PETpla.net Insider 10 / 2016

LABELLING 62 PET planet Insider Vol. 17 No. 10/16 www.petpla.net Updating tradition The labelling industry has been traditional in terms of manu- facturing processes for a long time, but Rivella AG, a Swiss company, claims to have started a revolution. Wrap-around labels based on thin BOPP (biaxially oriented polypropyl- ene) foils are the bread and butter of the soft drink segment of the beverage industry, whether white-opaque, trans- parent, or metallised. The product has been developed over the past 35 years and has become commoditised in the most classical way – the whole value chain is targeted at cost efficiency and performance. Generally speaking, it would appear that there is not much room for innovation beyond the annu- ally exercised struggle for further cost saving. However, a Swiss company, named Rivella AG, claims that a turna- round can be observed over the last few months. It says that wrap-around labels can be developed beyond being just a more (or less) attractively printed sleeve, wrapped around a PET bottle in a standard and not particularly excit- ing procedure. Those who monitor the markets may have noticed some interesting examples of truly original product innovations. Dynamic appearance with precision Swiss company Rivella claims to be one such example. Their PET bottles’ new design has a young and dynamic appearance and features a completely redesigned wrap-around label. The bottle’s texture, with its dis- tinct lines, symbolises the mountains in Switzerland. It is the same cross-design that was used for the contour-punched label and it is this that makes the new bottle catch the eye. The label’s punched outer contour has been precisely customised to the bottle’s texture. “We had a vision, and after inten- sive discussions and with the involve- ment of our suppliers, we managed to bring it to life,” says Heinz Hohl, head of supply chain at Rivella, and further claims that this design feature has never been seen before in the bever- age industry, that it is a true innova- tion. “The greatest challenge was achieving the bottle’s perfect align- ment in production, so that the labels are always positioned exactly.” This means that label production at Constantia Labels GmbH is not at all as trivial as with conventional wrap- around labels. The production process of the in-line rotational punched and fabricated label rolls makes high demands on the manufacturer. Narrow tolerances must be complied with; the coordination of tools and materials requires the highest precision in order to punch the transparent OPP label material pin-sharp and keep tool wear to a minimum. New label generation “This innovation could be the breakthrough for a new generation of wrap-around labels,” says Gerd Blecken, head of R&D Constantia Labels GmbH. He explained that his company’s greatest challenge was to ensure compliance with the tight manufacturing tolerances, thus allow- ing for an undisturbed labelling pro- cess. “Leaving well-worn paths and having the courage to use contour- punched wrap-around labels for this kind of neck labelling for the first time is greatly to the credit of Rivella AG.” www.cflex.com www.rivella.com