Packaging Market Research Articles

Meeting the Challenges of Digitally Printing Cans

Tonejet digital printing produces high quality colour images direct onto a wide range of materials at a cost and throughput that makes it attractive to the mass packaging industry. A good example is beverage cans, the printing of which presents particular challenges in terms of substrate characteristics, image quality and durability.In this paper we talk about the demands of printing digitally onto cans, the advantages that digital printing brings such as quality, design flexibility and run length, and the technical challenges that we have overcome in order to deliver a commercial digital printing solution for this important sector of the packaging market.

Sun Chemical invests in new innovative plant for global food packaging market

Sun Chemical invests in new innovative plant for global food packaging market

Material flow analysis of polyethylene terephthalate in the US, 1996–2007

We present a material flow analysis (MFA) for polyethylene terephthalate (PET), a synthetic polymer, in the United States for the years 1996–2007. We model the industrial metabolism of PET as a network of flows linking stocks and processes. The most common worldwide use of PET is in textile production, but in the US it is increasingly used to make disposable beverage containers for transporting water, carbonated soda, and other beverages. Bottles made from PET are the most-recycled plastic product in the US by mass and by recovery rate, and thus the PET material flow system constitutes an ideal case study of polymer recycling. We find that total consumption of PET resin grew at 2.7% per year over the period of the study, reaching 5.01 million metric tons in 2007. This growth was driven largely by the beverage packaging market, which accounted for 55% of consumption in 2007. About a quarter of PET bottles are collected for recycling, a number that has fluctuated widely but kept pace with consumption. However, domestic capacity for reclamation of post-consumer PET has not grown as quickly, leading recyclers to export increasing amounts of post-consumer material. Manufacturers have also imported secondary PET in increasing amounts. Reclaimed PET accounted for 6–9% of total resin demand throughout the study. While polymer recycling appears to be viable, efforts to improve material efficiency are confounded by low collection rates and a lack of reclamation infrastructure.

Role of Glass Container Manufacturing in the Economy of Clarion, Jefferson, & Clearfield Counties

The Penn State Workforce Education and Development Initiative conducted an analysis of the economic impact of glass container manufacturing in Clarion, Jefferson, and Clearfield counties in Pennsylvania. The analysis was designed to help understand the expected impact of July 2010 layoffs of 402 employees at the Owens-Illinois Inc. plant in Clarion County, Pennsylvania, which were announced during April on the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry's WARN notice website. The impact of these layoffs is likely to be felt beyond Clarion County. The majority of workers commute to work at the Clarion County operation from Jefferson and Clearfield counties, as well as from communities within Clarion County itself.The Economic and Workforce Brief produced from this analysis provides a benchmark for measuring the total employment, employee compensation, and property taxes associated with every 100 workers employed in Clarion County's glass container manufacturing industry. Because the layoffs expected from the Owens-Illinois facility total approximately 400 workers, multiplying all job, compensation, and tax impacts provided in the Brief by a factor of 4 yields an estimate of the footprint of the Owens-Illinois plant on Clarion, Jefferson, and Clearfield counties.Owens-Illinois Inc., headquartered in Perrysburg, Ohio, is the largest manufacturer of glass containers in the world, according to the Owens-Illinois corporate website. A 2010 report by IBISWorld indicates that Owens-Illinois Inc. holds 10% of the U.S. market for all glass products. Following a 2008 review of its global manufacturing activity, Owens-Illinois Inc. closed glass manufacturing operations in Canada and Finland. The layoffs at the Clarion County plant attributed to a decrease in the demand for beer bottles, according to an article appearing in The Blade (Toledo, Ohio).Products manufactured by Owens-Illinois Inc. classified in North American Industrial Classification System code 327213. According to the U.S. Bureau of the Census, establishments in this industry are primarily engaged in manufacturing glass packaging This industry, which produced 20% of all products made from glass in the U.S., sells bottles and jars primarily to the soft drink, beer, and wine production industries. The glass container manufacturing industry competes directly with metal containers for a share of the processed food and beverages packaging market. Also, during the past decade, preserved food and beverage production industries have been substituting plastics, aluminum, and cardboard for glass containers. The threat of substitution of other products for glass containers continues to depress glass container industry margins, although the industry has been boosted by the growth in U.S. beer and wine production and by the shift in consumer preferences to specialty food products packaged in glass jars (e.g., pasta sauces). Glass container manufacturers compete intensely on the basis of delivery capabilities, product design, and advanced labeling technologies.The Penn State Workforce Education and Development Initiative estimates the glass container manufacturing industry in Pennsylvania employed 1,477 workers during 2008, a loss of 570 workers since 2004. The seven Pennsylvania glass container manufacturing establishments operating in 2008 had a high concentration of Pennsylvania employment compared with the entire U.S. glass container manufacturing industry. Clarion and Jefferson counties alone accounted for approximately 60% of Pennsylvania employment in the glass container manufacturing industry during 2008. Occupations employed in Pennsylvania's glass container manufacturing industry in 2008 with the largest number of workers included: team assemblers; production helpers; packers; extrusion machine operators; inspectors; and first-line supervisors.

2nd Level Reliability Improvement on WLCSP

Recently the package market is demanding the smaller package size and the lower impedance electrical path with a short interconnection. The wafer level chip scale package is one of them, which has the solution of the market needs above. However, WLCSP technology is still not fully accepted on the large device size that is larger than 5mm × 5mm. It needs to overcome 2nd level reliability issue on both solder joint and drop reliability test. To improve 2nd level reliability, we need to apply the longer stand–off design such as Cu –post and double solder ball instead of single solder ball, and low modulus material on polymer layer under the solder pad for releasing thermal stress which result in the solder joints crack due to CTEs (Coefficient of Thermal Expansion) mismatch between organic PCB and WLCSP. In this paper, the double ball structure is introduced as one of them can provide the longer stand off. In addition of improving 2nd level reliability and drop test it may need to apply different solder ball component properties to increase Thermal cycling and drop test. The WLCSP structured a double solder ball showed a better 2nd level reliability result. This paper describes the molding process for double ball process and 2nd level reliability by solder property variation.

Origami-based robotic paper-and-board packaging for food industry

This paper presents challenges in the paper-and-board packaging market which is counted 39% of the European packaging market and 52% of the UK packaging market. The automation present challenges in the paper-and-board food packaging and its subsequent reconfiguration to meet the variety of packs. Having reviewed the current market and state of the art of food packaging automation, this paper studies the principle of multistation-based operation and reconfiguration and the corresponding technologies. Packaging requires understanding of packs' motion and design of robotic tooling which are investigated in this paper with origami-type cartons and with sandwich packs. This presents integration of tooling and mechanisms and that of algorithms for reconfiguration and demonstrated in a robotic packaging device.

Percepção do consumidor com relação à embalagem de alimentos: tendências

This paper presents a review about food packaging sector in Brazil. It is known that simple changes in the habits of consumers and in the purchases decisions cause major quake in the packaging market. The ability of companies to understand these changes becomes increasingly important. The consumer’s requirement is by packaging more functional, and with clear and objective information. In the face of a consumer market increasingly demanding, the search for the "ideal packaging," which meets product’s needs as to contain, protect and carry, in addition to conserve, exhibit and sell has become a challenge for professionals from different areas. For the packaging design approach the closest to ideal, and meet the requirements laid down by law, we must consider the aesthetic and ergonomic aspects, with the lowest possible cost. Its note in this study that exist some concern about natural resources conservation and minimization of environmental impacts, through the use of packaging ecologically correct. Key words: food packaging, trends, design and ergonomics.

Surface modification on plating-based Cu/Sn/0.7Cu lead-free copper pillars by using polishing

Thus far, no any effective countermeasure against plating-induced poor uniformity exists in the global packaging market. In this paper, we aim to develop an effective polishing process to improve the poor uniformity existing in advanced double-layer copper pillars. After polishing, the wafer and chip uniformities of copper pillars could be reduced from the original values of 6.8–3.5% and 2.9–0.9%; after reflow, the wafer and chip uniformities of copper pillars reached 3.0% and 1.7%. Excellent uniformity in copper pillars ensures accurate joints, good reliability, high yields, and flexible layouts.

Stabilization of vinyl chloride/vinylidene chloride copolymers using N‐substituted maleimides

AbstractAs a consequence of their excellent barrier properties, vinyl chloride/vinylidene chloride copolymers have long been prominent in the flexible packaging market. While these polymers possess a number of superior characteristics, they tend to undergo thermally induced degradative dehydrochlorination at process temperatures. This degradation must be controlled to permit processing of the polymers. Three series of N‐substituted maleimides (N‐alkyl‐, N‐aralkyl‐, and N‐aryl‐) have been synthesized, characterized spectroscopically, and evaluated as potential stabilizers for a standard vinyl chloride/vinylidene chloride (85 wt%) copolymer. As surface blends with the polymer, these compounds are ineffective as stabilizers. However, significant stabilization may be achieved by pretreatment of the polymer with N‐substituted maleimides. The most effective stabilization of the polymer is afforded by N‐aralkyl‐ or N‐arylmaleimides, most notably, N‐benzylmaleimide and N‐(p‐methoxyphenyl)maleimide. J. VINYL. ADDIT. TECHNOL. 12:88–97, 2006. © 2006 Society of Plastics Engineers.

Thermal degradation of vinylidene chloride/vinyl chloride copolymers in the presence of N-substituted maleimides

As a consequence of their excellent barrier properties vinyl chloride/vinylidene chloride copolymers have long been prominent in the flexible packaging market. While these polymers possess a number of superior characteristics, they tend to undergo thermally- induced degradative dehydrochlorination at process temperatures. This degradation must be controlled to permit processing of the polymers. Three series of N-substituted maleimides (N-alkyl-, N-aralkyl, and N-aryl) have been synthesized, characterized spectroscopically, and evaluated as potential stabilizers for a standard vinyl chloride/vinylidene chloride (85 mass%) copolymer. As surface blends with the polymer, these compounds are ineffective as stabilizers. However, significant stabilization may be achieved by pretreatment of the polymer with N-substituted maleimides. The most effective stabilization of the polymer is afforded by N-aralkyl- or N-arylmaleimides, most notably, N-benzylmaleimide and N-p-methoxyphenylmaleimide.

Indian Jute Industry at the Cross Road: Focus on West Bengal

The world packaging industry, criticized for degrading the environment by using synthetic packaging materials, found a solution in jute - a biodegradable green product. Prior to large-scale use of synthetics, the demand for Indian jute in the global packaging industry was very high. Till early seventies, India's share in the global jute market was more than 50%. With the decline in the use of jute in developed countries, the Indian jute industry redirected its focus to the protected domestic market for its survival. Now, in the altered liberalized environment, the industry is at the crossroad. There is increased pressure on the government from the synthetic fiber lobby to reduce its patronage by diluting the compulsory jute-packaging rule; the protected domestic jute packaging market is under threat. But export markets are increasing. By demanding more ecological packaging, global consumers have strengthened the export potential of Indian jute. To compete with plastic industry, recently (early 2005), the United Nations has taken an initiative to form a jute cartel involving five major jute growing countries namely India, Bangladesh, China, Pakistan and Nepal. Although, plastic packaging materials cost at least 50% less compared to jute, it is expected that due to increased environmental consciousness, demand for jute in the international market will increase vis-a-vis plastic. (ABP'15.6.05) In the first part of this study, we shall try to analyze the present status of the industry in a secured domestic market. In the second part, we shall discuss about the changes to be introduced in various functional areas to meet the growing demand of jute products in the in the post MFA (multi fiber agreement) quota free global market.

Comment on “Speaking up for science” by Fred Spilhaus] Science in Plain English

I write inspired by Fred Spilhaus's Eos editorial (Speaking Up For Science, 86(24), 14 June 2005, p. 225). I have recently had a front‐row seat (at the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution) from which to observe the skillful packaging and energetic marketing of a fundamentally religious view of cosmology as science. (Yes, I have seen the film The Privileged Planet.) However, my subject is communication, and what follows is my personal opinion.I confess: I have many times crossed out the word “believe” in a scientific manuscript and noted, “Science is not a belief system.” I hope my victim will become just angry enough with me to remember in the future that a scientist may “conclude” anything the data support but not “believe” it. Why? “Believing” something can mean that one has a firm religious faith in it. This makes the scientist vulnerable to those who wish to define “materialistic science” as a religious belief, and thus aids advocates of alternate “theories” to those of modern evolutionary biology.

Shelf life of whole pasteurized milk in Greece: effect of packaging material

Chemical, microbiological and sensorial changes in whole pasteurized milk stored under fluorescent light at 4 °C in 500 ml bottles, made of: (a) multilayer pigmented [HDPE + 2% TiO 2/HDPE + 4% carbon black/HDPE + 2% TiO 2], 550–600 μm in thickness, (b) monolayer pigmented [HDPE + 2% TiO 2], 550–600 μm in thickness, (c) clear PET, 300–350 μm in thickness and (d) pigmented [PET + 2% TiO 2], 300–350 μm in thickness, were monitored for a period of 7 days. Milk packaged in coated paperboard cartons and stored under the same experimental conditions served as the “control” sample. Data were obtained for lipid oxidation, lipolysis, proteolysis, vitamin A and riboflavin contents, microbial growth including mesophilic and psychrotrophic counts and sensorial attributes (odour and taste) of whole pasteurized milk. Results showed satisfactory protection of milk packaged in all packaging materials with regard to microbiological and chemical parameters assessed over the 7 day period. Vitamin A losses, recorded after 7 days of storage, were, respectively, 8.8%, 10.5%, 29.8%, 50.9% and 14.0% in samples packaged in multilayer HDPE, monolayer HDPE, pigmented PET, clear PET bottles and control samples. Respective losses of riboflavin were 18.4%, 20.6%, 30.9%, 47.1% and 19.8%. Based on organoleptic analysis, the shelf life of whole pasteurized milk in Greece is 5 days. The best overall protection to the product was provided by the multilayer and monolayer pigmented HDPE bottles at a thickness of 550–600 μm. Such packaging materials are currently finding their way into the fresh milk packaging market.

The coming of CSP

Chip scale packaging (CSP) is emerging as a major player within the semiconductor packaging market. Processing in the back-end requires optimizing the use of intermediate carrier configurations such as tape-in-carrier and strip-based substrates. This optimization of carrier configurations must occur in all processes related to CSP assembly, including die attach, wire bond, encapsulation, ball attach, laser mark, singulate, inspect, and test. CSP is considered an SMT and, as such, can be processed using existing lines. However, CSP is different from SMT and has its own assembly problems. One of the critical problems is that, with thinner package profile requirement, thinner substrate is necessary. Another important problem that should be considered is the failure of solder joints because of the coefficient of thermal expansion mismatch among the substrate, lead packages, and the board when the thermal load is severe. To address this point, several studies using moire interferometry have been conducted to measure thermal deformations that accumulate during thermal cycles.

容器分野における材料・技術動向

容器分野における材料・技術動向

ON THE BORDERLINE OF FOOD AND DRUG: Constructing Credibility and Markets for a Functional Food Product

This article addresses the subject matter of functional foods by analysing commercialization and marketing of a functional food product. Functional food is an evolving hybrid concept: certain substances in a food product are claimed to have health-promoting or disease-preventing qualities (e.g. Best, 1996). Consequently, functional food advertises a food product with medical qualities, which evokes various debates and difficulties in its definition from the point of view of the medical community, regulatory authorities, food industry and consumers.Globally, the approval of functional foods is a complex matter, as it depends on national criteria and practice. For instance, functional food is not a legal term in many countries, such as the USA, but the health claims of functional foods that are used in package labelling and marketing are strictly regulated. With respect to clinical evidence, the approval criteria of health claims may even resemble the approval criteria of drugs. Through the health claims, functional foods challenge the clear distinction between food and drugs that has been incorporated into regulatory systems for a long time (Kwak and Jukes, 2000, 2001a).

Effect of light transmittance and oxygen permeability of various packaging materials on keeping quality of low fat pasteurized milk: chemical and sensorial aspects

Abstract Chemical and sensory changes in low fat (15 g kg −1 ) pasteurized milk stored under fluorescent light at 4°C in 500 mL bottles made of (a) multilayer pigmented [HDPE (high-density polyethylene)+20 g kg −1 TiO 2 /HDPE+40 g kg −1 carbon black/HDPE+20 g kg −1 TiO 2 ], (b) monolayer pigmented [HDPE+20 g kg −1 TiO 2 ], (c) clear PET (polyethylene terephthalate) and (d) pigmented [PET+20 g kg −1 TiO 2 ] were monitored for a period of 7 days. Milk packaged in coated paperboard cartons and stored under the same experimental conditions served as the “control” sample. Data were obtained for lipid oxidation, vitamin A and riboflavin content, microbial growth and sensory attributes (odour and taste). Results showed good protection of milk packaged in all packaging materials with regard to microbiological and chemical parameters assessed over the 7-day test period. Vitamin A losses recorded were 11% for multilayer and monolayer pigmented HDPE and pigmented PET bottles vs. 16% for the paperboard cartons and 31% for the clear PET bottles after 7 days of storage. Respective losses for riboflavin were 28% for the multilayer pigmented HDPE bottle and the paperboard carton, 30% for the monolayer pigmented HDPE bottle, 33% for the pigmented PET bottle and 40% for the clear PET bottle. Based on sensory analysis the shelf life of low fat (15 g kg −1 ) pasteurized milk is approximately 5 days. The best overall protection for the product was provided by the multilayer followed by the monolayer TiO 2 -pigmented HDPE bottle. Such packaging materials are recently emerging in the fresh milk packaging market.

Linking strategic planning to operations management: the competitive histograms approach and an empirical study

A new model is presented aimed at filling the gap between top-down strategic models found in literature and real-life applications in field, where the need for a link between strategic planning and operations management emerges as a key-issue. The model considers that the strategic planning process should be triggered by a bottom-up approach, starting from the product cost structure, the product flow analysis and the supply chain, since strategic plans – in the end – will be implemented by division managers. So, the focus of strategic planning should be shifted from the company's strategic apex to the personnel involved in the supply chain management. After a comparative review of the most popular and recent approaches to strategic planning, the new model is introduced through a six-step methodology and the tool of competitive histograms is presented. Then, the model is tested by applying it to the real-life case study of the European flexible packaging market. Results point out that the power of competitive histograms lies both in the multicriteria approach, which allows to measure qualitative and quantitative impacts, and in the bottom-up inherent structure, which enables division managers–especially manufacturing, sales, distribution and logistic managers–to pass all their knowledge to top managers, by also stimulating interfunctional communications

Problems associated with ecological assessment of packaging

SUMMARY Current trends in the development of the world packaging market and the place of ecological tendencies in them suggest the need to analyse the present status of studies on the ecological assessment of packaging materials and packaging. The aim of this study is to present some aspects of ecological assessment of packaging. The methods and criteria of ecological assessment of packaging, including Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) and ecological classification of packaging proposed by COBRO (Polish Packaging Research and Development Centre) in Warsaw were used. The considerations presented in the paper related to the general assumptions of ecological assessment of packaging materials and packaging point to the complexity of the problem and, at the same time, to the immediate interest and importance of studies in this field, particularly in terms of implementing a specific environmental protection policy.

Food bytes: intelligent systems in the food industry

Computers have transformed the design of everything from cars to coffee cups. Now the food industry faces the same revolution, with intelligent computer models being used in the design, production and marketing of food products. The combined market capitalisation of the world’s biggest food, cosmetics, tobacco, clothing and consumer electronics companies is $2 trillion, forming the world’s 500 richest companies. Many of these “fast‐moving consumer goods” companies now apply intelligent computer models to the design, production and marketing of their products. Manufacturers aim to develop and produce high volumes of these commodities with minimum costs, maximum consumer appeal, and of course, maximum profits. Products have limited lifetimes following the fashions of the consumer‐driven marketplace. With food and drink, little is known about many of the underlying characteristics and processes. Product development and marketing must therefore be rapid, flexible and use raw data alongside existing expert knowledge. Intelligent systems, such as neural networks, fuzzy logic and genetic algorithms, mimic human skills such as the ability to learn from incomplete information, to adapt to changing circumstances, to explain their decisions and to cope with novel situations. These systems are being used to tackle a growing range of problems, from credit card fraud detection and stock market prediction to medical diagnosis and weather forecasting. This paper introduces intelligent systems and highlights their use in all aspects of the food and drink industry, from ingredient selection, through product design and manufacture, to packaging design and marketing.