Page 44 - Packaging News Magazine Nov-Dec2020

44 DECADES IN REVIEW | PKN 60 YEARS SPECIAL
The industry takes shape
The Sixties is the starting point of our six-decade review, which charts the challenges faced and innovation introduced by the packaging industry, as reported in the magazine’s pages.
1960
◆ A revolutionary method of fluid packag- ing has come to Australia in the form of a pyramid-shaped container manufactured under the patent name of Tetra Pak.
◆ A feature article in Pakit (today PKN) reports that one of the most important design developments in recent years has been the weight reduction or ‘right weighting’ of glass, noting “this minimises the overall weight of the container by ensuring a more accurate distribution of glass in angles and corners”.
◆ Aluminiumfoilisrolledlocallyforthefirst time. The Australian Aluminium Company’s plant in Cabramatta, NSW produces 1750 tonnes of aluminium foil in its first year. Its advertising slogan is: “only the best products are packaged in aluminium foil”.
◆ Impulse sales are a thing of the ‘60s too. Lever Brothers launches a new blow moulded LDPE squeeze pack for liquid detergent, which it claims will “make a greater impact on the supermarket cus- tomer” and “stand out among its competitors in a field already invaded by plastic containers”.
1961
◆ The early signs of private label: Chemists Own’ products emerge on Melbourne shelves; the individual chemist has his name incorporated in the design litho- printed onto an aerosol can.
◆ Figures show the Australian packaging industry is conducting a £140 million busi- ness, considered “well behind the current potential for the industry”.
new tray speeds up packaging time as it is now possible to transfer a complete tray of chocolate by conveyors.
◆ The ‘first of its kind’ new seamless extruded aerosol aluminium can is introduced.
1963
◆ Early shelf-ready packaging: “The zip- open Fribrite [pictured left] which Lever & Kitchen is using to ship its new powder cleanser Vim is the first of its kind in Australia. Features which have already made it extremely popular are its ease of handling and the speed with which it can be converted into a display unit.”
◆ Portion control takes hold: Yoghurt in a six ounce clear plastic container is launched by Peter’s Yogurt to “appeal to the figure- conscious business girl who is anxious to watch her diet but still wants to obtain nour- ishment during the day”.
◆ The Automation Age arrives in Australia... “There was a hive of activity at the Cibernetics factory in Melbourne recently when the giant multi-colour Gravure Automative Machine arrived from Japan. When the chosen material is placed in the machine, one minute later up to 750ft of new packaging wrappers printed in multi- colours are processed through the machine.”
www.packagingnews.com.au | November–December 2020
THE SEE-THROUGH SIXTIES
Transparency is all the rage in the 1960s, with clear cellulose films glamourising the supermarket shelves. Waxed papers for breads are replaced by cellulose films, polyethylene is used for fresh produce, the list goes on... Players in the sector step up their advertising with creative campaigns selling the virtues of see-through. The advert top right refers to Cellophane as the ‘haute couture’ of packaging, while DuPont (right) uses natural imagery to promote its cellulose film range.
60s
◆ The packaging industry enters the colour Australian Glass Manufacturers, which pre- age. The growth in self-stock (self-adhesive) dicts a big future for the new product. labels and the swing to colour in printed ◆ Rowntree’s releases the first moulded matter that this brings, is described as chocolate tray for Dairy Box, made of “phenomenal”. unplasticised polyvinyl choride (PVC) ◆ At its 39th annual conference, the to replace the former paper cups. The Country Woman’s Association of
1962
◆ Contract packaging gains a foothold. There are at least 30 contract packagers in the Sydney and Melbourne metropolitan areas, mostly specialising in only one or two types of packaging, such as bottling, strip packag- ing and tube filling.
◆ The ‘glass can’, later known as the stubby, is launched. A squat, 13-ounce bottle, it is the glass industry’s answer to the steel can’s entry into the former all-glass province of beverage bottling. It is introduced locally by
NSW passes a resolution calling for the dating of all wrapped bread, “as a check on freshness”. ◆ A new ice cream creation in unique packaging emerges on the market in Sydney. The Frozen Drumstick has domi- nated the US novelty field for many years and looks set to do the same in Australia.
TUBES TALK BEAUTY
“Among the products now being manufactured by Rheem Australia is one considered by many to be the most glamorous utility pack on the market. This is the uncrushable, stand up, plastic squeeze tube, which combines amazing strength with attractive appearance, styling and sensible pricing.”