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April 23, 2008
· Number 34
MARKET REPORT: Cosmetic Industry Fuels European Tube and Aluminum Aerosol Can Popularity
In 2007, the manufacturers of flexible aluminum, plastic and laminate tubes who are organized in the
european tube manufacturers association (etma) broke through the 10 billion barrier of tubes produced for
the first time. With a total of 10.1 billion tubes, the industry recorded growth of approximately 2%.
The volume of the total European market is estimated to be roughly 13 billion tubes. With a 42% share of
total production, aluminum tubes retain their leading position, followed by plastic tubes with 30% and
laminate tubes with 28%. The markets
for cosmetic, pharmaceutical, and dental care products remain the most important market areas for tubes. In
2007, the tube industry once again benefited from the vigorous demand from the cosmetics industry, which
is increasingly focusing
on tubes for the packaging of products.
"There is a trend towards high-quality finishing, which can be seen in sophisticated closure caps, embossing, special
shapes and the combination of different printing processes," says Gregor Spengler, secretary general of etma.
"Customers and consumers appreciate the advantages of tubes: they are light in weight, can't be broken,
easy to use, offer optimum hygiene, and the right amount of product can be dispensed."
The European tube industry is expecting market growth to continue in 2008. Production capacities continue to be
well or even very well utilized, with the result that delivery times for individual tube diameters and specifications may
be as long as 12 weeks.
In 2007, worldwide sales of aluminum aerosol cans also enjoyed unrestrained growth to a volume of around 5.3
billion cans. This corresponds to a further impressive increase of 11% over 2006, which was already a record year
for the aluminum aerosol can industry, and gives aluminum cans a 41% share of the global aerosol can production
of approximately 12.7 billion units.
Once again, the cosmetics market was the driving force behind this expansion. 80% of all shipments are to this
dynamically growing market. The key market areas in cosmetics in 2007 were deodorants with a 45% share of
total shipments, hair sprays with 15%, and mousses with 12%. The remaining non-cosmetic shipments were
accounted for by household and chemical/technical products (7%), pharmaceuticals (5%), food (3%), and other
products (5%).
Healthy demand from the cosmetics industry was driven in particular by the growing trend for shaped cans, which
feature a more ergonomic design and give the brand a distinctive appearance at the point of sale. The good
malleability of aluminum and the flexibility of the impact extrusion manufacturing process can be used to their
full advantage here.
Imaginative innovations have been introduced outside the key cosmetics market. One example is the spray can
for toothpaste developed for the Odol brand. When the can is pressed, pure nitrogen pushes the fine gel out of
the container. An aluminum bag inside the can ensures that the filling and propellant remain separate from one
another. Cooking oil, too, has been packaged in aluminum aerosol cans recently with the light and slim "Less
Cal Easy Action Cooking Spray” can from the Euro Fine Foods company.
DESIGN: Cosmicare Introduces a Bottle Kids Can Decorate with a Personal Touch
Cosmicare Design & Manufacturing LLC, the South’s premier design and contract
manufacturing facility has just introduced Deco-Mates™, decorate-yourself bottle, suitable for a broad range
of bath, shower, and personal care products. Intended for children ages 6 to 12, each Deco-Mate bottle comes
with a full color decal sheet and over 45 labels for kids to choose from.
“Kids will love the interactive play value of this new product,” says Rich Butler, president of
Cosmicare. “Although we initially developed an ‘astronaut’ package for the licensed
Space Center brand, we could easily take this concept and adapt it to an infinite range of characters and
figures such as sports athletes and comic strip superheroes.”
Cosmicare is a full service design and contract manufacturing facility specializing in private labeling a
broad range of personal care, OTC, household, automotive, industrial, pet care, and promotional products.
FDA-registered and cGMP compliant, Cosmicare provides full design and artwork support, as well as on-site
research & development for its clients. For more information, contact John Blank at 888-300-1695,
ext. 703.
Premium Isklar Norwegian Glacial Natural Mineral Water Launches in the U.K.
Isklar, a premium still Norwegian Glacial Natural Mineral Water, is make waves as it breaks into the
U.K. market. The launch is the result of a close collaboration between Isklar and Sidel, one of the
world’s leading suppliers of beverage packaging equipment.
The strong partnership was born when Isklar asked Sidel to conduct an engineering study from line layout
to piping and electrical specifications. Delivered in late 2007, the line began production in February 2008
to fill the first product orders in March. Isklar’s CEO Peter Krogh comments: “We had complete
confidence in Sidel’s experience, the quality of its equipment, and its ability to supply complex
line solutions.”
With a layout covering two floors, the line will initially produce still water at a rate of 36,000 bottles per
hour. The line’s versatile Combi 20 Select BV will also accommodate sparkling water products. The
Rollquattro labeler is another key component of the line and can apply both adhesive and band labels.
Meaning simply “ice-clear” in Norwegian, Isklar remains untouched by human intervention as
it emerges from a mountain spring, deep underneath a glacier. The glacier, the source of Isklar, sits between
two national parks in the pristine Hardanger region of Norway, the second least polluted country after
Finland. “This uniquely filtered premium water, with no additives or processing, is captured at the
source of 6,000-year-old glaciers,” says Krogh. “This ‘ice clear’ purity literally
lends the water its name—Isklar.”
The Isklar bottle is inspired by the diamond-like qualities of a glacier and mimics nature by refracting
light through its facets. “Sidel played a major role in validating this bottle’s technical performance
and in guaranteeing the bottle’s mass production at high speeds,” says Krogh. Isklar believes
that exceptional purity should not cost the earth and is committed to being the most environmentally
responsible mainstream water brand in Europe.
The bottle is made from recyclable PET, and the state-of-the-art group recycling facilities ensure that Isklar
has the capacity of reprocessing 700 million bottles per year, or the equivalent of recycling 10 bottles for
every one sold. The Isklar bottling plant is powered by hydro-electricity and was created by
“recycling” an existing empty warehouse and incorporating energy-efficient practices and
state-of-the-art equipment. The plant is located directly next to the Hardangerfjord, so bottles can be
loaded straight onto a container ship and their carbon footprint is minimized further by piggy-backing
off existing shipping routes, adding minimum extra weight to the load.
New Recipe Rillettes Receive Makeover with Pre-Printed Lids
RPC Tedeco Gizeh Troyes has supplied Luisser Bordeau Chesnel, France’s leading manufacturer
of Rillettes, with new pre-printed lids for its latest recipe range. Luisser Bordeau Chesnel is a market-leading
manufacturer of Rillettes, a product similar to pâté. The company has recently extended its
traditional pork-based range and now offers recipes such as Chicken Provencal, Duck â l’Orange
and Roasted Goose Casserole.
To reinforce the quality image of the range the product is packed in an in-mold labeled (IML) container. It
was important that the quality of the lid should be in line with the IML pot, and RPC Tedeco Gizeh Troyes
was selected to develop and supply a range of pre-printed and laminated lids. The laminated finish allows
the lids to achieve a ‘soft touch’ identical to IML, giving the product a premium on-shelf look
and feel.
“We are extremely pleased with the lids supplied by RPC,” comments Mr. Felbar, development
manager of Luisser Bordeau Chesnel. “The pre-printed lamination works effectively with the IML
containers giving the packaging uniformity, which increases the overall brand impact.”
COLLATERAL: Package Design Magazine 2008 Media Kit Wins PPC Gold Award
The Paperboard Packaging Council awarded a Gold Award to Package Design Magazine’s 2008
media kit in its 2008 National Paperboard Packaging Competition. All Packaging Company, in Aurora, CO,
submitted the media kit in the Promotional Packaging and Specialty Items category.
The media kit has two paperboard components that slide together, holding magazines and other media
kit contents securely inside. The other sleeve also folds open in the middle, creating a desktop display
stand for the internal sleeve.
According to the official awards brochure, the converter’s strategy was as follows: “Structural design
was key in creating a look that was unique. The package holds and protects the contents so they can be
used in a direct mail format with only the application of a label. The carton insert holds and divides the papers
and provides multiple levels of presentation. After receipt, the package functions as an easel. The carton is
printed using four-color process inks with metallic gold ink, a pattern UV varnish and then an overall matte
UV coating.”
MATERIAL: FiberMark Introduces Pellaq Boucla with Shimmering Effects
FiberMark, a leading producer of specialty papers and fiber-based materials for a variety of applications,
announces the new Pellaq® Boucla, a unique covering material with exclusive bouclé embossing
and a shimmering pearl finish. Boucla brings bold, organic texture into relief, in striking combinations of
pearlescent colors that are enhanced by FiberMark’s performance coatings.
According to the company, Boucla’s dimensional expression of color-on-color expands and complements
the Pellaq line of luxury cover materials, which highlight the rich visuals of high-fashion leather. The unique
high-gloss finish combines scratch resistance with strength and durability to deliver maximum value and
performance to luxury brands.
Boucla is available in 11 stylish colors, spanning both traditional and contemporary palettes, all with
FiberMark’s unique pearly finish. Custom colors are also available. For more, visit
www.fibermark.com/boucla
Ampacet’s Clean Icy-Bright Color Palette Delivers an Appealingly Cool Effect
Ampacet developed the visually cool Icy Bright™ masterbatch colorants for sparkling, clean, clear, and
refreshed overtones that provide a subtle in-package marketing statement. Icy Bright colorants have
been designed to heighten the interplay of light and color to optimize the presentation of liquid products
with an iced, chilled, translucent effect.
The translucent coloring is available in two intensities—for a lighter, brighter option for dark, opaque
plastic bottles that are currently in use or for an even lighter see-through tint for highlighting and reinforcing
convex container curves. Icy Bright colorant masterbatch from Ampacet is currently available in Mint Ice,
Mint Whisper, Minty Frost, Citrus Ice, Citrus Whisper, Periwinkle Ice, and Periwinkle Whisper, but custom
formulations are available. For more, visit
www.ampacet.com.
STRUCTURE: General Line’s ‘Mouthwash Bottles’ Offer a Clear Option for Healthcare
The General Line Packaging Group, a division of O.BERK Company, introduces a 16-oz. Mouthwash Bottle
with a 28-415 finish in PET. The major advantages of this package are its lighter weight and
product clarity.
These bottles would not only be a good fit for mouthwash but also for other beverage and healthcare liquid
products such as cough medicine, rinses, etc., where store shelf presence is important. The ergonomic design
of these bottles near the neck makes them easy to pour with maximum room for a strong label presence.
The Mouthwash Bottles offer the freedom to select custom colors, labeling, and silk-screen printing. For
more, visit www.OBERK.com.
ANNOUNCEMENT: Object 9's Fruitcake Promotion Deemed Delicious at District Competition
Object 9's 2007 Great North American Fruitcake Company self-promotion catalog recently earned a
Silver ADDY in district competition. ADDY winners from the Greater Baton Rouge Advertising Federation
chapter competed against other District 7 chapters, including Louisiana, Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama
and Mississippi.
Serving as the agency's holiday greeting card, each of the fruitcake catalogs have won numerous accolades
and garnered a great deal of buzz. "Every holiday we send out our fruitcake catalog people call or email
us to find out if it's real," says Jon Cato, Object 9 partner.
District 7 ADDY winners will be recognized at a special awards presentation on April 25, 2008, at the Spring
Convention, Chattanooga, Tennessee, and regional winners from the 14 AAF districts across the country will
compete in the national competition this June.
To view the iCAKE, Suncatcher or Envirocake 9000, click
here. For more, visit www.object9.com.
TOOLBOX: Designer’s Toolbox Sponsor of the Week Is Brushfoil
Success begins with the finish. When top brands launch a winner, they choose brushed metallized films
made by Brushfoil for packaging that says: "Quality." Brushfoil offers unblemished consistency,
widest roll widths, superior printable topcoats, a wide variety of patterns and colors, and fast turnaround on
custom orders. See how top brands use Brushfoil by visiting the "Gallery" section of
our website.
Brushfoil
1 Shoreline Drive, Unit 6; Guilford, CT 06437
Phone: 800-493-2321
Web: www.brushfoil.com.
SOFTWARE: GWG Proof of Preflight Spec Verifies PDF File Integrity in Production Workflow
PDF file integrity can now be easily verified as a result of The Ghent Workgroup's (GWG) release of
the first free "Proof of Preflight" specification. When implemented in a software solution, this
best-practice specification offers users the ability to review a PDF file's preflight audit trail, including a
digital signature, at any time during the design to print workflow.
This capability provides users the assurance that they can safely accept a PDF file with a Proof of
Preflight. This process verifies which GWG preflight Specification was used to preflight the file and also
the outcome of the preflight check.
Another key benefit of the GWG Proof of Preflight specification is its "open" design, making
it interoperable across different vendor workflows. GWG designed the digital signature using algorithms
which are defined in the PDF 1.7 (or earlier) specifications, and which are supported in Acrobat as of
Acrobat 8. The digital signature complies with all requirements present in the PDF/X-1a and PDF/X-3,
and PDF/X-4 standards.
The Ghent Workgroup is an international cross-section of PDF and print experts known for creating,
testing, and releasing specifications and best practices that have been proven to make it easier for
users to ensure PDF document quality across workflows around the world. This first version of its free
Proof of Preflight specification was developed by the GWG Process Control Subcommittee.
Jo Brunenberg, senior technology consultant for Roto Smeets, explains: "The ability to include a
Proof of Preflight in each PDF, specify if the PDF was preflighted, and, if so, what PDF profile was
used—and to even review the preflight result—will enable our automated workflows to
sort out PDFs that are already perfectly okay and PDFs that still need attention or checking. This will
increase the efficiency of our automated workflows by skipping unnecessary secondary preflights. Also
the added metadata will enable us to analyze problems, if any, more quickly. I am glad that the GWG
with the support of Adobe and the other GWG vendor members has been willing to design the technical
concept of such a Proof of Preflight that will automatically insert the necessary metadata in the PDF
upon preflight." The GWG Proof of Preflight specification can be downloaded for free at:
www.gwg.org.
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COMPASS is an online software tool for packaging designers and engineers to compare the environmental impacts of their package designs.