Flexible equipment is an important component in a packaging industry that continues to work with new materials, pack styles and formats, marketers say.
“Traditional packaging equipment is very flexible, and nearly every box plant can meet the needs of today’s producers,” said Michael Hayford, area general manager Atlanta-based Georgia-Pacific’s GP Corrugated.
As demand for consumer-ready packaging grows, the most important adaptation to consider is “high graphics,” Hayford said.
“Today’s box plants are able to create packaging that is incredibly smooth on the outside due to the way the flutes are constructed,” he said. “Graphics really stand out on a smooth surface, giving them a greater impact.”
There is a challenge in that not all sustainable packaging options “act like plastic,” and many existing machines have to be adapted to accept new materials, said Sara Lozano, manager of marketing and product development with Watsonville, Calif.-based Sambrailo Packaging.
And when one hurdle is cleared, another is waiting, Lozano said.
“We have adapted some of our basket denesting machines to accept our ReadyCycle baskets; with this, of course, comes new challenges to innovate and adapt our processes,” she said.
Atlanta-based packaging manufacturer WestRock’s mandrel-form system can overcome “limitations to traditional equipment in terms of capitalizing on fiber efficiencies pushing innovation,” said John Huston, WestRock’s business unit sales manager.
“That is, in essence, why our mandrel-form platform is so appealing to customers; we provide the foundation to introduce innovative designs that optimize the package through both size and fiber reduction,” he said.
McAllen, Texas-based Fox Packaging and its sister company, Fox Solutions, work together to develop equipment that adapts to material and packaging designs for different commodities, said Victoria Lopez, marketing representative with Fox Packaging.
“For example, our FSPB2 Pouch bagger can pack various dimensions, supports weights up to 5 pounds and is gentle enough to handle even apples or avocados,” she said.
On the “conversion side of flexible packaging,” there are material properties that impact manufacturing tools and speeds, Lopez said.
“This inspires continued innovative solutions that have proved improved energy consumption and reduced scrap rates,” she said.
Union Gap, Wash.-based Kwik Lok Corp. has innovated, as well, developing its Eco-Lok closure, made with starch from potatoes and corn, said Karen Reed, marketing and communications director.
“This closure was developed to provide a sustainable alternative that will run as well in our closing machines as our traditional closure,” she said.
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