A flexible approach to growth

29 October 2013



Technological developments, sustainability drives and a migration from rigid packaging are resulting in significant growth in the flexible packaging arena, finds Tim Sheahan.


More than 31,000 visitors descended upon the exhibition halls of the Brussels Expo at the end of September. The latest iteration of Labelexpo Europe attracted record-breaking numbers, with an 11% increase on 2011 figures in attendance, to experience the latest technology from nearly 600 exhibitors. If Labelexpo taught us one thing, it was that the flexible packaging sector is in good shape.

The global flexible packaging market is expected to grow at a rate of 3.5% per annum until 2018. According to research body Smithers Pira, this means the sector is growing at a rate higher than the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and therefore at a rate quicker than other packaging markets.

Market growth
Over the next five years, the market tonnage value of flexible packaging is expected to grow at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) OF 4.1%, with the flexible sector expected to account for nearly 30 million tonnes (29.8) by 2018. Growth is taking place across the globe, with Asia-Pacific and the US in particular experiencing significant increases in market share and volume.

Closer to home, packaging converters are increasingly turning to flexible packaging production to cater for burgeoning demand from their client bases. As a result, innovation is rife in the development of new converting technology and flexible packaging materials.

Significant savings can be made by switching from rigid packaging to flexible because in general unit costs per pack of flexible compared with rigid are less, explains Howard Woolley, managing director of Leicester, UK, based Tyler Packaging. "Furthermore, modern packing lines are extremely fast and have reduced in price dramatically in recent years, enabling capital expenditure decisions to become easier when packers are considering investing in new equipment."

Flexible migration
According to Woolley, the migration in parts of the sector from rigid to flexible has been influenced by a number of driving forces. At a time when food waste is under the spotlight yet again, it is somewhat inevitable that packaging will be the focus once more.

He adds: "Packaging waste regulation levies on packers and fillers are increasing, and reducing the unit weight of packaging used to pack product is therefore becoming more important. Because of the much-reduced volume flexible packaging takes up in transportation and on shelf, end-user buyers are seeing much reduced unit costs because of the reduced carbon footprint in transport and the frequency of shelf refilling in store.

"Modern laminate packaging is also virtually invulnerable to damage or breakage in store compared to rigid," he continues. "For these reasons we have seen significant movement away from glass jars, tin cans and cardboard cartons into stand-up pouches, laminated bags and FFS; and in our view this will continue. The development of laminated films and pouches is such that they will impact on all areas of packaging."

This is a point echoed by Debbie Waldron-Hoines, director at the European Flexographic Industry Association (EFIA) who suggests there are still challenges to face. "We've recognised this trend and it clearly provides opportunities for the association and its members," she states. "However, we do believe that in particular products where the contents are prone to damage for example meat, fish and poultry and soft fruits, we will continue to see the predominance of rigid and modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) for shelf life extension."

Waldron-Hoines adds: "The challenge is that consumers are very sensitive to the freshness of the goods they buy, and do not appreciate produce damage. There has also been a lot of focus recently on food waste and a lot of work done to look at the food waste statistics in the UK and abroad which has increased customer concern.

"Packaging fundamentally has a green role in helping to minimise waste and therefore we as an association anticipate that lightweighting of packaging, be that flexible or rigid, will continue to be a key focus for the entire packaging chain. Finally, flexible packaging is a great format and offers tremendous opportunity for increasing the graphical pack appeal. However some designs are also unable to be recycled due to their complex film lamination nature, which can preclude their use in some brand categories or applications, depending on the sustainability of the brand or retailer."

Technological innovation
On the capital equipment side of the flexography sector, a large number of exhibitors used their presence at the Labelexpo Europe event to showcase the latest developments in the field. One of these was narrow web flexo press manufacturer Mark Andy, who launched the Versa Max, a flexo press designed for film and flexible packaging applications.

According to the US-based manufacturer, the new machine is pitched at packaging converters that produce a range of packaging products such as pouched, sachets and shrink sleeves. Mark Andy says the Versa Max press is available in two configurations, either 560mm or 660mm with maximum production speeds set at up to 366m/min. The machine is also capable of handling a range of substrates that include monofilms as well as multi-layer structure substrates for flexible packaging applications.

Elsewhere, UK press manufacturer Edale was at Labelexpo to demonstrate its FL-3 platform, which has been well received since becoming commercially available. The machine can reach top print speeds of 200m/min and features the company's UniPrint technology, which is claimed to ensure consistent quality regardless of the substrate format size being used.

Edale claims that the FL-3 gives label printers "the flexibility and scope" to expand into a number of new markets and the ability to print on substrates up to 450 micron.

For Kodak, Labelexpo acted as a springboard for its latest flexo products for label and packaging converters. Central to this was the company's Flexcel NX System and its Flexcel Direct system for engraving and flexo plate making. In addition, the manufacturer showcased its Spotless flexographic suite, which is claimed to help cut the need for spot colours.

Bright future
Tyler Packaging's Howard Woolley echoes the enthusiasm surrounding these latest developments and expects print to play an increasingly important role in the flexible packaging mix in the coming years. He pinpoints digital printing as an area of great potential, as it is a technology that enables extremely short print runs to be achieved - an increasingly interesting prospect to marketers and brand managers. It enables them to test market product without committing to the usual minimum print runs associated with traditional flexo or gravure printing,

According to Woolley, the number of packaging applications expected to migrate to flexible can only increase in the coming years. "We are seeing significant growth here and are personally continuing to increase our capacity to keep up with demand. Flexible film innovation continues to evolve while combination flexible and rigid packaging is something we have been examining, as this opens up possibilities of development of flexible packaging for products such as bottled water or milk. This technology offers the savings associated with flexible as well as the convenience of rigid," he explains.

Debbie Waldron-Hoines says flexible packaging continues to take a share in the key markets where taking weight out has become a major focus for logistics reasons such as those applications that are currently in metal cans and glass.

She explains: "We are also seeing some developments in the fruit and produce areas - for example in the more robust berries and also in the development of portion or snack packs. Rigid plastics will continue to dominate the categories where products are prone to damage and therefore wouldn't sell well.

"The retailer is focused on driving sales, and rigid packaging plays a key role in maintaining freshness and the look and appeal of products where bruising is a risk. In addition, flexible packs are often slower to fill than their rigid counterparts and shelf space efficiency can also be compromised using flexible packs without complementary shelf-ready packaging solutions designed alongside."





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