Supplier Side
Blister Package Addresses Retailers’ Demands for Sustainability
J&J Packaging (Sunman, IN) has developed a trapped blister card to help companies meet the sustainability requirements of retailers such as Wal-Mart.
According to J&J Packaging, SuSTANDable eliminates the need for the oversized plastic clamshells that are typically used to reduce pilferage in the mass market. The package is designed to be more theft-resistant while at the same time reducing the amount of plastic used in a typical clamshell.
The package’s trapped blister design means that the blister is encased between two sheets of paperboard. This makes it difficult for customers to open the package without destroying it. The package also features specially designed perforations that make it difficult to tear open.
For sustainability, the card can be made from 100% recyclable material. It also ships flat, reducing the number of trucks needed for shipping and thus reducing emissions.
Another benefit that SuSTANDable offers is flexibility of display. In addition to being able to be hung, the package has a bottom that can fold out, allowing the blister card to stand up on a shelf or a counter like an easel.
“It’s a simple design, but nobody’s done it,” says Bill Morgan, J&J Packaging’s vice president of marketing. He says that J&J Packaging considered Wal-Mart’s sustainability initiatives—such as its packaging scorecard to be implemented in February 2008—when designing the package. He adds that trapped blister packaging has long been used in the market, but that most designs are oversized, don’t feature a stand-up design, and offer little protection against pilferage.
The SuSTANDable package is patent-pending. J&J Packaging said that it expected the package to be used by several major consumer product companies this fall.
Anomatic Awarded by Seaquist
Pictured from left to right: Mary M. Sieger, Seaquist Closures; Scott Rusch, Anomatic; Gregg Voss, Seaquist Closures; and Jim Callahan, Seaquist Closures.
Anomatic Corp. (Newark, OH), a specialist in anodized aluminum beauty packaging components, was honored in July at the Seaquist Closures Supplier Conference. Anomatic was recognized for the services and products it provided to Seaquist Closures, a dispensing closures supplier.
Anomatic received two awards, one for commitment to product creativity and innovation in 2006, and one for meeting all the requirements of Seaquist’s certification program, which designates Anomatic as a certified supplier to Seaquist.
“To be recognized by one of our clients is a tremendous honor,” said Scott Rusch, Anomatic’s executive vice president.
Freshly Ground Loose Powder
SeaCliff Beauty Packaging & Laboratories (Irvine, CA) offers a new compact that grinds pressed powder into loose powder.
The compact features a sealed lower compartment that can house a slab of pressed powder. The compact then grinds the slab to provide a fresh dose of loose powder.
“[Inspired by] a pepper mill, our Mill Powder Airless Compact contains a grinding metal tumbler that is attached to the conditioner to make sure that it breaks up the powder as finely as possible, releasing only enough product each time you use it,” says Vonda Simon, the company’s president. “The component is incredibly stylish, lightweight, and ideal for a luxurious product.”
New Bottles Protect Against Moisture
TricorBraun (St. Louis) has introduced a line of bottles that prevents outside moisture from entering the packages. According to TricorBraun representatives, the bottles block moisture at a rate 12 times that of PET and 21⁄2 times better than high-density polyethylene.
The bottles are produced from injection-stretch-blow-molded clarified polypropylene. Their moisture-barrier properties are the result of the biaxial orientation of the material during blow molding, according to TricorBraun. The bottles also offer the clarity and sheen of PET bottles, says TricorBraun, yet cost less than PET bottles and are very close in cost to high-density polyethylene bottles.
TricorBraun adds that the bottles offer environmental benefits as well because they are typically lighter in weight than PET bottles, offering materials reduction. Also, it takes less energy to manufacture the base resin and less energy to mold the bottles because the clarified polypropylene does not require drying and is blow-molded at a lower temperature than other plastics.
Emsar Awarded for Eco-Friendliness
Emsar (Stratford, CT) has been awarded the GreenCircle Award, recognizing the dispenser supplier’s environmentally friendly efforts in Connecticut. The award was presented by the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection. Connecticut governor Jodi Rell complimented Emsar on making “an enduring commitment to Connecticut’s environment.”
Part of Emsar’s green efforts have included installing “power factor” correction equipment to improve electricity distribution, reducing KVA demand, and lowering electricity costs in its Torrington, CT, molding facility. The firm also eliminated use of the solvent isopropanol during quality control testing and sponsored an annual river clean-up project.
Pen with Ultrathin Applicator
Cosmopak (London) has launched a dispensing pen with an ultrathin applicator. According to Cosmopak, the package is ideal for low-viscosity products that require very accurate application, such as topical skin treatments, cosmeceuticals, and oral care products.
The Needle Pen is made from polypropylene. It is available in fill sizes ranging from 2 to 4 ml. The pen is also available in three versions: push button, twist, and side-push button. The applicator is offered with or without flocking.
Topline Puts It in Writing
Turnkey packaging supplier and contract manufacturer Topline Products Company, Inc. (Wayne, NJ) now offers the ability to emboss or deboss patterns in its pressed powders.
“Powder is pressed into a metal pan, or godet, with a pressing die,” explains Serena Eng, Topline’s vice president of marketing. “Different patterns, designs, and words can be created on the pressing die to emboss or deboss onto makeup. Some very intricate designs can be [created].”
The new decorating technique has lots of marketing possibilities. One suggestion from Topline is for compacts that contain several products for both the face and eye. By embossing or debossing the words “face” or “eye” on the appropriate products, brands can easily indicate to customers which products are to be used on which area of the face.
Alpha Packaging Expands Catalog
Following its acquisition of Quality Container Co. earlier this year, personal care bottle supplier Alpha Packaging (St. Louis) has added more than 200 new packaging components to its online catalog.
The majority of the newly added products are extrusion-blow-molded, high-density polyethylene bottles and jars, including Boston Rounds, Cylinders, Oblongs, Ovals, and Cosmo Rounds. There are also several new polypropylene, PET, and PETG containers listed.
All items can be viewed at www.alphap.com/products/catalog.
Flip-Top Compact
Qosmedix (Edgewood, NY) has introduced a new flip-top compact suited for powders, gels, and glosses.
Made from black polystyrene, the compact measures 2 in. in diameter and has a clear window in the lid and a snap-hinge closure. The compact’s product pan holds 4 ml of product.
DMI Launches New Web Site
DMI (Wharton, NJ), an FDA-registered contract manufacturer, filler, and packager of beauty products, has unveiled its new Web site, located at www.dminj.com.
The Web site features a new design, an updated navigation system, and sections on DMI’s new eco-friendly GeoPack line. In addition, the site has expanded sections with information on DMI’s research and product development labs, filling capabilities, manufacturing, quality assurance and control, stretchcarding, packaging, engineering and package design, and sourcing and turnkey solutions.
Last year, DMI expanded its headquarters in Wharton, NJ, to 275,000 sq ft in order to manufacture, fill, and package aqueous products. The expanded facility includes an additional R&D lab dedicated to formulating water-based products, including creams, gels, and lotions.
Continental Adds Tube, Tottle
Packaging supplier Continental Packaging Solutions (Chicago) has added a new tube and tottle to its line of products.
The tottle, which the company calls The Tubal, is available in high-clarity OPET. Its curvy shape is designed to be both user-friendly and eye-catching.
Continental’s other new addition, a polyethylene laminate tube, is constructed with alternating layers of polyethylene and other resins in order to provide barrier properties that Continental says are better than those of low-density polyethylene. For more barrier strength, the tube can be lined with ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer (EVOH), whose oxygen barrier protects products from air contamination.
For improved aesthetics, the tube features a less-visible seam. Continental offers numerous decorating options for the tube, including four-color process printing, spot printing in Pantone Matching System colors, glossy or matte coatings, and high-definition printing.
Continental adds that the tube is fully recyclable. The tube is available in five diameters, in custom lengths, and with various head styles.
Quick Pak Sold to NFI Industries
Label and decorating supplier Multi-Color Corp. (Cincinnati) has sold Quick Pak LLC, its packaging services division, to NFI Industries, a provider of transportation, fulfillment, and technology solutions.
Quick Pak LLC, now known as NFI-Quick Pak, is a provider of packaging, custom assembly, and turnkey project management services to the beauty industry. Its offerings include promotional design, turnkey assembly, shrink banding, shrink-sleeve application, shrink wrapping, labeling, and distribution.
In other Multi-Color news, the company has purchased a new HP WS4500 digital press to meet its customers’ growing demands for more-customized decorating solutions for small to mid-size print runs. According to Multi-Color, unlike traditional narrow-web presses, the new digital press requires fewer changeovers, produces less scrap, and offers quicker direct-to-press speeds. It can print pressure-sensitive, in-mold, shrink sleeve, and cut-and-stack labels.
Stylish Bottle
New High Glass (Miami) has unveiled its newest glass packaging component—the Vogue bottle. The bottle is available in sizes of 30, 50, and 100 ml. It can be paired with the supplier’s new Laura pump, which features a metallized actuator. The pump can be topped with the Vogue transparent overcap.
Carolina Precision Plastics Opens China Facility
In partnership with Singapore-based injection molder Fischer Tech, cosmetic packaging supplier Carolina Precision Plastics (Asheboro, NC) opened a new manufacturing facility in Suzhou, China, in late July. According to Carolina Precision Plastics, the joint-venture facility, called CPP-Fischer, will combine the injection molding and decorating capabilities of both companies.
In addition to injection molding technologies, the CPP-Fischer facility has full assembly, paint, metallizing, hot stamping, and pad-printing capabilities. The company is also considering adding blow-molding and silk-screening operations.
Fischer Tech’s experience with other decorating technologies, such as in-mold decorating, laser etching, and cosmetic molding technology, will allow CPP-Fischer to offer customers a wide breadth of plastic decorating possibilities. Fischer Tech also has full tool construction capabilities, rounding out the range of services that CPP-Fischer will be offering in China.
“Carolina Precision Plastics and Fischer Tech have created a world-class plastics molding, decorating, and assembly facility in China to better serve its customers’ global packaging needs,” said Jeff Camiener, vice chair of Carolina Precision Plastics, at the site’s opening ceremony.
Pretty in Pink
Menda (Chino, CA) now offers its Twist-Lock Pump package with a pink pump. The package is suited for products such as nail polish remover, makeup remover, astringents, and other products containing acetone and alcohol.
The pump twists in a locked position to prevent products from spilling during transit. It allows dispensing to be done with one hand.
The package is available in 4-, 6-, and 8-oz sizes. The pump is available with a 3.6- or 4.5-in. stem.
Carton Companies Fold into One
Bellshire Ltd. and Van Wyck Packaging, two North American cosmetic folding carton suppliers, have merged into one company, Bellwyck Packaging Inc. (Toronto, ON, Canada). Mid Oaks Investments LLC, which acquired both companies, is responsible for the merge and plans to broaden the company’s services and production capabilities.
Global Closure Systems Improves Web Site
Global Closure Systems (GCS; Paris) has relaunched its Web site, www.gcs.com. The new site features an enhanced product catalog and market-based browsing tools.
In addition to featuring improved search capabilities, an online pressroom and a downloadable version of the GCS quarterly newsletter have been posted.
Reusable Shipping Cartons Give New Meaning to “Recycled”
Rebox Corp. (St. Laurent, QC, Canada) has created a unique program that allows marketers to purchase previously used shipping cartons. The program not only saves brands the costs of purchasing new cartons, it is also environmentally friendly by finding another use for the cartons.
Jeffrey Zemel, marketing manager for Rebox, says that Rebox sells in excess of 30 million mostly used or recycled cartons a year. Its clients include Wal-Mart, The Gap, TJMaxx, Pepsico, Procter & Gamble, and many other Fortune 500 companies.
“Basically we’re getting another use out of these boxes,” he says. “We’re taking recycling one step further. Rather than having these cartons go to a mill to be repulped after they’re used, we purchase the excess boxes from manufacturers. We then sell these boxes, which are in perfect condition, to mid- and large-size companies and distribution centers for many leading retailers. The companies benefit from not having to purchase new boxes at higher prices, while at the same time, we reduce the need to cut down more trees to create entirely new boxes.”
He adds, “We’ve actually saved around 400,000 to 500,000 trees.”
Zemel says that most companies have been flexible about demanding specific box sizes. “Basically, companies that don’t really need a new box or a specific size can conform to using the box sizes that we have available. If they just need a box in order to get something to a destination, they’ll use our boxes.”
Risdon Acquires Decorpart Asia
The Decorpart Asia plant, now owned by Risdon.
The Risdon Group has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Decorpart Asia (Suzhou, China), a manufacturer of metal cosmetic packaging components. Risdon says that the acquisition of Decorpart Asia’s facility with full metal-forming and finishing capabilities will expand its offerings in the Asian market.
Effective immediately, Risdon-nominated directors have taken majority control of Decorpart Asia’s board and full control of the day-to-day management of the company.
In other news, Risdon International Inc. (Watertown, CT) has received a certificate of approval from the People’s Republic of China to build a manufacturing facility for producing metal packaging components. The certificate of approval gives Risdon permission to begin construction of the new plant, which will start shipping products in November.
“When Risdon opened its Shanghai office just four months ago, we said that Risdon would be making immediate inroads into China and emphasized that Risdon had China firmly in its strategic plans for future expansion,” says Eric Bigotte, Risdon’s executive vice president of sales and marketing. “This license to build in China is proof of that promise. It is a major turning point in Risdon’s long and illustrious history and sets the stage for our expansion into additional markets in the months ahead.”
Risdon supplies primary packaging components to the cosmetics industry, including fragrance and cosmetic caps and closures, compacts, and packaging for eye products, lipstick, and lip gloss.
Bubble Wrap Protects Products, Environment
PH Flexible Packaging (Derbyshire, UK) has launched a compostable bubble wrap that can be used to protect products during shipping. Nicknamed Compost-a-Bubble, the bubble wrap meets EN13432, the European standard for composting.
The bubble wrap is made using compostable film from BPI Films (Cheshire, UK). According to BPI Films, Compost-a-Bubble offers the same protective properties as traditional bubble wrap. However, at the end of its use, Compost-a-Bubble can be discarded at industrial composting facilities, where it will break down with the rest of the green waste, leaving no harmful residue.
The launch is a follow-up to a biodegradable bubble wrap that PH Flexible Packaging introduced earlier this year.