Shaping and decoration add extra shine to glass

Incremental developments in manufacturing and decoration techniques for glass are maintaining its status as an eye-catching and brand-enhancing material, says the organiser of the industry's annual awards.

Absolut Level Vodka was this year's overall winner of the Shine Awards, co-ordinated by Glasspac, the packaging promotions arm of British Glass. The pack demonstrates the way in which decoration for a premium positioning (in this case simulated acid etching) can be applied in fully-automatic, high-volume processes, says Glasspac communications director Andrew Hartley.

"The last five years have seen the type of specialist decoration techniques applied only to premium spirits extended even as far as own-label brands," Hartley explains. Whether it is embossing, debossing, print, or the application of clear or paper labels, the key aspect is positional accuracy to a very precise point on the container, even at high volumes.

When it comes to accuracy, Hartley cites the example of the Smirnoff vodka bottle which requires paper labels to be placed exactly inside a debossed panel. Of touches of this sort, he says: "Get it right, and you're adding great value to the product, but if you get it even slightly wrong, the eye picks it up immediately."

Shape and other structural elements are more frequently being used to reinforce brand identity. Another win for the Absolut brand, this time in the pre-mixed spirits category, sees vertical debossed 'cuts' being integrated into the 330ml bottle for Absolut Cut.

"The major changes in manufacturing are in the ability to offer ever-wider ranges of container shapes, even heavily-shaped designs such as the latest Nescafé jars," says Hartley.