Iggesund Paperboard’s new Inverform^TM  for ready-made food packaging trays ticks all the boxes for sustainability and performance.

 Made from pure cellulose fibres, Inverform has been specifically developed for pressed and folded trays used in food packaging. Inverform has an exceptional formability and is the ideal replacement for traditional solutions, such as plastic trays.

“Iggesund Paperboard has a long tradition of working sustainably and producing material that won’t harm the environment. Inverform was developed largely in response to the plastic pollution problem,” says Stefan Söderberg, Sales Manager, Iggesund Paperboard.

 The extensive use of plastic materials is linked to many serious problems, including:

• The large climate impact caused by the fossil fuels required to make plastic
• Plastic collecting in the oceans and elsewhere, due to the lack of biodegradability
• Excess waste due to a low level (less than 40 per cent) of recycling

“We were determined to come up with a renewable and recyclable material for food trays that would be more environmentally friendly than plastic, while maintaining the same high packaging performance throughout the value chain,” says Stefan Söderberg.

Food and retail companies that are looking for more ways for their products to support a sustainable future can now ask for trays made of Inverform. Trays made of Inverform with a plastic barrier have a substantially lower carbon footprint than the common plastic tray and can be recycled in existing paper packaging recycling schemes. And, in addition to helping to lower the climate impact, Inverform packaging meets the highest standards for food hygiene and protection, ensuring longer life and less food waste.

“Inverform is the first of a new product application and we are in the process of developing the next generation of barriers since there is an increasing demand for sustainable packaging solutions and the requirements are becoming tougher each year. We are continuously improving our products to help our customers with their challenges now and in the future,” says Stefan Söderberg.  

Facts

Inverform is a Solid Bleached Board (SBB) made of pure cellulose fibres sourced from sustainably managed forests. A polymer barrier is added to Inverform making it ideal for tray forming and heat sealing. Inverform is a food grade material, without added optical brightening agents and it has all the required food safety certificates, including being safe for use in microwaves and conventional ovens.

About Iggesund Paperboard

Iggesund Paperboard is part of the Swedish forest industry group Holmen, one of the world’s 100 most sustainable companies listed on the United Nations Global Compact Index. Iggesund’s turnover is just over €500 million and its flagship product Invercote is sold in more than 100 countries. The company has two brand families, Invercote and Incada, both positioned at the high end of their respective segments. Since 2010 Iggesund has invested more than €380 million to increase its energy efficiency and reduce the fossil emissions from its production.

Iggesund and the Holmen Group report all their fossil carbon emissions to the Carbon Disclosure Project. The environmental data form an integral part of an annual report that complies with the Global Reporting Initiative’s highest level of sustainability reporting. Iggesund was founded as an iron mill in 1685, but has been making paperboard for more than 50 years. The two mills, in northern Sweden and northern England employ 1500 people.

Estal, a company specializing in the development of premium packaging, has seen how the differentiation, innovation and sustainability of its products was once again recognized in the Pentawards, the most prestigious awards in the world of packaging: a total of seven designs involving packaging from Estal's catalogue received the prestigious awards in this latest edition. The success of the commitment to offer a unique catalogue, always focused on innovation and design, is the central theme of Estal's recognition.

Estal's Wildly Crafted collection, designed together with SeriesNemo, has been awarded the Gold Prize in the sustainable design category, which values the environmental performance of the packaging, taking into account the materials used and the production methods. Wildly Crafted is specially designed for manufacturers looking for a handcrafted, rough and imperfect look and an industrial production that respects sustainability. The beauty of imperfections defines this collection, which is both attractive and ecologically aware. In addition, Wildly Crafted goes beyond design: it is an artisanal language that gives brands a new ingredient of value and a hallmark that generates community. This product has been particularly well received in the United States, where it is marketed by ByQuest.

On the other hand, the Estal’s Sommelier collection designed by Mario di Paolo, BrandBreeder, has also been awarded the Bronze Prize in this edition of the Pentawards 2020. This collection of bottles is For Mario di Paolo "a journey through time, a lasting and unbreakable connection with our roots, told through three genuine and organic wines from Puglia". This innovative and creative concept renews the aesthetics and functionality of wine bottles. The new model Sommelier reflects a minimalist ring profile that provides not only a simple and more fluid figure, but also generates real functional benefits for its consumer. The result of this innovation is a rejuvenated bottle that transmits a more dynamic and breaking image that is perceived to have a higher weight and a better-quality level. The Sommelier concept creates new opportunities for the creation of contemporary and exclusive wine bottles, in line with new consumer expectations.

The latest proposals from Wildly Crafted and Estal’s catalogue will be presented at the next edition of Bar Convent (12-18 October, Berlin), one of the most prestigious events in the sector.

A great success at the Pentawards

Along with the Wildly Crafted and Sommelier collection, five other designs in packaging or products from Estal were awarded prizes in this latest edition of the Pentawards. The new vodka from the American company Air Co, which has a distinctive Estal cap, has won the highest award, the Diamond. The Platinum Award has been granted to the London gin brand Pridem's Gin, designed by Enpedra Estudio and with a bottle from Estal's catalogue. The Murganheira wine, designed by Omdesign on another of Estal's characteristic bottles has been distinguished with a Gold Award. The Spanish designers SeriesNemo have received a second award: the Silver Award for the new premium vinegar by Toro Albalá, which also uses a bottle from Estal's collection. Finally, the bottle of Estal designed by Rita Rivotti for the Portuguese winery Vale D. Maria has been awarded the Silver Prize.

The Pentawards, which for the first time since their creation in 2007 have been held online, are the most important annual awards in the world of packaging. Participants include designers, design agencies, communication agencies, brands, packaging manufacturers and design students. Committed to recognising excellence in design and connecting the global packaging community, each year the Pentawards choose winners based on design quality, brand expression, creativity and innovation, and emotional connection.

About Estal

Estal manufactures glass containers for wines and sparkling wines, distillery, beverages, gourmet products, perfumes and cosmetics, and for home-fragrance. Specialists in premium solutions for the world of packaging for over 25 years, the company creates, designs and manages projects from the initial idea to the final product, providing maximum creative freedom, testing new materials, shades, textures, and applying the most advanced technical and decorative innovations.

The global solutions in packaging, integrating bottle or jar, closure, accessory, and decoration, make up the value of Estal's offer. The commitment to innovation is its main added value. The company develops new transversal and differential solutions on an aesthetic, functional and technical level. Its know-how has been recognised with prestigious industry awards such as the Pentawards for its groundbreaking Sommelier concept and the Prix Luxe Pack in green for its new Wild Glass colour with 100% recycled PCR glass.

With an annual turnover in 2019 of 35M euros, exports now account for 40% of Estal's sales, and the trend is upwards. As a representative company of internationalisation, with sales offices in the USA, UK, France, Portugal, Italy and China, Estal sells to all countries, along with the current collaboration of 11 distributors and agents in Spain and 16 in the USA, South America, Italy, France, Portugal, the Czech Republic, Germany, Belgium, Greece, Moldova, Poland, Australia and the United Arab Emirates.

How 380gsm Invercote Creato is opening up new digital printing opportunities for printers and designers

For printers looking to create digitally-printed, stand-out, luxury packaging that also has sufficient durability and the right environmental credentials the options can be challenging. However, the latest innovations in digital print are opening up the possibility to create packaging with some serious punch.

Invercote Creato 380gsm is a high performing paperboard with the potential to be printed digitally.

At 380gsm (457 micron), Invercote Creato achieves maximum stiffness while being lighter in weight than products with a comparative thickness, which helps to reduce environmental impact through use of fewer raw materials. Plus, its super-smooth and extremely high white surface produces brilliant results on a number of digital printers.

Invercote Creato 380gsm has been successfully tested on liquid toner HP Indigo 5000 ,7000 ,10000, 12000 and 30000 series (equipped with thick substrate kit), and dry toner Xerox iGen 5,Xerox Iridesse and Ricoh C9200 machines.

The dimensional stability of this two-sided, multi-layered product makes it an excellent choice for multi-step processing, while its lightfastness resistance ensures consistent colour representation and no yellowing. These characteristics, along with its thickness and stiffness make it an ideal choice for luxury packaging as well as a wide range of other graphic packaging applications, including cosmetics, med tech, food and confectionary.

“Invercote Creato is available in a wide range of weights and sizes, with the 380gsm providing the possibility of opening up new business opportunities for printers and designers by helping them push the frontiers of luxury packaging design”, says Steve Chappell, Graphical Board Development Manager at Antalis.

Invercote Creato is produced by Iggesund at their mill in Sweden which has recently been awarded Platinum for sustainability by Ecovadis, putting it in the top 1% off all 65,000 companies they have rated. Invercote Creato 380gsm is sold exclusively in the UK by Antalis with SRA3+ and B2 sizes available from stock for next day delivery.

About Antalis

Antalis (Euronext Paris: ANTA) is the leader in B2B distribution of Papers (number 1 worldwide outside the United States) and industrial Packaging, and number two in the distribution of Visual Communication media in Europe. In 2019, the Group reported sales of €2.1 billion and employed 4,700 people serving over 115,000 customers, companies and printers in 39 countries. Through its 117 distribution centres, Antalis makes around 11,000 deliveries per day worldwide and it distributed 1.1 million tons of paper in 2019.

Metsä Board's Kyro mill will be 150 years old this year, 2020. The wood grinding plant along the Kyröskoski rapids was started up in 1870. Since then, the Kyro mill has manufactured market wood pulp, groundwood, sawn timber, various papers and paperboard for international markets. Today, it is a modern and efficient mill that produces high-quality folding boxboard for Metsä Board, part of Metsä Group.

“Kyro people are proud of their mill. Our staff have always lived with changes and challenging times have been overcome by working together. People commit themselves to the mill for a long time, with families often having several generations involved. This has positively influenced the kind of mill Kyro is today,” says Petri Huiko, VP and mill manager of Metsä Board Kyro.

“Continued development is key to the success, efficiency and production quality of our paperboards and we are proud to continue to develop Kyro as generations before us have done”, added Petri.

Last year, Metsä Board Kyro began manufacturing a new plastic free eco-barrier board for food and food service packaging and introduced artificial intelligence (AI) to its quality control. In addition, the mill’s board machine finishing area is presently being modernised. The rebuild includes a new reeler, a winder and the renewal of the reel broke handling system. The investment value is EUR 20 million and the new machinery is scheduled to start during the autumn of 2021.

Metsä Board

www.metsaboard.com

Metsä Board is a leading European producer of premium fresh fibre paperboards and forerunner in sustainability. We produce premium lightweight folding boxboards, food service boards and white kraftliners for consumer goods packaging as well as retail-ready and food service applications. We work together with our customers on a global scale to innovate solutions for better consumer experiences with less environmental impact. The pure fresh fibres Metsä Board uses are a renewable resource, traceable to origin in sustainably managed northern forests. We aim for completely fossil-free mills and raw materials by 2030.

The global sales network of Metsä Board supports customers worldwide, including brand owners, retailers, converters and merchants. In 2019, the company’s sales totalled EUR 1.9 billion, and it has approximately 2,400 employees. Metsä Board, part of Metsä Group, is listed on the Nasdaq Helsinki.

On Saturday, October the third, SAICA PACK el Prat established a new world record for a casemaker line in an 8 hour shift.

The previous record, established at 160.000 boxes, was broken on a Martin FFG 924 NT RS, with 7 printing units and Alliance prefeeder and palletiser. The new world record, certified by Bobst, manufacturer of the machine, has been established at 188.540 boxes (+18%).

The working shift, from 06.00h to 14.00h registered 7h 51 minutes of effective run time, at an average speed of 24.380 boxes per hour, with peaks of 32.000 boxes per hour, achieved on the final stretch of the day. With a total surface of 87.372m2 in the shift and an average of 11.298 net m2/hour.

The line, installed in September 2017 as part of SAICA’s massive Renove Investment Plan (250 Million euros), can produce two or three boxes per feed, thanks to Bobst’s “Multifold” system.

SAICA PACK el Prat has specialized in the production of Packaging for Fast Moving Consumer Goods in Barcelona’s area of influence. The site is equipped with the latest technology, quality controls based of Artificial Intelligence checking 100% of boxes regarding print, gap and gluing. The plant is the local leader in Packaging for Food and Drinks and E-commerce. 

A speaker for SAICA PACK El Prat commented “Thanks to these tremendous productivities, we can deliver the best service available to our customers, with the best quality standards. We are really proud to hold this world record.”

About Saica Group

Saica is one of the largest European players in the development and production of recycled paper for corrugated board, with a production of 3,2 million tons of paper. With more than 10,000 employees across Spain, France, Italy, Portugal, UK, Ireland, Turkey, Luxembourg and The Netherlands, Saica Group has four business areas: production of recycled paper for corrugated board (Saica Paper), waste management and environmental services (Saica Natur), production of corrugated packaging (Saica Pack) and flexible packaging (Saica Flex). The consolidated turnover of the multinational is nearly 3.832 million Euros (aggregate sales, 31.12.19).Conoce más en www.saica.com

Stora Enso is introducing its new eco-friendly take-away bowls for food service packaging, PureFiber™ by Stora Enso. The products are free from plastic and PFAS and are designed to help customers replace plastic on-the-go food packaging. The bowls are being brought to market together with the wholesale company Tingstad. The PureFiber™ product range will expand to other food and consumer goods applications.

Stora Enso’s formed fiber products are designed for circularity, meaning that they are renewable, recyclable and biodegradable. The PureFiber™ product line enables a carbon footprint that is approximately 75% lower compared to alternative product materials such as plastic or bagasse. The unique formed fiber technology allows the products to be produced without plastic and PFAS, bringing a sustainable alternative with strong user-qualities to the market.

“Consumers are looking for products designed for more eco-friendly lives,” says Sohrab Kazemahvazi, Senior Vice President, Formed Fiber at Stora Enso. “They want to minimise waste and their carbon footprint and reduce their use of plastic. The formed fiber products we are bringing to market are game changing in the sense that they help strong brands achieve their ambitions in sustainability and the circular economy.”

Stora Enso sells its formed fiber products directly to brand owners and wholesalers. In the Nordic countries Stora Enso cooperates with wholesaler Tingstad, which sells PureFiber™ food bowls directly to customers in the fast-food industry. Tingstad is a family-owned company and the market-leading distributor of disposables and food service products to the HORECA sector in the Nordic countries.

“We strongly believe that PureFiber™ will play an important role in the market conversion from plastic to non-plastic food packaging. We are excited to bring a truly sustainable solution to the market together with Stora Enso,” says Johan Larsson, Purchasing Manager at Tingstad.

PureFiber™ products are produced in Stora Ensos Hylte Mill in Sweden and made of natural wood fibres from sustainably managed forests. Potential applications also include non-food items to replace plastic consumables in agriculture, electronics and consumer and industrial goods packaging.

Part of the bioeconomy, Stora Enso is a leading global provider of renewable solutions in packaging, biomaterials, wooden constructions and paper. We believe that everything that is made from fossil-based materials today can be made from a tree tomorrow. Stora Enso has some 25 000 employees in over 30 countries. Our sales in 2019 were EUR 10.1 billion. Stora Enso shares are listed on Nasdaq Helsinki (STEAV, STERV) and Nasdaq Stockholm (STE A, STE R). In addition, the shares are traded in the USA as ADRs (SEOAY). storaenso.com

www.tingstad.com

Luxurious colour co-ordinated packaging from rigid box specialist Pollard Boxes is helping to establish brand image and identity for the latest advanced hair dryer from market leader ghd.

The new ghd Helios offers a lightweight and ergonomically balanced design for easy and controlled styling. It incorporates the company unique Aeroprecis™ technology for a powerful 120kmh airflow.

The Pollards box provides high-impact packaging that maximises visual communication between ghd and its consumers to deliver a clear statement about the hair dryer in terms of both its technical performance and aesthetic appeal.

The quality of the materials, the snug-fitting lid and familiar ghd foil block branding all help to promote a high-value image. An eye-catching and complex foil pattern replicates a vortex to convey the power of the new hair dryer. The high performance of the product is further emphasised by a technical drawing style illustration of the hair dryer on the side of the box.

The overall appearance of the pack helps to create a feeling of excitement and anticipation. To maximise the opening experience, the colour of the hair dryer matches the colour of the box, while the metallic accents that feature on the hair dryer are highlighted by the use of foils on the technical-style illustration on the side.

Inside, the hair dryer is presented in a Vac Form insert that showcases its attractive design while also ensuring that the product is fully protected throughout the supply chain.

“The team at Pollard is excellent and works with me to help develop ideas from an initial concept to a fully realised design,” comments James Welch, ghd’s Packaging Designer. “They’re friendly, helpful and attentive to any requirements and are always suggesting new innovative ways to further elevate designs, with a deep understanding of the luxury appearance that ghd strives for.”

The lid is manufactured using Winter’s Wibalin Finelinen, which offers a woven fabric feel to further enhance the luxury sensation of the opening experience. The foil pattern on the front is hot foiled and embossed, while the technical-style illustration is embossed, fluted foiled and spot UV’d to add contrast to the line work.

The production of the box required great attention to detail to ensure the spot UV registration was exactly in line with the embossing, while the foil placement was extremely intricate, requiring the highest standards of quality control to avoid filling in.

“Packaging has always been an important part of ghd’s products, reflecting the company’s premium position in the hair care market,” comments Kim Gabriel, ghd Account Director at Pollard Boxes. “In this instance, harmonising the product with the packaging helps to deliver a more complete brand experience.”

The winners of the annual Pro Carton Young Designers Award 2020 were announced during the first ever Carton E-vent & Awards ceremony on 7 October. The virtual event was co-hosted by Pro Carton, the European Association of Carton and Cartonboard Manufacturers, and the European Carton Makers Association (ECMA).

Despite the global coronavirus pandemic, 2020 proved to be another record-breaking year with over 550 cartonboard designs submitted from 25 different countries across the continent. Prizes were awarded across four categories: Save the Planet, Creative Cartonboard Packaging for Food & Drink, Creative Cartonboard Packaging for All Other Products and Creative Cartonboard Ideas plus a Newcomers’ Award which went to a University that hadn’t won before. 

And the Award goes to…

The ‘Save the Planet’ Award went to Max Gugenhan from Austria. His Cardboard pads entry was designed to reduce the plastic waste generated from the shipping of small products and fragile items such as electronic devices. The judges were impressed with its innovative design, as the 90° rotated pads create an entanglement which offers excellent spring action and a perfect hold helping to protect the parcel’s contents.

Another Austrian student, Lorenz Keiblinger, scooped the award for the ‘Creative Cartonboard Packaging for All Other products’ category with his ZIG ZAG ZIG entry. This unusual knife pack is easy to open, allows excellent visibility of the product, and requires no plastic, unlike the majority of cutlery packaging. It uses the knife itself for stability by trapping it in a carton strip whilst the sharp edge is safely protected as it is fully enclosed.

The winner of the Creative Cartonboard Ideas award, Nora Karl from Germany, created Fulfil - tampon packaging that aims to help save the marine environment at a global level. Tampons should not be flushed as they block pipes and pollute the ocean, and this creative design means that each tampon comes with a folded sanitary disposal box providing the user with a more hygienic and eco-friendly means of discarding the product.

The Creative Cartonboard Packaging Food and Drink Award was presented to Gabriela Buțincu from Romania for her entry, Easy-to-use flour box. The judges commented that ‘it provides the perfect example on how a carton box can incorporate different functionalities without requiring any specialist skills or additional tools from its user’. The practicality of the packaging impressed the judges as it has an innovative flour sieve built into the pack.  

As part of their prize, the winning young designers can look forward to a trip to Italy to visit the Reno de Medici (RdM) cartonboard mill and Artigrafiche Reggiane & Lai, a leading Italian carton converter.

Finally, the winner of this year’s Newcomer Award, that goes to a university that hadn’t supplied a winner before, went to Yana Malakhovskaya from Samara State Technical University in Russia. Her entry Avis provides sustainable packaging for nuts and snacks, aiming to appeal to both children and adults. The judges were impressed by the creative design which was inspired by the opening and closing of a bird’s beak. The carton has an innovative opening mechanism - applying pressure to the edge of its high side results in the opening of the "beak", allowing the consumer to pour out the required number of nuts and then close the package.

Tony Hitchin, General Manager of Pro Carton, said: “We are delighted with the number of entries to this year’s Young Designers Award; it is great to see that students have been proactive during the coronavirus pandemic lockdowns. The number of high-quality submissions we received was astonishing and demonstrated the creativity of the younger generation, as well as the passion which many students have for a better future with sustainable packaging”.

“The year-on-year growth of the Awards is always welcomed, but a 20% increase in entries from last year is a significant achievement given these unpredictable times. We’d like to thank all those who entered for making another successful competition and helping us in our goal to promote the use of cartonboard as it plays a crucial role in encouraging brands to support a circular economy.”

About Pro Carton

Pro Carton is the European Association of Carton and Cartonboard manufacturers. Its main purpose is to promote the use of cartons and cartonboard as an economically and ecologically balanced packaging medium. www.procarton.com    

EU is expected to revise the 1994 Packaging Directive to require all plastic packaging to be reusable or recyclable by 2030. The implementation of the Single Use Plastic Directive will ban materials like styrofoam containers. Several EU countries are also considering a tax on plastic and single use items.

Walki has developed an ovenable tray made of renewable fibre to help customers comply. The Walki Pack is 100% PET-free and easy to recycle.

 “At Walki, we are eager to support the transition away from aluminium and plastic-based solutions towards fibre-based alternatives”, says Annika Sundell, Executive Vice President, Innovation and Business Development at Walki.

The tray can stay in the oven for up to 60 minutes. The trays are also suitable for a wide variety of applications including frozen or chilled ready-made meals, such as fish and baked goods. The Walki Pack Tray solution can be used for folded and pressed trays and the inner part of the tray is available in brown or white.

The barrier materials are kept to a minimum to make them easily recyclable.

“We are continuously working on increasing the fibre-content in our products and with the launch of the new tray material we have taken a giant step forward towards monomaterial solutions”, concludes Annika Sundell.

At Walki, we believe in a sustainable and circular tomorrow. Our mission is to accelerate the world’s transition into a zero waste future in packaging and promote the use of energy efficient materials across industries. Walki’s product solutions are designed to bring value to customers in many different markets; from sustainable materials for packaging applications to energy saving performance materials. Walki is a growing international group organized in three business areas: Consumer Packaging, Industrial Packaging and Engineered Materials, with operations in twelve different countries, both in Europe and Asia. In 2019, the Group’s annual turnover was approx. 400 million euros employing around 1000 people.

www.walki.com

Further information:

Annika Sundell
Executive Vice President, Innovation and Business Development
Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Phone +358 40 845 9072

In the run up to Black Friday and the peak Christmas shopping season, Antalis’ Head of Business Development for Packaging, John Garner, is urging packaging and logistics businesses not to delay their preparations a moment longer.

As we approach the traditional peak shopping period, John Garner is predicting that it will be a “peak like no other”. Here, John shares his concern that many businesses have been so focused on dealing with the unexpected surge in online sales generated by COVID-19 that they may have ‘taken their eye of the ball’ when it comes to what’s around the corner. John outlines the measures and solutions businesses can put in place to make sure they are ready for what’s coming next.

“With so much uncertainty in the air, it’s difficult to say what will transpire over the next few months. We have already seen job losses and, with furlough payments due to come to an end in October, the unemployment figures are only going to go up. But what we can be fairly certain about is that the vast majority of what people are prepared to spend will be online,” says John.

Social distancing has compounded challenges on the shopfloor

The high street has been one of the big casualties of the pandemic and, with consumers’ continued reluctance to head outdoors, a recovery is not expected any time soon. In fact, 17.2 million Britons are expected to make the switch to online shopping permanent (source: Retail Gazette). Prior to Covid-19 the shift to online was steady, with businesses able to make gradual adjustments to their operations in line with demand. But following the introduction of a nationwide lockdown, many online retailers and logistics providers were overwhelmed by the flood of online orders. Fulfilling this unprecedented volume of orders would have been challenging at the best of times, but the introduction of social distancing measures meant it just wasn’t possible to have enough people on the shopfloor to do the picking and packing, compounding an already difficult situation.

Recent adjustments are unlikely to be enough

While most businesses have managed to make adjustments to be able to cope with much of the recent growth, John is concerned that some are doing little more than treading water, “My concern is coping with the pressures Black Friday and the Christmas shopping rush will bring. Demand on the order fulfilment part of any operation will be increased; while we might see fewer sales of expensive, big ticket items, the chances are that these will be replaced with lower value items, but more of them.”

So, how do you get a packaging operation already running at full capacity ready for the biggest demand in online sales ever seen?

For John, the answer lies in maximising efficiency: “You need to make every single part of your operation work hard. And while social distancing measures are still in place it’s not possible to increase capacity by taking on additional workers, so the most efficient way to increase capacity and efficiency is automation.”

Automation equals transformation

“Over the last few months at Antalis, we have helped numerous businesses to successfully transform their operations by adding packaging machinery. Even just adding one bit of kit, such as on-demand void fill can make a huge difference”, says John, “All businesses, whatever their size, can benefit from the introduction of some degree of packaging automation. It can generate huge efficiencies.” John advises that even if a business already uses packaging machinery, it might not be running as efficiently as it could be. “Get whatever kit you currently have checked over and serviced. At Antalis, we have helped customers to increase throughput at the same times as saving as much as 70% in material costs and wastage after reviewing their existing equipment and set up.”

Customer experience

The pressures on online retailers doesn’t end with order fulfilment. With fewer people heading out to physical stores, the fight for retail market share is also shifting online. “Giving consumers an online shopping experience that will make them come back again and again is going to be key to long-term success. One of the best ways to achieve this is with personalisation, and there are some great things that can be done in this regard nowadays. Our team at the (currently virtual) Smart Packaging Centre have done some brilliant work in this area, such as limited edition beauty box it created for subscription brand TheVeganKind’s collaboration with vegan influencer Monami Frost.”

Don’t forget sustainability

Amongst the mayhem of the last few months, the need to operate responsibly and sustainably hasn’t gone away. John believes it’s easy to lose focus on this when you’re trying to simply get stuff out of the door, but with government packaging waste targets coupled ongoing concerns about the impact of packaging, particularly single-use packaging, it’s important that businesses continue to give it the attention it deserves. “Again, it’s something that automation can make a difference with. For example, some machinery can eliminate the need for void fill altogether, creating a smaller package footprint and reduced material usage; plus, because more packages can be loaded onto a vehicle, it can also help to reduce carbon emissions.

“Don’t leave it too late”

“Don’t leave it too late!” are John’s final words of advice for businesses thinking about their preparations for Peak 2020. “Seek the advice of a packaging expert to see how you might be able to increase the efficiency of your operation. At Antalis, we offer free audits whereby we will come in and review your operation and make recommendations on the kinds of improvements can be made. But I can’t stress enough that it’s something you need to do now if you’ve any hope of coping with a peak like we’ve never seen before.”

About Antalis

Antalis (Euronext Paris: ANTA) is the leader in B2B distribution of Papers (number 1 worldwide outside the United States) and industrial Packaging, and number two in the distribution of Visual Communication media in Europe. In 2019, the Group reported sales of €2.1 billion and employed 4,700 people serving over 115,000 customers, companies and printers in 39 countries. Through its 117 distribution centres, Antalis makes around 11,000 deliveries per day worldwide and it distributed 1.1 million tons of paper in 2019.