Stackable flexible ?box' challenges rigid packs
A vertical bag-making system which creates ?boxes' from flexible materials is taking on rigid packaging in an area where it has always held the advantage -- stackability at point-of-sale.
The Quatro Box system from Dutch food equipment specialist CFS is already being used by one major confectionery manufacturer in Benelux. In this case, the packs are stacked two-high on the shelf. Frank Caris, manager of the confectionery business unit, says that variants on the block-bottom pouch have claimed to offer stackability in the past, but their performance has always been poor.
According to Caris, it is the rigidity of the seals which makes the CFS packs self-supporting. Additional benefits include an easy-open mechanism, which reveals a pre-cut section in the bag, and a label which acts as a reclosure device.
Retailers increasingly favour packs which offer an efficient use of shelf space. In the past, pouches have never really been able to challenge rigid packs in this area. An eye-catching display, and a pack which is itself distinctive, is also more likely to win retailer approval.
The existing confectionery pack, launched in April, is 200g. But CFS says that bags of any size could be formed in the range 150g-400g. Although confectionery has been targeted as a key market, the format would be suitable for any product that can be packed on a conventional bagging machine.
A CFS Smartpacker machine can be used to form and fill the Quatro Box, says Caris, and manufacturers can use the same machine to create standard pillow-packs.
