Page 21 - Packaging News Magazine July-August 2018

July-August 2018
www.packagingnews.com.au SHOW WRAP
HISPACK 2018
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Local company Packplek presented “a really different eco packaging” us- ing a patented folding wood technol- ogy with a paperboard insert. Anoth- er pioneer in wooden components, Barcelona-based Quadpack intro- duced wood to the beauty category in 2001, and has made it a “serious op- tion” for luxury brands says key ac- count manager Jaume Ordeig. A via- ble offer for perfumes, skincare and makeup is able to satisfy higher vol- ume main line ranges. The moment was marked with a new makeup line comprising liquid foundation and square compact launched this year at Cosmoprof and LuxePack New York, followed by the landmark renaming of Technotraf Wood Packaging as Quadpack Wood in May.
MATERIAL DIFFERENCE
At a time when Europe is re-evaluat- ing the role of plastics in packaging, Schur Flexibles showed designs “ready for recycling” and single poly- mer PE laminates, mono-material polypropylene base and top web structures for MAP application. To minimise plastics there is BarrierTop 35 for food tray lidding, “the thinnest gauge we offer with good barrier prop- erties” says application engineer Richard Bell, while an economical re- closable laminate excludes a zipper.
For reheating baked goods such as pastries and pizza in a conventional oven Guillin España has a rigid plas- tics-lidded tray with a kraft paper- faced base. Another new offer is a mi- crowavable paper tray lined with polypropylene for moisture resis- tance which can peel off for disposal.
In line with European ambitions to significantly cut back consumption levels of single-use plastics, Spanish packaging distributor i3D Packaging Ideas is offering existing and new foodservice and retail customers al- ternatives with the Fibrapak range of biodegradable and compostable prod- ucts made from natural fibre such as sugarcane, palm and bamboo.
TOP DESIGN
Italian company PE.DI was there to win new business for a bottle-top de- sign that guarantees quality, safety and authenticity combined with large printable surface for branding and
marketing. The metal closures with an integrated tear-strip target liquors, soft drinks and single-dose pharma and cosmetics. The company boasts a strong Spanish market and has a sec- ond plant in France that serves local customers. This show focused espe- cially on the 38mm diameter Pedis- trip as an alternative to traditional screw caps for a premium brand of still water, for example Solan de Ca- bras. A restaurant diner who watches the first opening of such an exclusive brand’s iconic blue bottle can be reas- sured it is the genuine article.
ROBOTICS GROWTH
Show director Xavier Pascual says Hispack 2018, compared with the previous 2015 edition, in terms of floorspace was 20 per cent larger. This year, robotics have a signifi- cantly bigger presence reflecting a growth in interest, which arguably responds to a need to boost opera- tional support across the Spanish in- dustry. Scanbelt sales manager Mick Smith told PKN that he sees Spain's acceptance of robots mirrored in the UK and Europe-wide.
Uncaged robotics and cobots roaming around the factory floor are revolutionising production, which is only possible because of sophisticat- ed safety systems. Kuka robotics showed how it relies on sensors to reduce risk of human contact. Pro- grammed in zones, a robot adjusts the velocity of its movement, or stop, according to a person’s proximity.
Pilz helps customers fulfil regula- tory standards and offers increasing- ly advanced levels of safety assur- ance. A “unique” safety mat was launched this year, fitted with multi- ple sensors that sends messages to the robot which responds to any move- ment around it. A 3D camera located above the operational area calculates volume and detects the number of in- dividuals within a robot's range.
Among the show’s 25 per cent of international exhibitors, Yaskawa Nordic displayed a high-speed pal- letising system with patented Air Grip bottle gripper technology by AB Trygg for Swedish soft drinks maker Kiviks Musteri. Robotics di- vision engineer at Yaskawa Torbjö Crona told PKN that the all-Swedish
TOP: “A really different eco packaging” by Packplek that involves a patented folding wood technology and paperboard insert.
ABOVE: PEDI’s bottle-top alternatiove to screw caps; Schur Flexibles showed concepts that are “ready for recycling” and use less plastics.
LEFT: Yaskawa’s robot-barman that served beer all day deserves a prize for showmanship.
FAR LEFT: Smurfit Kappa showcased its bag-in-box technology.
design enables two Motoman robots to handle up to 47,000 bottles/hour. But the prize for showmanship goes to the company’s robot barman pro- grammed to serve beer all day to re- fresh foot-worn visitors.
ENVIRONMENTAL GOALS
Hispack, described by the organisers as “the best thermometer of the dy- namism of the packaging industry that moves more than 20,000 million euros per year in Spain”, displayed early rumblings of an underlying shift towards pack design and pro- duction systems with better out- comes for the environment. Like oc- topus tentacles, Spain’s food and drink exporters reach into distant world markets, and it’s the brains be- hind Spain’s packaging industry which, beyond upholding the na- tion’s reputation for quality, now has to be sensible to environmental goals of its global customers. ■
Joanne Hunter is a freelance packag- ing journalist and a member of the International Packaging Press Or- ganisation (IPPO).