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.