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Top testing opportunities for metal packagers In an article for The Metal Packager, STEVE DAVIS,
GLOBAL DIRECTOR of product management at Industrial Physics, examines the testing methods believed to offer the most opportunity for metal packagers.
By 2030, the market for metal cans used in food and beverage is expected to be worth $75 billion. The growth in popularity for metal cans has been influenced by many factors. On the demand side, brands in food and beverage are making packaging decisions driven by sustainability, consumer preferences, and consumption habits increasingly favouring convenience. Whereas, on the supply and manufacture side, metal packagers have been able to take advantage of processes to make can making even more efficient and cost effective, such as lightweighting.
Metal packagers have already demonstrated adoption of change and process development, however, the opportunities for improvement are not limited to the manufacturing process alone. Industrial Physics’ latest research report
‘Unwrapping the Testing Environment’ revealed that 50% of packaging professionals in food and beverage feel their company has made positive changes to the testing environment in the last five years. Around half of those working primarily with aluminium also agreed that testing had changed for the better within their company. Clearly, many packaging professionals in
these industries are examining their testing processes and seeking out opportunities for advantages such as cost and waste reduction, but how should they assess which testing development would offer the most opportunity for them? The 2024 research from Industrial Physics
revealed that automatic process control, 100% inspection and in line testing stood out to the international respondents as the testing developments that offered their company the most opportunity. However, for those working primarily with
aluminium, the results revealed a variation. Although automatic process control remained in the top spot, for metal packagers, hand-held testing devices came in second place before in line testing in third. The results were close – with a variety of
testing means being employed by packaging professionals. However, almost half of all respondents working in aluminium regard automatic process control as the development
that offered the most opportunity, which was the highest proportion in any of the material groups. One continued driver of change in the testing
process for packaging professionals today is sustainability, driven by brands and their customer’s preferences. Revealed to be the second biggest goal for packaging innovation in Industrial Physics’ Unpacking Innovation in 2023 report, sustainability continues to gain momentum, fuelled by regulation updates. Yet, for many, the true overarching motivator
for developments in packaging is financial. Pursuing processes that reduce waste in packaging manufacture and testing can save time on the line and reduce the quantities of materials required per batch. Although the reduction in waste supports an operations’ sustainable credentials, the core purpose of the approach is to create more packaging with the same amount of material, facilitating considerable cost savings in large canning operations.
Favouring automation It should come as no surprise that metal packaging professionals identify automatic process control as offering significant opportunities for their operations. Over the previous decade, across materials in the food and beverage industries, we’ve seen a huge push from big players to increase automation in their testing methods. In metal packaging, with many applications and growth in demand, opportunities to streamline operations and reduce costs are very welcome. By introducing automatic process control to
their operations, metal packagers can reduce or altogether eliminate the need for team members to physically move samples to the labs for testing. This reduces the time required for testing the packaging, but also frees up team members to be contributing value in another part of the process. Another significant benefit of this approach
is that information on the metal packaging being produced can be shared in real time and the required adjustments to equipment are made automatically. This means that on a canning line, deviations from set criteria including coating thickness, neck diameter and wall thickness can be detected and reported to make the required adjustment and eliminate
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the defects from the remaining batch. The immediate trouble-shooting significantly reduces the level of defected packaging, leading to waste reduction and quicker, smoother production of the required can quantities. Furthermore, the technology captures the
data collected which can be used for identifying common issues or opportunities for efficiency gains, allowing packagers to make continuous improvements to their operations. Whilst many in metal packaging are favouring
automation as a testing opportunity – the integration of this method with others may facilitate even greater advantages to be gained. Each of the testing methods ranked top three
by aluminium packaging professionals have their own merits for operations, however, one of the strongest approaches that a company can take is to employ a combination of the developments identified. Strategic integration of multiple testing
approaches improves the accuracy of the results and facilitates testing opportunities at different stages of the process, which provides an opportunity to get to know the product even better. Collecting more data through testing allows metal packagers to protect the quality and safety of the packaging and use these insights in new packaging development too. Hand-held testing devices, which came
in second place for aluminium packaging professionals in the research, can facilitate quick and easy testing post-manufacture. The devices can be used to check key criteria, for example the damage to a metal can after it has been transported to a retailer’s storage facility. By gaining a greater understanding of the packaging’s condition and behaviour once it has left the facility, packagers can incorporate learnings into the manufacture process, developing an even better product. While this may require initial investment,
a smarter, collaborative testing approach empowers packagers to run cost-effective operations that free up vital resource for scaling to meet growing global demand. As packagers in food and beverage
continue to examine the benefits of the testing developments available to them, it is crucial that they are supported to select the best choice for their operation and business objectives.
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