The award winning design
Corrugated packaging supplier, Cepac, won the Resource Efficient Pack of the Year at the UK Packaging Awards 2016 with an entry for the Nescafé Café Menu range, which incorporates Datalase’s laser ablation process.
The corrugated wraparound pack was developed by Cepac in partnership with Nestlé as a response to the customer’s issues with damaged product, particularly on exported packs, and has resulted in over 100 tonnes of plastic shrink being removed from the supply chain along with almost 60 tonnes of label backing.
Cepac and Nestlé utilised Datalase technology where a special pigment is added to the ink and printed onto the pack surface. The pigment then reacts with a Near Infrared (NIR) laser, which is integrated inline at Nestlé’s Dalston operation. The laser light generates a colour-change in the pigment creating a digital print of the required information, including the barcode.
The re-designed pack removes the requirement for any plastic shrink, improves product visibility and is manufactured in 100% recycled board grades. It also reduces potential damage to the primary packs by 99%.
The award was presented by David Baker, chairman of INCPEN. He described the product as, ‘An effective solution to resolve a major distribution challenge that reduces product damage, is fit-for-purpose and uses optimal packaging. Truly resource efficient.’
‘The resulting pack provides an excellent solution for Nestlé, simultaneously removing primary pack damage, improving line efficiency and reducing the waste stream,’ commented Rod Ainslie, managing director of Cepac.
‘By working closely together we have resolved the challenge of transit damage in the supply chain, improved our potential for in-house efficiency improvements and had a very positive environmental impact,’ said Mark North, supply chain, product supply beverage and food, Nestlé UK. ‘We can see significant potential for application of the laser ablation technology across other product lines.’
