Page 85 - Packaging News Magazine Nov-Dec2020

PROFILE | PKN 60 YEARS SPECIAL
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Supporting cast members
Each of the people working within Impak Films is directly employed in the investiga- tion, development and sourcing of product for customers. Andy says the company uses third-party warehousing and logistics, leav- ing everyone in the company involved in sourcing new products, which he refers to as “the brains” of their company.
“When we first started 33 years ago, the industry was much more diversified, with many printer/converters in major capital cit- ies,” Brian says.
“We dealt with personalities like Lou Abraham, Abe Weisman, Graham McKenzie, John Salvage, Kel Doolan, and sold to com- panies like Leigh Marden, ABM, Containers Packaging, NPV, Colin Martyn, and Duplas. There was a whole lot less choice of plastic films and suppliers available. Today the world is completely different. The industry is far more consolidated, with many, many, more film suppliers chasing their business. You can find everything on the web. The supply world is completely different.
“In the past few years, we have seen a sig- nificant increase and acceptance of new tech- nologies with the market understanding a need for change. The public is demanding green solutions and want packaging using either recyclable, compostable or containing an amount of post-consumer recycled polymer.
“Here at Impak, we are working with cus- tomers to answer their call to meet these kinds of requirements from a plastic film base material point of view. Typically, today’s flexible packaging might be a multi-layer structure which could consist of three or more different types of plastics. We are developing structures that will deliver the same properties or shelf-life, but inclusive of technologies that are far easier to recycle.
“There are programmes where customers take packaging film back to the store where it can be collected and later recycled. Film choice is most important to the success of such programmes. We are presently develop- ing a BOPP-based lidding film that will still seal to APET trays. The new lidding will still have the peelability, the clarity and the barrier if desired but the PET tray goes into the recycling bin and the film can be returned to store. Others want to include post-consumer recy- cled polymer to make films. So, from a recy- cled soft drink bottle, the polymer can be
recovered to make a polyester film. These types of technologies are becoming more available at a cost, but the cost is now more accepted given the consumer demand and expectation.”
Brian says as recently as five years ago, people may have been talking about recycling and reusing, but wouldn’t accept the additional cost. “Now there is a desire from the end user driving change and they are prepared to look at it. People want a more believable ‘green’ solution and they’re prepared to pay for it. We, as Impak, must be in a position to provide these alternate solutions.”
Andy says the coronavirus plague had a two-sided effect on business. “A downside has been the loss of the food services seg- ment, like onboard airline catering and reduced café business, but that has been compensated by a huge increase in supermarket food pur- chases as people eat at home.”
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP:
L-R: top: Andy Newman, Brian Christy, Tony Bevan; bottom: Erika Newman, Ann Smyth, Elyse Spinner
L-R: Andy Newman, Jo Xu (Impak China), Brian Christy
L-R: Ed Jenkins, Kathleen Lane, Bethany Gonzalez (Impak Films llc, USA)
Future series
Speaking about the future, Andy says with the reduction of the converting base in Australia, they have focused more on direct-to-market, getting into the smarter non-printed products like polyolefin shrink and specialty lidding film that go directly to the end-user.
Brian says: “Our biggest customers are Americans. If we add one to our base every so often, we are looking at a customer four or more times the value of what is available in Australia – the scale is that much greater.”
November–December 2020 | www.packagingnews.com.au