Revealed: The secrets of successful food packaging

In its review of the recipe for top packaging, the company highlights visual attractiveness as the most important factor in determining success. “Recent studies have shown that 74 % of people decide only on purchasing a product when they are already in the shop​,” said a company statement.

“Packaging plays a key part in this decision. It must be able to attract the customer's attention within a matter of seconds, and this can only be achieved with an attractive and target-group specific design​.”

To capture consumers’ attention, managers want packaging with the most conspicuous design possible incorporating special finishing or novel colour effects. “Reflecting packages are a particular favorite at present, for instance those with a mother-of-pearl effect​," said Dieter Rothe, the company’s key account packaging manager.

Masterbatch technologies​

“Thanks to advanced masterbatch technologies, we can draw on a virtually unlimited variety of colours so that even challenging effects can be achieved. This requires equipment and technologies that are optimized and fine-tuned for this purpose​, “he added.

Transparency also plays a key role in re-assuring consumers about product quality. Transparent containers, which display their contents, provide buyers with a sense of safety.​“Materials such as the Styrolux, which was only recently tested on Kautex equipment, or the transparent clarified PP are high on the list of favorites of the packaging manufacturers​,” said the company.​

Safety issues have become more important following debate about additives in packaging and their possible migration into contents. Markus Holbach, head of Kautex Technikum said: "It is no longer sufficient for a package to merely preserve the contents; consumers also expect it to protect them against any kind of permeation. ​

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Blow molding ​​

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“An ideal solution in extrusion blow molding is offered by the coextrusion or multilayer process. This process is possible on nearly all Kautex machines and ensures a maximum of safety thanks to an ideal combination of materials.”​

Functionality is also becoming more important to consumers. They want packages that are as light-weight as possible and yet offer maximum stability. Rothe said: "A maximum of resistance to dropping and compression at minimum material input is achieved by combining the right materials and at the same time ensuring an optimum wall thickness distribution​."

Kautex Maschinenbau claims that its packaging experts can deliver the technical insight and machinery to deliver packaging equipment that meets 21 century consumers shopping preferences.

"We advise our customers in the material selection phase and assist them with the subsequent prototyping,” said Rothe. “In our Technikum, our technical center in Bonn, Kautex Maschinenbau machines are available to our customers to identify the optimum process engineering parameters​.”