bARCodIng, LAbELLIng & PACKAgIng
SIdE-SEALIng FLoW WRAPPER FoR ChEESE PACKAgIng
U
of consumers say there is not enough room in their bins to dispose of all their boxes. Forty four per cent of consumers hoard cardboard boxes – for future arts and crafts projects or storage needs, or for no obvious reason at all – “135 million are believed to be sitting in sheds, garages and wardrobes in the UK”. With the boom in e-commerce over the last 18 months, it is hardly surprising that cardboard is being called ‘beige gold’. but it is not just the outsize boxes themselves that annoy consumers; it is all the void-fill, such as air bags, bubble wrap, and horrid polystyrene beads. At least with card we know it is recyclable. And although, as consumers, we are
seduced by the idea of ‘free delivery’, we know that all this excess material must have a cost. While we may not be up to speed on the intricacies of dimensional or Volumetric Weight as applied to shipping rates or realise that the average shipped box contains 60 per cent air, we intrinsically know that shipping fresh air around the country has a significant financial, as well as a high environmental, cost. Consumers are increasingly aware, even anxious, about the negative impact of wasteful shipping practices on air quality and bigger than necessary boxes mean more vehicles on the road, more congestion, more particulates
and more Co2. In one survey, 77 per cent of consumers
said they believe that the packaging a brand uses reflects its environmental values – and by implication, its other values as well. Loading consumers with excessive and unnecessary volumes of packaging is not just annoying – it is seen as lazy, irresponsible and uncaring – not a good brand look for the merchant or their carrier. For ecommerce businesses with high order
volumes, this is an issue that needs to be solved. but how? They cannot have packers manually cutting boxes down to size – far too slow and messy, and the result may be a box
that fails in delivery, let alone if it is re-used for a return, as many are. There are limits to the number of different-sized preforms a packing station can cope with. And, particularly if there are multiple items in one box, packers, who may be inexperienced, or casual staff, have to guess which size is just big enough to accommodate a jumble of different shapes. however, there is a solution that will greatly
improve packing line productivity and maximise transport utilisation, while minimising the monetary and environmental cost of materials and giving the consumer a consistent, positive brand experience. The CVP Everest and CVP Impack
automated packaging solutions from Quadient create ‘right-size’ boxes in seconds by scanning and measuring the goods – single or multi-item orders – cutting and erecting the box, sealing, weighing, and labelling, all in one seamless process. With the CVP Impack, one or two operators
can pack up to 500 parcels an hour; with the CVP Everest, two operators can pack 1,100 an hour. Typically, this replaces between eight and 20 manual packing stations. on average, right-sizing packages cuts
parcel volumes by 50 per cent – significantly reducing freight charges – and saves up to 30 per cent on material costs. Will this delight your customers? Well, if
the ‘free’ and almost instant delivery model that is so valued by consumers is to be sustainable, these sorts of savings in cost and in labour are essential. but, more significantly, opening the box is the only ‘In Real Life’ touch point you have with your consumer, and as we have seen, wasteful and careless packaging can strongly alienate them from your brand – which, in an age of endless social media comment, means all their friends as well. With right-sized packaging every parcel serves as a brand ambassador.
Quadient
www.packagingbyquadient.com
LMA Packaging UK has developed a new side-sealing version of the company’s original ARTIC side seal flow wrapper. The innovation
aims to support cheese suppliers under increasing pressure from consumers for good-looking, sustainable products with longer shelf life. Specifically developed for cheese portions, the
ARTIC SS C provides a hermetically sealed pack byusing an innovative new design that eliminates the usual lengthwise and crosswise seals used on most flow pack machines. Instead, it uses a longitudal side- sealing system featuring a long dwell sealing head to provide a narrow seal along the cheese’s rind. This technique reduces excess film and leakage risk, while improving the pack’s aesthetic appearance. Ed Williams, sales director at ULMA Packaging
UK, explains: “It is absolutely vital cheese suppliers can package their products to be airtight, sustainable and attractive on the shelf, as these are key factors driving consumer purchasing behaviour. With that in mind, we have designed the new ARTIC SS C model to provide visually appealing packaging.
“For example, by eliminating the lengthwise and
crosswise seals, the cheese can be sealed along the rind, so pack space is freed up for as many labels as necessary to cover perforations, or highlight easy openings or promotions. Consequently, because of this innovation, these products can be made more eye-catching while also benefitting from an even more secure seal.” In order to provide the best possible package
appearance, the ARTIC model comes with a forming mould that adapts to the size of each individual cheese portion. As part of the sealing process, wrapped products are passed through a hot air shrink tunnel, which gives the packaged cheese an exceptional final look. The solution can also be fully automated to transfer the product from the cutting line to inside the film's tube, ensuring that manual handling and contamination risk is kept to a minimum. Additionally, the ARTIC’s packaging process is
designed to optimise material use and is compatible with lightweight plastic material, in the form of a shrink wrap film that is only 21 microns thick. It can also be used for Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP), enhancing product safety by further reducing the risk of seal leaks.
ULMA Packaging UK
www.ulmapackaging.co.uk
FACToRY&hAndLIngSoLUTIonS | SEPTEMbER 2021 9
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