Page 40 - Packaging News July - August 2019

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FLEXIBLE PACKAGING
Pressed for flexible success
www.packagingnews.com.au
July-August 2019
The Van Dyke Press is one of Australia’s largest manufacturers of pre-cut and reel-fed aluminium and PET lidding, a sector that is showing dramatic growth. Lindy Hughson stopped by the company’s Brookvale, NSW facility and caught up with general manager Will Tompson about new developments in the business.
done a great job of winning work lo- cally, but an even better job of pinch- ing work from overseas suppliers.”
Investment in this side of the busi- ness is ongoing, Tompson says, to ensure that the finished product is of consistently high quality and guaranteed food safe.
“We work closely with our suppliers to innovate with the materials we use – from down- gauging to create lighter weight films and reduce the amount of packaging to landfill, to changing the heat sealing layers of the lami- nates to incorporate PVC and BPA- free lacquers,” Tompson says.
“And in turn, we work with our customers to select appropriate material to achieve their barrier and seal strength requirements, ensur- ing that their product will be appropriately sealed.
“In the food industry, the price of a product recall is extremely high, with potentially major repercus- sions for a brand’s reputation.
“Our facilities are HACCP accredited, and all materials and inks we use are low migration. We’re at least two notches above where we have to be for Australian compli- ance,” he says.
“By keeping all operations in- house, we have total control of the consistency and quality of our die- cut lidding and roll stocks,” he adds.
TOP TECH
Investment in technology is also a priority. Tompson says the business is currently operating two high-end German cutting lines working close to full capacity, but such is the projected growth in demand for pre-cut lids that the company has invested in a third cutting line to come on stream in September.
We have done a great job of winning work locally, but an even better job of pinching work from overseas suppliers.”
OME decades ago, when Will Tompson and I were growing up, yoghurt was considered a dessert and at most there were a handful of options in the dairy aisle. Fast forward to today, and the number and
variety of yoghurt SKUs is stagger- ing, with market leaders like Choba- ni continuing to create sub-catego- ries to the sector, while start-ups are also adding artisan and dairy-free alternatives to the mix. Combine this with the growing convenience food trend driving growth in single- serve products, and it’s not too diffi- cult to see why demand for pre-cut lidding – typically aluminium, but also PET, PET laminates, and paper/ PE laminates – is spiralling up- wards. And, of course, the lids are not restricted to yoghurt – there are many other applications including dips, desserts, butters and spreads.
This is good news for Sydney- based packaging converting and printing business The Van Dyke
Press, whose pre-cut and roll stock lidding division accounts for a major part of turnover, the rest made up by its in-mould labelling and grease proof paper divisions. The company supplies aluminium and PET lids as either die cut or reel-fed lidding to major dairy, desserts and dip customers in Australia, New Zealand, and across the Pacific.
“We’ve experienced significant growth in our flexible packaging,” says GM Will Tompson. “We have