AIP NEWSLETTER AUGUST 2014
Join the AIP on
FIVE MEMBERS RECOGNISED FOR 25 YEARS OF SERVICE The AIP invited Tony Whelan MAIP to share some of his insights into the last 25 years…Tony started in the packaging industry in 1986 for Leigh Mardon Flexibles in Sydney and he worked with a very young George Ganzenmuller FAIP. When asked about the things that have changed in the industry over the last 25 years Tony said that his work over the last ten years has been specifically in the packaging equipment field and it is in this area that he has seen significant improvements in the quality of equipment being produced today. “With improved health and safety requirements of today’s customers, packaging machinery is increasingly exposed to aggressive cleaning processes and must be able to withstand exposure to a wide range of cleaning agents. Some of the equipment being manufactured today is almost submersible,” Mr Whelan said.
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Tony Whelan MAIP receiving his 25 years Certificate
he AIP recently recognised five members who have contributed over 125 years of service to the Institute and the packaging industry. The five recipients were Peter Hull MAIP, Technical Manager, Ardagh Group, Gregory Johnson MAIP, Product Development Manager, Visy Board, Mitchell McDonald MAIP, Key Account Manager, Amcor Flexibles, Andrew Preston MAIP, Appointment Group and Tony Whelan MAIP, Regional Sales Manager, Ulma Packaging. The AIP would like to acknowledge all five recipients and their contribution to the packaging industry over the last 25 years or more.
“Having worked in the packaging industry now for 28 years I would invite everyone to be a part of the AIP in some way. The AIP has always been about the monthly meeting and the chance to catch up with colleagues and meet new people. Training and education, like the AIP provides, is critical in our industry today. Every company involved in packaging food items should have a qualified packaging professional working for them.” he said. When asked what advice he would give the people just starting out in the packaging industry Tony said If you are asked to do anything in an organisation and you don’t know how to do it say yes anyway and then then learn what to do as quickly as you can.
NEW MEMBERS The AIP would like to welcome the following new Members...
Aleah Back Iain Blair Ryan Davis Richard Fernandez Robert Foulston Matthew Morgan
Associate Member Associate Member Associate Member
NSW VIC VIC VIC VIC NSW
JOIN THE AIP LINKED IN GROUP TODAY
The AIP, in conjunction with the SPE, APPMA, PAK NZ and other industry associations, are pleased to advise that the pilot program for the Ignite Packaging mentoring program will be commencing shortly.
The AIP recognises the changing role of social media as an additional means of reaching our members, sponsors, and industry contacts across Australasia as an international group. The AIP has a Linked in Group and we invite you to join your peers who have already connected. Linkedin: Australian Institute of Packaging.
The pilot program has participants from both Australia and New Zealand and all across the industry. Stay tuned for regular updates on this wonderful initiative for the industry.
AIP National Office 34 Lawson Street Oxley QLD 4075 Australia +61 7 3278 4490 +61 7 3009 9916 info@aipack.com.au www.aipack.com.au
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DON’T MISS OUT ON THE LATEST AIP ACTIVITIES FOR 2014 ALL MEMBERS ARE INVITED TO ATTEND ANY EVENTS ACROSS AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND To register to attend any of the events simply email info@aipack.com.au or visit the events page on www.aipack.com.au
VIC
AIP & APPMA TECHNICAL DINNER When: Where: Time: Topic:
Wednesday the 6th of August Box Hill Golf Club 6.00 pm Packaging And Processing Innovations Discovered At Interpack 2014 Ian Hayes FAIP Innovation Manager Packaging Murray Goulburn
When: Where: Time: Speaker:
Brand Collaboration and Packaging Automation Is there a better way? With Esko’s packaging management solution, WebCenter, you can automate communication and ensure the entire team is working from the latest and most accurate files. Not only will you have visibility to all your projects, you will be able to meet deadlines and budgets with the increased process efficiencies delivered by Esko Solutions.
Claude D’Amico MAIP Market Development Manager Innovia Films Asia Pacific
Heath van der Waerden Technical Sales Tasman Machinery
Mark Dingley Chairman APPMA
When: Where: Time: Topic: Speakers:
When: Where: Time: What:
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3D Printing improving design, production and speed to market. Heath will present a paper discussing the product development cycles for a wide variety of packaging solutions and will also talk about 3D printing as a new innovation.
NSW
Thursday the 7th of August Oatlands Golf Club 6.00 pm Personal Care and Plastics Packaging Ronald Cornelisse Packaging Site Leader Johnson & Johnson Pacific Trends and Issues in Plastics Packaging from the Perspective of the Brand Owner Aleksander Lajovic Sales & Marketing Manager Impact International Group The Short Squeeze on the History and Use of Tubes Roger Shahani Sales Manager Australian Nutraceuticals The Joy of Packaging: An Insider’s Guide
AIP & SPE SEMINAR
Wednesday the 3rd of September Box Hill Golf Club 6.00 pm Dennis Choo Solution Architect ESKO
Stephen Flaherty AAIP Marketing Services Manager Confoil
AIP & SPE TECHNICAL DINNER
VIC
AIP & LATMA TECHNICAL DINNER
QLD
Thursday the 28th of August Partec, Mt Gravatt 5.30 pm This seminar will show how industry and society can benefit from applying new technology using EVOH and other materials to enhance barrier properties in food packaging to extend shelf life for packaged food.
AIP NEWSLETTER AUGUST 2014
LABELLING & MATCHING THE LABEL WITH THE PACKAGE HALF-DAY TRAINING COURSE
NZ
Wednesday the 24th of September NEW When: Where: ASB Showgrounds, Epsom Auckland COURSE Time: 10.00 am Presenter: Dr Carol Lawrence PhD, MAIP Environment & Sustainability Specialist UPM Raflatac Oceania This half-day training course is designed to give a comprehensive guide to labelling and how to navigate through the myriad of options available for each style of packaging.
AIP XMAS PARTY When: Where: Time:
Wednesday the 26th of November Albert Park Yachting and Angling Club 6.30 pm
PACKING 800 HAMPERS FOR FOODBANK AIP, APPMA & SCLAA XMAS PARTY When: Where: Time:
VIC
Friday the 5th of December Officers Mess, Victoria Barracks 10.30 am
QLD
DON’T MISS OUT ON THE LATEST AIP ACTIVITIES FOR 2014 ALL MEMBERS ARE INVITED TO ATTEND ANY EVENTS ACROSS AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND To register to attend any of the events simply email info@aipack.com.au or visit the events page on www.aipack.com.au
INDUSTRY EVENTS EAST 2014 AFRIPACK
When: 9th to 12th of September Where: Nairobi, Kenya
East Afripack, the first not to miss regional exhibition for processing, packaging and converting technology in the EAC region has been presented to the local press during a meeting held on June 3rd at the Southern Sun Mayfair Hotel of Nairobi. Participants included Mpoko Bokanga, UNIDO representative for Kenya, Eritrea and South Sudan; Julius Korir, Industrial Secretary, Ministry www.eastafripack.com
FOODTECH PACKTECH COME & SEE THE AIP ON STAND 2037
When: Where:
NZ
23rd to 25th of September ASB Showgrounds Auckland, New Zealand
Foodtech Packtech is the most important trade event for the New Zealand Food Technology and Packaging Technology industries. This biennial event gives you the opportunity to come face-to-face with the experts behind the key innovations entering the New Zealand market. Foodtech Packtech will showcase the freshest ideas, latest technologies and the newest developments entering the Food Technology and Packaging Technology market. www.foodtechpacktech.co.nz
PACKAGING
+ PROCESSING
30TH ANNIVERSARY
OWNED AND PRESENTED BY THE APPMA
AUSPACK'S
30 TH ANNIVERSARY
OWNED AND PRESENTED BY
ORGANISED BY
AUSPACK. 30 YEARS OF INNOVATION.
For more information visit auspack.com.au
AIP NEWSLETTER AUGUST 2014
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BETTER PACKAGING. BETTER WORLD PUBLICATION NOW AVAILABLE IN AUSTRALIA
NOW SOLD IN AUSTRALIA
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he Instituto de Embalagens in Brazil is pleased to announce the release of its 10th publication, Better Packaging. Better World. The Book is divided into 6 sections including the Introduction to the Packaging Universe, Packaging Materials, Packaging Types, Packaging Processes, Packaging Machinery and Sustainability and is full of illustrations and case study examples. The book was organised by a multidisciplinary team designed to build a complete and organised work. Each chapter was written by invited authors that are specialised in each field and are respected in the Brazilian and world market.
AIP Members $119 +postage & handling Non-Members $139 +postage and handling
Postage Australia wide $15 and NZ wide $25. All prices are in AUD. For all orders outside of Aust/NZ postage will be POA. To request an order form for Better Packaging Better World simply email info@aipack.com.au
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AIP NEWSLETTER AUGUST 2014
32 REPORT AIP CONFERENCE
www.packagingnews.com.au July-August 2014
Collaboration – the cornerstone
The australian institute of Packaging national conference is a biennial gathering of packaging industry experts who share business insights and technical knowledge with industry peers in an atmosphere conducive to fostering business relationships and professional development. The 2014 event, held in Sydney, delivered this and more, writes Lindy Hughson.
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ackaging and Innovation Excellence was the conference theme, but the key message that emerged over the two days of presentations and discussions was that neither of these is possible without one essential ingredient: collaboration. Whether presenters were talking about the development of a new material or technology, relaunching a brand or bringing shelf ready packaging to market, the common thrust was the importance of collaboration – within the organisation itself across functional streams involved in the project, upstream with the customer (end-user) and the consumer, and downstream with the supply chain. Speakers representing big brand owners were strong proponents of the message. It came through when Craig Walker of Coca-Cola Amatil discussed redevelopment of PET
SKUs across the business; when Paul Horn of Lion discussed the development and launch of beer packaging innovation TapKing; when Bryan McKay outlined steps in packaging evaluation at Campbell Arnott’s; and when Frank Bova of Kimberly-Clark Australia relayed the challenging journey developing shelf-ready packaging for tissues. These examples, and many more besides, highlighted the value of working in partnership with all stakeholders. But when it comes to achieving success for the industry as a whole, and increasing our global competitiveness, there’s another level to consider – cross-industry collaboration. Yes, competitors talking to each other and sharing their expertise for the greater good. And the presenter who best drove this point home was Nicolas Georges of Mondelez International, who spoke about the opportuni-
ties for cross-industry collaboration that could open doors for the local industry in the burgeoning Asian market, by accessing facilities and expertise available at the new Food Innovation Centre at Mondelez’ Ringwood facility in Victoria. The newly-launched centre’s vision is to build a brighter future for local food manufacturers, with sights set specifically on developing new products for export into Asia (see full report in PKN May/June 2014) . “Being a closed industry is not going to get us where we want to be,” Georges said. He advocates talent development, resource pooling, an open innovation approach, and the use of new technology to fast-track concept generation and idea prototyping. Establishing best practices that industry as a whole can tap into will enable us to unlock future growth platforms in Asia, he said. Collaboration starts with industry peers sharing ideas and learnings at forums like this. The next major event will be the AIP Technical Forum that will run alongside AUSPACK 2015 at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre from 24-26 March 2015. ■
THIS ARTICLE WAS REPRODUCED WITH PERMISSION FROM PKN PACKAGING NEWS
REPORT
July-August 2014 www.packagingnews.com.au
of industry success Packaging engineer winS cHance To uPSkiLL
AIP CONFERENCE
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GLOBAL VIEWPOINT among the international speakers in
ThE winner of the 6th APPMA Scholarship was announced at the AIP conference gala dinner: Aleah Back, packaging engineer, Johnson & Johnson Pacific. Presenting the award, Mark Dingley, chairman of APPMA, said: “Aleah has shown a huge interest and commitment in undertaking the Diploma in Packaging Technology. She has both academic and practical expertise in the industry and is keen to expand her technical education in the packaging industry.” Back’s APPMA Scholarship will allow her to complete a Diploma in Packaging Technology to the value of $9,000. The Diploma in Packaging Technology, offered by the AIP, is a comprehensive and internationally recognised Level 5 foundation degree qualification covering the principles of
APPMA chairman Mark Dingley awards the 2014 APPMA Scholarship to happy winner, Aleah Back.
packaging, packaging materials and packaging processes. When Back graduates, she will be equipped to take responsibility for packaging operations at any level through the supply chain. Dingley also congratulated the other three finalists: Alexandra Brayshaw, Arthritis Australia; Mirvic Camacho, Murray Goulburn; and Sumit Kini, Orora Glass.
FeLLowSHiP oF THe FineST Form ThE grade of Fellow is the highest accolade awarded to AIP members, recognising significant and sustained contribution to technology, science or application to packaging within the industry. Ralph Moyle and Craig Wellman were honoured with this award at the AIP gala dinner. Ralph Moyle is packaging development officer at Simplot Australia and national president of the AIP. He was recognised for the significant contribution he has made to the packaging industry over the last 40 years. Moyle is an experienced food and packaging consultant and has worked in many areas, including quality management and control, operational management, and packaging design and development. His most recent work has been with the Australian Packaging Covenant and in shelf friendly packaging development currently in Australia and New Zealand stores, which was a key contributor to this recognition.
Esteemed fellows welcome new members to the fold: (from left) Jason Fields, Frank Bova, Bryan McKay, Ron Mines, Craig Wellman, Robin Tuckerman, Ralph Moyle, Richard Smith, Burt Beaumont, Pierre Pienaar.
Craig Wellman is chief executive officer of Wellman Packaging, recognised for his leadership in the area of plastics technology and injection moulded closures over the last two decades. He has been engaged in the plastics and packaging industries through his family business and has led the company to become a top tier supplier of rigid packaging solutions for FMCG products, with manufacturing and distribution operations across four main business units – bottles, preforms, closures and thinwall IML. He is an ardent advocate of development in packaging and process technology and he holds a number of patents as an inventor.
THIS ARTICLE WAS REPRODUCED WITH PERMISSION FROM PKN PACKAGING NEWS
the conference line-up this year was keynote presenter Rick Fox, chairman of US and Canadian trade association, PMMI. Fox shared his view on factors that will have an impact on packaging going forward. Retailing is top of the list. US suppliers are facing similar pressure on margins to those in Australia, he said. This pressure drives some interesting decisions. Fox related how one of the largest US beverage manufacturers has almost trebled its number of SKUs to try to maintain brand share, but of those new SKUs, only 130 make profit, 100 SKUs break even, and 462 lose money! Increasing SKUs is not feasible, especially when retailers are reducing SKUs carried, with some stores now down to six choices or less in certain categories. But what’s going to hurt the market more, he said, is the move to online retailing. Wal Mart has had its fifth straight quarterly decline, and is now testing the online grocery channel and, like other retailers, is looking at converting stores to ‘ship from’ warehouses. Another driver of change, Fox said, is the millennial generation – these shoppers are shaping the retail environment. Research that Fox cited showed that millennials believe brands are ‘suspect’. Also, close to 50 per cent use apps to aid in purchasing decisions. This increased level of mobile device usage translates into increased sensitivity at the packaging level, said Fox. If the pack image that comes up online is not the same as that on shelf when shoppers with mobile phones scanned a barcode label, they won’t buy the brand. ■ Rick Fox: Packaging will be impacted by changes in the retailing landscape.
4 TIPS TO DRIVE ABSOLUTE COLOUR (THE ‘OTHER’ UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE)
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t’s often said that there are two universal languages – Mathematics and Music. Regardless of our native tongue – be it Arabic, Bengali, Chinese or English – all educated people know the shared language of numbers. We can all stand in a queue at 7-Eleven and calculate how much the Mars bar or Coke in our hand will add up to, whether it’s in dollars, rupees or euro’s. In the same way music offers a common set of symbols that are recognised the world over. Put a few pages of Beethoven’s 5th in front of a violinist from Moscow and a cellist from Rome and they’ll know exactly what to play. Today, because of the advances in technology, a third universal language has evolved – Colour! Colour defines your brand. And for any brand seeking to thrive in today’s competitive marketplace, driving absolute colour through print quality management is critical. Here are 4 tips for nurturing your brand and protecting its visual equities with absolutely consistent colour, worldwide, from Paul Haggett MAIP, Business Development Manager, Schawk. 1. Understand that all human beings perceive colour differently, with factors like age and gender being just two of the many variables. Your brand is too valuable to leave colour management to disconnected individuals working for unrelated print vendors. To achieve the most consistent outcomes, do what you do in so many other areas of life – use science & technology!
2. Establish a defined and measureable colour target for your critical brand colours, and do it using the substrates /materials on which your packaging goes to market. Ideally, a colour target is physical sample, or swatch of the target colour, which also displays the measurable, numeric values of that colour (L.a.b. Values), as measured by an industry standard device known as a spectrophotometer. All materials reflect light differently, and to have a single, un-defined colour target for all packaged items (Bags, cartons, labels, etc.) will only set you up to fail. 3. Work closely with both your print vendors, and your brand protection agency/pre-media provider to establish realistic tolerances for colour variation. All complex production environments need a tolerance for a certain level of variation, and printing is no different. There will be colour shift throughout a run, but work with experts in printing and colour management to ensure those tolerances are tight, and push for continuous improvement. 4. Modern printing and colour reproduction should be seen as a science, not a ‘black art’. The variables are many, but they are measureable and controllable. Schawk’s ColourDrive is the only global supply chain focused tool designed specifically for brands to track, measure and report on the consistent reproduction of defined brand standards, any where, any time. Drive brand efficiency. Drive brand consistency. Drive brand value. For more tactics on how to drive absolute colour, download Schawk’s ColourDrive brochure.
THIS ARTICLE WAS REPRODUCED WITH PERMISSION FROM SCHAWK! www.schawk.com
AIP NEWSLETTER AUGUST 2014
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NEW BARRIERS ON THE HORIZON Wellman says the technology is receiving attention in the UK but is currently held back by capital costs, with one European system setting converters back around €2m.
Craig Wellman FAIP, CEO of Wellman Packaging
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raig Wellman, CEO of Wellman packaging, says there are new barrier technologies on the horizon that are on the verge of becoming mainstream – and converters and brand owners should take notice. Barrier technology extends the shelf life of food and other FCMG products by protecting them from spoilers like light, temperature, humidity, oxygen, carbon dioxide, water and flavour contamination. While Wellman says materials like nanoclays are yet to live up to their potential, multilayer preforms and bottles, with barrier layers sandwiched between clear layers of plastic, are providing interesting opportunities for brands. He says, “Over the next couple of years twin-shot injection moulding, particularly for rigid barrier packaging, is going to become mainstream.
He says, “Aluminium is a pretty fantastic barrier – it does not get much Gourmet Garden tubes: better. The developer has had some A layer of EVOH barrier issues with piercing micro holes that plastic protects the are formed in the aluminium mandrel, contents from oxygen but it does present as an interesting and also prevents oils or opportunity. “The upside is you use a volatiles from leaching lot less aluminium, so in the lifecycle out of the pack analysis the cost is lower and in Europe it can still be reclaimed through their incineration process.” For long life milk and similar extended shelf life (ESL) products, he says brands could follow the example of Fonterra in New Zealand, which is using a multilayer bottle with a barrier layer of black high density PET or polypropylene to block out light. The overall wall structure is still around 0.3 or 0.4mm, says Wellman, but is enough to protect the product from the required UV spectrum of 350-700nm. The layer can be achieved through simultaneous co-injection, or in two steps with the black layer over-moulded.
Additives such as an O2 scavenger can also be introduced to provide more kinds of protection, and a TiO2 “Suppliers making such technology (titanium dioxide) additive can extend available over here includes the likes shelf life to between 20 and 90 days. of Kortec, Mold-Masters and Husky.” In closures, things may not be looking Kortec, he says, is developing a retortable so good for induction liners, as high polypropylene can, with an Evoh barrier density caps with aseptic seals are now layer and double seam lip that can on trend, and are also able to offer the accommodate traditional metal can protection of an Evoh barrier layer. ends. Wellman says, “When we combine Kortec’s retortable plastic Evoh, he says, is a synthetic polymer with this closure technology with cold fill ‘Klear Can’ good barrier properties, and developers aseptic and barriers, we are getting a The patented Gizmo closure and delivery system are working to improve the ‘wet look’ fairly tight solution to the overall barrier manufactured by RPC sometimes found in this material. At the right pressure, it and air seal.” Functional closures, with Bramlage of Germany used can go through the retort process to sterilise and extend a chamber filled with powder or liquid in a range of natural drinks, the shelf life of foods. that can be dispensed into the bottle Tea of a Kind, launched in with the touch of a button, are also the US Kortec’s retortable plastic cans, called ‘Klear Can’, allow catching on, he says, championed by brands like Berocca. brand owners to show the contents of the package (as long as the product looks appetising) and could potentially replace He says, “I have probably seen at least six different varieties steel cans. Wellman says, “The cans are still going through of these floating around the world. Many focus on delivering testing with a number of brand owners, particularly in the a consumer appeal, with colour, or functional benefits for US, but it is shaping up to be an interesting solution.” nutraceutical products. “In terms of an interactive experience for the consumer, I think this will be a key area of development Another up-and-coming technology with potential for for the next five or ten years. At first I thought it might be meats, canned fruit and fish is a transfer mould solution a fad, but it is really taking hold.” with an aluminium barrier – a composite structure with two polypropylene shells and the aluminium in the middle. THIS ARTICLE WAS RE-PRODUCED WITH PERMISSION FROM I-GRAFIX www.i-grafix.com
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AIP NEWSLETTER AUGUST 2014
SKIRTING THE PACKAGING LEGAL MINEFIELD However, products like home brands can get away with some forms of copycat packaging, if a court decides that consumers will not be tricked into mistaking it for the original brand. Givoni says trademark registrations last for ten years and can be renewed perpetually, as long as you keep meeting criteria and are still using the trademark. Risky business: copycat packaging
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hat you write in a marketing brief just may be the deciding factor in a judge’s copyright ruling, says Gwen Blake, managing director of packaging design agency Boxer & Co – and there are other potential pitfalls at every stage of the packaging development process. One cigarette manufacturer was caught out for plagiarism in court when it was revealed their brief instructed the packaging designer to replicate the competitor’s package ‘as close as possible,’ she says. Blake recently teamed up with lawyer Sharon Givoni, principal solicitor at Sharon Givoni Consulting, for a presentation on packaging legalities with the Australian Institute of Packaging (AIP) in Melbourne. As packaging recalls are time consuming, Gwen Blake expensive and can hurt your brand, Blake walked participants through the design process and the legal considerations at each point. She says a good designer will present three or four concepts to their client, and make sure they are aware of all the potential legal traps. Colour, for example, can be a challenge if the brand owner wants to use a shade that is already featured on the shelf for similar products. Givoni says most shoppers are probably aware of Cadbury’s claim on the colour purple. The confectioner now has a monopoly on seven shades for the boxed and block chocolate markets. She says protection can also be afforded to colour, shapes, sounds and scents, if they are distinctive markers of a brand’s Sharon Givoni goods and services. The Tiffany & Co jewellery box and specific blue colour, and the triangular prism shape and graphics of Toblerone chocolate are registered – as is Toyota’s jump for joy. Werthers also has approval for its specific confectionery wrapping, even though other brands use gold for caramels. Fonts are also potential lawsuits – Blake says it is worth creating and registering your own.
She also says there is no such thing as a global trademark; brand owners, like McDonalds, must register in every jurisdiction. Packaging inventions can be protected by patents, which must be applied for before the product’s launch into the marketplace, and last eight years for an innovation patent and 20 years for a standard patent. Brand owners also need to be aware of the text on their package. Claims, particularly for food products, must be substantiated and cannot be deceptive. The nutritional information panel, and recently introduced thumbnail descriptors, must comply with Food Standards Australia regulations. The size and regulatory requirements of ingredients and other mandated advice can also be tricky. For example, mass cannot be shown as KG, Kg, kilos, gm, grammes, grm, MG, Mg, or Mgram but only as kg, g or mg. In pharmacy things get more complex; the package must warn the consumer of potential hazards and how to administer the product. It also has to specify the dangerous goods classification and a detailed makeup of the material. Fiercely protected: Tiffany Blake also advises designers to & Co packaging look after their own interests – for example, unless stipulated in a contract, a designer owns the draft work and the client has no right to use it without permission or payment. If the initial design becomes a high volume product, this means the brand owner cannot produce another product using the same design without negotiating this with the design agency. Similarly, photographs commissioned remain the property of the photographer and this, along with the exact terms of trade and codicils to future ownership, should be detailed clearly on the accounts. There are many hurdles in design development, most legal, she says, so it is best to have ongoing legal input. THIS ARTICLE WAS RE-PRODUCED WITH PERMISSION FROM I-GRAFIX www.i-grafix.com
AIP NEWSLETTER AUGUST 2014
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FREE ENERGY ASSESSMENTS
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h e Au s t ra l i a n Fo o d and Grocery Council’s (AFGC) empower program, funded by the Department of Industry, is designed to assist SMEs- with less than 200 employees - improve energy efficiency and save costs by providing free energy assessments. Eligible businesses can register for a free on-site energy assessments - http://afgcempower.org. au/energy-assessments/
PHILIPPINES INSTITUTE OF PACKAGING
The program also provides independent expert advice through the workshops. The workshop, hosted at a food manufacturing site, demonstrates application of the program tools on a site by identifying opportunities to improve energy efficiency and estimating the savings. The AFGC is seeking interest from businesses to host the workshop. A business hosting the workshop will receive: • 3-4 hours onsite technical investigation / support from Energetics (a reputed energy management firm); • Up to two hours post demo support provided, after the workshop; and • Business case study. In addition, if a business commits to implement one of the identified opportunity, the program can provide up to 2 days of additional support (at no cost!) to assist progress the project. As the workshops and the energy assessments are available only till April next year, we would encourage you to access them in the early stages. For more information on the program or to express interest to host the workshop contact Kartik Madhira Kartik.madhira@afgc.org.au on (02) 6273 1466.
Ralph Moyle FAIP and Edita P. Molato
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alph Moyle had the opportunity recently to visit the President of the Phillipines Institute of Packaging, Edita P. Molato. The visit was a wonderful learning exercise to understand what our neighbouring institute is doing and also how we can work together to further education and training in the region.
AIP PARTNERS
Find out how your company can become a partner of the AIP by emailing info@aipack.com.au Untitled-1 1
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AIP NEWSLETTER AUGUST 2014
HOUSE WITH NO STEPS
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AIP NEWSLETTER AUGUST 2014
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14 tech speak
www.packagingnews.com.au July-August 2014
A material difference in packaging, it is a material world. one of the key duties of a packaging technologist in any company is evaluating alternative packaging materials. llew stephens FaiP provides some pointers on assessing packaging formats.
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materials
For single material packs, the choice about alternative materials is generally easy, but when examining multi-layer plastic adhesive or co-extruded laminates, you have the potential to ensure that the combination of materials is the best option available. Is an aluminium foil layer required or would metallised polyester suffice? Alternatively, is an upgrade to an EVOH layer more appropriate? Where should the print layer be? Surface or trap? Reverse print or standard? Can you ‘gang up’ multiple variants and print with minimal plate changes? Is the print format you have specified costing you money when simpler graphics may suffice and in many cases will not be noticed by your customers as flexographic print technology continually improves? Some of these questions apply to cartonboard but you can also assess if you really need waterproofing or just water resistance; and what strength is required for refrigeration as opposed to frozen conditions. In short, what type and weight of board is best suited for the task? For corrugated, it’s a chance to compare board grades, the potential to replace Kraft with recycled board, and possibly even adopt some of the new corrugated microflute options.
2 iDentiFication
In today’s computer-controlled stock environment, is a label with the supplier item description and supplier code sufficient? Should you take the opportunity to include your own item codes and descriptions or potentially scannable barcodes on the pallet label and goods received documentation? This might make it easier for your inwards goods and manufacturing supply team to identify the stock better.
the variety of packaging materials and formats continues to grow.
Does the pallet label clearly identify the quantity per pallet to make cycle counts easier? Is the date of material manufacture clearly defined and does the material have storage a shelf life?
3 strength
For flexible laminates, what gauge of each layer is available globally and what gauge is really needed to provide the pack functionality? For rigid plastics, can curves be added in place of angles to improve top load or transport strength? Can these design modifications allow for reduced weight? If the pack is not a regular footprint, can oval extrusion blow-moulding heads improve weight distribution? Is the use of parison control an option that allows you to add strength to particular areas of the bottle or jar while minimising weight in other areas?
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metres
hether it’s the result of a supply tender or a new piece of equipment, or just because a sales person got through to present a viable alternative, the chance to challenge every aspect of your current pack format should not be ignored. Here are some key considerations for evaluating a selection of pack formats.
the distance from an outer carton that content description should be legible for humans.
Will ribbing help? If the marketing team does not like ribbing, can you make it interesting enough to make the pack design unique, which may have marketing appeal? What sort of pack strength do you need to cope with the demands of your supply chain? In Australia, we can transport test pallets of products for local or international supply through road, air or sea transport. Prior to any final sign-off, an actual transport trial to the most remote end of the supply chain is a good idea, especially if there are well-briefed people available to inspect and record the condition in which the product arrives.
4 environment
Every effort should be made to ensure that the principles of reduce, reuse and recycle are considered in the development of any new packaging SKU implementation. This shouldn’t just cover the primary packaging material but should also apply to any secondary packaging that the material supplier uses, be it cartons, stretch wrap or strapping. The secondary packaging material is generally to prevent impact damage, contamination or excessive heat exposure while the stock is in transit and this should be taken into account when specifying the secondary pack supply options. Corrugated cartons can be designed with chamfers on flaps to reduce the number of off-cuts you get from a supplier, which means they are more likely to be recycled.
THIS ARTICLE WAS REPRODUCED WITH PERMISSION FROM PKN PACKAGING NEWS
tech speak
July-August 2014 www.packagingnews.com.au
For flexible materials, ask if there is the option of a different melt flow index or gauge for the sealant layer to allow you to reduce the sealing temperature required and thereby the equipment running costs. Can the complexity of the material structure be reduced to improve future recycling potential while maintaining material functionality? Adhesives are also an area where the correct amount of glue and the correct placement of the glue are critical to glue usage/unit cost and achieving the best sealing option.
5 Features
Each packaging material has its own unique features to consider. Roll stock has flagged joins and there should be a specified maximum number per roll to reduce your production line downtime. Roll diameter and weight can often be reconfigured to reduce changeover frequency with new machinery and the right roll handling equipment. For flexible plastics, will the addition of a slip agent assist the material to follow the tensioning rollers without running off centre? Multiple colour prints on corrugated cartons increases the unit cost and the one-off stereo costs. Are multiple colours really required on what is essentially a warehouse package? Coloured plastic packaging components are common but are they really an integral part of the branding image or needed for identification? Eliminating individually coloured components that need to be changed in manufacturing can reduce production changeover times and wastage. The rules for identifying outer cartons are that the human readable part of the description must be legible at a distance of 1.5 metres. Providing you can meet this requirement with a good human readable section of a print-and-apply barcode label, you can do away with ink jet coding.
6 Dimensions
For any web width constrained print medium such as corrugated, flexible plastics, labels or paperboard, the pack dimensions are matched to the supplier’s print web width with the off-cut material going
every effort should be made to ensure that the principles of reduce, reuse and recycle are considered in the development of any new packaging sku implementation.” to waste, so any new supply offers the chance to re-evaluate the pack dimensions by a small amount or print orientation and possibly reduce wastage. Adopting common label sizes reduces the numbers of cutters that suppliers need, but more importantly it reduces manufacturing line changeover and set-up times. For corrugated cartons, there is always an opportunity to reduce the flap width as long as carton strength is maintained and the product cannot be removed from the carton.
7 Design
The final pack design is usually a joint effort determined by marketing, sales, packaging designers, suppliers and manufacturing. If you get it right, a redesign can be the chance to significantly improve all pack aspects.
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While these considerations are generally part of the procurement team’s responsibilities, the packaging technologist should have input so that any shelf life considerations and storage condition effects on shelf life are taken into account, especially when a material is used at multiple sites with significant variance in monthly usage quantities.
9 technical service
It is inevitable that there will be issues with packaging items from time to time, most often during plant operation.
It is imperative that technical back-up is available as rapidly as possible to work through any issues and develop solutions and preventative measures to stop future occurrences. A supplier’s technical expertise in dealing with current materials is required but it is also essential that they are able to keep up with changing technology and understand how this can affect your pack choice. Part of any long-term supply contract should include a formal annual review where improvement opportunities are discussed.
10 Price
It is false economy to accept the cheapest option if it is technically inferior and has the potential to cause any issues in your manufacturing plant. There is one other key area of costing where the packaging technologist has a significant role and that is in benchmarking like-for-like products from a variety of sources. The first step is to ensure that the specifications for the material are the same, and then you have to ensure that the relative material performance is comparable. Once this is complete you can assist your procurement colleagues in their decision-making process. ■
*Llewellyn Stephens has worked in the Australian food industry for leading brand owners for 40 years in QA, technical, OH&S, manufacturing, procurement and packaging development roles. His working life has given him exposure to a variety of packaging formats and equipment, which he says makes him a generalist rather than a specialist in any one area. He has been heavily involved in the Australian Institute of Packaging since 2002 and was awarded the prestigious Founder’s Award in 2012 for his significant contribution to technology, design and innovation in the packaging industry. Contact him via info@aipack.com.au
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WHAT DO YOU KNOW?
Written by Michael B Halley FAIP
For instance the person shopping may select a brand that the person to whom it is served dislikes. The key strategy for a successful product launch is positioning and all of the emotive pressures that occur. Colour is one aspect of a pack that is likely to be a challenge particularly if the brand owner has a desire for a colour that is already in use for similar products. A good designer will present three or four concepts to their client and be able to debate fully issues arising. A ‘now you know’ advice was the designer owns the draft work including the copyright and the client has no right to current or future use. For instance is the initial offering becomes a high volume product the brand owner cannot produce another product using the same design without negotiating this with the design agency. There are many hurdles in design development, most legal, that is a veritable minefield so it is best to have ongoing legal input. Gwen Blake and Michael Grima MAIP
P
eople do not know what they do not know; and those who did not attend the July meeting of the Australian Institute of Packaging meeting in Melbourne still do not know what they do not know. But those who attended know a lot more than they knew before. For instance they know that what you write in a marketing brief may well be the determinant in a judge’s ruling. Such was the case when one cigarette manufacturer gave a brief to ‘replicate as close as possible the competitor’s package’. This was just one pearl of wisdom imparted when Gwen Blake Managing Director of Boxer & Co together with Sharon Givoni Principal Solicitor at Sharon Givoni Consulting engaged a sizeable audience in the legal aspects of packaging. Gwen Blake has recently published a book entitled Packaging a Punch which is a beginner’s guide to creating packaging that stands out and gets purchased. Boxer & Co specialise in development of packaging for the food industry, and that segment of marketing was Gwen’s focus. In a first up pitch for packaging designers we were told that packaging recalls are not only time consuming and expensive but are detrimental to your brand. To give us the understanding to avoid such events a walk through the design process and the legal considerations at each point was presented. The designer needs to sit down with the client and get to the heart of the needs. The designer will then have the basic understanding of the required outcome. It is a highly detailed process from concept to a saleable product. A good designer will determine the target market, and then look at trends in that product segment. The placement of the product is very important for, example selling in a health food store against a shelf ready package for a supermarket. Where and what is the competition? We were advised that the shopper and the consumer are more than likely to be different people.
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AIP NEWSLETTER AUGUST 2014
Like the ownership of the design, photographs commissioned remain the property of the photographer and this, along with the exact terms of trade and codicils to future ownership, will be detailed clearly on the accounts. Generally a licence to use the images will not be given until the account is paid in full. Experienced design houses will often be able to use images from companies that trade in such works. Any claims made on the package, particularly in food products have to be substantiated and cannot be deceptive. Even the typeface and font used is bound up in legal precedent. Gwen advised that the intellectual property is in the typeface not the font and it is worth creating your own font which will be registered to you alone. The size and regulatory requirements of ingredients and other mandated advice is also a high order consideration. Just a glimpse of National Measurement Institute detail was enough to send people into apoplexy. It is know that many of the requirements of that body are not being met due to some of the complexities. For instance the description of mass cannot be shown as KG, Kg, kilos, gm, grammes, grm, MG, Mg, or Mgram but only kg, g or mg. Some examples of brand ownership were given. A restaurant was using the word Granola on a menu and the brand owner successfully had the chef ceasing using their trademarked name. Boxer & Co designed a package for Australian rice and was involved in debate about the use of wording and a competitor already having a similar brand on the market. But in the end was able to achieve the clients need with a simple descriptive change. The nutritional information panel and the recently introduced thumbnail descriptors are both tied in the Food Standards Australia regulations that are legally binding and are always under focus by more than consumers.
WHAT DO YOU KNOW? Cont’d.. Written by Michael B Halley FAIP
So with some guidance the assembled professionals from diverse disciplines and industries settled into absorb the information that came from Sharon either by word of mouth or out of her dilly bag of samples. (Many of which reflected the self-confessed chocoholic). There would not be many people who are not aware of Cadbury chocolate and the debates about the colour purple. Since 1996, brands have become five dimensional and apart from the pack trade mark, protection can be afforded to colour, shapes, sounds and scents (so long as they are distinctive of your goods and services). In essence a Trade Mark gives you a monopoly within the category the mark was registered for. Cadbury for example, has a monopoly on seven shades of purple over boxed chocolate and blocks. The Tiffany Box and the specific blue colour and the distinctive shape and graphics of Toblerone chocolate are registered and world renowned. But did you know that it is also possible to trade mark movement? Sharon Givoni and Michael Grima MAIP
The requirement for pharmaceutical packages knocks food into a cocked hat due to the health aspects. The package must have words that warn the consumer of potential hazards and how to administer the product. It also has to specify the dangerous goods classification and the detailed makeup of the material. And that is before the directions for use are enunciated. About this time we were ready for ‘a Bex and a good lie down’ but sparked back to attention when Sharon Givoni grabbed the microphone. Sharon is a regular contributor to institute events, and made a welcome return to Box Hill and her loyal followers. Her interactive presentation with sample packages and visual aids engaged folks in decision making that would normally be in Sharon’s or another solicitor’s domain. Interestingly the person who came to discuss the five main ways to protect packing has already packaged up a trademarked statement ‘Turn your ideas into assets’ ™. The five areas for discussion are:1. Copyright 2. Trade Mark Registration 3. Reputation 4. Design Registration 5. Patents 1. Copyright protects the visual elements on the package (e.g. Graphics, photos, logos, diagrams) 2. Trade Mark Registration are essentially brand names and logos, but can essentially be anything that acts as a brand including, words, logos, colours and the shape of the package itself. 3. Reputation even if a trade mark is unregistered; it can be protected as a result of its reputation in the marketplace. This includes distinctive packaging and brands. 4. Design Registration protects the overall appearance or visual features of packaging. 5. Patents protect the ways things work. They protect inventors, including packaging related inventions.
Yes, true, the jumping person in a motor car adverts is trade marked! (Think Toyota, of course). Not all trade mark applications are approved. Caplet was not as it was simply a combination of two generic words. On the other hand Werthers have approval for its very specific confectionery wrapping even though others use gold for caramels. If you can demonstrate that your pack is so distinctive that no mistake as to ownership will be made by consumers that will greatly assist. You can only get protection from a trade mark if you are using it. The registration lasts for ten years and can be renewed perpetually, as long as the certain requirements are met. In other words the trade mark must be in use. Freddo Frog has had many reincarnations but all have been registered and so a stable of approved shapes and packages exist. Two or three misnomers were addressed as Sharon brought an exciting evening to a close. There is no such thing as a global trade mark and brand owners (like McDonalds) need to register in every jurisdiction. The issue of home brands was raised with the matter of almost identical graphics and package shape up for debate. Sharon advised that ‘close can work’ as it has been deemed that consumers know that what is before them is either a long established brand or a new brand owned by the retailer. Sharon also showed us examples of packaging designs that had been protected and stressed that the application for a design protection must be made before the design in put into the marketplace. Design registration protects the visual appearance of packaging and lasts for up to ten years. Patents, which protect packaging inventions that are totally novel and new in the marketplace must also be applied for before they are in the marketplace and last for 8 years for an innovation patent and 20 for a standard patent. Both presenters indicated that caution is needed in all dealings with the legal aspects of packaging. Sharon’s hand out had a number of concluding tips. The poignant one would seem to be:- ‘Some aspects of packaging will be protected and some will not-always seek legal advice.’
AIP NEWSLETTER AUGUST 2014
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