Light-weight materials, efficient production – How technological innovation shapes the future of food packaging

The flexible “Koehler NexPlus® Seal Pure 40 gsm” packaging paper from Koehler Paper is the final piece in the games manufacturer’s quest to offer its customers 100% recyclable and sustainable products, entirely free from plastics, for both games and puzzles. The card decks for the board games “CATAN“ and “Halli Galli”, which were originally wrapped in cellophane, switched to flexible packaging paper from Koehler Paper back in 2022. Like all other Koehler NexPlus® papers, “Koehler NexPlus® Seal Pure” is also heat-sealable, and its sturdiness characteristics make it ideally suited for further processing on all commercially available packaging machines. “We can produce approx. 120,000 puzzles per week — from puzzles for small children to puzzles for adults with 6000 pieces. The stability of the packaging paper from Koehler Paper enables us to pack the products at the same speed as plastic film, for example“, says Marcel Riehle, Director Of Operations at Ludo Fact, explaining the decision to switch to paper. Ludo Fact produces up to 17 million units per year for around 200 games publishing companies worldwide. The company is the first manufacturer on the market that has been able to introduce sustainable paper packaging for its products in large runs and at optimal costs.

Industrial packaging must be strong, which is why heavy-duty corrugated board doesn’t immediately spring to mind as the perfect solution. But for many packaging challenges, it can save time, money and resources. Automotive components, chemicals, DIY products, household appliances, sporting goods…the list of industries and manufacturers that need to package and ship their products reliably and efficiently is virtually endless. This is not by any means a trivial challenge, especially when import regulations or other issues in production and logistics or distribution bring additional complexity. Such issues usually include shipping, storage, safety, or the simple matter of handling of packaging on site. At the same time, companies need to consider their own CO2 footprint and overall sustainability, which is an area many companies struggle with. With those challenges in mind, a high-performance and reliable alternative to wood or metal is heavy-duty corrugated board, as industrial packaging for heavy loads. Weighing up to 80% less than wood or metal industrial packaging, it undergoes a broad range of tests during development, oriented to a broad range of anticipated conditions: drop tests in the lab, climate chambers, and comprehensive shipping simulations for a wide range of conditions. Most heavy-duty corrugated board solutions are better than more rigid types of packaging in absorbing shocks and vibration during transportation. And heavy-duty corrugated board can withstand demanding conditions such as heat or humidity. Especially when shipped by sea, contents are exposed to high ambient humidity and high condensation, often for several weeks. All of Mondi’s heavy-duty corrugated board grades are therefore bonded based on wet-strength parameters and are made using high-quality papers for durability across different climatic regions.

ePac Flexible Packaging, the industry leader in quick turn, short and medium run-length flexible packaging, is expanding its offering to include long run orders for brands of all sizes, while continuing to serve its SMB core customer base. The point at which the run length of a job makes it more cost effective to use conventional vs. digital printing is known as the crossover point. This, and factors such as lead times, plates, freight, and inventory obsolescence costs combine to determine when a job is best run digitally. Increasing this crossover point is where the company has been focused. ePac has been steadily building its infrastructure to increase the run length of jobs that are cost effectively produced on its fleet of over 50 HP Indigo digital presses located across the globe.