees even easier than it already is -- and to improve palatability, to boot -- microwave-packaging supplier Shieltronics, Eindhoven, The Netherlands, has created a multi-compartment tray that enables microwaving of vastly different foods with no time-outs to stir the contents or spoon sauce over them.
Brand owner Conveni, Liessel, The Netherlands, will launch Qizini-brand refrigerated entrees in the package this May. The injection-molded, dual-compartment Qizini tray will contain a fresh vegetable in one compartment and a ready-to-cook protein and starch (fish and potatoes, for example) in the other.
“The use of separate compartments prevents the mixture of taste and aroma and allows an optimal heating of the different food components," explains Hans Gehéniau, Shieltronics’ chief operations officer. "As different food components have different dielectric properties, they have their own optimal heating characteristics” based on a combination of power and time.
The Shieltronics technology addresses these differences “by shielding the most vulnerable components so they receive less energy,” Gehéniau adds.
A microwave-shielding label is molded into the vertical wall of one compartment of the tray using in-mold labeling; consequently, the food in that part of the tray receives gentler treatment from the microwave than the food in the unshielded compartment.
In addition to regulating temperature, the shielding label, which is on the exterior of the package, can be printed in full color with graphics and/or text.
The package’s convenience and product-quality benefits are noteworthy.
According to Gehéniau, the shielding technology eliminates hot and cold spots in microwaved food and delivers “the same culinary taste from a microwave meal as [the consumer] would get served in a restaurant.” He adds that cooking instructions are extremely simple.
The meal cooks in 4 min. without “instructions like ‘heat for 30 seconds then stir, and do this three times.’ ”
In addition to entrees, potential applications for the package include combinations of hot and cold foods, such as meatloaf and salad, or even ice cream and chocolate sauce.
That’s a wrap
Meanwhile, on this side of the Atlantic,Hormel Foods Corp., Austin, Minn., is targeting on-the-go consumers, specifically teenagers, with the product concept and packaging for its Hormel REV wraps.
Introduced nationally in the U.S. in July 2013, Rev wraps are protein-rich snacks that can be consumed cold or hot. Sold refrigerated in the lunchmeat case, the product comes in an array of flavors: Pepperoni Pizza, Meat Lovers Pizza, Peppered Turkey, Ham and Cheese, Hot Peppered Ham, Italian Style Ham, Italian Style and Spicy Italian Style.
The package is a thermoformed polypropylene tray heat-sealed to barrier-film lidding. The opaque lidding is printed with brand and product information, and the tray is transparent so consumers can view the product. The tray’s shape features a wide base so the packages can be merchandised standing up. In addition to single-serving packs for all varieties, Hormel sells the Pepperoni Pizza wraps in three-packs.
The product and its packaging are the epitome of convenience. “Hormel REV wraps are easy to open, portable and designed to be held in one hand, so no utensils or plates are needed,” says Holly Drennan, senior product manager of meat products marketing at Hormel. Drennan adds that the “packaging is quiet, recyclable and the product can be warmed directly in the packaging” in a microwave oven.
On the home front
Packaging for products used in-home also continue to emphasize convenience. Iselin, N.J.-based Domino Foods Inc., which is part of the ASR Group, recently introduced an unusual new package for Domino and C&H brand Quick Dissolve Superfine white sugar and Pourable brown sugar. Both products are formulated for easy pouring with no clumps.
The rigid package (12 oz. for white sugar and 10 oz. for brown) is a curvy, vase-like structure with a flip-top dispensing closure. The bottle is made from polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and the closure from polypropylene. Both parts are recyclable, although not all municipalities collect polypropylene curbside.
The Domino and C&H packages are decorated with a full-body shrink label, and the graphics incorporate plenty of transparent space so consumers can see how different the texture of the products is from that of conventional white and brown sugars.
In addition to creating a good-looking package, the bottle was ergonomically designed for easy gripping by hands of all sizes. And the flip-top dispenser can be operated with one hand. “We wanted something that would be very easy to pick up and easy to dispense” from, says Brian O’Malley, president and CEO of Domino Foods.
Using the new package, consumers can add sugar to their beverages, cereals and other foods easily and with control over the product flow. The design eliminates the need for a spoon and perhaps even a sugar bowl. Domino worked with industrial design firm 4sight Inc., New York, on the package design.
Easy-open salad greens
Produce products are moving toward more convenient packaging, too.Ready Pac Foods, Inc., Irwindale, Calif., has switched to an easy-open rigid package for salad greens.
Consumers peel back the lidding film to open the pack, and they can easily reseal the lidding afterwards.
Dubbed the Peel and Reseal Tray, the package consists of a recycled-PET container heat-sealed to dual-layer polyester lidding. Ready Pac worked with Clear Lam Packaging Inc., Elk Grove Village, Ill., to develop the package.
The pack’s design provides several benefits vs. a clamshell with a plastic lid. It offers convenience plus product protection “by improving opening and closing and providing a reclose feature that keeps air out better than a traditional lettuce tray,” says Roman Forowycz, group president and chief marketing officer at Clear Lam.
Clear Lam provides Ready Pac with the lidding; the thermoformed trays are supplied by D&W Fine Pack, Elk Grove Village, Ill., and Sabert Corp., Sayreville, N.J.
The package also enhances shelf life vs. conventional clamshells, because the lidding incorporates laser perforations that control oxygen and carbon dioxide transmission into and out of the package.
Its sustainability benefits are noteworthy, as well. “The new peel-reseal package significantly reduces the amount of plastic used as compared to traditional lettuce trays that include a rigid lid and PVC shrink band,” says Forowycz. “It eliminates preformed lids that require a lot of warehousing space and truck shipments that need to move the preformed plastic lids from the thermoformer to the produce processor.” Thus the package reduces fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.
“And most importantly,” Forowycz adds, “the new peel-reseal package enhances the consumer experience.
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