Play your cardboard right

GARTHWEST

Understanding the requirements of the fresh produce sector as well as the retail environment is the key to developing a successful range of industry-specific solutions in paper-based packaging, according to Garthwest’s managing director, Angus West.

A family-run business, Garthwest has specialised in producing corrugated packaging for the produce market since its launch in 1964, and is now run by sons Angus, Lindsay and Raffan.

“Our mother came from a family of market gardeners”, says Angus, “so we have always had an inherent understanding of, and interest in, the specific requirements and issues faced by the fresh produce sector.”

Having established itself as the largest independent box plant in the UK, Garthwest now manufactures more than 1.5 million corrugated cases per week alongside a range of solid board box products.

Lindsay, the company’s sales and marketing director, claims that corrugated packaging companies are enjoying the effects of an international shift in packaging requirements. “As Europe has begun to move away from petro-chemical based packing and back to paper-based packaging products, there has been a corresponding increase in the demand for paper-based products which can meet the requirements of automated pack-houses and match the robustness of plastic crate and tray systems,” he says.

Having the capacity to offer automated solutions has proven essential, he explains. “On-site gluing solutions are increasingly becoming the choice for the fresh produce sector, providing them with a rapid response service for their customers at cost effective prices.”

As the sole agent for TECO machinery in the UK and Ireland, Garthwest is able to provide customers with an in-house packaging solution that can bring substantial savings in both labour costs and production time. “As an added benefit, the Teco range of machinery is compact in design, and can fit comfortably into the most limited production areas,” says Lindsay.

Another change has been an increased drive for RRP (Retail Ready Packaging) within the fresh produce sector, he claims. “Garthwest has been working closely with suppliers and retailers to tailor solutions that give both a cost-effective yet design-robust solution. The main aim is to develop a unit that will fit both a product and shelving system without compromising on cost or visual presentation when in-store.”

Internet specific packaging products are becoming increasingly prominent within the fresh produce sector as more and more producers tailor their product for direct-to-customer website sales, according to Lindsay.

“After a tentative start we are seeing consumers becoming increasingly confident about using and placing orders over the internet,” he says. “At Garthwest we can supply both affordable, low quantity ‘off the peg’ solutions for start-up businesses, and tailor-made solutions for larger ventures. Either way, the internet is opening up a whole host of business opportunities that were not available before its arrival.”

With a full in-house design department Garthwest provides both structural and graphic solutions. “It is important to have a full technical understanding of both board grades and manufacturing methods when creating RRP solutions,” says Angus.

The company’s Go! Design division was established more than 10 years ago and designs and manufactures award winning POS and in-store marketing materials for a wide customer base, including Universal Studios and Sony Pictures, according to Lindsay. “Over 70 per cent of retail purchasing choices are actually decided in-store, so therefore reinforcing your message where it really counts, at the point of sale, can be a crucial part of any product or brand marketing strategy,” he says. “Our creative agency works with the customer to design an impactful in-store marketing campaign, and to ensure that when your product arrives in the retail environment the customer knows that it is there and buys it.’

FEFCO

RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) will change the face of the supply chain, and the corrugated packaging industry must be prepared, according to the European Federation of Corrugated Board Manufacturers (FEFCO).

With about 75 billion corrugated boxes being produced every year, the industry should be seen as a major facilitator in the implementation of RFID, it says.

Corrugated packaging has an advantage over other forms since it is not re-used, because RFID-tags cannot be replaced and the technology cannot be changed once it is fitted into a re-usable box.

Since corrugated boxes can have a tag for a specific purpose, they offer much more flexibility for such a system, says FEFCO.

The federation’s board launched the RFID-Impact group last year to assess the practicalities of using the technology and establishing industry-wide standards.

According to FEFCO, corrugated packaging is also superior to other forms of packaging which are marketed as re-usable for environmental reasons:

• It is made from natural and renewable resources and is 100 per cent recyclable, containing no significant levels of dangerous chemicals. Since recycled packaging is the first raw material source in the manufacture of corrugated packaging, the volume of trees required is continually being reduced.

• It doesn’t require transportation for re-filling and offers good stacking and space utilisation, optimising the use of trucks, which contribute most significantly to carbon dioxide emissions.

• It offers a clean and hygienic new container each time, limiting the contamination problems sometimes associated with reuse of packaging for short shelf-life foods.

The federation has recently conducted a study in France on the ‘transport issue’ of fresh produce: assessing the number of trucks on the road and the consequences from both an environmental and economical point of view.

According to Olivier Draullette, development manager of ONDEF, the French Corrugated Manufacturers Association, one retailer managed to save 15 per cent on the cost of apples by transporting them in a corrugated tray rather than a plastic crate. “One of the most interesting factors in this study is the standard sizes of plastic crates,” says Draullette. “Using a limited choice of crate sizes means that one has to transport a lot of ‘air’ as it is impossible to maximise the use of a crate for both apples and grapefruits for example. Costs in these cases will go up by 15, 16, and sometimes as much as 25 to 30 per cent for countries such as Spain, Italy or France, which export this fresh produce.

“Obviously the longer the distance between producers and retailers, the more expensive the plastic crate becomes. When we compare the whole of the logistics chain it becomes evident that in order to transport the same quantity of fresh produce, 60 to 100 per cent more trucks are necessary to move the plastic crates.”

Draulette says the reasons for this are threefold: one truck is needed to deliver flat corrugated trays to a producer whereas three trucks are needed to deliver the same number of empty plastic trays; three trucks are needed to deliver the same amount of fresh produce transported in plastic crates that could be delivered in corrugated crates using two trucks; and in terms of recycling, one truck can transport around 5,000 folded plastic crates of 40,000 corrugated trays compressed into paper bales.

FoPDA AWARDS

A novelty-shaped salad carton was recently named winner of this year’s Food Packaging Design Awards (FoPDA) in Helsinki, Finland.

The FoPDA is a competition for students of selected art and design universities and schools in Europe, Asia and the US, jointly organized by packaging company Stora Enso and Helsinki’s University of Art and Design.

The theme of FoPDA 2005 was ‘mobile meals’. In reflection of the widespread modern ‘eating-on-the-go’ mentality, students were asked to ‘rethink’ carton packaging for takeaway meals.

Andra Sapec from the Ljubljana Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Slovenia dazzled the judges with his functional, convenient and aesthetic salad carton, according to jury chairman and professor of graphic design in Helsinki, Tapio Vapaasalo.

“The salad carton concept submitted by Andraz Sapec shows how traditional carton packaging can be rethought,” he says.

“The idea is highly usable, almost ready to produce. The carton is spacious yet compact and simple to use. The concept focus is firmly on enjoying the food.”

“We were looking for a new idea rather than a complete product,” Vapaasalo continues. “Although the 10 best entries were easy to select, the winner was outstanding. Each of the awarded entries used paperboard material in a fresh and exciting way.”

Sapec was awarded e3,000 for his design from the panel, consisting of various senior members of Stora Enso and university staff, as well as the global packaging co-ordinator of Unilever Foods, Graham Houlder.

After eight years of studying art and design, Sapec has developed a strong interest in packaging design, he says. “Packaging is the first thing that a consumer sees, it is seen before the subject that it contains inside, so it absolutely must be attractive.”

Sapec says while his design is versatile and applicable to a number of products, he chose salad because of its healthy appeal and connotations of leisure time: “I have designed the package as a picnic basket, having tried to achieve a pleasant experience of a picnic in the city - a moment of peace and quiet, or tranquility if you like, in an otherwise busy and stressful day.”

The design uses minimal amounts of material, has a simple shape which can be constructed easily, and the fork attachment doubles as a handle, he claims.

According to Sapec paperboard is an efficient packaging material for several reasons: “It is an inexpensive material, lightweight and practical for different types of folded packages. Also, a considerable toughness and resistance can be achieved using proper folding.”

Sanna Heiskanen, marketing communications officer at Stora Enso, says the aim of the competition was to improve existing food-packaging solutions and to identify new applications for paperboard in food packaging.

“Innovativeness is the key criteria in the evaluation of entries,” says Heiskanen. “The winning designs must also be functional, cost-effective, environmentally friendly and suitable for commercial food packaging and production.

“We hope that Andra enjoys his success and perhaps considers paperboard packaging design an interesting area to pursue in the future.”

Heiskanen said the competition provided a good opportunity to connect with the design world in creating successful new packaging concepts.

Stora Enso manufactures a wide range of packaging boards for all food applications. Heiskanen said its Trayforma range of barrier polymer-coated boards were especially suitable for fresh products.

PIRA INTERNATIONAL

Packaging will be a hot topic in July, with two conferences scheduled for the first week of the month.

On July 5 and 6 Pira International will be holding the world’s first global emerging packaging markets conference as well as another on Biodegradable Plastics in Packaging Applications.

The first event is being held at the Ramada Plaza Hotel in London Gatwick and will include case studies, analysis and trend predictions, in presentations from leading companies, such as Kappa Packaging, Unilever and IBM.

“The conference takes place at an exciting time for foreign investors in emerging markets,” says Pira International marketing executive Tim Warren. “As large FMCG brands move into developing countries around the world, the demand for western packaging expertise has never been higher.

“Twenty presentations over two days will cover issues including the opportunities and challenges in emerging packaging markets, when is a good time to invest and China’s growth prospects after WTO accession.”

Meanwhile, the second event will be held at Pira International’s headquarters in Leatherhead, Surrey.

It will feature presentations offering a range of perspectives on the use of the complex materials in packaging, from companies such as Tesco, Arla Foods and Huhtamaki.

The programme will address issues such as the migration to biodegradable materials from mainstream materials, food contact compliance issues and how developments in starch based polymers could affect the market.

Warren says: “The market for ‘green’ packaging has never been healthier. Growing consumer demand for ecologically sound options and advances in plastics technology mean this is the perfect time for retailers, packaging converters and suppliers of materials to be looking to the future.

“However, there are many questions still to be answered regarding practical uses, profitability and whether they really are the environmentally friendly choice.”