Page 22 - Packaging News Magazine July-Aug 2020

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Beefed up packaging
When Jim’s Jerky needed to increase manufacturing efficiency, it turned to Matthews for an in-line coding solution.
CATTLE farmer most of his life, Jim Tanner has in recent years turned his hand to producing beef jerky, and today supplies a packaged range to Woolworths and other outlets.
Tanner says, “Australian beef is raised and then processed to some of the strictest global standards. As a beef producer – which I have been most of my life – I thought there was an opportunity to bring quality Australian
beef jerky to the Australian public.” He says the best jerky has a good chew, but is neither tough, gristly nor fatty. The eponymously branded Jim’s Jerky product is crafted from hand- sliced and trimmed topside, which is
then spiced and air dried.
“In the early days, we were packing
all our jerky by hand, and putting labels onto every packet. You can eas- ily see how this was very time-con- suming and expensive to do. We were looking for ways to make our business more efficient, so we started looking
for a company that could provide us with technology,” Tanner says.
“One of the things we needed was to be able to print onto our bags as they were going through the packing machine. So they’d go through, be filled, and then come out the other end printed.”
Matthews recommended a Thermal Transfer Overprinter (TTO). The high-resolution thermal print- head gives high quality print and highly resistant codes that can with- stand humidity, UV rays, abrasion,
chemicals and climatic changes through the supply chain. TTOs operate at high speed and with high coding efficiency.
Tanner says by printing in-line through the packing machine, the company can produce and package the same amount of product, but in a smaller area and much more effi- ciently. Instead of having staff spend- ing so much time hand packing and labelling, they can concentrate on other areas of growing and servicing the business.
it is one simple way to upgrade a package from a basic flexible pouch to address these needs.
Once a flexible pack is open, there is a challenge to retain freshness, pro- tect and contain the contents and allow for portion/dispensing control. In some cases, the consumer can dis- pense the contents into another resealable pack, which can add to the landfill waste challenges we face.
Adding a resealable zipper onto a flexible pack is an excellent way to avoid products being decanted and ensuring the flexible pouch is the pri- mary pack, able to be open and closed multiple times over or until the con- tents are consumed.
Zip-Pak’s Pour and Lok zip is one solution shifting a flexible pack into a resealable/reusable package. Suitable for initiatives such as REDcycle, it is also gives consumers a choice to dis- pose of the zipper pack through such
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SNACK & CONVENIENCE | www.packagingnews.com.au | July-August 2020
Zipped in convenience
Zip-Pak provides resealable packaging solutions to companies around the world. The company’s products help keep food fresh and deliver consumer convenience.
IP-PAK is working on the chal- lenges brand owners are facing to balance the industry initia- tives around waste – whether that is food or packaging related. But the company is also taking into account the needs of brand
owners to preserve, protect, contain and deliver convenience in their products.
As the flexible packaging segment continues to grow, Zip-Pak sees itself playing a larger role in supporting the industry in these areas.
Focusing on food waste, it has been alarming to understand organ- ics contribute about 20 million tonnes of our total 64 million-tonne landfill problem. Food waste is the largest organic contributor and a large majority of this waste is gener- ated in the household.
Identifying ways to avoid or reduce this is important and where Zip-Pak believes it can help.
Zip-Pak has been offering reclo- sure and reseal solutions for flexible packaging for many years and it says