Category Archives: A&A News

Packaging specialist joins DS Smith

Packaging specialist joins DS Smith.

Packaging specialist joins DS Smith

Packaging specialist joins DS Smith. DS Smith has turned to the former head of EU packaging at Amazon to head up its new e-commerce team.

Isabel Rocher has joined the corrugated and paper packaging giant as head of e-commerce. She was previously head of EU packaging and shipping supplies at Amazon.

Rocher has 15 years’ experience in packaging, sales and marketing. She has held roles at Neopack Solution (e3neo) and Savoye Pack. In her most recent role at Amazon, Rocher was responsible for the multi-million pound EU shipping supply budget, the development of packaging solutions and ensured a standardised approach to packaging types across Amazon’s EU network.

Rocher said: “E- commerce Packaging has traditionally been seen as a means to an end: to preserve, promote and protect a product. But its role is so much more important than that, especially in today’s omnichannel world with the explosion of e-commerce. Of course products must arrive in pristine condition, but supply chain efficiencies, sustainability and creating that ‘wow’ factor that customers have traditionally experienced in bricks and mortar stores is vitally important.

“To a certain extent, the packaging industry is still finding its feet in this area, and with DS Smith’s proud history of innovation, I’m looking forward to working with customers to better understand their needs and to communicate the very real value that packaging can bring to the e-commerce supply chain.”

Mark Shaw, market development director of DS Smith’s European packaging division, said: “We’ve made some significant investments in our packaging business in recent years to ensure that we stay at the forefront of our industry. We have a strong investment programme and are committed to introducing new technology that delivers value for our customers. The introduction of a dedicated European e-commerce team, that is able to draw insight from all of the countries in which DS Smith operates, is the next step to ensure that we continue to deliver sustainable propositions for our customers that support their e-com ambitions. Isabel brings a wealth of experience and I am delighted to welcome her to the team.”

Mondi warns rise in UK packaging prices as pound tumbles

Mondi warns rise in UK packaging prices as pound tumbles.

Mondi warns rise in UK packaging prices as pound tumbles

Global suppliers such as the South African paper and packaging giant usually insert clauses into contracts allowing for price recalculations in light of currency fluctuations.

“We export many of our products from Europe to the UK and most of these contracts have currency agreements in place, so they have been repriced to take in the currency movements,” he said.

This price increase could eventually hit consumers.

Mondi has seen an improvement in profits – operating profits rose 3% to €227m (£205m) in the third quarter, compared to the same period last year.

This was after a turbulent second quarter which saw a 12% dip in operating profits.

Energy costs were down on the comparable prior year period due to lower energy prices and the benefits of various energy efficiency investments.

Since June 30 the company’s sales volumes were in line with last year, and its costs for components such as wood and chemicals had remained stable during the period.

Additionally, the average cost per tonne of paper for recycling was up 8% on the comparable prior year period and up 10% on the second quarter.

Mondi’s €450m investment and modernisation programme to upgrade its equipment is expected to contribute less to its operating profits than previously forecast – some €50, down from €60m.

New cartonboard for luxury packaging from pankaboard

New cartonboard for luxury packaging from pankaboard.

New cartonboard for luxury packaging from pankaboard

New cartonboard for luxury packaging from pankaboard. The development of Pankalux follows recent investment at the supplier’s mill in Finland.

The new GC1 folding boxboard has been engineered with the demands of the luxury packaging market in mind and the luxury beverage sector in particular.  The company said the result of the development can be seen as outstanding printing quality, an improved surface for lamination, and improved runnability on high speed packaging lines.

The new product will be officially introduced to the market at the FachPack exhibition in Germany – 27-29 September 2016, Nuremberg – where Pankaboard will be present.

Pankaboard is a global producer of special cartonboards with a capacity of 110,000 t/a. The product portfolio consists of high thickness FBB as well as various uncoated speciality boards. The company serves globally a wide range of end uses, including luxury beverage and food packaging, picture framing, capseals and visual communication.

Iconic Coca Cola Has Go Some Bottle

Iconic Coca Cola Has Go Some Bottle.

Iconic Coca Cola Has Go Some Bottle. The most iconic packaging on British shelves has been revealed…as the Cola-Cola glass bottle.

Iconic Coca Cola Has Go Some Bottle

A study of 1,500 Brits explored the influence of packaging and branding on everyday shoppers and found that one in six thought the Coca-Cola bottle was the most identifiable in terms of packaging, and was just as recognisable without its logo or the product itself.

The research, which was commissioned by Easyfairs, organisers of Packing Innovations and Luxury Packaging London, found FMCG brands dominated the top ten, with the Toblerone Triangular prism bar finishing as a close runner up, while our ‘love hate’ relationship with Marmite continued with the iconic Jar coming in third place as the best-loved product packaging.

In comparison beauty brands, such as the Tiffany Box, Chanel No.5 Bottle and the Jo Malone Box narrowly missed out on the top ten.

Top Ten Most Recognisable Brand’s Packaging:

  1.    Coca-Cola Bottle
  2.    Toblerone Triangle
  3.    Marmite Jar
  4.    Pringles Tube
  5.    KFC Bucket
  6.    Heinz Ketchup Bottle
  7.    Fairy Liquid Bottle
  8.    Apple’s iPhone Box
  9.    Walkers Crisp Packet
  10.    Amazon Box

Over the last few years Coca-Cola has significantly altered its marketing approach to encompass the younger audience too, and it seems to have paid off with one in five Millennials selecting the bottle as the most recognisable pack product.

The humble tin of Pringles, housed in their iconic cylinder tube, was the Millennial’s second favourite.

Alex Center, Design Director at The Coca-Cola Company, comments: “Packaging has always been at the core of the Coca-Cola brand. Our bottle is our most visible and most valuable asset. While ads on TV, online or billboards will always be important, nothing beats the feeling of a cold Coca-Cola bottle in your hand. That is the ultimate experience design.”

The study also revealed barcodes as the greatest packaging invention, with one quarter of Brits picking the famous parallel black and white lines.

The Cardboard Box came in a close second with 21 per cent of the vote, followed by Re-Sealable Zips (20 per cent) and Vacuum Packaging (16 per cent).

Interestingly, the younger generation, 18-34 years, voted for 3D Printing and Re-Sealable Zips as its top two.

As expected, when each age group was interrogated further there was a clear correlation between age and the ranking of more modern packaging approaches, with nearly one in six of 18-34 year olds selecting 3D Printing as the greatest packaging invention to date, in comparison to only 3 per cent of those age 65+.

Gerry Sherwood, Event Director for the Easyfairs’ Packaging Portfolio, who commissioned the survey, said: “Millennials have officially passed Baby Boomers as the largest generation in history, and are more personally connected to their favourite brands than ever before. It is therefore not surprising to see 3D printing come out top in our poll for this age group. We are in an era where almost anything is possible, from personalised packaging to augmented reality, so we have no excuses when it comes to targeting the appropriate audience. Consumers are demanding more from the brands they purchase, they want to feel special and be able to interact with the products ‘right now’, so it is the brands responsibility to make sure they can. That’s why, at the show we have inspirational packaging for all requirements, no matter what niche or group is being targeted.”

Food packaging to be labelled with pictures of teaspoons of salt and sugar

Food packaging to be labelled with pictures of teaspoons of salt and sugar to indicate the content of the food, according to a report from the Department of Health.

Food packaging to be labelled with pictures of teaspoons of salt and sugar

Food packaging to be labelled with pictures of teaspoons of salt and sugar. Food packaging will be labelled to show how many teaspoons of sugar or salt are being added in a move made possible by leaving European Union, the Department of Health has said.

Amid anger at the decision to water down the Government’s obesity strategy, it has now emerged that officials want to use Brexit to allow “visual labelling” on food products such as pictures of teaspoons of sugar.

There are concerns about how difficult it is for consumers to understand the current “traffic light system”, which assigns either a green, amber or red circle to food packaging according the percentage of fat, saturates, sugar and salt.

Under the new plans consumers would simply see images of teaspoons on packaging to denote how healthy or unhealthy a product is.

In a document on the obesity strategy, officials write: “The UK’s decision to leave the European Union will give us greater flexibility to determine what information should be presented on packaged food, and how it should be displayed.

“We want to build on the success of our current labelling scheme, and review additional opportunities to go further and ensure we are using the most effective ways to communicate information to families.

“This might include clearer visual labelling, such as teaspoons of sugar, to show consumers about the sugar content in packaged food and drink.”

Currently EU rules on trade prevent new labelling techniques to give families a clearer idea about the amount of sugar or salt in household products.

One Whitehall source said: “Brexit gives us a chance to think about how we can better inform people about sugar or salt content.”

It is thought that the Government could force food producers to use the “teaspoons” system with new laws.

It came as experts criticised the Government for “watering down” the obesity strategy.