Dispatches: Pack Expo 2014

Gum packs of the future: Flip top cartons with fewer pieces

By Oliver Nieburg

- Last updated on GMT

Flip top carton packs offer an alternative style and manufacturers can put fewer pieces in a pack, says Loesch Pack
Flip top carton packs offer an alternative style and manufacturers can put fewer pieces in a pack, says Loesch Pack

Related tags Gum base Confectionery Paper

The biggest players in the gum industry are moving to flip top carton packaging with fewer gum pieces, according to Loesch Pack.

Speaking to Confectionery at PackExpo 2014 in Chicago, Helmut Gillner, director after sales service at Loesch Pack, said that the big gum manufacturers had switched from carton packs with an opening flap or paper packs to cartons with a flip top.

‘The way for the future’

“The big change is that we’ve moved from the regular carton style to the flip top style. I think this is the way for the future,” ​he said.

“Of course this is more expensive but the category is more stable than paper. With a flip top package the one good thing is that you can open and close it.”

More expensive but fewer pieces

He said that manufacturers had previously packaged gum in carton packs two layers of seven pieces (2x7 or 14 pieces) but had move to a 2x5 (10-pieces) or 3x4 (12-piece) format in the flip top style – generally keeping the same price.

Gillner said that this had helped to offset the added cost of producing flip top cartons, which require more cardboard, over the conventional cartons.

Capacity and machinery

Loesch Pack recently launched three secondary packaging machines – LRM-DUO, LRM-K and LCM-S - to accommodate the new style

The flip top carton packs use the same aluminum or wax paper as conventional packs and can be hermetically seal. The cartons are wrapped in orientated polypropylene (OPP) film.

Gillner said that the capacity, at up to 230 multipacks a minute, was comparable to speeds for regular gum packing machines.

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1 comment

Chewing gum packaging

Posted by Hans Erik Nielsen,

I have with interest reaad this article, it leaves me with the question who is actually driving this trend of change in packaging?

I am really not sure its either the gum producers or the gum industy itself, it seems like this is driven by the machhine producers that spend a lot of time and money to invent another machine that can wrap in another angle than the previous generation of machine.

In any case when the machine supplier succeds we see another wonder with a price tag of 2 to 3 million Euro. This race is mainly driven by 2 or 3 packaging machine suppliers.

What that will sell the gum and what will maintain the consumers interest is by the end of the day the product that are inside, I do not think the consummer would consider it that important if the flap on the pack to open will flap horisontally or vertically.

For the gum indstry I think it would be better to focus on the improving the products in the sense of flavors and long lastnng and bring out new and innovative flavours for the consumers as this would help to bring back a part of the lost market share of gum market.

Product quality and hard work could bring back the gum market where it was, this would not be possible by buying a machine that will pack in another way then the machine that is already in the factory.

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