Flexible Packaging
Keep it clean, keep it flexible
Tom Kerchiss, chairman, RK Print Coat Instruments, says consumer shopping habits are not fixed; they change over time according to product availability, convenience and financial considerations
he ‘cost-of-living’ crisis, the state of the economy and fearfulness for the future will cause consumers to feel pessimistic and perhaps put off buying those big-ticket items. Consumer purchasing patterns may be influenced by social and other forms of media, and by politics and by environmental concerns and by demographics. Many brand owners, purchasing pattern forecasters and marketing pundits must feel they are chasing a constantly shifting target as many products come in and go out of fashion. There are some product categories that are less influenced by whim or by fashion. These are the commodity laundry and cleaning goods; the detergents, the dishwasher tabs, the toilet and shower glass cleaners and the bio and non-bio liquids and pods.
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The brand owners and the marketers of these products are subject to many of the same sort of challenges that affect the producers of many other mass-market goods. Generally perceived as a functional and necessary category of products, brand owners, marketers, designers and converters must endeavour to make their products look as distinctive and as innovative as possible. Looks are important but convenience and product variety are rated highly. Product pack changes may be frequent as new cleaning formulations come onto the market. Changing demographics often means that it’s not a one-size pack suits all. While families with children may make a super size pack purchase there is a big market for smaller sizes.
The pile them high retail concept that originated back in the 1960s benefitted the marketing and sale of big box laundry products which were prominently displayed. Another benefit at that time was that there were few washing powder brands on the market. Promotional campaigns, coupons and even the giveaway of plastic flowers also boosted sales. Time moves on. Boxed cartons are out of favour for the dispensing of cleaning materials. Cartons and trays still have a role to play. Used as part of a retail ready concept they can be used for the stacking
together of a specific branded product line on the retail shelf and as a POS medium for additional brand promotion or presentation. In a market where manufacturers tend to be global players and where products may take years to develop or refine and bring to market, one would expect that close attention would be paid to packaging and presentation and this tends to be the case. Marketers have to work hard to keep product lines looking fresh and relevant.
component additives serve as a good example. As each year passes newer and more capable water based ink technology for flexo flexible packaging becomes available.
Products contained within extruded blow moulded pre-shaped containers are an option. IML or in-mold labelling is used for a wide of items ranging from ice cream and margarine containers to motor oils and laundry stain removal products. The pre-printed label is inserted automatically within the cavity of the container and remains there for the life of the product. Imaginatively printed labels in a variety of shapes applied to a manufacturers’ proprietary container can serve as an exclamation mark. Bold brand owned colours convey an emphatic statement of quality and richness, while processes such as embossing engage both visual and touch senses. Flexible packaging materials, much of which is printed flexo is favoured for many detergent lines. Relatively economical to manufacture, flexible pouches are easy to handle and store. Zippers and spouts prevent waste and laminated pouches and bags are suitable for all types of households regardless of demographics. Many of the contents of flexible pouches are concentrates so packaging tends to be small.
The production of inks, coating and other materials for flexible products is dynamic. Inks and
The introduction of water dispersible polyester resins has proved suitable for use in waterborne flexographic inks. Unlike earlier aqueous systems that relied on relatively high acid resins for water dispersion, the polyesters of late need no neutralising agents such as amines or ammonia to maintain water dispersibility. The need to balance pH on press is avoided and the odour, formerly associated with volatile amines is avoided. The interest and growing use of water-based inks for flexible packaging is no doubt prompted by the need to develop and adopt more environmentally acceptable products. However, environmental objectives are one thing, print quality and product performance is another. Quality control, product monitoring and product development systems and equipment are available to enable users of all descriptions to meet colour targets, control process variables and test new and unfamiliar formulations and materials. Determining how substrates and inks interact is critical
Colour communication, proofing or sample preparation devices such as the FlexiProof 100 have been supplied to resin manufactures, ink manufactures and substrate manufactures, etc., to ensure compatibility of the various components involved in the production and use of an integrated ink system.
The FlexiProof and variants FlexiProof UV and FlexiProof LED UV have also been supplied to converters and even to universities and research centres. Because the FlexiProof is a scaled down but component critically exact version of a production press, the trial of new materials and formulations can be undertaken on the unit, minimising the need to take a production machine off line and out of production. Apart from savings in time, production machine material waste is minimised, there are savings in energy as well.
24
September 2023
www.convertermag.com
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