Packing them in

Daunting though it is, 19 halls full of exhibitors showing ‘all things packaging’ from materials to machines and more was an experience not to be missed by anyone involved in the packaging industry.

Held from 13-18 May in Düsseldorf, the exhibition attracted 166,000 visitors from all over the world, and the 2,700 exhibitors were busy showing their latest innovations – many for the first time at the show.

With 75% of visitors having decision making powers, the exhibitors were very pleased with the show, and many clinched major orders during the exhibition.

Autobox, for example, not only had good enquiries, but actually took orders on the stand during the show. Barry Tabor, MD of Autobox reports, “We used the show to launch our latest corrugated box making machine, Hipak/HiCut. Not only did we take a record number of enquiries, we also concluded four orders for the machine during the exhibition.”

Automation specialist Gerhard Schubert was also celebrating a €7.8 million order that it took on the booth. The company was demonstrating 40 robots and 32 transmodules there - transport robots, in continuous operation. New for Interpack was ‘the world's first packaging machine that features fully automatic tool changing’, which can be changed over automatically to work with different products in just 4.5min. Underlying this is an ‘enormous increase’ in the efficiency of the packaging process. It is a decisive step toward the ideal of digital production, which responds immediately and flexibly to changed conditions, works flawlessly and produces the smallest quantities with high productivity as part of a superior order system, according to Schubert.

Companies that produce snacks, cookies or chocolates could be interested in a TLM-F44 picker line, which picks chocolate bears from a belt and places them in packaging trays in continuous operation. What is new here is the mother tray, which is sealed in an upper film at the end of the line and then cut into portion trays. The stacking lugs stay in the web scrap. This could become a fast seller for a number of reasons. The process lowers costs, trays without stacking lugs look better and trays can be stacked on pallets during interruptions in the packaging area.

Business was also booming on the Romaco stand, which is reported to have had more than 800 qualified enquiries from the pharma and cosmetics industries. On the first three days of the exhibition alone, several detailed negotiations took place with potential buyers of the new Siebler strip packaging line with integrated robotic transfer station, according to Martin Grau, Product Manager at Romaco.

The company showed eight new machines and systems for manufacturing at the show.

Bosch, with the largest stand at the show, was demonstrating many new concepts, such as the Starpac 600HL wrapping machine. Launched by Bosch company Sapal, the wrapping machine closes packages with hermetic sealing, allowing for maximum protection of products in single-wrap die-fold packages. With this system, chocolate manufacturers can differentiate their products with the premium look of die-fold packages while guaranteeing quality and safety, said Alexander Schmitz, General Manager of Sapal.

The Starpac 600 HL wraps small to medium-sized chocolates with an output of up to 600 pieces/min. “This is a real alternative to flow-pack wrapping,” said Mr Schmitz.

Offering complete line solutions for the first time at Interpack, Sealpac was demonstrating denesting, product loading, lane dividing and sealing, all in a line designed and produced in-house. The centrepiece of the line presented at the show was the Sealpac A10 fully automated traysealer, which is capable of sealing 140 packs/min, depending on the application. A new drive concept, fully based on servo technology, was thoroughly tested for reliability by the company; and cleaning and hygiene has been further optimised.

Integration is an important aspect for any packaging operation, and Italian group Cavanna was at the show to demonstrate its capabilities in systems integration for medium and high-speed flowpack packaging for a wide range of food and non-food products. The role of system integrator that it plays allows the group to be focused not on design, production and sales of technology, but more on the customer. The adopted technical solutions are chosen with the strengths of the companies belonging to the group and, depending on opportunities, third party companies with specific skills are involved in the manufacturing process.

Big news in materials

Octal Petrochemicals, based in Muscat (Sultanate of Oman) was at Interpack to present to the world a ‘revolutionary and vastly superior new raw material for PET packaging’. DPET is short for DirectPET, which is manufactured in an entirely new way – the ‘direct to sheet’ process. This new technology combines the manufacture of PET sheet with the production of PET resin in a single process. PET rigid film is no longer produced from melted granulates in this patented manufacturing process. The process brings savings compared with traditional production of APET rigid film by doing away with five energy intensive phases and also bringing a significant yield increase of around 5%, and ‘a quantum leap in sustainability’, according to Octal. A saving of 67% on electricity usage is claimed. And carbon footprint analyst Intertek conducted a study on DPET, and reportedly found that its carbon footprint is around 25% under that of traditionally produced APET film; and 20% below the value for ‘non-zero’ rPET.

The result is said to be a film with significantly improved appearance plus mechanical and processing properties. Joe Barenberg, COO at Octal, summarised the advantages of DPET: “It is sustainable and energy efficient in its manufacture, productive when processed, and it is available worldwide for large-scale applications. We can assure fast and reliable supplies for our customers, no matter their location.”

There were plenty of companies showing off their ‘green’ materials, such as Novamont. For example, Naturene is biodegradable if composted correctly, and was developed by Safta in collaboration with Novamont and Innovia. It is a heat-resistant laminate that can be easily printed using standard technology.

Said to provide a high barrier to oxygen and water vapour, the new product is suitable for use on most automatic form/fill/seal packaging lines and can be used in a range of pack types from traditional bags to stand-up pouches and single-dose stick packs. It can be used for food and non-food applications such as coffee, sugar, baked products, snacks, pet food, powder detergents and secondary packaging. Foods with a high fat content can also be packed in Naturene.

Also on show was Talia, a new line of paper made of pure cellulose coupled by extrusion with Mater-Bi bioplastics. Developed jointly by Novamont and Cartiera di Rivignano, it complies with European standards and can be disposed of with organic waste and composted. Mater-Bi is the family of bioplastics developed by Novamont and made from renewable resources of agricultural origin.

New openings

There were many novel closure concepts in evidence around the show, including a new Peel-off Top for composite cans from Weidenhammer Packaging Group (WPG). Said to have ‘outstanding’ gas impermeability, the new closure system is suitable for powdered milk and other highly sensitive products.

WPG’s composite cans have captured numerous product segments in the food market over the past five years, surplanting metal cans in some market sectors. The new Peel-off Top will open up entry into other market sectors that are dominated by cans, according to the company. However, the new opening is also suitable for use on metal cans.

“Combining the composite can with a Peel-off Top offers significantly more benefits in terms of environmental protection and lower costs,” said Rolf Regelmann, Executive in charge of WPG sales. “Lightweight and completely recyclable, the composite can has a much smaller carbon footprint across the entire lifecycle than a conventional tinplate can.” The cost of material is also claimed to be much lower and more stable than steel.

There were plenty of simple but clever innovations on show. For example, Ardagh, which bought the metal packaging group Impress, was demonstrating the OptiLift, a new ring-pull, for cans to overcome the ‘broken fingernail’ problem when consumers try to grasp the ring. Woep Muller, Group Commercial Director explained how it is achieved: “A flex panel does the trick: it is convex during seaming and becomes concave after sterilisation due to the creation of a vacuum. Concavity is reached automatically without the need for mechanical manipulation.” In addition, material savings of up to 10% contribute to its sustainable credentials. “The vacuum trick is new, and customers love it,” said Mr Muller. “We’re going to change all our lines by the end of the year to incorporate the OptiLift.”

Another clever idea is the incorporation of a spoon in the top of the lid of baby food powder cans to prevent contamination when scooping out the powder. After use, the spoon is held in the rim of the lid so consumers don’t have to put their hand in to fish it out. “This was an extremely complex product to produce,” said Mr Muller.

Inky problems

Ink migration in food packaging made mainstream media news after government lab tests in Zurich found unacceptable levels of mineral oils in food packaging, for example cereal packages. Chemicals in these mineral oils have been linked to inflammation of internal organs and cancer. Recycled board containing newsprint was the culprit, but mineral oil migration in general has led companies such as Kellogg’s and Weetabix to take steps to reduce the amount of mineral oil in their packaging.

Following the findings, food companies and their suppliers rushed to find solutions, and this was evident at Interpack. For example, ink manufacturer Siegwerk was offering a vegetable-based ink, which is non-toxic even if migration occurs.

Alcohol-based ink is another alternative, and is used in a ‘revolutionary’ development being offered by REA and inkjet printhead manufacturer Trident. To prevent blockages, patented sub-pulse technology agitates the ink but does not eject it, allowing the printhead to clean it in periods of inactivity. The printer can coat porous and non-porous surfaces. “Traditional ink won’t dry on a non-porous surface,” explained Reto Heil, Head of Marketing at REA. “Traditional wax-based inks sit on the surface of the pack so if there is any rubbing or heat involved, you can get smearing. With barcodes it is particularly important that this does not happen. This is an entirely new alternative.”

The piezo printer can be used for high resolution printing of logos, graphics and barcodes in heights up to 50mm x 100mm, which is said to be the tallest on the market. Cott beverages in the USA is currently using the printer; and there are trials beginning in Europe.

It was heartening to see such a lot of activity and real business being conducted on the stands, hopefully proving that we are finally moving out of recession and into a more positive phase for the packaging industry.

A sunny outlook

Sun Chemical took a stand with Sun Branding for the first time at an exhibition. The inks market leader, with an US$8 billion turnover, bought Sun Branding four years ago.

Sun Branding works with end users of packaging to give a complete service in terms of security, special finishes, coatings and barriers, and gets involved at an early stage in the design and conceptualisation of packaging.

“People are getting more and more adventurous in terms of design to make packs stand out,” said Ian Schofield, Sales & Marketing Director of Sun Branding. “Pack stand-out and shelf appeal are big topics of conversation as things get more competitive. The bar keeps getting higher, and everyone wants speed, speed, speed to get their products to market.”

Getting the finish right every time is no mean feat, especially when it comes to the sense of touch. How do you describe how something feels? Cleverly, Sun Branding had enlisted Cathy Barnes of Faraday to demonstrate its new, ‘artificial finger’. This means that what is felt by the hands can be accurately and consistently described, and loaded into a computer by Sun Branding to produce the right finish every time.

Barry Ferne of Sun Chemical, commented: “A lot of projects fail, but when things are measured accurately at the beginning of the innovation cycle, they have more chance of succeeding. If brand owners can’t describe what they want, we can’t deliver it. With Faraday’s system, this should all change.”

Showing its metal

Metal Packaging Europe, a new trade body representing the united interests of producers and suppliers of metal packaging across Europe, staged its debut at Interpack.

The new organisation brings together metal packaging manufacturers, producers and their existing trade associations (APEAL, BCME, EAA and EMPAC) from across Europe to promote the strengths of metal packaging, and to address the social and environmental and policy challenges faced by the industry.

Chris Homfray, President of Crown Europe, is the Chairman of the new organisation.

Metal packaging was very much in evidence at the show in a special Metal Packaging Arena, where companies such as Huber and Ardagh were exhibiting around a conference area, in which various forums were held.

Visitors flocked to Düsseldorf for ‘one of the most successful’ shows ever. Visitors The Gerhard Schubert TLM-F44 picker line in use for bars of puffed rice. Gerhard Schubert Sealpac was showing a complete line which is all sourced in-house for the first time at the show. Sealpac Romaco showed eight new machines and systems for manufacturing at Interpack. Romaco A new Peel-off Top for composite cans from Weidenhammer Packaging Group was launched at the exhibition. Weidenhammer Ardagh, which bought the metal packaging group Impress, was demonstrating the OptiLift, a new ring-pull that makes can opening easier. Ardagh