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SEPTEMBER 2013 | $10

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Kristen Heleniak, Brand Manager, Billy Bee, McCormick Canada

GENIUS IN A BOTTLE Iconic honey brand making big buzz by nailing the packaging sweet spot

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CARRY YOUR WEIGHT…  Page 15

IN THIS ISSUE: PACKAGING FOR FRESHNESS • METAL DETECTION • CONTRACT PACKAGING

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VIVE LA DIFFÉRENCE! UPFRONT

VIVE LA DIFFÉRENCE!

SEPTEMBER 2013 VOLUME 66, NO. 9

SENIOR PUBLISHER Stephen Dean • (416) 510-5198 SDean@canadianpackaging.com EDITOR George Guidoni • (416) 510-5227 GGuidoni@canadianpackaging.com FEATURES EDITOR Andrew Joseph • (416) 510-5228 AJoseph@canadianpackaging.com ART DIRECTOR Stewart Thomas • (416) 442-5600 x3596 SThomas@bizinfogroup.ca PRODUCTION MANAGER Cathy Li • (416) 510-5150 CLi@bizinfogroup.ca CIRCULATION MANAGER Anita Madden • 442-5600 x3212 AMadden@bizinfogroup.ca EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Lisa Wichmann • (416) 442-5600 x5101 LWichmann@canadianmanufacturing.com EXECUTIVE PUBLISHER Tim Dimopoulos • (416) 510-5100 TDimopoulos@bizinfogroup.ca

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HOW TO REACH US: Canadian Packaging, established 1947, is published monthly by BIG Magazines LP, a division of Glacier BIG Holdings Company Ltd. 80 Valleybrook Drive, North York, ON, M3B 2S9; Tel: (416) 442-5600; Fax (416) 510-5140. EDITORIAL AND ADVERTISING OFFICES: 80 Valleybrook Drive, North York, ON, M3B 2S9; Tel: (416) 442-5600; Fax (416) 510-5140. SUBSCRIBER SERVICES: To subscribe, renew your subscription or to change your address or information, contact us at 416-442-5600 or 1-800-387-0273 ext. 3555. SUBSCRIPTION PRICE PER YEAR (INCLUDING ANNUAL BUYERS’ GUIDE): Canada $72.95 per year, Outside Canada $118.95 US per year, Single Copy Canada $10.00, Outside Canada $27.10. Canadian Packaging is published 11 times per year except for occasional combined, expanded or premium issues, which count as two subscription issues. ©Contents of this publication are protected by copyright and must not be reprinted in whole or in part without permission of the publisher. DISCLAIMER: This publication is for informational purposes only. The content and “expert” advice presented are not intended as a substitute for informed professional engineering advice. You should not act on information contained in this publication without seeking specific advice from qualified engineering professionals. Canadian Packaging accepts no responsibility or liability for claims made for any product or service reported or advertised in this issue. Canadian Packaging receives unsolicited materials, (including letters to the editor, press releases, promotional items and images) from time to time. Canadian Packaging, its affiliates and assignees may use, reproduce, publish, republish, distribute, store and archive such unsolicited submissions in whole or in part in any form or medium whatsoever, without compensation of any sort.

or all the cultural, social, ideological and other commonalities that Canadians share with our wonderful neighbors to the south, it is often quite remarkable to revisit the many nuanced differences in personal attitudes, values and priorities that on balance make the two societies more distinct from one another than is commonly taken for granted. This is especially true when it comes to the way we eat and drink, according to results of the Top Five Packaged Foods Industry Trends report issued last month by the U.K.-based global market research consultants Euromonitor International, which diligently tracks consumer food consumption patterns across the 15 largest economies in the Western Hemisphere. While one should rightfully expect to find profound differences in packaged foods preferences between Canada and Brazil or Argentina, let’s say, the divide between ourselves and our American cousins may not be quite as vast, but it is nevertheless no less intriguing and, more pointedly, no less important to appreciate for any global food-andbeverage manufacturer setting out to crack the presumably monolithic ‘North American market.’ According to the study, the Numero Uno trend in Canada is that, “Ethnic consumer and food trends continue to see significant growth.” This is hardly a surprise to anyone living in the multicultural urban hot-spots of Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver, where Chinese supermarkets, Korean grocery stores, Eastern European deli shops et al abound in increasing numbers—giving traditional mainstream retailers a good run for the money. Given the premise that competition is ultimately good for any business and its main players, this is definitely a trend worth maintaining. As Euromonitor points out, “While preferences of consumers pose a challenge for some established mainstream products, they also represent an opportunity for product development and the revitalization of slow-moving staples, such as canned/ preserved foods.”

COVER STORY 10

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SEPTEMBER 2013

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Taste Of Honey

Kristen Heleniak, Brand Manager, Billy Bee, McCormick Canada

GENIUS IN A BOTTLE

By George Guidoni Iconic Caandian honey brand spreading its marketing wings with a stunning and highly innovative packaging makeover.

Iconic honey brand making big buzz by nailing the packagin g sweet spot Story on page 10

KING OF THE ROAD… IN THIS ISSUE: PACKAGING

FOR FRESHNESS •

Page 24

METAL DETECTION •



CONTRACT PACKAGING

Cover photography by Cole Garside.

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SEPTEMBER 2013 • CANADIAN PACKAGING

Surprisingly, this ethnicity-based market driver does not even make the top five trends observed by the study in the U.S., where the biggest trend du jour is driven by “Aging population and endorsement by doctors boosting convalescence products,” according to the study. “Convalescence products in meal replacement have seen dynamic growth in the U.S. in the past few years, with brands such as Ensure, Boost and Glucema seeing double-digit year-on-year increases,” the report notes. “Much of this derives from older consumers, specifically consumers close to retirement, and the baby boomer generation ... [and] this category is set to expand as the baby boomer generation begins to retire.” This contrast is even more pronounced when comparing the two nations’ respective second-biggest trends. For Canada, “Healthier nutrition is in the spotlight, but not all categories see growth in the healthand-wellness segment,” the report notes, ref lecting a long-standing gap between action and intent in the Canadian consumers’ collective psyche. South of the border, meanwhile, the report cites the proliferation of “miniature packaging in confectionery: for personal consumption or to share.” Says the report: “Mass market confectionery is expected to see considerable miniaturization, as Mars and Hershey introduce mini versions of their product, with similar packaging featuring graband-go bags for personal consumption, and resealable stand-up pouch bags designed for sharing.” So if we really are what we eat, then, one could think of Canadians as worldly self-professed nutritionists, but only when it suits them, whereas Americans come across as geezers with a big sweet tooth and a quaint ‘mini-me’ complex—at least based on these observations. Naturally, such generalizations rarely pass for gospel truths when examined under closer scrutiny, but this tacit acknowledgment of our special place and quirks in this corner of the unsentimental global economy is a timely nod to our inherent disposition for standing out from the crowd in the most kind and gentle way we can, eh!

UPFRONT By George Guidoni NEWSPACK Packaging news round-up. NOTES & QUOTES Noteworthy industry briefs and updates. ECO-PACK NOW All about packaging sustainability. imPACt A monthly insight from PAC-The Packaging Association. CHECKOUT By Julie Saunders Joe Public speaks out on packaging hits and misses.

FEATURES 15

TOAST FOR ALL SEASONS Enterprising ethnic baked goods manufacturer aims for mainstream success with major packaging line upgrades. By Andrew Joseph

PASTRY SHOP PERFECTION Advanced metal detection technology raises the performance bar for Toronto pastry producer. By Andrew Joseph

GOING MOBILE A well-traveled high-tech road show highlights state-of-theart product inspection technologies. By Andrew Joseph

HAPPY CO-EXISTENCE Retail-ready packaging trend gives Toronto co-packer a whole new lease on life in the fast lane. By Andrew Joseph

WWW.CANADIANPACKAGING.COM • 3

NEWSPACK

POP ART MEETS MODERN COMMERCE VIA INSPIRED BOTTLE LABEL MAKEOVER

Making timeless art by painting everyday consumer packaging came naturally to the late, great popular culture icon Andy Warhol, who in 1983 created over 40 different works featuring the iconic Perrier brand of water bottles in a vibrant color palette. And with the famed, naturally-carbonated Perrier brand celebrating its 150th anniversary this year—being first bottled in the south of France back in 1863—that artistic inspiration has just come full circle, with this month’s launch of limited-edition Perrier Sparkling Water bottles paying a fitting tribute to the legendary pop artist. Distributed to retailers across Canada by brand-owner Nestlé Waters Canada (NWC), the 750-ml glass 2013-08-12 bottles, along with 28545 E Conestoga_7.875x10.75.qxt_28545 10:05 AM Page 1

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the incresingly popular 500-ml and one-liter PET (polyethylene terephthalate) plastic containers, now boast colorful screen-printed prints said to be representative of both the Pop Art movement and the artist’s fascination with depicting everyday consumer products in unconventional ways. “Warhol’s creativity and eccentricity are a great fit with Perrier’s brand personality, so this was a natural way to bring the two together,” explains Jennifer Semley Robert, NWC’s marketing manager for premium brands in Puslinsch, Ont. “Perrier has a long tradition of involvement in the arts, so this is a fitting tribute in celebration of our 150th anniversary, says Semley Robert, citing other

renowned artists, including Salvador Dali and Bernard Villemot, who collaborated with Perrier during their careers. “The Andy Warhol Foundation is delighted to partner with Perrier to commemorate 150 years of inspiration and originality by celebrating Warhol’s bold portraits of Perrier from 1983,” says Michael Hermann, director of licensing at The Andy Warhol Foundation in New York City, one the leading funders of contemporary art in the U.S., having distributed nearly US$250 million in grants since 1987. Says Hermann: “Warhol’s inventive, openminded spirit lives on through this unique and authentic project, which will contribute generously to the foundation’s endowment from which it distributes grants in support of the visual arts.”

BIG CHEERS FOR HACCP APPROVAL

A thorough year-long auditing process at the PET Power Containers Inc. plastic bottle manufacturing plant in Woodbridge, Ont., has enabled the facility to achieve full HACCP Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) certification last month, according to its parent company Salbro Bottle Inc. “We having been working hard on this for the past 12 months, so are naturally very proud of our dedicated team that made this happen by undergoing and passing the SQF audit Level 2 certification process,” relates Salbro Bottle’s vice-president of sales and marketing Paul Saltz. According to Saltz, the PET Power plant currently boasts output capacity to produce over two million PET (polyethylene terephthalate) plastic bottles annually. “We also offer full design and prototyping services in-house for ensuring quick and fast turnaround for all of our valued clients, from early-stage conception to the actual shipment delivery,” states Saltz. Administered by the international SQF (Safe Quality Food) Institute, the SQF audit Level 2 standard certification is recognized by retailers, foodservice providers, regulatory agencies and other enterprises around the world that require for HACCP-based food safety and quality management systems to be used by their suppliers. Salbro Bottle manufactures the distinctively-shaped bottles used to package the popular Iceberg Vodka brand in Woodbridge, Ont.

SEPTEMBER 2013

NEWSPACK

NOVA BREAKS GROUND ON MAJOR EXPANSION

Calgary-headquartered plastic is expected to be the first new and petrochemicals group NOVA LLDPE plant to start up in over a Chemicals has commenced a decade in the U.S. and Canada,” $1-billion expansion of the comsays Chris Bezaire, senior vicepany’s manufacturing complex president for the NOVA Chemicals in Joffre, Alta., aimed at boosting polyethylene business. If a picture really is worth a thousand words, then its current production capacity of “This is a milestone in our Toronto-based Irving Tissue Company Limited LLDPE (linear-low density polyethylNOVA 2020 journey, and also a has saved themselves plenty of reading time this past ene) resins by 40 per cent by 2015. big step in moving forward with summer with its ROYALE Inspire Us Photo Challenge Citing growing North American our commitment to leadership in consumer contest, which received over 9,100 photo demand for polyethylene—used the markets we serve. entries vying for a $1,500 prize and having their to make a diverse array of pack“Adding more capacity will image printed on millions of real, limited-edition aging product from caps and closallow us to take full advantage of boxes of the famed ROYALE brand of facial tissues. ures to food wraps, stretch films Nova Chemicals chief executive the most current technology availoffi cer Randy Woelfel (right) and Running from September to December of and heavy-duty bulk sacks—the able and, in many cases, produce 2012, the fourth annual contest received a total expansion project is a key feature Alberta energy minister Ken Hughes new and better products,” Bezaire of 356,949 votes from fellow Canadians to select of the company’s NOVA 2020 at the PE1 expansion groundbreak- explains. the eight prize winners, in the process becoming growth strategy aimed at adding ing ceremony in Joffre, Alta. “With more capacity and betpart of the ROYALE Inspire Us Collection release of value to emerging cost-competiter products, we believe NOVA premium-quality tissues. tive feedstocks. Chemicals will be in a strong position to continue “It has never been easier to capture beautiful According to the company—a wholly-owned to help our customers succeed in their markets, so images, but these eight photos have clearly stood subsidiary of the International Petroleum we see it very much as a win-win opportunity.” out with Canadians voting to give them top spot in Investment Company (IPIC) of Abu Dhabi, Adds Alberta’s provincial energy minister Ken the competition,” says ROYALE Canada’s director United Arab Emirates—the so-called PE1 Hughes: “We recognize the need to optimize the of marketing Gary MacIntosh. (Polyethylene 1) project will enable the Joffre plant value of our portfolio of energy products, and this Retailing across Canada until October, the winto produce between 950 and 1,100 million pounds expansion is a perfect example of the world-class Lösungsstark, Canadian Packaging, 133 x 203 mm, CC-en46-AZ071 ning photographs may be05/13 viewed online at of LLDPE per year after completion. hydrocarbon upgrading cluster that we have right www.files.newswire.ca/1073/ENRoyalPDF “We are proud to launch construction for what here in Alberta.”

A ROYALE RECEPTION FOR WINNING PHOTOS

NOTES & QUOTES  Cincinnati, Ohio-headquartered packaging machinery group Pro Mach Inc. has completed the acquisition of Mississauga, Ont.-based packaging and labeling converter Colet Packaging & Label Graphix, one of eastern Canada’s leading suppliers of pre-printed barcode, blank, expandable, embossed, holographic and other specialty labels that will serve as the main Canadian manufacturing operation of Pro Mach’s ID Technology subsidiary of Fort Worth, Tex. “The addition of Colet strengthens our ability to respond quickly and cost-effectively to Canadian customers, with its like-minded approach to customer service excellence fitting well with ID Technology’s goal to be North America’s most trusted specialist for labeling, coding and marking solutions,” says Bob Zuilhof, president of Pro Mach’s Identification and Tracking business unit.

Creating value with powerful solutions

 Paperboard and tissue products group Cascades Inc. of Kingsey Falls, Que., has completed a share purchase of the Italian recycled boxboard producer Reno De Medici S.p.A. to raise its ownership stake in the company to 57.6 per cent. “Reno is a leader in the recycled boxboard market in Italy, and it is ranked as second-largest in Europe,” explains Cascades chief executive officer Mario Plourde. “We are pleased with the progress we made together since the merger of our European recycled boxboard operations in 2008.”  Northbrook, Ill.-headquartered containerboard and corrugated producer KapStone Paper and Packaging Corporation has completed a US$1.67billion acquisition of Longview Fibre Paper and Packaging, Inc., Longview, Wash.-headquartered manufacturer of containerboard, lightweight multiwall paper, specialty kraft papers and corrugated products employing about 1,800 people.  Custom-designed plastic packaging systems manufacturer Pretium Packaging, L.L.C. of Chesterfield, Mo., announced plans to close down the company’s bottle preforms manufacturing facility in Pointe-Claire, Que., by the end of 2013, saying it no longer fits in with the corporate strategy of focusing on its core plastic bottles business. The closure will affect about 65 employees, according to the company, which says it expects to create up to 30 new jobs at its other North American plants, including another Quebec facility in St-Laurent that makes specialty bottles for the pharmaceutical, food and personal-care markets. Says Pretium’s chief executive George Abd: “Unfortunately the plant’s geographic location and high cost structure, combined with its mix of equipment, left us with limited options.”

SEPTEMBER 2013 • CANADIAN PACKAGING

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LOWER-DENSITY SHRINKSLEEVE LIGHTENS THE CARBON FOOTPRINT For all their marketing and visual impact benefits, the emergence of shrinksleeves as an effective packaging design enhancement creates a potential dilemma for bottle manufacturers—mainly in terms of complicating the PET (polyethylene terepthalate) recycling process. However, the new Cryovac LT-1 shrinksleeve label—launched last month by the Duncan, S.C.-based Cryovac division of Sealed Air Corporation—promises to ease that complexity with a low-density, high-quality alternative that maximizes both shelf presentation and smooth, sustainable recycling later in the product lifecycle. Among the first shrink labels in the industry to fall below the one-gram/cc PET recycling density standard, and yielding a 30-percent source reduction compared to other monolayer shrinks-

leeves, the Cryovac LT-1 labels are composed of pliable, high-gloss material that prevents cracking, reduces scratch damage and can adhere to any bottle style, according to the company. Featuring a density of 0.95-gram/cc, the Cryovac LT-1 shrinksleeve labels easily separate and f loat from source PET bottles once they reach the recycling process—significantly reducing the risk of contamination during recycling and enabling greater bottle recycling efficiencies. “Shrink label separation has emerged as one of the greatest challenges for PET recyclers, who battle accumulating waste as a result of high-density labels that sink and ultimately mix with PET bottle f lakes,” says Scott Keefauver, marketing manager at Sealed Air Packaging

Solutions. “By offering a high-performance, PVC-free label that complies with sorting equipment and grants second life for recycled bottles, Sealed Air reinforces our commitment to our SmartLife sustainability approach, which emphasizes reducing waste while increasing value of recycled material.” According to Keefauver, the Cryovac LT-1 shrink labels deploy low temperature and high shrink—up to 70 per cent at 90°C—to enable tight, secure fit to any bottle design, with each label composed of pliable, high-gloss material that prevents cracking and reduces potential damage from scratching for optimal retail shelf presentation.

WASTE BAG FOR MAN’S BEST BUD Dog-owners will do just about anything for their beloved pooches, and stooping to pick up their waste after they’ve done their business is all part of the drill for dogs living in Big City environment. And with the number of dog waste bags used in North America estimated to run into hundreds of millions a year, canine lovers will have many reasons to cheer with the the new Bio-buddy dog waste bags from Custom Bioplastics (U.S.A.) Utilizing the innovative Biohybrid technology developed by the Australian-owned group Cardio Bioplastics Limited, the new Bio-buddy bags require far less oil to make than the traditional plastic bags typically utilized for this task, translating into a much lower overall carbon footprint. Also featuring a significant recycled-plastic content, the Biobuddy bags have been as well received by the dog-owners as by their beloved canines, according to the Custom Bioplastics managing director Dick Mathes. “Made with a combination of recycled resin and Biohybrid technology, the Bio-buddy dog waste bags allow for plant starch to be combined with recycled resin to lessen the total carbon footprint of the bag, along with creating a bag that is soft and silky to the touch,” Mathes says. “Our packaging products made from their Biohybrid resins will form an integral part of our responsible plastic bag and film offering.”

SEPTEMBER 2013

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ACCESS THE GLOBAL PACKAGING NETWORK

IFS PACsecure HACCP for Packaging The Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) benchmarking of the IFS PACsecure packaging safety standard is expected to be completed this fall. PAC and IFS have united to take IFS PACsecure global. PAC is a leading North American packaging community association with a base of over 375 corporate and 2000 associate members. IFS PACsecure was created by PAC through a 100 plus-member steering committee to provide packaging manufacturers the ability to certify primary and secondary packaging materials for the food industry. IFS is one of the world’s largest safety and quality standards organizations with about 13,000 certifications for its GFSI recognized food safety standard. In addition to packaging, it manages standards governing logistics, brokers, cash and carry/ wholesale, household and personal care goods. Fast facts • 1,679 downloads of IFS PACsecure • Areas of the World include – US, Canada, Chile, Italy, Germany, Spain, France, Portugal, Thailand, Serbia, Belgium, Australia, Poland, China, Mexico, Romania, Ukraine, Vietnam, Austria, South Africa, Lithuania, Hungary, Netherlands, Greece, Peru, Kazakhstan, Japan, Argentina, United Kingdom, Brazil, and more.

• Includes big companies and small – Unilever, Coca-Cola, TetraPak, Certifica-

tion Bodies, General Mills, Mars, P&G, and many more

• GFSI benchmarking pending

• Five Languages; English – 672; French – 140; German – 469;

Italian – 106; Spanish – 292

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One-day training More than 70 U.S. and Canadian firms have completed a one-day IFS PACsecure training course to help them become compliant with the standard. Plans are underway to hold at least twelve one-day training sessions throughout North and South America as well as Europe in 2013 and 2014. Identifying risks Over the past decade, PAC developed the food safety standard based on Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) criteria for individual packaging materials, covering the 24 common manufacturing processes required for flexible plastics, rigid plastics, paper, metals and glass. FSAP recognized The IFS PACsecure standard is already recognized by the U.S.-based IOPP Food Safety Alliance for Packaging (FSAP) which includes firms General Mills, Nestle, Kraft, Conagra Foods, Unilever, Sara Lee and Campbell Soup. Some of the First IFS PACsecure Certified Companies

Alte-Rego Corporation I S O 9 0 0 1 : 2 0 0 0 C e r t i fi e d I S O 2 2 0 0 0 : 2 0 0 5 C e r t i fi e d CG M P C e r t i fi e d P A S 2 2 0 : 2 0 0 8 C e r t i fi e d

Download pdf at pacsecure.com

IFS PACsecure Implementation Support Tools PAC has also developed a number of related services for the IFS PACsecure product. They include an on-line training tool about food safety for employees to help change the corporate culture in an organization, as well as guidelines covering recall and traceability issues. Individual workbooks - covers the twenty-four most commonly used manufacturing processes in packaging material conversion. Hazard analysis implementation tool - outlines the physical, chemical and biological implications of almost every material, chemical, and process currently used in the manufacture of all paper and flexible plastics packaging. Work is underway to complete the same for rigid plastics, metal containers and glass packaging. Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) audit tool - identifies acceptable limits, monitoring, deviation and verification procedures, and supports records maintenance for the same above mentioned materials, chemicals and processes. For further information: George Gansner IFS Management GmbH Director, Marketing & Business Development gansner@ifs-certification.com 314.686.4610

Larry Dworkin PAC, IFS PACsecure Director larrywdworkin@gmail.com 416.645.3282

IFS For more information, contact Lindsey Ogle at 416.646.4641, logle@pac.ca or visit pac.ca

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COVER STORY

GENIUS IN A BOTTLE

Bold packaging makeover a sweet flight of fancy for the iconic Canadian honey brand

Manufactured by Silgan Canada and printed by Jones Packaging, the new kid-friendly Billy Bee brand honey containers picked up a Gold medal in the New Brand Launch category of the 2013 PAC Packaging Awards Competition.

Billy Bee brand manager Kristen Heleniak joined McCormick Canada in 2006.

BY GEORGE GUIDONI, EDITOR PHOTOS BY COLE GARSIDE

aking honey may sound like the sweetest way there is to make a living, but in today’s cutthroat consumer marketplace, it’s a good idea to have some real competitive sting in one’s tail when it comes to fending off the competition buzzing all around you. In many ways, honing that competitive edge over time is what has kept the iconic, made-inCanada, 55-year-old Billy Bee brand of liquid and creamed honey products perched as the country’s bestselling brand of honey for years, even before its game-changing 2009 acquisition by the world’s largest spice producer and global f lavor leader McCormick & Company. Nowadays produced at the smaller of two manufacturing facilities operated by McCormick Canada in London, Ont., the Billy Bee brand is continuing to spread its wings, making a loud statement of intent in early 2013 with an awardwinning packaging makeover and production and packaging line upgrades intended to keep the brand’s de facto ‘Queen Bee’ marketshare status well abreast of the chasing pack. The Billy Bee operation at the Robin’s Hill Road plant in London is in fact one of only two honey processing and packaging operations owned by McCormick’s worldwide manufacturing network that produces some of the world’s biggest brands of spices, seasonings, sauce mixes and other popular food f lavorings and ingredients. Operating in a climate-controlled, 40,000-squarefoot HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points)- and GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices)certified facility, it houses integrated production and packaging lines that process about 20 million

10 • WWW.CANADIANPACKAGING.COM

Front-end view of the packaging line, linked together via a well-integrated network of Anchor, Garvey and Southworth conveyors, used to produce the colorful new 375-ml plastic squeeze bottles of the bestselling Billy Bee honey brand.

pounds of Canadian-sourced honey per year— turning out a diverse range of honey formulations for both retail and industrial customers. Running a steady 12-hours-a-day, five-daysa-week schedule—revved up to meet seasonal demand peaks during weeks leading up to the back-to-school and Christmas seasons—the plant turns out about 30 different SKUs (stock-keeping units) under the Billy Bee label for the Canadian and U.S. export markets, as well as the regional Doyon brand of honey that enjoys a market-leading share in the province of Quebec. Fully-certified to run organic, Kosher, and Kosher for Passover products, the Billy Bee brand has

been a beneficiary of significant capital investment poured into the honey business by McCormick since the 2009 acquisition and the following move of production from Toronto to London, according to brand manager Kristen Heleniak, who joined McCormick Canada in 2006 to witness first-hand the ongoing improvements in the operation’s productivity and line efficiencies. “The Billy Bee brand has enjoyed more than 50 years of strong brand loyalty, and it has remained a mainstay in Canadian pantries for generations,” Heleniak told Canadian Packaging during a recent visit to the facility, which also serves as a distribution center for many other popular f lavorful

CANADIAN PACKAGING • SEPTEMBER 2013

COVER STORY products—including spices, seasonings and recipe mixes under the Club House and McCormick brand names produced by McCormick Canada. “The Billy Bee character has engendered brand loyalty over a few generations for 55 years,” Heleniak points out. “The iconic bee character is very kid-friendly, and the fact that it is tied to the bee and its role in the natural world, has also sustained this strong brand loyalty for what is a 100-percent natural product.” “Also, the packaging has always been convenient and easy to use,” states Heleniak, relating the Billy Bee staff ’s excitement over the big buzz in packaging and retail industry circles generated by the November 2012 launch of new squeezable, 375-ml plastic bottles, decorated with full-body shrinksleeves boasting stunning, black-and-gold graphic design created by the Toronto-based Marovino Visual Strategy. Featuring a new contemporary Billy Bee icon covering the entire length of the bottles—manufactured by Silgan Plastics Canada Inc. and printed by Jones Packaging Inc., also located in London, Ont.—the industry-first plastic honey bottle pulled off a remarkable double feat this year as Gold Medal winner in the New Brand Launch (food) category of the 2013 PAC Packaging Awards Competition of PAC-The Packaging Association, as well as a category finalist in this year’s Grand Prix New Product Awards competition of the Retail Council of Canada.

A Kaps-All bottle capper, supplied by Newmapak, places the shrinkwrapped bottles into proper positions as they head to the Videojet product coding station dowstream for inkjet application of product data.

Pride and Joy “We are all very proud of the awards,” Heleniak remarks, adding the Billy Bee team is also equally delighted with the enthusiastic consumer feedback to the bold new package design so far, which primarily targets the all-important ‘family with kids’ demographic group. “The new bee bottle is easy to squeeze and fits into a child’s hand very comfortably,” Heleniak relates, saying McCormick Canada spent between two and three years of intense research-and-development before launching the unique new package format that is really unlike anything that has ever been seen before in the Canadian honey business. “We needed to bring the Billy Bee to life in a 3-D format, but we also needed the character bottle to be functional as well,” Heleniak explains. ”It was important to us to have an enjoyable consumer experience when squeezing honey from the container, yet still maintain the Billy Bee character we have all grown to love. “Getting the angles of the bottle to match with Billy’s facial expressions was critical in keeping the brand icon true, and there were a number of revisions and tests done to ensure we had the best final product. “The new bee bottle is very unique to the category by using a full shrinksleeve label, Heleniak points out. “The use of graphics was critical in maintaining the facial features consumers have grown to love, and the sustainable character bottle needed to last until the bottle is empty through several squeezes. “Billy Bee is well-known for the iconic Bee persona, and McCormick wanted to further leverage this likable character in a unique character-shaped bottle that really stands out on the shelf. “The bottle had to convey the Billy Bee character exactly, while also providing the consumer an easy-squeeze experience for children and adults.”

SEPTEMBER 2013 • CANADIAN PACKAGING

Finished Billy Bee bottles passing through the Phantom metal detection system from Fortress Technology as part of the stringent quality control regime deployed at the HACCP-certified plant.

The Diagraph model TJ 500 thermal jet printhead is used to apply the required lot numbers and product information onto the filled corrugated shipping containers manufactured by Norampac.

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COVER STORY

Colorful rollstock shrinksleeves being fed into the heat tunnel, manufactured by PDC International, which tightly wraps them right around the contoured containers.

Despite the seeming straightforward intent of the new design, Heleniak says there were a number of technical challenges and issues to resolve before going to market with the new container. As Heleniak details: “The application of the shrinksleeve label onto a bottle shape specifically designed to highlight the facial features and body of the Billy Bee character, and the bottles material of LDPE/HDPE (low/high-density polyethylene) blend and the bottle wall thickness is specific to the squeezability to dispense the honey and maintain the shape of the Billy Bee label and graphics, with many combinations of LDPE and HDPE blends and wall thickness being tested before settling in on the version that performed as intended. “The advances in design include the shape of the bottle specific to the iconic graphics and placement to highlight the Billy Bee character,” Heleniak relates. “The round face, cheeks, and body are separated by centric rings that provide the structure so when the bottle is shrink wrapped the graphics are highlighted and can carry the appropriate consumer and product information without distortion during shrink application. “When Billy Bee production was relocated in 2009,” Heleniak recounts, “there were some sig-

A neat row of smiling Billy Bee bottles emerging in orderly fashion from the PDC heat tunnel after being shrinksleeved at brisk speeds of up to 100 bottles per minute.

nificant upgrades made to the honey processing and packaging equipment. ”The majority of these changes were made to address sustainability opportunities,” says Heleniak, citing an impressive list of impressive carbon-footprint reduction initiatives. “Our engineering team identified the following opportunities to reduce both energy consumption and the biological load of our plant eff luent,” she recalls. “All of the process cooling water from the pasteurization process in the old facility was sent directly to the drain at 130°F temperature, whereas we now capture this water and re-use it as hot water in our sanitation processes. “Furthermore, we installed a drum washing system that re-uses the rinse water multiple times, and we also extensively insulated all of the process equipment and piping, while replacing inefficient process heating systems with higher efficiency systems. “Finally, the entire facility was equipped with high efficiency f luorescent lighting, which uses approximately 40 per cent less electricity.” According to Heleniak, these process improvements have already yielded several significant sustainability improvements, including: • a 30-percent reduction in water usage;

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• a 27-percent cut in natural gas consumption. • annual carbon-dioxide emission reduction/prevention of 80 to 90 metric tonnes. Handling a broadly varied array of popular packaging formats ranging from 250-ml bottles to 3,000-pound bulk containers on a daily basis naturally requires strong packaging competence and know-how, Heleniak acknowledges, saying that continuous packaging improvement is a key part of the plant’s strategic marketing focus. “Our packaging department is always engaged in new product commercialization activities and supports our operation through participation in a variety of optimization and continuous improvement projects,” she explains.

Form and Function “McCormick has a formalized process to develop and implement new packaging components and packaging equipment, whereby packaging design, testing, approval and implementation involves a cross-functional team with members representing quality assurance, packaging specification, engineering, sourcing, marketing, production, and the North American packaging development personnel.” This well-structured approach to packaging optimization is ref lective of the company’s overall team-based approach to operational excellence, according to Heleniak. “Our operational KPIs (key performance indicators) include safety, quality, customer service and process reliability (manufacturing performance), all of which are monitored and analyzed daily to identify opportunities for continuous improvement,” she states. “All incidents of non-conformance are then reviewed by cross-functional teams in order to determine root causes and create plans for corrective action. Heleniak relates: “Within our honey operation, our self-directed teams have

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CANADIAN PACKAGING • SEPTEMBER 2013

COVER STORY

A model 3M-Matic automatic case-sealer manufactured by 3M Company is used for taping shut filled boxes of Billy Bee honey bottles.

executed numerous continuous improvement projects which have resulted in enhancements to our safety program, product quality, reductions in plant eff luent and increases in manufacturing performance. “Customer service is a primary focus of our operation and service levels,” she asserts, “and we are well above the industry standard of 98-percent ontime delivery.” The Billy Bee plant also makes a conscious effort to use Canadian-based suppliers of packaging equipment materials and services, relates Heleniak, complimenting an extensive list of well-respected Ontario-based suppliers that also includes Deco Labels, ASL Print FX, Norampac, Berry Plastics, Salbro Bottle, Impact Plastics, Aptar and Richards Packaging, along with the Boucherville, Que.-based container manufacturer Plastipak. This “buy local” mindset also extends to the plant’s formidable arsenal of processing machinery comprising high-volume, stainless-steel melt tanks holding up to 60,000 pound of honey; high-performance heat exchangers raising the temperature of the honey up to 190°F for pasteurization; ultra-sensitive filters for removing any particles and cloudiness

Another Phantom model metal detector is used to detect any contaminants making their way in into piping connecting melting tanks to the production line.

from the honey; multiple storage tanks and pumps which allow us to store different types of honey and move it to the assigned packaging lines.

Home Sweet Home “Much of this equipment is manufactured in southern Ontario and we try to utilize local or Canadian manufacturers whenever possible,” Heleniak notes. The plant’s existing, well-integrated configuration of bottle unscramblers, fillers, cappers, metal detec-

tors, labelers and coders, shrinksleeve heat tunnel, conveyor and tapers provides an adequate set-up for meeting the plant’s current production needs, with line speeds of up to 100 bottles per minute. Naturally, such line speeds may well need a bit of a boost in the not-so-far future if the encouraging early signs of the new Billy Bee packaging are a valid indicator of the brand’s enormous marketing potential. “We are always looking for ways to improve or

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COVER STORY For More Information:

A state-of-the-art shrink tunnel from PDC International forms the heart of the Billy Bee retail packaging line employed to package the 375-ml plastic squeeze-bottles of the venerable Billy Bee brand of liquid honey.

develop our packaging,” Heleniak states, “as finding innovative ways to differentiate ourselves on the shelf definitely plays a large part of our strategic growth. “The consumer sees the package first, so we must continue to look for ways to engage and keep our customers coming back. “Giving consumers more for their money with added benefits, while showcasing our products,

helps sustain the brand image we have built over the years,” she sums up, “and we are keen for this brand to continue to earn the loyalty of the next generation by innovations such as our new bottle, packaging, website and other marketing communications vehicles. “We really believe that the key to our continued growth lies in bringing new innovation

Scott Scriven joins Reiser as Sr. Vice President of Sales & Marketing Roger Reiser, President and CEO of Robert Reiser & Co., Inc., has announced the appointment of Scott Scriven to Reiser’s newly created position of Sr. Vice President of Sales & Marketing. “Scott is the consummate salesperson and his business philosophy is a perfect fit for Reiser,” says Mr. Reiser. Scriven has broad knowledge of the food equipment industry on a global level having focused his entire career in sales and sales management within that industry. For the past 14 years, he has served as President and CEO of Weber, Inc. and has overseen Weber’s rise to the market leading position it enjoys today. About his new opportunity, Mr. Scriven says, “I have respected and admired the Reiser brand for as long as I’ve been involved in the food processing industry.”

Marovino Visual Strategy Silgan Plastics Canada Inc. Jones Packaging Inc. Deco Labels & Tags ASL Print FX Ltd. Norampac (Div. of Cascades Inc.) Berry Plastics Canada Salbro Bottle Inc. Impact Plastics Canada Aptar Food & Beverage Richards Packaging Inc. Plastipak Industries Inc. PDC International Fortress Technology Inc. Kaps-All Packaging Systems Inc. (Newmapak Ltd.) 3M Canada Co. Diagraph (Div. of ITW) Videojet Technologies Canada Ltd. Pillar Technologies, Inc. Anchor Conveyor Products Inc. Garvey Corporation Southworth Products Co.

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to our consumers, the category, and our customers,” Heleniak concludes. “Today’s consumers are constantly looking for what’s new and what’s ontrend, which is why we intend to continue to focus our research, development and commercialization efforts in this direction.”

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For more than 50 years, Reiser has been a leading supplier of processing and packaging equipment solutions for the sausage, meat, poultry, seafood, prepared food, bakery and cheese industries. During that time, the company has gained recognition for its high-quality equipment, innovative engineering, and outstanding service and support. Today, this total commitment to its customers positions Reiser as the one supplier that processors can trust for better, smarter solutions.

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PACKAGING FOR FRESHNESS

TOAST FOR ALL SEASONS

Ongoing partnership with packaging equipment manufacturer helps propel Toronto area bakery straight up the ranks of the competitive food chain ANDREW JOSEPH, FEATURES EDITOR PHOTOGRAPHY: COLE GARSIDE

ontrary to the business practices of most new companies in North America looking for initial market success, one Torontobased ethnic foods bakery opted to set itself up as a high-quality producer, rather than as a discount shop—achieving a stunning level of success in a relatively short period of time. Opening its doors in 1997, TWI Foods Inc., like many a new venture into the ethnic foods market, was a small business started up by a recent immigrant family to Canada. Owing to their South-Asian background, the company opted to focus its efforts as a specialty food company catering its baked goods to the fairly large South-Asian populace spread across the country. Producing high-quality baked delicious cakerusks (a hard, crisp, lightly f lavored bread —similar to biscotti), cookies and pound cakes, founder and company president Ali Kizilbash told Canadian Packaging during a visit to the west-end business that: “Our efforts to produce a high-quality product from our initial sales helped lay a solid foundation for TWI. “The fact that our quality has remained unchanged over the years, is a key reason our products are highly sought after outside of Canada, as well.” The company is currently situated within two state-of-the-art bakeries—one in nearby Mississauga at 36,000 square feet in size, and its new signature facility, a 181,000-square-foot plant that doubles as the TWI headquarters.

As part of its expanding production capacity, TWI Foods in Toronto is setting up a brand new WeighPack PrimoCombi multihead weigher and high-speed XPdius i-130 checkweigher system to help accurately weigh and package its popular and tasty toasted cake rusk products.

Full Slate “We produce full lines of packaged roti and naan products in Mississauga, and bake our cake rusk, tea toast, cakes, cookies and pastries in our Toronto plant,” explains TWI marketing manager Hyder Hasan. TWI’s range of baked ethnic products are readily available at major grocery outlets, as well as the mom-and pop’s, all over Canada, the U.K., U.S., Germany, Australia, Middle East and Singapore, with Hasan revealing an upcoming entrance into the Northeast Asian market is in the works as well. “Our target market is mainly South Asians, but why limit ourselves,” notes Hasan. “We are rapidly expanding into mainstream markets, providing tasty and healthy food options for retailers, food services and private label firms.” He says that although TWI and its 250-plus employees are very busy producing its own brands and providing contract baking and packaging for others, output and production capacity is dependent on individual production lines, noting that its cookie line has a production capacity up to 4.32 million packs of 200 grams each per month. While indeed not all productions lines are created equal, nor are they run at the same production speeds, Kizilbash states that combined at both of his plants, the company has “eight lines up and

SEPTEMBER 2013 • CANADIAN PACKAGING

running, but we are in the process of installing more now, with a lot more production planned in the near future.” The privately-owned company must be doing something right: as of August 2013, TWI’s revenues have exceeded $24 million for the current year. According to Kizilbash, TWI currently produces product under three of its brands, with CRISPY and Sunrize being its most recognized brands and Crispy ST its newly-launched premium brand. For TWI, both Hasan and Kizilbash agree that the way the company has marketed both itself and its products has been a key to its past and on-going success, and it has no plans to sit on its laurels. “We are always looking to provide our customers with a new, exciting and delicious product, and our research and development team works endlessly to

develop and launch new and exciting products into the market,” says Kizilbash. “One of our more recent additions is a range of more health-conscious products for a rapidly growing segment—like our Nann Thins, which is a double-baked snack that caters to those craving a savory f lavor. We are also developing lowsugar and low-fat products for those who are more health-conscious,” continues Kizilbash. Citing approximately 24 per cent of TWI’s business as being derived from contract packaging, Hasan notes that the company produces over 10 SKUs (stock-keeping units) for others, which along with its own heavy production schedule has it running three eight-hour shifts a day, five-daysa-week, though when demand spikes, it will run seven days a week.

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PACKAGING FOR FRESHNESS

TWI uses a complete biscuit-making system (above) from Italian manufacturer Polin, which optimally employs the smooth power of a plethora of SEW Eurodrive gearmotors (below) to move the dough along the process line. Standing behind a small sampling of TWI Foods' many products are (left) Marketing Manager Hyder Hasan and company founder and President Ali Kizilbash.

Harlund Industries supplied TWI with Hitachi inkjet coders to apply best-before and lot-code data onto all of its plastic film packages.

TWI employs a vertical Vertex metal detection unit from Fortress Technology on its Vertek bagging system.

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“Not quite a year ago, we fully-utilized two facilities of 32,000 square feet each,” says Hasan, “but we moved from there to our new headquarters here in this 181,000-square-foot building, and have installed additional new state-of-the-art equipment that will help us further improve and deliver on our promise to always deliver ‘quality’ to our customers.” The most recent equipment upgrades at the new TWI facility are: • a Megart Systems TP07 depositer used to protrude batter into trays for baking; • a Polin high-capacity depositer and band oven designed for the TWI cookie line; • Miwe R1 rack ovens to perform the initial bake of the cake and bread products; • metal detection systems from Bizerba, as well as the Genius and GLS systems from S+S to detect and prevent metal contamination within the various products; • various Hitachi inkjet printers supplied by Harlund Industries to print production information and best-before data onto packaging material; • a PFM Hurricane horizontal film wrapper to create individually-wrapped packets of baked goodies;

CANADIAN PACKAGING • SEPTEMBER 2013

PACKAGING FOR FRESHNESS • an OMNI-SLRS shrinkwrapper manufactured by Shanklin (now part of the Sealed Air Corporation) to wrap clamshell packaging to provide tamper-evidence and extended shelf life. • an Ostali sheeter and former from Polin that creates layered or sheeted baked goodies. • a Domino C6000 and C6000+ high-resolution inkjet printers used to print onto the exterior of corrugated cases and cartons to provide product identification and lot code information. • corrugated cases and cartons converted by Norampac, a div. of Cascades Inc. • and several weighing and bagging machines from WeighPack Systems Inc., a Montrealheadquartered manufacturer with large facilities in Las Vegas and Miami. The strong business relationship between TWI and WeighPack goes back 13 years to the PACKEX Toronto tradeshow, when the bakery was looking to become a more automated business, which would help it keep up with demands for more of its products.

Exiting from a shrinkwrap heat tunnel, packaged cake rusks fist move through a metal detection unit and then onto a CWD checkweigher, both manufactured by Bizerba.

First Time Lucky WeighPack vice-president of sales and marketing Nicholas Taraborelli says, “Back then, TWI was a first-time buyer of packaging machinery who performed the majority of its baked goods production by hand. “Knowing that in order to not only keep up with orders for their product, and to better prepare for future growth, TWI put their trust in WeighPack to provide them with an affordable and easy-to-use V-9 single lane linear semi-automatic net weigher,” explains Taraborelli. “And the rest, as they say, is history.” For TWI’s expectations of WeighPack, Kizilbash told the equipment manufacturer right from the getgo that, “Quality is the only product value that lasts.” From that point on, Kizilbash says that TWI began to purchase more and more WeighPack machinery, looking to purchase complete packaging systems such as: the economical eight-head CS-series 1.5 liter multihead weigher and VerTek 1150 vertical form and seal machine in 2006 able to provide production rates up to 40 bags per minute; the 2010 addition of a TigerScaleV-9 twin lane linear net weigher featuring a container indexing conveyor to fill clamshells, and the November 2012 addition of a leading edge 14-head PrimoCombi 1.5-liter multihead weigher and a slanted VerTek 1150 for more delicate products. A vertical Vertex metal detection unit designed and built by Fortress Technology has been added to the VerTek 1150 as part of TWI's product inspection system. The most recent purchases from WeighPack include the December 2012 installation of a second 14-head PrimoCombi multihead weigher—this one with 2.5-liter buckets, and the May 2013 addition of a high-speed dual servo-driven XPdius Elite i-130

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SEPTEMBER 2013

PACKAGING FOR FRESHNESS

Utilizing a Schneider Electric Magelis control panel, workers at TWI easily maneuver heavy containers of freshly-mixed dough to be poured down into the Polin bakery system.

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vertical form-fill and seal machine able to pack at speeds of over 100 cycles per minute. “The latest installation in May was most exciting,” exclaims Taraborelli, “as Ali Kizilbash literally purchased the system right off the 2013 PACKEX Toronto tradeshow floor.” Taraborelli states that WeighPack has always been one of the few companies that manufactures finished inventory to offer its customers extremely quick lead times. “This time was no different,” extols Taraborelli. “Although the PrimoCombi and the XPdius Elite i-130 were made specifically for the tradeshow, it was the perfect system for TWI and was literally delivered to their Toronto facility less than two hours after the show closed. “We rented a Budget truck, loaded it in the parking lot and delivered it—that’s what makes WeighPack different—we get things done and serve our customers extremely well.” According to Kizilbash, the new system offered TWI increased production rates and helped bring serviceability up to a whole new level, with dual access to mechanics, tool-less removable pull belts, lexan doors, forming collar and film roll, as well as a heavy-duty, stainless steel frame.

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CANADIAN PACKAGING • SEPTEMBER 2013

Delicate toasted cake rusks move into buckets of a WeighPack Systems weigher for precise weight verification before being deposited into a Vertek 1150 bagger.

WeighPack territory manager Mark Conforti adds: “The PrimoCombi multihead weigher is the first open-frame CAN-BUS wired combination scale that houses all electronics from one central electrical enclosure, offering serviceability advantages that no other manufacturer in the world offers. “Its world-class Windows PC controls with WIFI are embedded with Crystal Reports, Skype, LogMeIn.com to provide the user with free online support and more. “These features coupled with the production speeds and high accuracy provided by the PrimoCombi have helped elevate WeighPack as one of the largest manufacturers of multihead weighers in the world,” explains Conforti.

Value Proposition He says that when delivering the latest system to TWI, the goal was a simple one: to install their highest speed system to date. “With TWI’s business growing quickly, keeping up with product demand is crucial. “The PrimoCombi and XPdius Elite i-130 provide them with the necessary throughput while including more features that make the operation, sanitation and product changeover even easier than before,” Conforti says. Keeping its production levels up, with an eye for future growth was paramount for TWI, according to Hasan. “We have grown every year since our inception. This year alone, our revenues have increased by 28 percent, as compared to last year,” he admits. “The baked goods business is a very competitive one,” explains Kizilbash noting that with such a wide-ranging line of products, TWI has its fair share of competitors—though he notes his company isn’t afraid of a little heat in the kitchen. “Because it’s a very price-sensitive industry, we

SEPTEMBER 2013 • CANADIAN PACKAGING

have been able to survive and thrive thanks to our efficient purchasing patterns,” Kizilbash explains. “The biggest challenge in the food industry is to maintain affordable prices while maintaining high quality standards, which can only be done by efficient management of resources and achieving economies of scale.” As for the future, Kizilbash says the tremendous growth in the food sector—especially with regards to ethnic foods—will continue its upward trend. “Despite the heady growth we have already achieved with the industry, TWI has only just begun to make its mark,” sums up Kizilbash. “It is my belief that we have a superior manufacturing facility filled with superior production line equipment, and we possess a superior line of delicious products. “For us, we have only just scrapped the surface of global market penetration—and we are confident that whenever we are able get consumers to sample our tasty cookies, naan, roti, tea toast, cakes pastries and delicious cake rusks, we will have a customer for life.”

For More Information: WeighPack Systems Inc. Megart Systems Inc. Polin MIWE Michael Wenz GmbH Bizerba Canada Inc. Hitachi America, Ltd. Harlund Industries Ltd. PFM Packaging Machinery S.p.a Sealed Air Corporation Domino Printing Solutions SEW-Eurodrive Co. of Canada Ltd. Fortress Technology Inc. Norampac, a Div. of Cascades Inc.

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METAL DETECTION

PASTRY SHOP PERFECTION New metal detection equipment helps family-owned bakery grow from quaint momand-pop status into a Big League player ANDREW JOSEPH, FEATURES EDITOR PHOTOGRAPHY: COLE GARSIDE

here’s probably a reason why “Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake, baker’s man. Bake me a cake as fast as you can” is part of the oldest and arguably most well-known English nursery rhyme, making its first appearance in print back in 1698. While children nowadays know the rhyme as part of a hand-clapping game between two friends, it has survived over 300 years because the role of the baker in society has always been an important one. In days of olde, bakers were responsible for the manufacture of bread—a daily staple of many a community. Although certain skillsets and equipment have changed and improved over the years, the popularity of baked goods has, if anything, increased, as nowadays bread and other baked products such as muffins have become a huge component of one’s daily food intake. It’s a long-standing respect for the past with a long-hard look to the future that has one west Toronto bakery beaming with pride as it moves beyond the status of a respectable mom-and-pop shop to one where some of Canada’s largest retailers are only too happy to hawk their wares. Situated within an SQF code-certified 60,000-square-foot facility in west Toronto, Del’s Pastry Ltd. is a family-owned business making, baking and packaging a host of tasty turnovers, delicious Danish, tantalizing tarts, and provocative pies, as well as mouth-watering gourmet cookies, muffins, loaf, dessert and coffee cakes. Although officially in business for 50 years, opening its door as Del’s in 1963 within a 400-squarefoot store front, the owners purchased an existing business, albeit one that was experiencing its fair share of financial difficulties. “My parents took over the business from the previous owner in 1963, after he had some trouble running it,” says vice-president of operations Tom Mattes, who along with his sister Sandra, the vicepresident of administration and logistics, run the day-to-day operations of Del’s. Turning around the fortunes of the business was simply a matter of the new owners simply offering a greater variety of products for the existing customer base, as it grew from a small storefront operation supplying coffee trucks and vending machines to one supplying large retail grocers, as well as the food service industry. “My father, Benno, who is currently the principle, says that when he first set up the business, he noticed that Toronto seemed to have a plethora of bread manufacturers, but correctly believed that the fresh pastries sector was the way to stand-out and succeed,” Mattes told Canadian Packaging during a recent visit to the facility. Nowadays, thanks to the efforts of its 110 employees, Del’s Pastry has 16-franchised delivery routes while producing 12,000 muffins and 5,000 pastries

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Michael Lerman, Maintenance Supervisor

per hour, supplying fresh as well as frozen product with direct store delivery to such retailers as No Frills, Food Basics, Ikea, Costco, Loblaw, Metro, Sobeys and Freshco Banners, as well as to a host of independent stores. With all product under the Del’s banner baked right on site, the company actually utilizes two brands: the Traditional brand which offers products such as muffins and assorted pastries; and the higher-end Indulgence brand offering consumers cookies, Danish rings and coffee cakes. Although highly proud of their own successes with the Del lines of pastries, the bakery is also very pleased with the success it has achieved in getting its baked goods into private label hands.

Private Matters According to Del’s Pastry maintenance supervisor Michael Lerman, some 20 per cent of the baked output is actually done for private—some 10 SKUs (stock-keeping units) that are produced specifically for retail grocer giants Costco, Sobeys, Loblaw, Metro and Whole Foods. Running two baking shifts a day, five days a week. Lerman says that Del’s is a national supplier, that generally runs two production lines, but depending on the product mix, a third line is set-up.

Sandra Mattes, Vice-president of Administration and Logistics

Tom Mattes, Vice-president of Operations, Del’s Pastry Ltd.

“About 95 per cent of our production goes into segments across Canada, with the remainder to the U.S. market,” mentions Lerman. “But we do have plans to aggressively tackle the markets to south soon enough.” Having enough capacity to expand production is important for any company, and Del’s is no exception having performed some recent facility upgrades in 2010 when it added a freezer and storage space. “Our most recent addition was the building of a 3,000-square-foot freezer that allows us to keep our finished goods inventory in-house, rather than having to ship to outside carriers,” explains Mattes. “Plus, we added a 3,000-square-foot storage area which has opened up and increased our production space, which we have used to add a brand new fully-automated dough laminating line from Rademaker to make specialty puff pastries and sweet doughs.” In December of 2011, Del’s Pastry purchased a top-of-the-line, automated turn-key Radini system built by the Dutch-firm Rademaker, that readies dough after ingredient mixing to f latten and layer it to make what Lerman describes are the f lakiest pastries a bakery can possibly produce. “To create a really f laky product, it’s important

CANADIAN PACKAGING • SEPTEMBER 2013

METAL DETECTION

Fabbri_MeatPkgAd_Sausage_CP_vPackExpo2013_Layout 1 8/6/13 5:22 PM

After proper growth is achieved, the dough is placed into forming trays and then run through one of a pair of tunnel ovens for 12-20 minutes depending what product is being baked. After baking, the finished baked goods are cooled naturally and move to a packaging line. At Line No.1 at Del’s, specifically used to pack dessert shells, the product is run through a LOMA Systems IQ3 metal detection unit before passing through a Tevopharm Type Pack VI f lowwrapper, with film supplied by Transal Wrap. The pack then has a label applied to it via a Labelling Technologies labeler with a Hitachi PM inkjet coder attached to apply best-before and lot code data. After hand-packing into corrugated cartons made by Kruger, the cases are closed by a 3M-Matic tape casesealer from 3M, which are Page 1 then moved past a Foxjet large-character car-

A six-pack of cinnamon buns passing through a LOMA IQ3 metal detection unit at the Del’s Pastry facility in west-end Toronto.

for the product to have multiple layers of consistently thin dough,” explains Lerman. “Our Radini line creates products 36 layers thin, each no more than 0.14 millimeters each.” There are three distinct sections to the Radini line, which, according to Lerman encompasses a total of 64 different stages that the dough is worked through, including: a chunker that initially cuts lumps of dough into smaller chunks; an extruder to produce a continuous sheet of dough; umpteen conveyors; f lour sifters to dust both the conveyors and the dough; a fat pump to add a continuous sheet of margarine, butter or fat; folding belts; pressure roller, cross roller; quick reducer, lapper to zigzag dough onto the next conveyor; rotary cutter to ensure proper sheet sizing; water drip units to maintain dough moisture and much, much more.

Key Point One of the key features of the Rademaker turnkey system is a set of rollers called cross rollers that imitate a rolling pin to shape and f latten the dough, ensuring a consistent thickness throughout the whole dough sheet. While possessing the important hygienic properties and low-cost maintenance, the Radini, which is spread around the separate dough-manufacturing room over an approximate area of 40-feet, is centrally controlled by an easy-to-use, Siemens Simatic Multi Panel touchscreen that has a large product information storage system. “It’s a wonderful piece of equipment that has not only helped us increase our production output,” raves Lerman, “but has also helped us achieve a higher quality, f lakier product that consumers notice.” After the dough is f lattened, it is cut and placed onto trays to enter a proofer, a separate room where the dough is allowed grow.

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METAL DETECTION

A Nord motor (above) provides smooth motion to a conveyor system moving packed dessert shells for labeling and coding. The baked goodies are then manually packed into corrugated cases (below) manufactured by Kruger Inc.

ton coder for exterior identif ication. Known as Line No. 2, it packs cinnamon buns in clamshell trays. After baking and packing into clamshell packaging supplied by Par-Pak Ltd., a designer and manufacturer of rigid plastic packaging with manufacturing facilities in Canada, the U.S. and the U.K., the tray moves past a double labeller which then has a Markem-Imaje S8-Classic coder that applies data onto the label. The now complete packs then go through a different LOMA IQ3 metal detection unit before being sealed in Kruger corrugated cartons by another 3M-Matic. The pair of IQ3 metal detection units owned by Del’s are, along with Loma’s IQ3+, a part of its product inspection systems that are the first to offer true variable frequency operation with a robust IP69K environmental protection. Lerman says, “We purchased our most recent pair of metal detection units in 2011. “We had actually utilized LOMA system metal detectors within our facility for a good 10 years prior to purchasing the next generation from them.” For Lerman and the folks at Del’s, choosing to go with LOMA again was simply a no-brainer thanks to a trio of reasons. “First off, we have always been impressed with LOMA’s robust design and high sensitivity that has allowed us to go about our job of baking, without fear of possible contamination,” explains Lerman.

Simple Logic “There is also the simple-to-use interface that makes it easy for the operator to work, meaning we can save time in the training process, while still being ensured of worker and product safety.” LOMA says the machines operate at frequencies between 40 and 900KHz, and have the ability to select the correct operating frequency in seconds thus eliminating the past performance restrictions caused by single or limited frequency detectors, which means no time is wasted trying to set-up the IQ3 when changes in product and packaging occur. The IQ3 possesses as frame made with stainless steel bonded with polymers and resins to create

Supplied by Harlund Industries, all of the Hitachi inkjet coders apply lot code data and best-before information on each packed product at Del’s Pastry. FOR MORE INFORMATION CIRCLE 116

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CANADIAN PACKAGING • SEPTEMBER 2013

METAL DETECTION

Safe to use and easy to operate, workers on all of the production lines at the Del’s Pastry plant briskly move baked good through IQ3 metal detection units.

water- and dust-tight seals to ensure a safe and stable working environment for its rugged electronics and search coil assemblies. It’s the unique case and coil geometry that provides a huge leap in protecting the IQ3 from degrading effects such as: vibration, electrical interference, case distortion and thermal shock—all of which can individually lead to poor performance. As well, the Loma IQ3 and IQ3+ can be connected to plant networks via industry standard Ethernet connections, though the IQ3+ does have Ethernet connectivity as a standard feature. “The third key reason we were unafraid to go back to LOMA was the total professionalism of LOMA sales representative Todd Fletcher,” mentions Lerman. “Just as we use the IQ3 to help us minimize the risk to the customer, so too must LOMA utilize Todd—and we appreciate his efforts and enjoy working with him.”

Clamming Up Del’s uses a third line specifically to pack its popular muffins in clamshells. Although the muffins are hand-packed, the line uses a metal detection unit

A sampling of some of the baked goods from Del’s Pastry, including carrot cake, cinnamon buns, gourmet cookies, strudels and pastry shells.

to detect extremely small metal contaminants. After passing the muster, the pack moves though a double-head wraparound labeler manufactured by Labelling Technologies that applies, as the name suggests, two labels onto the clamshell. Other key contributors at Del’s include: • the use of CHEP pallets; • a vast array of Nord motors powering the line speed of the conveyor lines; • Leeson Speedmaster adjustable speed AC motion control for the conveyors; • Six Glen and Spiral mixers manufactured by AMF Bakery Systems, Cinelli-Esoeria Corporation and Hobart. “This is a tough business, to be sure, but it is also a fun business at the same time,” mentions Mattes. “Toronto is one of the most competitive markets in the world, with competitors now being global as baked good can be shipped in from any market across the world. “For Del’s, it is important to be a first-to-market leader through continued innovation and by becoming a global supplier. “It’s why having top-of-the-line production

equipment is equally as important as the recipes, and having both will ensure our continued company growth.”

For More Information: Rademaker USA Siemens Canada LOMA Systems (Div. of ITW) Tevopharm Labelling Technologies Hitachi America, Ltd. Harlund Industries Ltd. Kruger Inc. 3M Foxjet (Div. of ITW) Par-Pak Ltd. Transalwrap of Canada Ltd. Markem-Imaje CHEP Canada Nord Drivesystems Leeson Canada Inc. AMF Bakery Systems Cinelli-Esoeria Corporation Hobart Corp.

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PRODUCT SAFETY

Organized by MD Packaging and Alex E. Jones & Associates, the Mettler Toledo bus had its first-ever Canadian tour in the summer of 2013.

GOING MOBILE Traveling product inspection technologies road show makes a memorable Canadian summer debut ANDREW JOSEPH, FEATURES EDITOR PHOTOS BY COLE GARSIDE

hile effective product inspection capabilities are undoubtedly the backbone of any well-executed HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points) or similar quality assurance and product safety strategy, it is still surprising in this day and age how many smaller consumer goods companies still try to get by without having a well-functioning metal detection or X-Ray inspection system in place. By and large, these are just the sort of companies that leading product inspection systems manufacturer Mettler-Toledo has been reaching out to this past summer with its annual cross-continent bus tour showcasing the company’s state-of-the-art detection technologies and, notably making its firstever visit north across the U.S.-Canada border. Borrowing a page from rock music stars crossing the continent in fully-customized tour buses from one gig to the next, Mettler-Toledo first started taking its show on the road in North America 2003, according to Mettler-Toledo’s marketing communi-

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cations manager Sarrina Crowley, relating that the large refurbished coach bus is always fully-stocked with the company’s latest and most technicallyadvanced range of equipment that includes stateof-the-art metal detection, X-Ray inspection, checkweighing and related software solutions. “We would drive the bus all over America, visiting plants directly to give people an opportunity to try out our equipment first-hand by running their own products through the equipment for testing purposes,” Crowley told Canadian Packaging during the tour’s initial stopover earlier this summer in Elmira, Ont. north of Toronto. “When our bus shows up at a plant for a visit, it becomes a bit of an event,” Crowley said during the tour’s stopover at the manufacturing facility of the Tri-Mach Group, Elmira-based multi-trade, turnkey solution provider specializing in millwrighting, stainless-steel fabrication, custom machining, equipment installations and relocations, process piping, design engineering and electrical services. “Not only do we get the one or two decisionmakers to come and look at the equipment, but we also get many more people in the plant to come out

CANADIAN PACKAGING • SEPTEMBER 2013

and see our equipment, so the efficiency is much greater when we do the driving,” says Crowley, relating that Mettler-Toledo’s tour regularly racks up over 10,000 kilometers a year in the course of making 500 to 550 stops at strategically selected manufacturing facilities. The addition of the Canadian plant visits this year was facilitated by two companies: Alex E. Jones & Associates Ltd. and MD Packaging. Headquartered in Oakville, Ont., Alex E. Jones represents among other segments, leading packaging equipment manufactures in Canada, with sister-company Shawpak Systems Ltd. supplying, installing and servicing the wellrespected Safeline metal detection systems for the last 20 years. MD Packaging of Markham, Ont., also an industrial equipment distributor, supplies, installs and services a comprehensive range of MettlerToledo equipment throughout Canada, including the popular Hi-Speed checkweighing equipment and, more recently, the CI-Vision automatic vision inspection systems. In fact, both Canadian distributors—Alex E. Jones/Shawpak and MD Packaging—took turns sharing the Mettler Toledo bus over the length of its Canadian tour. “Although this is the first time that the MettlerToledo bus has visited Canada, Mettler-Toledo and MD Packaging have been linked in one form or another for well over 25 years,” says MD Packaging automation specialist Jaime Alboim.

Founded in 1989 by company president Michael Demptser MD Packaging today employees 14 full-time staff and full-time contract sales workers. With food manufacturers accounting for 70 per cent of its business, and pharmaceutical (20 per cent) and general manufacturing for the reminder, MD Packaging claim to be one of Canada’s most progressive supplier of packaging automation technology, according to Alboim, with state-of-the-art equipment supplied by Mettler-Toledo playing a prominent role in the company’s ongoing success.

Add it Up Customers to the bus tour were encouraged to bring their product to the bus and then run it through the functioning machines, so that they can get a better handle on just what it is that Mettler-Toledo’s product inspection equipment can do for them. The tour bus is equipped with eight working stations, situated along the side of the bus interior normally occupied by bench seats, including: • Safeline PowerChek Plus 400 X-Ray inspection system; • Safeline X3301 X-Ray inspector; • Safeline PowerPhasePRO metal detector; • Safeline PowerPhasePRO-Select metal detector; • Safeline Gravity Flow metal detector; • Safeline Pipeline PRO metal detector; • Hi-Speed Cornerstone Beltweigh XS checkweigher; • Hi-Speed Beltweigh XC checkweigher. Alboim says the Canadian tour was made worthwhile within the first couple of days, citing one customer who showed up with his product to run through the Mettler-Toledo on-board workstations. “We found a contaminant in the product that the customer didn’t even know was present,” he relates. “That’s the kind of a positive experience that you just cannot get by watching a video online. Even more importantly, we were able to do stuff With knowledgable staff onboard the bus, customers across Canada received valuable education with real-life demonstration on the virtues of Mettler-Toledo X-Ray and metal detection systems. (Below) An interior view of the Mettler-Toledo bus showcasing product inspection equipment available in Canada through MD Packaging and Alex E. Jones & Associates/Shawpak.

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PRODUCT SAFETY

Sales and Marketing Manager Krystal Darling and President Michael Hahn of Tri-Mach Group in Elmira hosted the inaugural stop of the Mettler-Toledo Canadian bus tour.

with our product inspection machines that they didn’t even know was possible,” Alboim enthuses. “This bus tour is a best-case technical sales call.” The PowerChek Plus 400 uses standard Rockwell Automation Allen-Bradley components and many industry-leading features which enable the X-Ray unit to inspect many products and substrates, including metallized film, bagged and cartoned product, cases, cans, plastic containers and unpackaged bulk products. Launched in the autumn of 2012, the X3301 family of X-Ray offers the same sensitivity as traditional X-Ray units, but using only about one-fifth of the energy to do so. Depending on customer requirements, there are also multiple versions of Safeline’s metal detection technology to suit an expansive application range. The PowerPhase PRO rectangular aperture metal detection system is a nice compact-design, highly-sensitive unit, while the new variable-frequency Select model offers exceptional detection capabilities for working with products with a high saline or moisture content. For its part, the Hi-Speed line of checkweighers is

At the Tri-Mach stop, visitors to the bus received professional instruction and got to try out their own product on various Mettler-Toledo X-Ray and metal detection equipment.

offered in a broad variety of sizes and configurations for handling nearly any type of package size or design at high production line speeds, while ensuring high-precision weighing capabilities to provide accurate product distribution and delivery.

Real Deal “Sure, prospective equipment buyers can scour the Internet and get a lot of excellent information,” Alboim allows, “but there is no substitute for having a customer come face-to-face with a machine to see it perform as required—thereby experiencing first-hand the true value of the technology.” Alboim describes the stopover at the Tri-Mach facility in Elmira, the first of three stops that day, as a perfect Canadian launching pad for the MettlerToledo traveling road show. “We’ve often utilized the design and manufacturing services of Tri-Mach, so we thought they might like to host the first leg of the MettlerToledo Canadian tour,” Alboim relates. Not surprisingly, there was no need for a second invitation.

Appointments Michael Lafave was appointed to the position of Senior Vice President, Containerboard/Packaging and Recycling for Kruger Inc. earlier this summer. He is responsible for the overall activities of Kruger’s 100% recycled linerboard and specialties facility in Montreal (Place Turcot), their corrugated packaging plants in Brampton and LaSalle, and the various recycling operations of the group. He is based in Montreal. Mr. Lafave has been with Kruger since 1999 and has worked in various roles within Kruger’s Publication Papers sector, including Vice President, Newsprint Sales. Since November 2008, Michael held the position of Senior Vice President, Supply Management for Kruger Inc. Derek Gracias was appointed to the position of General Manager – Packaging Sales, for Kruger Inc. in May 2013. He is responsible for corrugated packaging sales at their facilities located in Brampton, ON, and LaSalle, QC. Mr. Gracias has been with Kruger since 2009 in the role of Sales Manager. Prior to joining Kruger, he worked in Sales Management, Corporate Sales, Account Management and Customer Service roles within the packaging industry.

“When Jaime first proposed the bus tour to us, welcomed the opportunity to make Tri-Mach Group the first stop,” recalls Tri-Mach’s sales and marketing manager Krystal Darling. “We promptly contacted our customers and invited them to come and see the equipment and to try it out themselves to see first-hand if any of the MettlerToledo brands can provide a service for them,” says Darling, adding that Tri-Mach and MD Packaging have enjoyed a mutually beneficial symbiotic business relationship for well over a year, with product inspection system expertise providing a strong foundation for the companies’ affinity for each other. Located about a 70-minute drive northwest of Toronto, Tri-Mach boasts 28 years of experience in supplying innovative, high-quality turnkey solutions to the food-and-beverage and pharmaceutical industries across Canada. “Tri-Mach Group’s reputation is the key to our success,” states Darling. “The name is built on a commitment to food safety, personal service and top-quality manufacturing.” Adds Alboim: “The Mettler-Toledo product inspection demo bus provides a convenient hands-on training opportunity for processors and packagers to gain specific knowledge about how to limit product waste and contamination in their plant. “It’s a win-win situation for everybody, which provides a better way to educate the visitors by letting them see in person what these inspection systems can do for them.” Mettler-Toledo’s Crowley full-heartedly agrees: “For Mettler-Toledo, innovation is the key to our success. “The road tour has always been an extremely favorable undertaking for Mettler-Toledo because people love the convenience of having equipment demonstrated right at their facility, and we are using it this year as an innovative way to continue building on our past success in Canada.”

For More Information: Mettler-Toledo Inc. MD Packaging Alex E. Jones & Associates Ltd./Shawpak Systems Ltd. Tri-Mach Group Inc. Rockwell Automation Inc

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CANADIAN PACKAGING • SEPTEMBER 2013

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CONTRACT PACKAGING

HAPPY CO-EXISTENCE A trio of promises kept helps turn a humble Toronto co-packer into a North American destination for brand owners looking for a winning retail solution ANDREW JOSEPH, FEATURES EDITOR PHOTOGRAPHY: COLE GARSIDE

inding out you received a ‘D’ on your high school report card would never be considered anything to be proud of, but for one west-end Toronto company, successfully achieving three D’s means a job well done for both itself and for its customers. Co-Pak Packaging Corp., is one of North America’s premier co-packing firms, providing co-packing and display solutions to well-known and well-respected partners throughout Canada and the U.S.—but doing so in a defining manner that seems to separate it from the competition. Co-Pak Packaging was founded in 1999 by Roy Whiston, a businessman who has led both private and public companies in Canada, but possesses a diverse business skill set that combined with hardwork once led him to build his own 80-foot pirate ship—but rather than plunder the main, he used it to cater to the tourist trade as a popular destination down in South America. Perhaps preferring to be the captain of his own destiny, Whiston along with business partner Mike Shriqui have created Co-Pak Packaging to be something more than a company that will simply re-package product, instead establishing a business that is not only a preferred destination for customers—many in the Fortune 500 circle—seeking copacking work and more, but as an environment where people enjoy coming in to work. “Co-Pak is the co-packing, display and supply chain partner of choice to some of Canada’s leading national and multi-national brands,” Co-Pak president Whiston told Canadian Packaging magazine during a recent visit to their spotless 150,000-square-foot facility. “We have developed great partnerships with our customers because we have a 100 per cent commitment to the end result through quality, integrity and teamwork.” “It’s an end result that focuses on the product’s performance in-store. “To get to that result, it starts with the first call and involves the gathering of details and a vision of what success needs to look like. For us, success does not simply end with the last delivery of product,” says Whiston, “but rather our job extends out, with the client defining the best solution for the product’s performance in-store. “It’s my belief that it’s this dedication to the customer and passion for doing the job well, that both drives the Co-Pak team, and separates us from

28 • WWW.CANADIANPACKAGING.COM

Co-Pak Packaging’s co-owner Mike Shriqui (left) and coowner and President Roy Whiston stand in front of their 150,000-square-foot facility in Toronto’s west-end.

others in the industry.” A heady boast indeed, but Whiston and Shriqui not only have the self-confidence to back it up, they possess 50 full-time employees—120 when it gets extra busy—who have bought into the company ethos of ‘quality, integrity and teamwork’.

All for One “All of us at Co-Pak—and I mean all of us—are committed to rolling up our sleeves and doing whatever is necessary to ensure every job gets done properly and on time,” explains Shriqui, “regardless of the complexity, difficulty or time constraints.” The co-packing aspect has been the main focus of the company since its inception, performing yeoman’s duty for a vast array of clientele involved in such industries as: pharmaceutical, food & beverage, technology, QSR (quick service restaurants), health and beauty, business supplies and home improvement. According to Whiston, when the company first started out, it followed the typical co-packer path, simply taking four or five products, placing them in a box and doing it well. “But, we quickly found out that the reason copackers exist is because the customer is stretched— either physically for space, by time constraints, available equipment or shortages of manpower and that they could actually use more help from Co-Pak, than us merely stuffing a box,” Whiston adds. For Co-Pak Packaging that meant becoming more involved in the full logistics of the co-packing project—and helping them alleviate many of those

Two examples of retail-ready displays defined, designed and delivered by Co-Pak Packaging and its d3 concept.

nagging details that can quickly derail an otherwise successful project: arranging the delivery of products from various suppliers to then putting it all together, and then arranging warehousing or transportation of the finished product to a distribution center or directly to the retail f loor. “We aim to alleviate many of these potential painpoints,” exclaims Shriqui. “We take the logistics hassle away from our customers so that they can concentrate on their own high-level activities.” For the Co-Pak Packaging customer, that special logistics aspect could include anything from budgeting to in-store merchandising and how to make everything run like clockwork and become a key part of a customer’s business. Co-Pak Packaging operates in a huge facility,

CANADIAN PACKAGING • SEPTEMBER 2013

CONTRACTING CONTRACT PACKAGING PACKAGING

Workers at Co-Pak Packaging wrap and seal coffee cups and lids for a co-packing promotion for one of its customers utilizing plastic film supplied by long-time supplier Canpaco Inc.

Using film from Canpaco, an Orion palletwrapper quickly wraps a skid of Sapporo beer.

with 50,000 square feet devoted to production and assembly, and the bulk of the remainder earmarked for warehousing. “Being involved in supply chain management is something we are quite proud off,” suggests Whiston, “but in order to solve the challenges of

goods until it is required somewhere else. Shriqui explains that “Co-Pak’s adaptive supply chain solutions are always based on thinking that best blends its experience, insights and capabilities with our partners’ supply chain infrastructure. “We work within the customer’s system, which

the customer, we need to provide a wide range of services, be f lexible in the depth of the services provided, and then do it all well. Even once the co-packing is complete, Co-Pak isn’t necessarily done in its role, as it also provides access to ambient or refrigerated warehousing, storing finished

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CONTRACT PACKAGING is what makes a successful program or campaign.” The latest initiative from Co-Pak Packaging that further separates it from the competition is its new d3 business unit, dedicated to providing product display solutions. “Although we had been doing it for years and only officially came up with a unique brand name and identity for it earlier this year, we have been performing d3 duty a long time, and we do it well,” explains Whiston, noting that “there is a huge jump in complexity from putting things in boxes to providing effective product display solutions.” According to Whiston, almost from the beginning, the company became involved in design when customers began asking for advice on packaging and display details. And, whether accidentally or on purpose, Co-Pak Packaging seemed to have within its own coffers a plethora of people with great design skills and instore merchandising knowledge, relates Whiston, “and soon enough we began to sit at a different table with our customers, and began to really develop packaging and display options with them.”

Cost Factor Feedback provided on packaging with the intent of making the co-packing process more efficient has not just led to packaging savings for its customers, but also co-packing efficiencies that netted lower revenues for Co-Pak Packaging. “We’re okay with this,” admits Whiston. “We want to build long-term partnerships with our customers. As a partner, we want to look for ways to increase their retail presence, their shopper connections and ultimately their ROI (return on investment); to add an overall business value and not just deliver a one-off display program or promotional package.” Co-Pack Packaging is now bringing thought leadership into the equation, says Whiston, whereby d3 will custom ‘define’, ‘design’ and ‘deliver’—the 3 d’s—any type of retail product display to effectively showcase products. “With d3, we give our partners’ products the competitive edge to win at retail by driving sales growth through strong shopper connections,” notes Shriqui. The d3 team seeks to collaborate with its partners, with one eye on providing innovative display solutions and the other eye on product business results. Shriqui says they source, measure and discover retail insights from across all retail channels— insights on both retailers and shoppers across Canada and the U.S., that will help its partners better sell their products and win at retail. The journey to the retail f loor is rife with details, and having a team with years of experience has been key to Co-Pak by knowing: • how displays actually get shipped or delivered; • how they get set-up in-store; • where displays can go in-store; • how they are merchandised; • how different retailer’s shoppers actually shop their stores—being aware of their shopping purpose, preferences, restrictions, opportunities, etc. “We know that when it comes right down to it, in-store product displays have only a split-second to present a captivating proposition along with their products to convert a shopper to a purchaser,” relates Shriqui. “It’s why we start our process with the end-result in mind—preparing products for display, with display designs that deliver ROI to our partners.”

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Because a d3 solution always begins with a thorough needs-assessment, defining—the first d— the product and its role fully and early on helps d3 be the best possible advocates for the product and the partner. “Simply put, time spent defining the task can head-off surprises and lead to stronger retail success,” mentions Whiston. With regards to design of the display, the second of the three d’s, the key thought taken into every job is that the design must translate into success not just at retail, but all the way to the retail f loor where product and display meets the shopper. Says Shriqui: “Thanks to a strong foundation of understanding via define, we are able to design practical real-world solutions that relate to strength, stability, durability, ease of transport, assembly and then blend in impactful consumer relevant creative. “When we design-in intelligent solutions, we design-out the headaches.” The last, but certainly not least important ‘d’ in d3 is ‘deliver’, which means presenting f lawless execution, attention to details, hands-on management and on-time delivery, everything that Shriqui says Co-Pak had already been passionate about. “The result is a competitive edge for our customer to win within their retail environment by driving sales growth through strong shopper connections,” he says adding that from concepts

Trays of beer packed for a special promotion by Co-Pak Packaging are sealed with plastic film from Canpaco before passing through a heat tunnel to create a sealed tray-pack.

Co-Pak Packaging uses a Videojet 1210 inkjet coder to apply lot code data to the outside walls of corrugated trays.

CANADIAN PACKAGING • SEPTEMBER 2013

CONTRACT PACKAGING through to performance at retail, d3 understands that success ultimately means product sales for their customers—it must deliver an acceptable ROI. Along with the keen thoughtful thorough process that helps avoid problems before they can crop up, Co-Pak still has to do the production line work, and although much of the work is labor intensive, top of the line equipment is required to do the job. During the visit to the Co-Pak Packaging facility, Canadian Packaging observed a few examples of machinery: • Videojet 1210—applies lot code data to trays of product; • Orion palletwrapper; • Wepackit carton erector/sealer/encoder; • RBS sleeve wrapper; • ARPAC shrink wrapper; • CHEP pallets While Co-Pak’s in-house equipment is nothing to sneeze at, Whiston says any shortcomings are made up by its long friendship with Canpaco Inc. Headquartered in Woodbridge immediately north of Toronto, with an office in St. Laurent, Que. near Montreal, Canpaco is a supplier of any type of packaging, packaging equipment, or packaging-related material, for sale, lease or rent, all the while supplying packaging solutions that work. According to Canpaco president Robert Appel, “We assist Co-Pak Packaging with equipment rentals and will suggest ways to help with any difficult projects.”

problem-solver and co-operative right-hand resource partner will foster loyalty and win out long-term with their customers. “It might seem hokey, but that’s how we have been running our business since the beginning,” explains Shriqui. “And although we have grown, we still maintain that our customers know we aren’t a faceless entity.” In fact, Whiston takes things a bit further, suggesting: “Co-Pak as a name doesn’t properly define what we do anymore—but d3 does.” According to Co-Pak Packaging, d3 is likened to a highly committed and intelligent friend, providing an empathetic and creative approach to bettering the life, brands and products of its customers. “This is, in essence, d3’s unique proposition,” explains Whiston. “It’s a business concept that is unique to the industry, unique to our partners— but it’s not something unique to us.

“It’s a methodology of what we believe is right, and is how we conduct ourselves and what we expect of those who make up our team. “It is,” sums up Whiston, “who we are, and how we go about our business day in and day out. “We’re committed to doing things properly for our partners to help them be successful.”

For More Information: Co-Pak Packaging Corp. Videojet Technologies Canada Orion Packaging Systems Wepackit Inc. RBS Equipment Designs Ltd. ARPAC LLC CHEP Canpaco Inc. Intertape Ploymer Group

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Quick Response Whiston, however, says this relationship goes beyond that: “Our service necessitates that we be quick and agile, and as such we need partners who can support us by reacting the same way. “Canpaco has consistently delivered for us, with Robert Appel loyal to us, and us to them—we believe in loyalty—in relationships and partnerships.” As well, Canpaco also supplies various films for packaging and shrinkwrapping, including a high performance, biodegradable OXO -Biodegradable pallet wrap, that helps comply with Co-Pack’s insistence of working as green as possible. According to Appel, the pallet wrap manufactured by IPG (Intertape Polymer Group) reduces the amount of plastic being added to landfills. “The OXO-Biodegradable pal let wrap—with its green tinge—is 100 per cent recyclable, and since it has the ability to quickly biodegrade into carbon once in soil, it does not contaminate the recycling stream,” explains Appel. Co-Pak’s Shriqui acknowledges that keeping on top of the company’s commitment to sustainability is paramount, and that it fully recycles all paper, corrugate and plastic materials. Within the co-packing industry, there is a lot of competition, but for Co-Pak, the key has been to not be a factory, but rather to look after the customer first. Co-Pak believes that being an active

Buy Direct! Now you caN!

Canpaco and CPP form a vertically integrated organization that allows you to source paper and plastic packaging direct. Our 80,000 square foot paper converting operation in St. Laurent, Quebec and our 63,000 square foot plastics facility in Woodbridge, Ontario make us both highly competitive on price and fully equipped to be your JIT best service provider. Our customers profit from a vendor managed inventory program combined with stock and release capabilities for unmatched distribution and logistics services. You’ll never regret making Canpaco and CPP your supply chain partners. Call today: 905-771-7791 or 514-333-4040. Email us at info@canpaco.com or info@cppinc.com

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SEPTEMBER 2013

BABY STEPS TO PACKAGING SATISFACTION

very new stage of life seems to bring new packaging preferences. Having recently become a mother, I’ve discovered how important it is to be able to open packages one-handed. In this respect, the President’s Choice Ultra Shake meal replacement drink does not meet my needs. It’s great to be able to squeeze in a quick calorie boost when I’m too busy to eat, but the fact that I have to set the baby down because I need both hands to open the bottle is not. The plastic wrapper spins around the bottle—making it impossible to get a grip even using both hands—so I often resort to using a rubber glove to wrench the top off. With these drinks also consumed by those who are ill or elderly, it really seems bizarre that the packaging for a one-stop meal replacement fails to live up to the easy-to-open design logic such a product clearly requires.

One of the first purchases we needed to make for the baby was a Vitamin D supplement, which is recommended by many pediatricians to start using from birth. Produced in Canada by Jamieson Laboratories, the Jamieson Baby-D vitamin D3 droplets are as easy as child’s play to use. Whereas other formulations require an eye dropper full of liquid to be aimed into the open mouth of a crying baby, the Jamieson product deploys a precision single-drop dispenser to enable me to just put a small drop on our baby’s pacifier and pop it in his mouth, with none the wiser.

The proliferation of baby items these days can be overwhelming for many new parents. Manufactured

by Johnson & Johnson, Aveeno Baby is such a well-known brand of baby bath and skin-care products that one could expect it to be a quick ‘go-to’ destination for making snap decisions in the store aisle. Instead, I found it difficult to distinguish between the three different sub-brands. Thinking I bought the Eczema Care Body Wash recommended by a friend, I was surprised to discover that I instead purchased Aveeno Soothing Relief Creamy Wash, which I can only guess is not as effective for eczema. The only difference, apart from the long brand name, is a change in font color from light blue to dark blue and, in case of yet another ambiguous brand extension, to violet.

Even consumers who never bought anything in the baby aisle probably have a clear mental picture of classic baby product packaging. In my case, the Gerber baby featured on the Heinz Farley’s Biscuits formula does the trick perfectly with a beautifully rendered illustration of a happy baby and child joyfully basking in gentle light. The two are unified by an eye-pleasing color scheme that uses the three primaries: big brother in sky-blue and baby sister in brilliant pink beaming off the happy yellow background. There’s a soft glow around the edges of all the graphic elements projecting a sense of serenity—a nice touch of reassurance for parents about to introduce their babies to solid food for the first time.

In contrast, the Ella’s kitchen super smooth puree provides a strikingly contemporary take on feeding babies—packaged in single-serving stand-up pouches outfitted with little spouts that go directly

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R.S. No. ADVERTISERS’ INDEX Page 117 ABB Robotics 23 103 Atlantic Packaging Products Ltd 2 114 Balluff 19 101 Bosch Rexroth Canada IFC 125 Canadian Corrugated and Containerboard Association 32 123 Canpaco 31 120 Co-Pak Packaging Corp. 27 111 Domino Printing Solutions 11 132 Eriez Manufacturing Co. 39 104 Farm Credit Canada 4 118 Flexlink 25 109 Fortress Technology Inc. 13 122 Harlund Industries Ltd. 29 116 J.W.Winco Canada 22 105 Krones Machinery Inc 5 119 Kruger 26 112 Multivac Canada 17 111 PDC International 14 124 QuickLabel Systems 33 110,115 Robert Reiser & Co. Inc. 14, 21 108,113 Salbro Bottle Inc. 12, 18 107 SEW-Eurodrive Co. of Canada 9 134 Unisource Canada Inc. 34 121 VC999 Packaging 29 102 VideoJet Technologies Canada 1 106 Weighpack Systems 7

into the baby’s mouth at feeding time. Decorated with whimsical graphics in kid-friendly bold colors, hand-written fonts and cartoon depictions of fruits and vegetables, the adorable pouches feature tongue-in-cheek, first-person style instruction along the lines of, ‘Hello, I’m 100% pureed fruit and veggies,’ to put the parent’s mind at ease. While our baby isn’t quite ready to feed himself with this product—having too much fun just squeezing and biting the edges—it’s just a matter of time before he grasps exactly how the food comes out of this package.

Having heard about Gymboree bubble oodles from some fellow moms as a much-coveted item because the sugar-based solution doesn’t sting when a bubble pops in baby’s eyes, I was excited to finally track down a set myself. Surprisingly, this most appealing feature of the product is not mentioned anywhere on the packaging, which seems like a wasted opportunity for tooting one’s horn, and the product seems to be guilty of some complex overpackaging. There’s a stand for the wand and the bottle that serves as a tray for the solution, and you have to pour out a small amount of solution in order to dip the wand, because the wand does not fit inside the mouth of the bottle. I’m really puzzled about the logic of turning what should be a one-piece item—a wand inside a bottle—into a three-component package that makes it all too easy to lose one of the pieces. Maybe it’s an attempt to make it look like a premium product, but from a practical perspective, this is one package that probably could have done more with less. Julie Saunders is a freelance writer based in Toronto.

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Photos By Julie Saunders

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Photos By Julie Saunders

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