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02/ 11 F EATU R ES
VOLUME 75 / ISSU E 1
18
18 What’s on the minds of packagers Sustainability, teamwork and keeping costs down are among the top concerns of respondents to our exclusive survey.
24 Case packers are struck by lightening Lightweighting of both primary packaging and cases is just one of the challenges facing case packers.
24
28 Pet food: Packaging that’s fetchingly flexible Key drivers in pet food packaging include downsized formats, sustainability and high-end shelf presence.
28
32 Taking a turn on ‘green’ Closures are driven by innovation and material-reducing redesigns related to cost savings and/or sustainability, but always with package integrity as paramount.
32
DEPARTM EN T S 8 New Packages PET jar chosen for cheese, meatballs and sauce combine in 51-ounce trays for clubs, coffee served in color-coded bags, and more.
YOUR ONLINE COMPANION
12 Packager News Package downsizing is slammed, top trends for 2011 are highlighted, pallet war rages on, and more.
36 Supplier News
www.foodandbeveragepackaging.com » Our FirstLook feature
GPI proposes doubling glass recycling, survey says half of food pack agers plan equipment purchases, and more.
IN EV ERY IS S UE 6 Editor’s Note 40 Supplier Forum
VISIT US AT
shows you the latest innovations in packaging to hit the market.
» Breaking News gives a 49 Classified Network 54 Data Watch
heads-up about the important industry issues of the day.
» Our blog, Uncontained, combines news and commentary for a fresh perspective on the industry.
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FOOD & BEVERAGE PACKAGING Volume 75, Issue 1 (ISSN 1941-8531) is published 9 times annually, Jan/Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun/Jul, Aug, Sept, Oct and Nov/Dec, by BNP Media II, L.L.C., 2401 W. Big Beaver Rd., Suite 700, Troy, MI 48084-3333. Telephone: (248) 362-3700, Fax: (248) 362-0317. No charge for subscriptions to qualified individuals. Annual rate for subscriptions to nonqualified individuals in the U.S.A.: $178.00 USD. Annual rate for subscriptions to nonqualified individuals in Canada: $216.00 USD (includes GST & postage); all other countries: $228.00 (int’l mail) payable in U.S. funds. Printed in the U.S.A. Copyright 2011, by BNP Media II, L.L.C. All rights reserved. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the consent of the publisher. The publisher is not responsible for product claims and representations. Periodicals Postage Paid at Troy, MI and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: FOOD & BEVERAGE PACKAGING, P.O. Box 1080, Skokie, IL 60076. CANADA POST: Publications Mail Agreement #40612608. GST account: 131263923. Send returns (Canada) to Pitney Bowes, P.O.Box 25542, London, ON, N6C 6B2. CHANGE OF ADDRESS: Send old address label along with new address to FOOD & BEVERAGE PACKAGING, P.O. Box 1080, Skokie, IL 60076. FOR SINGLE COPIES OR BACK ISSUES: contact Ann Kalb at (248) 244-6499 or
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Glass elevates your brand. The benefits of glass are simply uncanny – allowing the quality to shine through while protecting flavor and freshness. When you partner with O-I, we’ll complement glass’ natural allure with eye-catching, functional designs that help premiumize any product. So if you’re ready for packaging that moves product up and off the shelf, make the clear choice. O-I glass.
“Glass clearly helps us differentiate our product from cans in the soup aisle.” – Sean O’Neil, President, Bookbinder Specialties Bookbinder Specialties got retailers and consumers buzzing when they partnered with O-I to package their new line of gourmet soups in glass. See the results for yourself – email or call for the case study.
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Editor’sNote
SURVEY MIXES ETERNAL TRUTHS WITH SURPRISES
EDITORIAL PAN DEMETRAKAKES Editor
[email protected] RICK LINGLE Executive Editor
[email protected] SCOTT HILLING Senior Art Director FRANK MAYERAN Art Director
o more with less, do it sustainably and get outside help when needed—but be sure it’s needed. Those are the major takeaways from our firstever State of the Industry survey, which serves as the basis for this month’s cover story. We polled packaging managers and executives from food and beverage companies across the nation, asking about practices, attitudes and expectations. We got a mix of eternal truths (everyone wants to cut costs) and some mild surprises. The most heartening news is that our respondents are looking forward with some optimism. Almost half (46%) said they had bought a major piece of packaging equipment since January 2009. Looking to the immediate future, 42% said they planned to spend more on packaging equipment. This can’t be anything but a good omen. Of all the food and beverage plants I’ve toured in my career, almost every one had managers who prided themselves on keeping machinery running until the last possible moment. Making do with what you have is practically an industry credo. When food and beverage packagers are ready to go out and buy new machinery, it means they’re very confident in either a new product or expanded demand for existing ones. It also means they’re confident in the larger economy. One thing that surprised me a little was the response to a question about relationships with other departments. While relationships are generally good across the board, they’re best with operations and worst with art/graphics. This probably has something to do with another takeaway from the poll: Graphics are the function most likely to be outsourced. A couple of years ago, an independent graphic designer who did a lot of packaging work explained this to me as partly a function of technology. Years ago, when prepress work like color separation was a major ordeal, packaged-goods companies used to contract that out but keep the creative work in-house. Now that printing software has greatly simplified prepress, end users do that work in-house more often. Design houses have shifted more to the creative function, and packagers are taking advantage of that outside perspective. Take a look at our cover story. It’ll probably confirm a lot of things you already know, but there also may be a surprise or two. F&BP
D
When food and beverage packagers are ready to go out and buy new machinery, it means they’re very confident.
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[email protected] CORPORATE DIRECTORS TIMOTHY A. FAUSCH Publishing JOHN R. SCHREI Publishing RITA M. FOUMIA Corporate Strategy SCOTT KESLER Information Technology ARIANE CLAIRE Marketing VINCENT M. MICONI Production LISA L. PAULUS Finance MICHAEL T. POWELL Creative NIKKI SMITH Directories MARLENE J. WITTHOFT Human Resources EMILY PATTEN Conferences & Events BETH A. SUROWIEC Clear Seas Research BNP MEDIA HELPS PEOPLE SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITH SUPERIOR INFORMATION For Volume Reprints Contact JILL L. DEVRIES Corporate Reprint Manager Phone: 248-224-1726 Fax: 248-244-3934 E-mail:
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NewPackages INNOVATIONS / TRENDS / MARKETING
MEATBALLS COME IN THREE SAUCES
‹‹
tray allows meatballs to be packed in three different sauces, and to be warmed in a slow cooker. Chef Solutions Meatball Appetizers from Orval Kent Food, Wheeling, Ill., comes in a 51-ounce club-store tray. The tray is divided into three compartments, one each for Honey Barbeque, Marinara and Teriyaki sauces. The tray, as the label states, can be placed in a CrockPot-style slow cooker. A clear plastic lid, with flexible lidding beneath, and paperboard wraparound sleeve complete the packaging. The product retails for $19.86.
A
Kraft uses a PET jar for bulk shredded Parmesan cheese.
SHREDDED CHEESE IN RIGID JAR
raft Foods has put out a new bulk package for shredded Parmesan cheese under its DiGiorno line. The 20-ounce, wide-mouth polyethylene terephthalate (PET) jar features an injection-molded, flip-top closure and tamper-evident band, with a flexo-printed paper label. The product will retail in the refrigerated section of the supermarket with a suggested price of $9.99. The jar complements a range of other packaging for DiGiorno shredded cheese, including 6-ounce tubs, 10-ounce tubs and 5-pound bags. Kraft also puts out a variety of SKUs of solid cheese under the DiGiorno line.
K ‹‹ A compartmentalized tray gives consumers their choice of three meatball flavorings.
SEATTLE’S BEST LOOKS BETTER eattle’s Best Coffee, part of Starbucks Corp., is changing the coffee category with its new “Level” system. Designed to simplify the shopping experience, the packages are numbered and color-coded according to the coffee’s taste profile, from a mild, light Level 1 (yellow) to a bold, dark Level 5 (purple). Consumers can also choose from a decaffeinated blend, organic fair trade certified blend and flavored coffees cinnamon (marked “C”) and hazelnut (marked “H”). The new look is by design firm Creature.
S ‹‹ Seattle’s Best coffee gets a makeover that helps consumers identify how strong a given SKU is.
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Creature 206-625-6994; welcometocreature.com
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NewPackages
LORNA DOONE BOX
‹‹
GETS SMALLER
New Lorna Doone box is downsized and made with recycled material.
raft Foods has shrunk the paperboard carton for its Nabisco 100-calorie Lorna Doone Shortbread Cookie Crisps. The new carton, which contains six single-serve pouches of the miniature cookies, is 20% smaller than before and is made from 100% recycled paperboard. Graphics include a callout with the words “New look/Same amount of product.” The two largest surfaces of the slightly rectangular carton are printed in a horizontal and a vertical orientation respectively, to give retailers alternatives for merchandising.
K
ITALIAN DINNER ALL IN ONE BOX
frozen meal kit comes with components for a ravioli dinner for four people, including garlic bread. That’s Dinner! from Cole’s Quality Foods, Grand Rapids, Mich., comprises a litho-printed paperboard outer carton with a pouch of beef ravioli, a 15-ounce polypropylene tub of marinara sauce with an injection-molded high-density polyethylene cap, and garlic bread in clear flexible film. Packaging for all the components is labeled with heating instructions. Other SKUs in the line include Three-Cheese Ravioli and Cheese Tortellini.
A
Meal kit contains all components for an Italian dinner for four.
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FRUIT TRAY
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ink ribbons have long been associated with the battle against breast cancer, and have been included on many packages. A new package takes this one step further: It’s shaped like a pink ribbon itself. The PET fruit tray, from East Coast Fresh Cuts, Savage, Md., has four compartments that hold grapes, watermelon chunks and mixed melon pieces. It is sealed with flexible film that bears the message, “A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this tray will be donated to Breast Cancer Research.” The 44-ounce product sells for a suggested $12.99.
Pink ribbon-like tray denotes donation to the fight against breast cancer.
IS A PINK RIBBON
P
‘SQUEEZABLE FRUIT’ TO ENTER TEST MARKET he Tropicana unit of PepsiCo is testmarketing a new “squeezable fruit” product in a bottle-shaped pouch. Tropicana Tropolis, described as a “fruit puree and juice blend,” is packaged in a pouch with slightly asymmetric curves for a good grip in children’s hands. The top is notched for easy tearing. Graphics feature a miniaturized fun scene, like an amusement park or pirate ship, bursting from the tops of big pieces of fruit. A website will carry on the theme with interactive scenes of “Tropolis World.” The product comes in apple, cherry and grape flavors. It began a test market in late January, with possible nationwide distribution in 2012.
T
‹‹ A bottle-shaped pouch helps establish Tropicana Tropolis as “squeezable fruit.”
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PackagerNews
02/11
BUSINESS / TRENDS / PEOPLE
new article in Consumer Reports details 10 instances of product/package downsizing, including prominent food products like Häagen-Dazs ice cream and Hebrew National franks. The report, “Downsized!”, includes examples of packages with reduced product at the same price, sent in by readers. They include: • Tropicana orange juice (PepsiCo): from 64 to 59 ounces • Kraft American cheese: from 24 to 22 slices • Häagen-Dazs ice cream (Nestlé): from 16 to 14 ounces • Hebrew National franks (ConAgra): from 12 to 11 ounces • Classico pesto sauce (Heinz): from 10 to 8.1 ounces
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CONSUMER REPORTS SLAMS PACKAGE SHRINK A
Tropicana juice, Hebrew National franks, Classico pesto sauce and Häagen-Dazs ice cream are all examples of packages that now offer less product for the same price.
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The Consumer Reports article noted that some threequarters of Americans in a recent survey noticed that packages had been shrinking, and 71% of those surmised that the reason was to raise the price surreptitiously. Surprisingly, about half said they would prefer that packages remain the same size, even if it meant prices going up. The article advises consumers how to deal with product downsizing, including comparison shopping, paying attention to per-ounce prices, switching to private label products and complaining to the companies involved. F&BP
9. Discomfort Foods – Change makes us comfortable with more change. 10. Eating for Sex and Other Things – We are working longer, and want all the gusto. F&BP
Featuring...
FOOD CHANNEL LISTS TOP 2011 TRENDS T
rends as old as home canning and as new as social apps are among the Food Channel’s top 10 trends in food for 2011. “The new economy has created a boldness and willingness to change how we work, how we cook and how we eat. All of our 2011 trends reflect that in some way,” said Kay Logsdon, editor of The Food Channel. The trends are: 1. The Canning Comeback – “Putting Up” is gaining popularity for both economy and health. 2. Men in Aprons – Layoffs have led to more men cooking. 3. Local Somewhere – We care about hand-tended no matter where it’s grown. 4. Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell – We’re tired of being told what we can eat. 5. Appetite for Food Apps – Social media is our guide and our coupon source. 6. Small is the New Big Business – Corporations are thinking like small businesses. 7. Fresh Every Day – Rooftop gardens are just part of this trend. 8. Chefs in Schools – Better flavor is possible in an institutional setting.
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PackagerNews
PLASTIC, WOODEN PALLET MAKERS CONTINUE WAR he latest salvo of the war between plastic and wooden pallets is over butter. Intelligent Global Pooling Systems (iGPS), the leading supplier of plastic pallets, filed suit late last year in Dallas against the National Wooden Pallet and Container Assn. (NWPCA). The suit claims that a NWPCA press release made “defamatory statements” about the possibility of plastic pallets playing a role in contamination of butter in the Dallas area. The NWPCA release, which is still available on its website, refers to a study by the University of Texas of butter from several grocery stores in the Dallas area. The study notes the presence of polybrominated diphenyl ether (PDBE), a chemical often used as a fire retardant, though it does not suggest that plastic pallets caused the contamination. The NWPCA release does not state this, either, but notes that PDBE is used in plastic pallets and that they “should be examined as the root source of transfer to the food.”
T
The lawsuit asks the state court to bar NWPCA from “making any false statement or claim, including any claim that iGPS’s plastic pallets are unsafe.” iGPS and NWPCA have long battled over safety issues related to their respective products, including fire hazards as well as product safety. F&BP
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PackagerNews
BR IEFS » Dutch brewer Heineken is reducing the variety among its bottle sizes to increase the efficiency of its packaging lines and supply chain, the company has announced. Heineken will pare bottle sizes from 15 to five, and will replace its long- and short-neck single-serve /CEJKPGT[DWKNVHQTSWCNKV[FGRGPFCDKNKV[CPFFWTCDKNKV[ bottles with a new 5[UVGOUDWKNVHQTURGGFEQPUKUVGPE[CPFRTGEKUKQP “iconic” design, which 'XGT[VJKPIFGUKIPGFCPFOCPWHCEVWTGFVQſV will come in both a plain [QWTTGEKRG version and one that [QWTHCEKNKVKGU features embossing on CPF[QWTPGGFU the neck and back.
A Harris poll on the effect of the recession on consumers showed that 45% of adults are bringing lunch to work instead of buying it, 62% are buying private label products more often, and 37% are buying refillable water bottles.
Resealability may be losing its cachet among consumers, according to a new survey by The Consumer Network. Using a 5-point scale, shoppers responding to the Consumer Network survey ranked “microwavable cups and canisters” at 4.2, well above “slide closures that zip along top or side” (3.6), and “aseptic boxes for soup (4.3) above “glass jars with twist off lids” (3.6). For a copy of the report, e-mail Mona Doyle at
[email protected].
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Hershey Foods and Mars Inc. are suing each other over who gets to use orange packaging for peanut-butter-and-chocolate candy. Hershey’s federal suit says it has copyrighted the orange hue for its iconic Reese’s line, and alleges that Mars’ use of the color for Dove Peanut Butter Promises could confuse consumers. Green Century Capital Management, an investment group specializing in “environmentally responsible” investing, has given an A grade to Hain Celestial, H.J. Heinz and ConAgra for their effort to remove the controversial additive bisphenol-A (BPA) from their packaging.
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Submissions are now being accepted to the 23rd DuPont Awards for Packaging Innovation. Entry forms and guidelines are available at www.packaging.dupont. com. The deadline for entries is Feb. 28.
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CoverStory | STATE of the INDUSTRY SURVEY
by PAN DEMETRAKAKES , Editor
What’s on the minds of
PACKAGERS
Sustainability, teamwork and keeping costs down are among the top concerns of respondents to our exclusive survey. ustainability is more important than ever, operations people are easier to work with than graphics people, and the end of the line is where problems tend to pile up. Those are some of the conclusions from Food & Beverage Packaging’s State of the Industry survey. The survey, of packaging professionals who subscribe to our magazine, was an online poll taken in summer 2010 about issues ranging from sustainability to changeover issues. It was conducted by Clear Seas Research, the research arm of BNP Media. Here are selections from the 56 questions on the survey, with commentary in some cases from industry experts.
S
Ops Op ps oon the brain
Operations seems to weigh the most heavily on the minds of Op our rrespondents. Asked to identify the most important packagingrelate issues they face, with multiple responses allowed, 55% said related “prod “production and efficiency improvements” and 53% said “cost cuttin cutting”—which, of course, go hand in hand. Th The survey allowed written supplemental responses, many of whic wh ich ic h underscored the importance of operational issues: which u •C Cutting costs while keeping the packaging relevant to the consumer • D Doing more with less manpower and money L • Le Leaning the process E • Eq Equipment sanitation, line efficiency improvements • O Obsolescence of our packaging machinery • K Keeping up with cost cutting measures in the declining economy Ch h Chuck Yuska, president of PMMI, says these results are consistent t with those from Vision 2015, a series of focus groups PMMI conductat last fall’s Pack Expo show. ed at “Vii “V “Vision 2015 participants talked in depth about three major tren tr en nd in their plants: lean operations, a need for suppliers to build trends rela re laati relationships with them and provide solutions to their business ch hal alle le challenges, and the need for complex, sophisticated and easy to use automation,” a use Yuska says. “The lean manufacturing movement is defi defi e nitely in the mainstream American of manufacturing, and is
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What are the biggest packaging issues currently facing your company? (Multiple responses allowed) has been for some time. But lately, it seems to be taking on a new level of importance.” A perspective on a major company’s priorities was provided by Perfecto Perales, senior director of packaging research at Kraft Foods. “In North America, I’d say the biggest challenges are going to be how retailers can keep raising the bar on innovations versus private labels,” Perales said in an email. “In Europe, it’ll be how to continue to raise the bar on packaging graphics and innovation. And in developing markets, as consumers’ spending power increases, the challenge will be how to bring the demand for premium/customization in expanding markets like Brazil/China at the right cost/value to consumers.”
55%
Production and efficiency improvements
53%
Cost cutting
47%
Sustainable packaging
32%
Food safety
11%
Staffing and training
Things are looking up
Respondents were asked about their companies’ progress in packaging operations, both recently and for the immediate future. Since January 2009, a nearmajority (46%) had started up a major piece of machinery, and about one-third had started up either a minor piece of machinery or an entire packaging line. Guarded optimism seemed to be the prevailing outlook. Asked about their packaging expenditure plans for 2010-2011, a plurality (42%) said they expect to spend more, and another 36% said they expect to spend about the same. Again, this was roughly in line with PMMI’s data. Its quarterly Purchasing Index Survey led to the prediction that packaging machinery investments in the last months of 2010 would expand compared to fourth quarter 2009. However, the same outlook also predicted that overall growth for the food and beverage sectors, while continuing, will slow down: 2.1% for food in 2011, compared
9% 0%
10%
Other 20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
with 4.7% in 2010; and 1.8% for beverages, coffee and tea in 2011, compared with 5.4% in 2010. Sustainability rules
To probably no one’s surprise, sustainability was one of the biggest concerns among packaging professionals. It was “extremely important” to 51% of respondents, and “somewhat important” to another 37%. As far as strategies to increase sustainability, reduction was the most popular. “Reduced material waste on packaging lines” was the most popular strategy, at 55%, followed by “reduced material in primary package,” at 53%.
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We’re an outside group, and so it’s much easier for us to bring a consumer point of view to a [graphic —David Turner, Turner Duckworth design] project.
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CoverStory | STATE of the INDUSTRY SURVEY MachineryTechnology The least popular options were the two that would require fundamental, structural changes to a packaging operation. “Cut energy consumption,” at 37%, in most cases would require buying new equipment. “Utilized pallet cubes more efficiently,” at 29%, would require palletizing equipment more flexible than what many packaging companies have available. About half of the respondents (51%) said they had a person “responsible for environmental sustainability or environmental efforts related to packaging.” Thirty-nine percent said no, and 10% said, somewhat surprisingly, that they didn’t know.
Since January 2009, has your company: (Multiple responses allowed)
Started up a major piece of machinery
Started up a minor piece of machinery
Worker training
The most popular option for “operator and related machinery training” was using the machinery vendor, at 38%. “Self-trained” was next, at 35%. Surprisingly, 5% admitted to having “little or no training.” Nancy Cobb, a certified PMMI trainer who has worked in that capacity with Kraft Foods, is surprised that the number for machinery vendors isn’t higher. Vendors are a logical choice for training, she says, because they know their equipment better than anyone. However, there may be one factor discouraging end users from seeking training services from the equipment vendors, Cobb says: “The realistic view is that they don’t want to pay for it.” Vendors used to include training as a routine, no-extra-charge part of an equipment purchase, she says, but now that’s often no longer the case: “As equipment has become much more sophisticated, it
What is the source of training for operators of your machinery?
58%
Machinery vendor
7%
5%
Third-party contractor
Little or no training
9%
6%
0%
20
10%
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Other
None of the above
20%
30%
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40%
36%
Started up a packaging production line
3%
32%
Other
39%
None of the above
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
costs money because the training is much more sophisticated.” Now, many vendors will give an overview of a few hours for free, but charge for the days of training that often are needed for maximum efficiency. On the other hand, end users, especially those who need to save money, would be wise to be selective when they buy vendor training, Cobb says. ““They’re saying [to the vendor], ‘Let’s look a little bit closer at it so that you’re delivering only what we need.’” The end user and vendor should do a needs assessment for training, including such factors as the operators’ sophistication and skills, and whether they’ve worked on similar equipment before. Outsourcing
35%
Self-trained
46%
50%
By a significant margin, graphics is the packaging function most likely to be outsourced. Fifty-eight percent of respondents said they hired outside help for their packaging graphics, followed by structural package design (42%) and equipment integration (25%). David Turner, principal of Turner Duckworth, a design firm that has done projects for food companies including Kraft and Coca-Cola, says the prevalence of graphics outsourcing is probably inspired more by cost-cutting than a desire for “outside” ideas. “We saw a period, back in the last recession, where those [in-house graphics] departments were cut, because an easy way to reduce costs is to cut a department and then outsource,” Turner says. He adds that the trend
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CoverStory | STATE of the INDUSTRY SURVEY MachineryTechnology seems to be shifting back toward in-house design, partly because of the success of companies like Apple Inc., whose products feature design as a key part of their overall appeal. But while design is an integral part of Apple products, “with food and beverage companies, you have to use packaging to bring the product to life,” he says.
Which packaging functions does your company outsource? (Multiple responses allowed)
58%
Graphic Design
42%
Structural package design
Equipment integration
25%
Operations (i.e., contract packaging)
Teamwork
9%
Other
0
20%
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
Whatever the trend, Turner says, an outside graphics consultant can bring three important aspects to a packaging project: objectivity, perspective and credibility. “We’re an outside group, we’re looking from the outside in, much as the consumer would, and so it’s much easier for us to bring a consumer point of view to a project,” he says. Objectivity can help an outside graphics consultant in another way: dealing with company politics. “Any large organization has a fairly complex political structure that has to be navigated,” Turner says. “Being somewhat isolated from that can be a very positive thing. I think what works brilliantly well in our experience is when you have people METHODOLOGY within the client company who really understand the inThis study was conducted last August by Clear ternal structure and politics, Seas Research (www.clearseasresearch.com), who really understand design the information-gathering arm of BNP Media, and can help navigate design parent company of Food & Beverage Packagthrough the corporation.” ing. All subscribers with an e-mail address in our files were invited to respond, and 153 did so. Respondents completed surveys online. Tabulations were generated using SPSS, a statistical equipment package.
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to break down or otherwise result in downtime, many pointed toward the end of the line. A plurality of 21% named “cartoner, case packer or shrinkwrapper” as the equipment most liable to stoppages, and another 12% named “downstream—palletizers or shrinkwrapper.” Manufacturers of end-of-line equipment, not surprisingly, say circumstances are more to blame than unreliability of their equipment. Problems have a way of cascading down a packaging line and piling up at the end. “One reason [for that perception] is, we’re at the end of the packaging line, so we’re most visible,” says Brian Piekarski, case packing product manager for Brenton Engineering. Operations consultant John Henry, who manages the website www.changeover.com, agrees that end-ofline equipment may be getting something of a bad rap. “I don’t really know if end-of-line equipment is the most inefficient, but when it is inefficient, it seems more visible,” Henry says. “It’s a perception, but it might not be a true perception.”
Respondents were asked to rate the relationships of the packaging department with other departments in their companies. There was a tight spread, with the majority of relationships being rated “good” or “excellent.” But when the responses are averaged, reported relationships are best with operations and engineering, worst with art/graphics. Henry admits to being pleasantly surprised by the good relationship with operations. When disconnects occur, Henry says, it’s usually for the entirely human reason of not understanding the other person’s concerns. “People will say, ‘Marketing wants us to make this package and our machinery just can’t do it,’” he says. “Or they’ll come up with eight different bottle sizes, which could probably be grouped into maybe two or three different families.” In other words, it’s more efficient to use the same diameter for two or more different bottle sizes, so that they can be handled without the need to change out parts like timing screws or star wheels. “If they need a different diameter, they need a different diameter, and operations just has to live with it,” Henry says. “But I think a lot of times it’s due to ignorance. They just don’t know the impact.” As for graphics, Turner says packaged goods companies are becoming more aware of the importance of packaging appearance, but it’s an uphill struggle. F&BP
Trouble at the end
When respondents were asked which kind of packaging equipment was most likely
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For a look at the entire exclusive State of the Industry survey, look for the link on our website, www.foodandbeveragepackaging.com.
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MachineryTechnology
CASE PACK I NG
CASE PACKERS ARE STRUCK BY LIGHTENING Lightweighting of both primary packaging and cases is just one of the challenges facing case packers. / by PAN DEMETRAKAKES, Editor s materials lighten up, things get heavy for case-packers. The lightening of materials for both primary and secondary packaging is one of the biggest challenges for casepacking equipment. So is another sustainability-related issue: The increased use of recycled material in corrugated cases. “The biggest inconsistency that we see is in the case materials themselves,” says Randy Spahr, executive vice president of Z Automation. “When you have inconsistency in corrugated material, it makes it difficult when you’re dealing with a high-speed application.” Spahr cited problems like inconsistent scoring of corrugated blanks and poor glue joints that make it hard to open the blanks or even make them stick together in the casepacker’s magazine. Spahr readily concedes that the situation can be frustrating for an equipment supplier. “It takes some time to get this identified sometimes, and at this point you and the customer both have put in money and time, and sometimes they’re not sure of what to look for,” he says. “They normally associate it with an equipment problem when it could be a material problem.” Other case-packer suppliers echo this sentiment. “Any time you lighten anything it becomes harder to handle, usually less stable and less consistent,” says Mike Grinager, VP of technology for Brenton Engineering. To cope requires some adaptation, Grinager says: “Instead of maybe forming a case with just some generic plows, you may have to use a forming die to form the tray or case.”
A
‹‹ Combo systems save space by incorporating different functions, like case packing and palletizing here, all in one frame.
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Compensation
Fallas Automation has introduced enhancements in case erecting to compensate for weaker corrugated, says sales manager Chris Calabrese. A case-square feature allows adjustments to the side belts that move a case after the bottom has been folded. Photoeyes read the edges of the case and determine if they are exactly even; if not, one of the belts slows or speeds up slightly to compensate. This especially helps with cases that have a lot of “memory,” like those made with heavy corrugated or with die-cut windows. As secondary packaging gets lightweighted, so does primary packaging, which presents its own set of challenges. The biggest one is in handling the lighter packages as they travel into and through the case packer. Beverage bottles have been especially lightweighted in the last few years, which means that they can no longer be counted on to push each other through the system and into the machine.
PHOTO COURTESY BRENTON ENGINEERING
“If you can’t push the bottles with other bottles, now you have to have more sophisticated means of handling them to get them onto the tray,” Grinager says. These could include conveyor enhancements like variable-speed drives, separate tracks, or a conveyor braking system to make sure surge pressure doesn’t exceed what the thinner bottles can handle.
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“in our business,food safety protects the brand.” Guy Giordano,President and CEO
SafePac Pasteurization, LLC and Vincent Giordano Corporation
In an industry where even a single recall can put established companies out of business and destroy a brand, you need to ask yourself “What is food safety worth to me?” That question was the driving force behind Guy Giordano’s formation of SafePac.TM He wanted to implement a revolutionary new pasteurization process for the ready-to-eat food industry known as High Pressure Pasteurization (HPP). A safe, environmentally friendly solution that eliminates food pathogens in just minutes, extending shelf life dramatically without additives or preservatives. HPP allows our customers to triple the shelf life on refrigerated products without impacting the taste, texture or nutritional characteristics of the food. The perfect solution for pre-packaged products like meats, soups, juices, wet salads, sauces, fruit smoothies and seafood, our services are available to all manufacturers, packers and food processors. Safety and peace of mind for you, and fresh-tasting, preservative free products for your customers. Did I hear a “Win-Win?”
Let’s talk about how SafePac can protect your products. For more information visit www.safepac.biz TM
© SafePac Pasteurization, LLC. All Rights Reserved. 1 - 2 6 7 - 3 2 4 - 5 6 3 1
MachineryTechnology Flex time
Another trend that case packers must deal with is flexibility. Trade customers in general want variety and customization, and that extends to case packing. One of the most fundamental questions in changeovers is whether to rely on fixed, adjustable parts or change parts. “There are two schools of thought,” says Mark Jacobson, vice president of Econocorp. “One is, you can make the machine essentially completely adjustable, and the other is,
“A lot of that came from the complexity of the changeovers for a machine that’s all-in-one,” Calabrese says. “Sure, it can be changed over to do a lot of different formats, but the changeover time was quite a lot.” Another factor is that integrated machines usually can’t run as fast as separated ones. Calabrese estimates that an integrated erector is good for about 15 cases per minute. But with increased demand for small case counts comes a
‹‹ Case packers must deal with a number of challenges and demands, especially lighter primary and secondary packaging materials.
you can make pre-engineered replacement parts that minimize judgment—go in one way, work one way, etc.” Econocorp favors the latter approach. “I would pit my change parts against anyone that makes adjustments,” Jacobson says. “OK, maybe [it’s] a little more metal, but when I say go, who’s going to be running the next size faster? It’s going to be the person who simply takes the part out and quickly FOR MORE INFORMATION replaces it with another, rather than the person who has to move this a little bit and BluePrint Automation tweak that.” 804-520-5400; Another issue that affects www.blueprintautomation.com performance is integration. Brenton Engineering Should case erecting and case 800-535-2730; packing be done on separate www.brentonengineering.com machines, or should the two Econocorp functions be integrated into 781-986-7500; www.econocorp.com one machine? Calabrese says that about Fallas Automation 15 years ago, integrated 254-772-9524; machinery was most in dewww.fallasautomation.com mand, largely because of its Z Automation smaller footprint. But during 847-483-0120; www.zautomation.com the 1990s, customers started wanting separate machines.
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PHOTO COURTESY Z AUTOMATION
corresponding need to run the case packer faster. “That kind of puts an integrated erector out of the picture,” he says. Retail ready
A retail trend that bears directly on case packing is the trend toward secondary packaging that’s ready to go on shelf with little or no modification. “As far as case/tray design is concerned, we see a significant shift toward retail-ready packaging,” says Bernhard Barta, vice president of sales and marketing for BluePrint Automation. Calabrese says Fallas hopes to take that to the next step with a machine that’s now under development. It would be able to pack flexible bags so that they stand up, even if they’re not bottom-gusseted. The challenge is to develop a pick head that will pick up bags that have been indexed to a standing position by a lug chain and get them into the case without the contents settling unevenly to the bottom. The end of a packaging line can be the beginning of its biggest challenges. The right case-packer can help meet those challenges, of lighter packaging, frequent changeovers and more. F&BP
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P R O D U C E D B Y:
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MarketTrends
PE T F O O D
by RICK LINGLE, Executive Editor
PACKAGING THAT’S FETCHINGLY FLEXIBLE Key drivers in pet food packaging include downsized formats, sustainability and high-end shelf presence. he American Pet Products Assn. estimates that Americans spent nearly $50 billion on their pets in 2010, of which $18 billion was for food. That’s a mountain of kibble, meat, meat byproducts, vegetables and other assorted ingredients—along with a doggone lot of packaging to contain it. This packaging amounts to approximately $600 million, according to Bemis Co., the largest flexible packaging vendor in the North America and the market leader in this segment. Bruce McKay, Bemis’ director of business development, is responsible for the pet food segment. He has 15 years of industry experience on both sides of the pet food fence, having been on the packager side earlier in his career as general manager for pet food manufacturers in Canada. “We’ve seen in the last 10 years a proliferation of different approaches to diets and formulations in pet foods,” McKay says. “The market has gone from balanced diets to ‘functional foods,’ akin to what has occurred with nutraceuticals in the human foods market. With that change from a commodity of kibble in 50-pound bags, pet food package graphics and marketing have become more sophisticated with a number of new formats and applications. There’s been an explosion of SKUs, brands and sizes in this market.” As an example, Bemis’ effort with WellPet, a pet food packager based in Tewksbury, Mass., included a ge of sizes for switch from paper to plastic, and a range emium Wellthe recent reintroduction of the super-premium ness brand (see photo on page 31). The major considerations, according to WellPet packaging development manager Chris Small, were to find what materials would perform well from a filling, sealing and palletizing standpoint, and what materials would best protect, preserve and promote the super-premium products.
T
The range of flexible packaging in the pet food market reflects high-level printing and barrier packaging across a spectrum of bag and pouch sizes.
The multilayer structures used for 25 items, ranging from 4- and 6-pound stand-up pouches to 15and 30-pound bags, rely on reverse-printed oriented polyester, metalized polyester, and an inner layer of polypropylene/linear low-density polyethylene. “These structures offer many benefits, including the ability to showcase high-impact graphics along with a resistance to dimpling and insects,” Small says. “The line has enjoyed great success and continues to benefit from strong sales growth and market penetration.” McKay offers six trends in pet food packaging: 1. More consumer convenience features: Stand-up formats, reclosable packaging, zippers, handles and spouts. 2. SKU proliferation: More diets, sizes and formats that require extra flexibility and nimbleness by suppliers. 3. From paper to plastic: Laminated films are increasingly replacing paper as the preferred material for upscale brands because of its superior strength and graphic qualities.
‹‹
PHOTO COURTESY OF C COATING EXCELLENCE INTL.
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Run with the
Leader Take Your Brand Farther, Faster, with Bemis Packaging Large Bags or Small Pouches, Kibble or Treats, Wet or Dry, Bemis Has Your Package.
In the competitive pet food business, brand dominance demands a packaging partner with agility, strength and sharp market instincts. To stay ahead of the pack, run with Bemis. As the world’s leading producer of pet food packaging, we offer the industry’s broadest portfolio of packaging technologies, a nimble service model, vertically integrated supply and total concept to cart development support. All, from one responsive source. Talk to us! We’re hungry for your business. Contact Bruce McKay at 920-527-2482 or
[email protected].
3550 MOSER STREET ©2011 Bemis Company, Inc.
|
OSHKOSH, WI 54901
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MachineryTechnology 4. Advanced graphics: Major brands are looking to improve graphics with enhancements like matte finishes, metallized inks and high-gloss finishes. 5. From rollstock to premade bags: Pet food manufacturers are increasingly looking to pack their products in premade bags, as opposed to forming them on their own lines, to achieve better quality and flexibility 6. Emerging sustainability interest: While there is interest in sustainability options by manufacturers, most are waiting until a better post-consumer recycling infrastructure is in place. Paper or plastic? It’s plastic
For larger package formats, there has been a move away from multiwall paper bags that comprise multiple plies of kraft paper with a moisture-barrier inner layer of film. A fast-growing alternative has been durable, colorful woven bags, a specialty of Coating Excellence Int’l, which is owned by Mason Wells/P.E. Since 2006, CEI has accelerated from selling zero
bags to more than 100 million bags per year into the pet food market, according to president Michael Nowak. CEI’s bags, typically used for bags containing 20 or more pounds of product, are made of woven polypropylene laminated with reverse-printed biaxially oriented PP. They offer an attractive presentation and are tear-resistant, Nowak points out. Last year, CEI introduced a woven pinch-bottom bag that is heat-sealed rather than sewn shut. The benefits include a store-shelf facing edge without ugly stitching. One of the first introductions is for a private-label dog food from Safeway. The packaging is better from a sustainability standpoint because it is an all-PP construction, and because empty polymer bags take up half the volume of paper, Nowak explains. “‘Downweighting’ is a good thing because customers save money, but the sustainability aspect is becoming more important than the savings,” says Nowak. Daniel Staker, executive vice president of Plastic Packaging Technologies, a company with a decade of expe-
Pet food boxes play on emotional cues n a general sense, this pet food packaging is a good exbrown kraft box isn’t merely a package printed to look natural; ample of the importance of leveraging emotion to further it truly is natural. The color and style of the package provides the brand/consumer relationship. It also demonstrates that the natural-food shopper a quick way to identify a product there’s a home for boxes in a market of bagged, pouched, that appeals to them because it will appeal to their pet.” trayed and canned pet foods. Great Northern’s StrataGraph high-end printing process Last year, Kaytee Products Inc., Chilton, Wis., launched uses UV inks on paperboard certified as sustainable by the nature’s BENEFITS, a line of natuForest Stewardship Council. The ral foods for pet birds (parakeets, box is 100% recyclable and can cockatiels and parrots) and small be used by the pet for foraging, animals (hamsters, gerbils, guinea shredding and tunneling. pigs and rabbits). The granola“There are a number of allstyle food line is targeted to natural foods for pet birds and consumers looking for a natural small animals on the market, but food for their pet. Natural colors none of them are in a package and elements, including rich of this style,” Thomson says. PHOTO COURTESY OF DIRECTIONS INC. animal photography, combine with “The use of the box is a bold muted tones and kraft paperboard to give the line an earthy, statement within this industry and indicates that Kaytee is organic look. willing to take some risks in order to promote the product “Stores typically merchandise these products by type and the brand. of animal rather than by brand or manufacturer,” says Aria “Our buyers and retailers have been very excited about Grant, art director with Directions Inc., Kaytee’s design the unique look of the package and have expressed that agency, which worked collaboratively with converter Great that it’s a great way to promote an all-natural product.” Northern. “Our goal for shelf impact was to combine a range of visual cues that worked in concert to create a strong Directions Inc. position of all-natural and environmental awareness.” 800-236-2189; www.directions.com That’s as much a reality as impression, according to Kay Great Northern Corp. Thomson, senior marketing manager, Kaytee Pet Bird: “The 800-236-3671; www.greatnortherncorp.com
I
Atypical box and graphics break through the pet food ‘noise’ at retail with a natural look.
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PHOTO COURTESY OF BEMIS PACKAGING
rience in pet food packaging, concurs: “Sustainability concerns and source-reduction initiatives have helped drive demand for higher-performing films, including highbarrier, laminated structures that incorporate less material, but provide greater barrier properties that extend product and shelf life.” McKay and Nowak agree that there’s more interest in recyclable structures than in biomaterials. For bags of all sizes, shelf impact is driving more use of high-end graphics. “Eight- to 10-color print is a requirement for pet food packaging,” says Nowak. “No amount of colors is too much.”
modated.” In one recent development that carries this trend to its inevitable conclusion, Nowak reports seeing single-serve pouches of pet food. Whether for Spot or Fluffy, there are pet foods packaged to fit every pet’s—and pet owner’s—needs. F&BP
‹‹ WellPet’s Wellness brand’s move from paper to plastic packaging and use of high-end graphics reflect major trends in pet food packaging.
Downward trends
McKay also points to a general shrinkage in bag sizes. For example, 40- and 50-pound bags that were common years ago are giving way to bags in the 32- to 34-pound range. This reflects a consumer trend to buy more frequently and an increase in the channels where pet foods are available, from specialty stores to supercenters, he explains. The demand for downsizing picks up dramatically for smaller sizes, particularly in stand-up pouches. As CEI launched into larger sizes of pet food bags, it found that a lot of customers need smaller ones, too. It now offers pouches and bags along with the larger woven bags. Stand-up pouches are as hot in pet foods as they are with human food. “We’re seeing stand-up pouches replace [rigid containers] as in the broader packaging market,” Nowak says, “especially premade pouches that allow smaller pet food companies and smaller orders to be accom-
FOR MORE INFORMATION Bemis Co. Inc. 920-727-4100; www.bemis.com Coating Excellence Intl. 800-765-9283; www.coatingexcellence.com Plastic Packaging Technologies, LLC 800-468-0029; www.plaspack.com
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MaterialsTechnology
CLO SU RE S
TAKING A TURN ON ‘GREEN’ Closures are driven by innovation and material-reducing redesigns related to cost savings and/or sustainability, but always with package integrity as paramount. / by RICK LINGLE, Executive Editor
losures in the United States are a large cap market worth $7.8 billion and are expected to grow at a 4% annual clip through 2014. Thus reports Freedonia Group in a new study, “Caps & Closures: U.S. Industry Study with Forecasts for 2014 & 2019.” The United States, which accounted for one-fourth of global cap and closure value demand, will see strong value gains, fueled by a continued shift in the product mix toward value-added configurations, the report predicts. Advances will be aided by greater use of costlier dispensing and child-resistant closures and by the ongoing popularity of singleserve containers. There’s certainly a whole lot more behind that overarching assessment when the rubber meets the road—or specifically when the plastic or metal cap meets the container. Frequently ubiquitous, sometimes innovative, and always essential, closures top off containers in a myriad of shapes, colors and styles appropriate to general market trends and specific applications. In all packaging segments that must address customer requests, vendors have responded to sustainability. Sometimes that’s through intense research and development projects related to aggressive lightweighting efforts. Sometimes that’s a result of far simpler methods that yield advantages for customers. Portola Packaging’s Roy Robinson says there’s a general push from customers to reduce their carbon footprints, including reducing packaging across the board. “We’re doing our part by providing as light a weight closure as possible without sacrificing performance,” Robinson asserts. He cites as an example the
C ‹‹ Sustainability-driven developments in closures include lightweighting and use of biomaterials.
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company’s 30-mm plug-style closure as one of the lighter weight closures in the market, used mainly in refrigerated dairy products. AptarGroup is continuing to evolve its stock closures, ensuring its products address sustainability requirements by reducing the amount of resin used in closures up to 37%. For example, its 38-400 RediSpread pour spout for spreadable products such as mayonaisse, mustard, and jelly was redesigned with 14% less resin. That equates to 18,300 pounds saved, based on an annual volume of 10 million units, compared to traditional style closures. This example serves as a reminder that small unit changes can yield big savings in volume. Last summer, Norland International Inc. introduced the industry’s first oxo-biodegradable cap for 5-gal water bottles (photo at left). The low-density polyethylene 55-millimeter caps, sold under the Earth Cap name, contain a unique additive that accelerates the degradation process, resulting in total degradation in five to 10 years. One of the first users of the Earth Cap is Aloha Water, Aiea, Hawaii. Closures can provide sustainability improvements in other ways than material reductions through the use of a systems approach. For example, Aptar recently introduced an FDA-approved recycle-friendly “swimming” silicone valve. The new valve floats, allowing it to be easily separated from PET during the recycling process. There are other paths to improvements in areas such as making low-technology changes to provide space-saving gains in sustainability. Portola recommends bulk shipments to customers, requiring two truckloads rather than three, to increase efficiency and reduce truck emissions.
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MachineryTechnology Looking beyond sustainability
There’s more to the category than “greening.” Robinson sees Extended Shelf Life (ESL) aseptic products, with a high-performance requirement for barrier closures, poised for expansion. He believes that dairies and other beverage producers are reconsidering ESL and aseptic packaging to leverage expanded distribution. Certainly, convenience is a perennially popular avenue with consumers. For example, CROWN’s EasyLift technology is designed with finger access under the tab to enhance ease of FOR MORE INFORMATION opening for lids on metal containers. “The number AptarGroup one complaint for the ex815-477-0424; www.aptargroup.com isting easy-open end is the Crown Holdings, Inc. inaccessability of the tab,” 215-698-5100; www.crowncork.com says Hella Neffati, marketing manager, CROWN Food Freedonia Group Packaging North America. 440-684-9600; www.freedoniagroup.com The technology is a new Norland International Inc. “import” from Europe where 402-441-3737; www.norlandintl.com it has been in use since Portola Packaging 2007. She expects a regional 877-801-9169; www.portpack.com test market in 1Q2011 using
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ends produced at CROWN’s North America facility. Neffati’s colleague, Sheila Heath, director of marketing, CROWN Closures Americas, taps private label as being a growth area that has an impact on closures with the advent of heightened requirements on par with national brands: “Private label doesn’t do ‘me too’ anymore, they make their brands standalone” including the use of closure decoration such as graphics and logos. “Just like the national brands,” she adds. With a base in the segment including the closures for Abbott Nutrition’s line of bottled Ensure products, Heath foresees a healthy outlook for adult nutritional beverages. These developments that center on plastic bottles rely on composite closure technology that combines a metal disc and plastic band. Despite the evolution of closures over the years, they maintain the same multifunctional roles as always. Heath reminds us that of ultimate importance is maintaining the integrity of the package; providing a vehicle to advertise or illustrate the package contents; and withstanding processing methods. So a tip of the cap to these essential components that continue to provide critical closure to packages. F&BP
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SupplierNews
02/11
NEWS / TECHNOLOGY / PEOPLE
GLASS GROUP WANTS TO DOUBLE RECYCLING he goal for recycling of glass packaging should be roughly double what it is now, according to the new annual report from the Glass Packaging Institute (GPI). “North American 2011 Glass Packaging Outlook” sets forth a goal of doubling the recycling rate for glass bottles and jars from 28% in 2008. Doing so, the report says, would allow glass packaging suppliers to increase the amount of recycled glass in their products to 50%, which would greatly improve the carbon footprint of glass packaging. According to the report, using 50% recycled glass, or cullet, would save enough energy to power 21,978 homes for one year and remove 181,550
tons of waste from landfills every month. The report also broke down the use of glass for packaging: Beer bottles, at 59% of all glass containers, was the leader, followed by food (18%), non-alcoholic beverages (8%), wine (6%) and liquor (4%). It named wine as the segment with the most growth, but noted
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that glass container shipments were down 4.8% from January to October 2010 against the same period last year. Production of glass containers also decreased 6.1% in that same timeframe. On a more positive note, the GPI also noted that a recent telephone poll conducted on its behalf showed
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glass packaging has some powerful positives among consumers: • Most Americans (91%) believe glass best preserves the shelf life of alcoholic beverages. • Consumers think plastic bottles (82%) and aluminum or metal cans (54%) are more likely to leach or seep chemicals than glass bottles or jars (7%). • A majority of American consumers (69%) believe glass containers are safest to use in a microwave. • Consumers know glass is best for preserving the shelf life of products (76.1%) compared to plastic (6.2%) or metal (17.7%). F&BP Glass Packaging Institute
50% OF FOOD PACKAGERS PLAN TO BUY EQUIPMENT alf of the food manufacturers in a recent survey by PMMI say they plan to make packaging machinery purchases in 2011. The survey, “Trends and Advances in Food Packaging 2010,” claims to include 20 of the top 75 food packaging companies, representing 53% of the packaged food industry’s revenue. Among the 50% of respondents who said they planned to buy packaging machinery, 34% said they planned to buy more than last year, and 40% said they planned to buy about the same. End users’ priorities for packaging
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equipment include multifunctionality, ease of use, adaptability and energy efficiency. A senior engineer for a food manufacturer interviewed for the study said, “Flexible changeover, versatility to retrofit for changing up the line and multipurpose equipment that meets several needs are what we envision in the next generation of packaging equipment.” F&BP For a copy of “Trends and Advances in Food Packaging 2010,” contact Paula Feldman, PMMI’s director of research and surveys, at
[email protected] or 703-243-8555.
703-684-6359; www.gpi.org
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B R I EF S INTERNATIONAL TRADE FAIR
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HeatGenie, a self-heating container system, recently completed its first collaborative testing of its heater technology with a commercial food brand. The brand, a category leader, funded characterization studies conducted by the HeatGenie technical team in its R&D facility in Austin, Texas. >>
Rich Ryan, chief operating officer of conveyor supplier Dorner Manufacturing, has been elected to the board of directors of PMMI.
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