Column: 100% Packaging
page 5
This year the packaging institute SYBA will organise a packaging congress as well as announce the results of the 13th Packaging of the Year national competition. Its objective is to present to visitors what is new in technologies and materials for the packaging industry and the latest trends in the development and use of packaging. There will also be a look at the Far East and trade and cooperation with China. The event shall be held on 15th and 16th November 2007 at Prague’s Olympik Hotel.
Column: Trade Fairs
Hong Kong fairs – adult admission only
page 8
A symbiosis of the positive aspects of Britain and China have created a remarkable enclave in Hong Kong which now forms an integral part of China, nevertheless it still has its own currency, traffic travelling on the left side and a free press. An enclave that is fully prepared for the expansion of business relations boasts a high quality printing industry and has visa-free entry to Czech citizens. Several trade fairs were held here on 28. 4. – 1. 5. 2007: Hong Kong International Printing and Packaging Fair together with the Hong Kong International Auto Parts Fair and Gifts & Premiums Fair. The news may come as a curiosity that the trade fairs are open only to visitors over the age of 18.
page 12
The most well known and important packaging fair held in the British Isles known as Total Processing & Packaging, was held in May in Birmingham only a week before the largest fair of the same kind in the Czech Republic. Unlike Brno’s EmbaxPrint its recurrence cycle is a year longer, i.e. every three years. The international packaging fair of packaging materials, packaging technology and machinery as well as equipment for the consumer goods industry, chemical, food and pharmaceutical industry was traditionally held in the exhibition halls of the National Exhibition Centre (NEC).
page 13
Some 540 companies from 27 countries participated in the 24th international fair of packaging, paper and printing industry EmbaxPrint presenting their products on 30 thousand metres square. A novelty of this year’s fair was the field of marketing and advertising in pavilion G2, where apart from the exhibitors’ show there was also a conference room for a four-day session of workshops and lectures. The SYBA Institute devoted its attention in the additional programme to the first presentation of European testing rooms in the Czech Republic. The project Visual Data Workflow” prepared a practical example of the emergence of advertising printed matter and photo books. Part of the fair is also the conference on Paper – Print – Packaging in the world of advertising or How to Correctly Direct Mail and the already traditional assessment of the international competition Young Packaging. Ten Gold EmbaxPrint awards were presented.
Column: Main topic: packaging for the car industry and transport packaging
Car industry swallows tons of packaging – market overview
page 16
The car industry is one of the most dynamically developing types of industrial production and prospects show that this trend will continue. In view of the considerable competition in this sector an important role in the entire production process is also played by packaging logistics not only during actual production and assembly of parts but also service activities. In view of transport and packaging of both individual production components and systems of bulk packaging, great demands are placed on the producer of these specific types of packaging.
As regards packaging of car parts, this involves various types of packaging from various aspects. This namely concerns:
– Materials used in production,
– type and construction of packaging,
– internal packaging fixtures,
– means used to adjust the crypto climate inside packaging.
Moreover it must be borne in mind that car industry packaging must have a system of both reusable and non-reusable type of packaging.
Combining plastic with steel – producers
page 20
In view of the high transport costs, fully compatible plastic “brothers” must be produced for almost 22 million steel boxes which are used in the world is what representatives of the company VMT Ecopack, s.r.o. point out. The plastic version has the same internal size and is stackable with standard steel Gitterboxes. The steell pallet, the light plastic sleeve and a the lid of twin-sheet extrusion provide a unique combination of strength of plastic with steel.
VMT, which is a sub-contractor above all for the car industry and other industrial sectors, presented its own current packaging and logistic solutions at the recent EmbaxPrint.
Single-way cartons, multi-way plastic – materials
page 22
Wooden containers were originally used in the car industry, which were later replaced by steel boxes – whether standard or customised as required by the customer. Currently steel and wood is used less and less. Plastic boxes are now used to transport car parts. This material has a high bearing capacity, long service life and very low weight. That is why it represents the optimum solution for logistics. In most cases reusable packaging is used in the car industry, i.e. crates after being used, are transported back to the parts supplier and are replenished with goods for factory production lines.
Intensely elaborated chain – logistics
page 23
In recent years the Czech Republic has become a stronghold of car producers. As well as the traditional companies Škoda Auto and Tatra, others are appearing. Given that no sophisticated production can do without elaborate logistics, this applies twofold to the car industry. Each car is assembled according to the precise requirements of the customer which removes the stock piles. Therefore part deliveries are required under the “just in time system” and so-called sequence deliveries which means dispatching a part in the sequence in which it will be delivered directly to the production line. Experts claim that it takes about two months from the moment of the order to be created by the end customer to the delivery of the car. If you look at this fact in a somewhat simplified way, during this period the car plant should purchase the parts, produce the car and deliver it to the customer.
The last and also the first – self-adhesive labels
page 26
The self-adhesive label is the last thing to consider when producing a car component or complete car, but it is the first thing which a car owner relies on because the label provides important and essential information for service, maintenance and use of the car. The manufacturer of the car and its owner has to rely on long-lasting and safe functionality of materials in the car and thereby also on the availability and legibility of essential information on the label in case of need. Despite trends showing a slight fall in car production in Europe, the number of labels continues to increase due to the more elaborate equipment in cars.
PET customised packaging – interview
page 28
When the firm Velvana, a traditional producer of car cosmetics and cooling and brake liquids, managed to gain a long-term contract for the production of petrol additives, its main packaging supplier, the company Velplast, had to deal with the problem of how to cope with the new order. This involved packaging for a reputable foreign company which guaranteed regular collections but had precise requirements regarding the shape and manner of packaging. In 2004 it could not be produced on the existing equipment. We talked to the importer of injection stretch moulding machines, the company Nissei ASB, about this order and other things with their representative for the Czech and Slovak market Michal Hovorka.
page 30
As a consequence of economic globalisation and the increasing efforts to save on production costs, multinational companies are moving production or at least part of it to their customers or to regions offering more favourable conditions. This usually happens within a short time limit and if possible without disruption to the production process. The task of not only logistics but also packaging companies is to make these moves possible as well as to help exporters transport undamaged machinery, equipment and other products to a distant customer. We discussed the possibilities and specifics of transport and export packaging with Jaroslav Kubeš, director of the company První obalová společnost, s .r. o., which represents the Pregis Corporation in the Czech Republic.
Problems with corrosion inside packaging – materials
page 35
The problem of placing organic substances inside packaging is universal regardless of the type of protection used against corrosion. Cardboard, machine cardboard or wood are the basic elements for bulk packaging because they are cheap and accessible materials which are not worth recycling. All these materials, without exception, are also a source of many problems particularly during longer overseas transport or storage.
Column: Legislation
Treatment and labeling of wooden packaging
page 38
The treatment of wooden packaging materials using the HT (Heat Treatment) method, which has been developed in this country in the last few years too, brings with it certain obligations for operators of technical equipment for killing harmful organisms (timber dryers). Among the less discussed issues are the obligations laid down by Act No. 326/2004 Coll., on Herbal Medical Treatment as amended.
Column: Packaging of dangerous items
Cardboard boxes – beware of absorption!
page 40
Cardboard boxes are a traditional form of transport packaging also used to transport dangerous items. However they must meet the relevant requirements arising from international transport regulations. If they are to be used to transport dangerous items, they must be made of such material that will withstand the transport without getting damaged. We managed to get a look inside the laboratory of the company IMET where tests were carried out on 4G cardboard boxes (labelled in accordance with international documents) with a flap cover.
Column: Packaging and new technology
Slightly different CD/DVD packaging
page 42
CD or DVD packaging is not an easy task for creative designers. Packaging involves three dimensions minus one for the discs. So it is surprising that the design of the packaging consists of dozens of solutions involving cardboard and non-cardboard materials. However the contents of this article do not deal with designs but with trends bringing new production technology and introducing it to this specific method of packaging.
