Much ado about miniatures By Andy Knaggs
Producing and packaging gift packs and hampers of alcoholic tasters calls for flexible machinery, automated processes and quick job changeovers, as well as attractive packaging.
full-size bottle, advent calendars
protection and promotion.” The
entire range of products in smaller
which come in automated
can lend itself to the uncertain
tunnel) versions, are able to
Packaging Systems’ managing
and can produce a high-quality
allow brands to showcase their
manufacturer’s L Sealer machines,
‘taster’ bottles or miniatures, which
and combination (with shrink
shopper,” observes Yorkshire
operate with both types of film,
director Glyn Johnson.
shrink wrap, ideal for wrapping
He adds, “Spirit advent calendars
presentation of the product is
retail or multi-packs where the
and gift sets make new demands
critical.
within. Yorkshire Packaging
Investing in automation
drinks firms with robust, durable
machines for bottle filling, capping
we start thinking about festive gifts
protect products during transit,
is increased demand for drinks
uncle or hard-to-please mother-
But these new display applications
executive Ciaran Dickson says
always goes down well is a bottle
packaging, requiring high gloss,
lot of investment still happening
this is a sector of the drinks and
improve the attractiveness of
needing to quickly upscale in order
developing in interesting ways, with
Drinks needed for retail displays,
from very manual processes to
and advent calendars calling for
need a shrink film layer to act as a
packaging, quick changeovers,
the perforated cardboard doors
über-trend throughout all areas
to quality assurance, without
unintended recipients.”
manufacturing. Increasingly, this
Accordingly, YPS is seeing a shift
collaborative robots (or “cobots”),
films, and says the latter offers
packaging lines through the use of
of the packaging they are housed Systems has traditionally supplied
Advanced Dynamics, which sells
It’s that time of year again when
and thick polythene films to
and labelling, agrees that there
and what to buy for that difficult
particularly for heavy glass bottles.
miniatures and gift sets, and sales
in-law. A perennial favourite that
turn the tide on traditional drinks
that because of this “there is a
of booze to suit their tastes, and
pristine presentation films to
within the industry, with companies
drinks packaging industries that is
packs for point-of-sale purposes.
to fulfil this demand, often going
products such as gift hampers
especially advent calendars, also
automation pretty quickly.”
flexibility in manufacturing and
tamper-evident barrier, preventing
Automation is of course the
and complete commitment
from being opened by any
of packaging and, indeed,
compromise on productivity.
trend extends to robotics and
“Where once an alcoholic present
from polythene to polyolefin
which are bringing efficiency to
the purchase of one expensive
the “perfect balance between
lightweight, adaptable articulated
could be a risky decision, involving
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