Readers of this space are already aware that this year’s Global Pouch Forum will feature several Innovation Spotlights.
As previously reported, Jim Pease of Sun Centre USA will be among several industry luminaries taking the stage to discuss packaging innovation. Sun Centre’s POUCH3™ Cuboid Packaging Format recently earned the Highest Achievement Award at the Flexible Packaging Association’s Flexible Packaging Achievement Awards.
Sean Pease, Production Manager and POUCH3™ Manager at Sun Centre USA, has been gracious enough to participate in a Q&A to provide us a preview and explain what all went into developing the award-winning packaging format.
PS: Sun Centre USA specializes in producing pouch making machines, spout insertion machines, blown film extrusion machines, and slitting machines. For people who might not be familiar with Sun Centre—and even for those people who are—what else should people know about Sun Centre USA?
SP: Sun Centre USA services and supports all aspects of the pouch-making process. From supplying replacement parts to manufacturing custom tooling and machinery, Sun Centre is your complete pouch-making resource. Sun Centre designs and builds pouch-making machinery, so they understand and provide technical support for any kind of problem in the pouching process.
Sun Centre not only focuses on pouching machines but also provides support and machinery for spout insertion machines, blown film extrusion machines, slitting machines, filling machines, and more. Sun Centre is also constantly working behind the scenes developing new designs and ideas to enhance the packaging process through new and improved machinery, but also through new and improved packaging formats—because those who specialize in packaging today should be influencing the packaging of tomorrow.
PS: Sun Centre USA recently won the Flexible Packaging Association’s Highest Achievement Award for its POUCH3™ Cuboid packaging format. Which products can the POUCH3 be used for, and what are some of the key innovative aspects of POUCH3 that led to this recognition by FPA?
SP: The POUCH3 format can be used for a plethora of different markets due to its durability, size customization, and shape. We see POUCH3 entering the market with Coffee, Pet Food, and Cat Litter as this pouch can easily surpass drop tests with 25lb+ of product inside and can easily have a handle added to the pouch. POUCH3 is also ideal for powders and granules such as Protein Powder, Flour, Sugar, and Rice because of its strong cuboid shape that makes secondary packaging a breeze—because you don’t need it; like many cuboid pouches, POUCH3 can stack on top of itself for palletized shipments, which eliminates the need for boxes or other cartons to hold the pouches on the pallet.
POUCH3 is also convenient for Snacks, Cannabis, and Detergent Pods because its size can be manipulated to hold a serving of candy to a supply of detergent pods. This variation in size allows POUCH3 to excel in any market while still maintaining strength and minimizing wasted materials. The key innovative aspects of this pouch that led to its recognition by the FPA are POUCH3’s reduction of materials used, shelf presence, and its minimization of secondary packaging needed. POUCH3 uses less materials to create the pouch because of the elimination of unnecessary headspace and its use of external closures.
Since there is an elimination of excess headspace on the pouch, the bags look more full on the shelf, which provides consumers with a positive experience; they’re getting what they paid for—a full pouch! Not only does a full pouch impact shelf presence, but the orientation of the pouch does, too. With POUCH3 you have 6 panels for artwork and 6 sides that the pouch can rest on without impacting the message being told on the package. The reason for this is its seamless transitions from each side of the pouch. Artwork on POUCH3 is not interrupted by seals that restrict artwork to one panel; instead, POUCH3 uses folds that bleed artwork from one side to another—opening the opportunity for merging artworks across stackable packaging.
Another innovative aspect that the FPA recognized about POUCH3 is its sustainability across secondary packaging. POUCH3 reduces the need for separate cartons to ship pouches in, as the pouch itself is already in a rigid shape for stacking on palletized shipments. However, if you are shipping smaller pouches and need to use a carton to contain the pouches on a pallet, you will still be minimizing the amount of wasted secondary packaging because of the pouches’ cuboid shape that allows for it to fit snugly inside of cartons—ultimately reducing the amount of air being shipped.
These innovations are what lead the FPA to recognize the POUCH3 with three honorable awards: Packaging Excellence, Expanding the Use of Flexible Packaging, and the Highest Achievement Award, which recognizes it for its overall excellence and for its advancements in the industry!
PS: Could you touch on the pathway for POUCH3’s development? It sounds like several parties were involved and that a significant amount of coordination was needed.
SP: The developmental process for POUCH3 involved several parties and required collaboration from many companies. We began with film trials and testing with All State Printing, Calyx Containers, and Sundance Printing as they helped source sustainable materials.
Once we had the film structure and size for specific applications, we reached out to Coffee and Pet Food companies. Lake Michigan Coffee and Elementary Pet Food loved the POUCH3 and wanted to get their product in it and their branding on it. We worked to finalize sizing that facilitated 3oz to 5lb of their products and surpassed rigorous drop tests. To bring the new format to retail space, it was more than a two-year journey of design and trials; now, we have a unique sustainable option that meets EPR mandates but, more importantly, gives the consumer a full pouch.
The full pouch is where this pouch really stands out. On the surface, the bag can be filled to the top and there is little to no air, which provides the consumer with a positive experience that they’re getting what they paid for. The process of headspace elimination involved moving the pouch’s closure to the top tab of the pouch—outside of the pouch. Magneclose and Aplix were two companies that helped with perfecting this external closure; with Magneclose’s unique magnetic design and Aplix’s hook to hook closures, it really makes this whole pouch unique. By having the closure on the outside of the pouch, it squares off the top of the pouch, which removes wasted space and opens the opportunity of stackable pouches. Headspace elimination and sustainable film structure were key aspects that went into the development of this pouch, and through the help of film printers, closure manufactures, and brand owners, we were able to collaborate to create something that not only stands up on the shelf but stands out!
PS: Sun Centre will be presenting at this year’s Global Pouch Forum in Florida in May. What will be the focus of the presentation? Can you give us a bit of a preview?
SP: Brief history of existing packaging formats’ evolution and inspiration of POUCH3 format and why it is needed in today’s market. Then we will dive into the case studies, cost savings, and environmental impact of POUCH3. We will start with case studies, which will be comparative studies and successes; we will look at studies of at least two brands that were in previous formats and have switched to POUCH3 (LMC, Elementary Pet Food). Then we will talk about cost savings of POUCH3 and how much switching can save a company in packaging costs. Finally, we will touch on environmental impacts of POUCH3 versus other formats; more specifically—how EPR mandates are impacting current packaging and how POUCH3 offers a solution to sustainability issues and concerns.
To register for Global Pouch Forum and learn more about the event, visit www.packagingstrategies.com/global-pouch-forum
