Page 8 - Packaging News Magazine May-June 2019
P. 8

NEWS
www.packagingnews.com.au May-June 2019
IN BRIEF
Drink cartons turn into digital data carriers
AT HANNOVER MESSE 2019 in March, the Tetra Pak connected packaging platform made its official debut, positioned as a means to transform milk and juice cartons into interactive in- formation channels, full-scale data carriers and digital tools.
Using code generation, digital printing, and data management, the platform will benefit food producers as well as retailers and consumers, according to Ivan Nesterenko, vice president for cross portfolio at Tetra Pak.
“We are unlocking new op- portunities for our customers to get more value from packag- ing than even before. No longer is it only about product protection and functionality, it is about connectivity.
“The future of packaging is undoubtedly digital: this launch is a step towards a truly intelli- gent package, and we are excited to collaborate with our custom- ers on this journey,” he said.
Tetra Pak says the connected packaging platform will offer producers end-to-end traceabil- ity to improve the production of the product, quality control and supply chain transparency. For retailers, it gives greater supply
chain visibility and real-time insights, allowing distributors to track stock movement and monitor for delivery perfor- mance. And shoppers will get access via the platform to information on the provenance of the product and where the package can be recycled.
Following the announce- ment, PKN spoke to Tetra Pak Oceania MD Andrew Pooch about the opportunity this technology presents for the business in this region.
“The key opportunity for our business with the Tetra Pak connected platform is for products we’re exporting to China and other Asian markets, where consumer adoption of on-pack QR code scanning as a shopping behaviour is high, where they actively seek out more information about the provenance of a product,” he said.
“In the Oceania dairy busi- ness, where we have a long supply chain regionally and to export markets, the possibili- ties offered by this Industry 4.0 integrated platform as an end-to-end traceability solu- tion are vast.
“We’ve already made great strides with data capture capability in the processing sector with our PlantMaster plant automation solution. The connected platform an- nounced this week is the next step that integrates the pro- cessing data with the consum- er-accessible data via the printed package.
“To date, we have done a lot of work with static QR codes, and now we’re extending this to dynamic QR codes – we’re in discussions with select cus- tomers in the HoReCa sector which we think will make a good test channel.”
The platform has already undergone pilot testing in Spain, Russia, China, the Dominican Republic, and India. According to Tetra Pak, one Spanish customer used a scan-and-win campaign to increase sales by 16 per cent. ■
ABOVE: Industry 4.0 meets supermarket shelf: Tetra Pak has launched a connected packaging platform which it says will turn milk and juice cartons into a full-fledged information channel.
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BEGA BEATS BIG BOYS
Bega Cheese has won a federal court case against US food giant Kraft Heinz, giving it the right to continue to use the distinctive “trade dress” associated with its peanut butter.
The dairy company purchased Mondelez Austra- lia, a Kraft subsidiary, in 2017, and acquired its peanut butter business including assets
and goodwill.
SEALED AIR’S $500M BUY
Sealed Air Corporation is set to splash US$510m on acquiring Automated Packaging Systems (APS), a leading manufacturer of automated bagging systems, on a cash and debt free basis.
Sealed Air says the acquisition will broaden its portfolio, driving growth in its e-commerce, fulfilment and food packaging markets.
VISY CUTS RIBBON
Visy has officially opened its new $100 million corrugated packaging facility in Truganina, Victoria.
Completed in October last year and spanning 36,000 square metres, the plant will manufacture RSC and die-cut cartons from recycled material, and is capable of producing one million per day. It employs 85 people, including office staff.
PRIVATE EQUITY
SNAPS UP EFI
EFI is being sold to US private equity fund Siris, which is stumping up $1.7bn in a leveraged all-cash deal for
100 per cent of the shares
to acquire the billion dollar technology business, aiming
to achieve super-charged growth in packaging and textile printing for its returns.
Siris is paying US$37 a share to become the new owner of EFI, seeing digital corrugated and textile printing as growth areas in the next few years.


































































































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