Innovative line-up in London

25 September 2013



Packaging Innovations London returns to the capital on 1-2 October 2013, with more exhibitors and a wealth of inspirational exhibits


Packaging Innovations London 2013 will be the biggest in the event's four-year history, with more than 165 exhibitors and a packed learnShops programme delivered by industry experts. More than 30 packaging suppliers from overseas are also due to exhibit at the show.

Organised by easyFairs, Packaging Innovations London is co-located with Luxury Packaging and the Brand & Design Village, featuring all the latest packaging designs, solutions, trends and developments. The Contract Pack area of the show will provide an opportunity to meet professional outsourcing partners. In The BIG Packaging Debate, a panel of packaging professionals will discuss whether 'Online sales will kill packaging design'. One-to-one advice will be provided by the Packaging Society; and the return of the Lions' Lair competition will see innovators pitch their latest products to a panel of experts.

Along the aisles
Exhibiting on stand B9 will be The Alexir Partnership, which has teamed up with Ennstal Milch to launch the Cartocan into the UK market. The Cartocan is claimed to be "the first and only cylindrical packaging format made from cartonboard to be filled aseptically with liquid and have an extended shelf-life of up to 12 months unchilled". This environmentally friendly alternative is aimed at premium products in the drinks industry, covering all sectors other than carbonated. It won 'Best Packaging Innovation' at IFE in March.

Visitors to stand GB36 will be able to take advantage of ASG's Spark! onsite packaging design workshop and learn how linking the company's advanced prepress with print can save time and money. The Spark! print & packaging division will be showcasing the patented MicroMotion print technique, that creates an illusion of motion thanks to a simple varnish; and MagneClose, a new type of
magnetic closure considered a "game changer" particularly in the highly competitive confectionery industry. ASG's plastics division Amaray will be launching a new user-friendly closure system with a smooth, easy opening and closing action. Said to be ideal for single-handed use or for individuals with dexterity problems, it offers an alternative to existing screw threaded packs.

Design agency Berry Place Models (stand GB8) has been 'making ideas take shape' since 1990 on projects such as retail displays for Nike, display bottles for Harrods, and 3D wall text. The agency will show how it can bring design ideas to life, "whether it's an individual commission or a low volume production run".

A new octagonal glass diffuser bottle will be shown by Continental Bottle (stand D7). Available either in a 100ml size or 250ml with stoppers and metallised caps to complement, it promises to "allow for a dynamic redesign on the traditional circular or cube style for the UK market".

The Design Activity agency (stand GB12) is to focus on "how we can translate our success to smaller, up-and-coming brands still in the early stages of their development, by using design to help them advance". A good example of this is a recent project working with the founders of SaVse Smoovies. In just six months, the brand was developed, launched, and is already listed in premium outlets including Harrods, Harvey Nichols and Fortnum & Mason. Design Activity offers a bespoke package which, the company promises, will deliver "the brand and packaging design, along with advice and support, clients really require - at a cost that won't break the bank".

Direct Source Packaging (stand D25) is a custom manufacturer of high-end packaging products such as paper shopping bags, boxes, garment bags, and reusable totes. Quality material, printing and finishing options are used to create unique custom packaging to enhance brands through repeated customer use. The company will introduce a variety of "environmentally-conscious materials engineered for packaging excellence".

Following investment in a new mini digital press, Firstan Cartons (stand D3) is now able to offer a "near production perfect, quality mock-up service to facilitate the development and decision making process with regards to design aesthetics, pack sizes and other variable preliminary considerations". The company can help showcase new packaging designs and products, presenting fully printed
mock-ups to gather objective research that gives a more definitive indication of how a launch will be received. Firstan can even
personalise mock-ups for presentations to specific organisations and individuals. The packaging mock-ups are printed on specified folding box board, with no minimum order quantity.

Colour management software expert GMG Color will team up with Studio404 (stand GB3), a specialist packaging design graphics studio to show the synergy between innovative design and 'brand critical' colour. Visitors to the stand will see how this is implemented in Studio404's design, prepress and 3D mock-up services - all enabled by GMG technology. GMG will also demonstrate its ColorProof proofing software on an Epson Stylus Pro WT7900. The 24-inch printer uses white ink to add clarity and colour to package proofs, and ColorProof offers precise and predictable spot colour simulation.

First-time exhibitor, luxury packaging specialist Gmund (stand E11) is to present Gmund for Food, a natural paper certified safe for contact with foodstuffs. Available in a wide variety of designs and colours, it is particularly aimed at high quality packaging for organically grown tea, meusli, Belgian pralines and coffee, as well as supermarket checkout display racks for sweets. Gmund's recently expanded F-color collection offers covering materials for cartonboard packages including 234 colour variants and specially developed papers with metallic effects.

HH Deluxe Packaging (stand E41) is a global luxury paperboard packaging manufacturer with more than 1,000 skilled workers for luxury packaging hand assembly. Its Prototype Service provides product development using both 3D prototypes and 2D presentations
considering all aspects of structure, materials, print, finishes and suitability for display and shipping. The company will be showcasing exclusive luxury brands such as Benefit Cosmetics, Wedgwood, Suisse Programme, Gourmet Settings, Aromaworks, Yves Rocher and Coach.

Iggesund Paperboard (stand A1) is to upgrade its Incada folding box board. From this autumn, Incada will be whiter and lighter, and have a number of improved properties affecting printability. Incada Exel, which is more targeted as a packaging board, will also have improved stiffness. For grammages over 300g/m² this gain will be as much as 10-15%. "This enables our customers to reduce their packaging weights while keeping the same protection for the contents," explains Robin Lewis, technical product manager for
Incada. Other substantial improvements have been made to the odour and taste properties, and to runnability.

Visitors to the Innovia Films stand, VG16, will discover new NatureFlex developments made from renewable raw materials (wood pulp) which can be used on their own or combined with other biomaterials to create tailored packaging. A partnership combines NatureFlex film with Sappi's (stand VG15) Algro Nature paper to create complex laminate structures that are not only made from renewable resources, but are also certified compostable and food contact approved.

ITC (stand D9) has developed a cap that improves the hygienic and safety features of powdered milk tins. The project for Spanish baby food company Laboratorios Ordesa was to create a new lid with an integral dispensing system. ITC's design made a substantial improvement to the airtightness of the powdered milk caps, incorporating a dispensing spoon inside the cap for consumer convenience - effectively eliminating the search for the missing spoon inside the powder, while ensuring that the product is suitably preserved thanks to the hinged cap "perfectly adapted to the tin rim". ITC also developed a system for the fast and efficient interchange of cap dispensing spoon moulds during production, so that various sizes of spoon inserts could be manufactured without any downtime.

Jenton International, on stand B26, has added two new bench-top banding machines to its range. The TT180P is the smaller of the two, ideal for banding currency. Boasting a compact design, easily portable weighing in at only 15kg, the unit bands at 25 cycles/min, for high efficiency operation complete with simple tension adjustment to suit the product being banded. The larger TT300F
model is equipped with a new tape feeding mechanism to eliminate tape jamming problems. Both machines use paper and film, and are said to be inexpensive to run.

On stand A18, Jetbox is promoting "an entirely new, British designed, boxmaking concept" to the market. Supplied packed flat, the Jetbox is said to enable users to reduce their spend on transportation and storage and their carbon footprint. With more than 200 standard shapes and sizes available, the product is claimed to be suitable for applications ranging from confectionery to cosmetics.

New 100% recycled giftwrap paper qualities are to be highlighted by Germany-based manufacturer of personalised giftwrap and tissue paper Jung Design (stand G21). The two recycled paper qualities - grey RC 70g/m² and brown NRC 80g/m² - can be printed with customers' logos using elegant UV varnish and glitter effect colours. Jung claims to be Europe's market leader in high grade CI giftwrap specialising in relief print, high gloss effects and metallic print techniques.

'Stunning' solutions Leo Paper Group (stand E17) will be showing some new technology applications, that promise to create
"stunning packaging solutions" for beverage, toiletry, and other luxury products. The company will be introducing new secondary processes that transform paper into "looking and feeling like other materials", like wood, metal, or leather. A wide variety of novel package designs for luxury products will display some of these processes, which blend design, printing, secondary process applications and the integration of technology that creates a "luxury look and a new level of user experience and awareness for a brand".

Exhibiting on stand VG24, Macpac will launch Surecel - "a new departure in high quality self-locking clamshells for a wide variety of markets". Surecels are supplied in either bespoke or standard form. The bespoke range is a collection of plinth profiles for which an add-on shape can be produced. As the tooling exists for the plinth, the only extra cost is for the add-on tool, thereby keeping costs to a minimum. Surecel standards are a collection of standard finished packs that "will suit lots of applications".


UK-based New Vision Packaging (stand A21) has designed a range of packaging for US beauty products company Sephora. Each limited edition seasonal collection focuses on the individual style, personality and story of a specific Disney Princess character. New Vision not only supplied the packaging, but also managed the project through from packaging manufacture to building the sets and shipping to the USA. The pack itself is made from a white backed folding boxboard, with the internal fitment using a clever construction that avoids the use of a vacuum formed plastics insert.

French producer, printer and converter of tissue paper for wrapping and packaging Papeteries de Montsegur (GB29) claims to be a leader in the manufacture of thin papers used for luxury packaging and other technical and speciality applications. With the capacity to print bespoke designs and logos in up to six colours, the company's expertise lies in the production of deep dyed papers, bleed-free, non-abrasive, noncorrosive, to suit most graphical codes. Colours can also be tailor made.

Plastique (stand VG7) offers a patented product for packaging high value fragile products that is said to be better for the environment and less bulky than traditional materials. These Reflex Cushions, manufactured under licence from Reflex Packaging in the USA, use vacuum forming to replace materials such as expanded polystyrene and combined corrugated and foam constructions. They are said to "incorporate excellent product protection and substantial cost savings". Manufactured from 100% recycled HDPE content and being 100% recyclable and reusable, they are promoted as "environmentally preferable to traditional forms of fragility packaging".

Progress Packaging (stand E1) has produced a range of packaging for luxury retailers using recycled and environmentally-friendly stocks. The company says Victoria Beckham used a recycled kraft paper in conjunction with a super high gloss stock to create a "stunning contrast". Mulberry used a deconstructed box from greyboard that showed all the workings normally covered by lining papers. This was "given a twist" with brass staples and a foil blocked logo.

On stand C11, Simply Cartons is launching the TriFold Carton - claiming it "takes pick and place cartons to the next level by giving all-round visibility, something not possible before in a one piece pack".

Smurfit Kappa UK (stand A16) will be showcasing its T-Flute and MirriNor T-Flute metallised boards, both positioned as superior alternatives to traditional cartonboards for premium brands. T-Flute, the company's slimmest caliper microflute, offers 'curvability', allowing brand-owners and packaging designers "to performance engineer their packaging, taking cost out of the logistics chain through superlightweighting, while adding premium value through stunning physical shapes and graphic finishes". MirriNor is a
metallised T-Flute, a feature never offered before on a lightweight corrugated carton material, states Smurfit Kappa.

Vetroplas Packaging (stand A3), a supplier of premium packaging for the personal care and toiletries sectors, has partnered with a "tier one global supplier" to offer acrylic airless pumps for the first time, as well as standard acrylic pumps with dip tubes and jars using airless technology. All certifying to ISO9001 and ISO14001, the collection offers a premium alternative to glass containers. The collaboration also means Vetroplas can help customers enhance brand identity through a wide range of decoration techniques, such as silk screen printing, hotfoil stamping, metallisation and lacquering.

Be sure to visit us on the Packaging Today stand - GB21 - to learn about our range of products and services.




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