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Packaging innovation explored at TPC

The first full day of presentations at The Packaging Conference includes details on the Absolut Unique vodka project, digital package printing, and PET recycling initiatives.

Pw 50831 Absolut Unique Group White

Emerging innovations in packaging—among them the technology behind the Absolut Unique project, opportunities in digital package printing, and initiatives around PET recycling—took center stage at The Packaging Conference 2013, the sixth annual event sponsored by Plastic Technologies, Inc. and consultancy SBA-CCI, Inc. The event was held Feb. 4-6 at The Ritz-Carlton in Atlanta, and was developed to “motivate the audience, stimulate discussions, and introduce packaging innovations not yet released to the public.”

The first full-day’s agenda covered a range of topics, some very technical in nature and some with more of a marketing bent. The event was promoted being resin-, process-, and platform-neutral; this was evidenced by the speakers, who touched on a range of packaging materials, including glass, metal, and plastic, and on subjects around sustainability and logistics.

Absolut innovation
The day opened with a presentation by Fredrik Källqvist, development manager glass Sweden & Denmark, for Ardagh Group, who walked the 200-plus attendees through the development details of the Absolut Unique decoration project, in which 4 million unique Absolut bottles were created for a special promotion for the vodka maker. “It was a first for Ardagh and the industry,” he told the audience. “We were challenged at every step in the process.”

The technology developed to create the bottles involved 16 colors, a system of seven spray guns controlled by a PLC program, a number of bottle mixing stages, including a specially designed machine that combined three pallets into one, and software that scrambled the bottle numbers during printing, among others. The end result was a possible 94 quintillion possible combinations, Källqvist noted.

The bottles were sold in more than 80 markets, and the project was one of Absolut’s most successful promotions. “The customer trusted Ardagh to do this,” said Källqvist. “We were able to convey the passion for the project.”

Opportunities in digital
From CL&D Printing, company president Bob Scherer gave a glimpse at the opportunities available through digital package printing, which he revealed will take a leap forward in the next several weeks with the introduction of a 29.5-in.-wide press from HP Indigo. “This is huge in that marketplace,” he noted.

In his presentation, Scherer presented a number of applications where the unique capabilities of digital printing have provided both quality and cost benefits. Among them, L’Oreal has used the process to print high-quality labels in runs of 150,000 to 200,000 for children’s personal care products, at 80% less cost than traditional printing. Personal care products maker Kiss My Face, with more than 200 SKUs, used digital to bring short runs of new items to market more economically. “Digital was the safe bet for new products,” says Sherer. And, in three weeks, the new 29.5-in. technology will be used in the Atlanta area for a special sheetfed paperboard project.

Scherer’s advice around digital printing: “The question should be ‘How could we?’ not ‘Why can’t we.’”

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