Who would vote for Mitt Romney on his record?
Written by packagin
on July 27th, 2009
I have one prescription that costs more than the insurance cost in Mass.
S B S S E R V E R - 1SPS: Continue Reading Article
Bormioli Rocco: Winning Packaging Solutions
Written by packagin
on July 26th, 2009
Every day the world of cosmetics is the theatre of a silent battle. On shop and supermarket shelves, brands vie for consumer preference. In this battle, packaging plays a vital role. That is why Bormioli Rocco, one of the leading manufacturers of plastic packaging for cosmetics, offers winning solutions which avail of cutting-edge technology and innovative materials, like 100% recycled PET.
Bottles made with this environmentally-friendly material boast a high level of transparency. The know-how and experience of Bormioli Rocco guarantee the product’s superior quality and efficiency.
To meet the demands of a market which is increasingly preoccupied with protecting our planet, the Plastics Division offers cosmetics manufacturers eco-friendly packaging that can be personalized in a whole range of ways. These packaging solutions combine glamour and an eco-compatible message: this combination is the secret behind the growing success of these cosmetics bottles which many Bormioli Rocco customers have been using for some time.
The Plastics Division has established partnerships with prestigious European companies such as Vichy, Produits Professionnels de L’Oral, Clarins, Pierre Fabre Dermo-Cosmtique and Yves Rocher. Following the example set by the French companies, many of the Italian ones are now also turning to the expertise and experience of Bormioli Rocco, which offers personalized solutions or standard lines ready to be transformed into unique packaging, like the new range of bottles for suncare and personal hygiene products.
This range consists of cosmetics bottles in PET, available in different sizes (from 20 ml to 400 ml) and neck finishes. The design favours simple, gently rounded shapes. To create packs that stand out, customers can choose from a wide range of colours, ad hoc decorations, pigments for special iridescent effects and additives for scented packs.
Bormioli Rocco also produces roll on packs for deodorants using a system that reduces production time and saves on resources. The ball, ball holder and cap are actually assembled in a single process and then fitted onto the filled bottle. The two standard models can be personalized with hot printing or silkscreen printing.
In addition, customers can choose from a range of different shades and degrees of transparency of material.
For further information about the Plastics Division and its products, visit the website http://www.bormioliroccoplastics.com
Contatti:
Layoutweb, Layout Advertising Group,
Public relation department
Simona Bonati
bonati@layoutweb.it
http://www.layoutweb.it
Haiden
Gillian Wight on Dairy Packaging
Written by packagin
on July 25th, 2009
Gillian Wight on dairy packaging
As consumers lead busier lives and are on the move more and more, the dairy industry has developed new products that tap into this change of lifestyle. A key part of that change has come from packaging companies.
Sun Branding Solutions Packaging Development Consultant Gillian Wight sets the scene.
The 21st century consumer is more demanding than ever before. As society has evolved so too have preferences, and products must now tick a larger number of boxes to meet expectations. In the dairy industry the challenge for manufacturers is to create on the go products that satisfy the need for health, convenience and the environment in one fell swoop.
Health and well-being have been at the top of the consumer agenda for a number of years. Phrases such as you are what you eat are being taken seriously and the public is turning its back on foods that are considered to be unhealthy. This is great news for the dairy sector and has resulted in an upsurge of products promising to improve health and wellbeing.
Convenience is another key factor in the consumer purchase decision. Nowadays, purchases must support lifestyles and these new active trends have given rise to on the go consumption and an emergence of packaging shapes and styles that are easier for consumers to handle. Dairy products that meet the need for on the go convenience, such as Actimel, have been around for some time.
One-a-day shot formats took the dairy industry by storm a number of years ago and have been popular ever since. However, subsequent product and packaging innovations have been few and far between and this is an area that offers a wealth of opportunity for dairy manufacturers.
In the childrens market, however, there has been interesting progress. Both Yoplait and Nestl have jumped on this convenience bandwagon with their Frubes and Squashums respectively. Frubes - fromage frais in a tube - are ideal convenience products for children. The unique, fun packaging format grabs childrens attention and keeps them entertained. On the more practical side, they are easy to handle, are mess free and by the nature of their consumption, remove the need to use a spoon as they can be sucked.
But it isn’t just consumer convenience that counts. Ease and profitability for the retailer are also important. Shelf space is just one area where dairy manufacturers can increase their products appeal. Historically, products used to be circular but more recently, the trend is for square shaped containers that make the best use of space, enable increased product availability and ultimately facilitate an upturn in sales.
In recent years, consumers are placing more importance on goods that help rather than harm the world. By using responsible packaging, companies can really enhance their products environmental claims and a wealth of untapped opportunity exists in this area for dairy manufacturers to explore.
Expert opinions
Experts from leading packaging companies share their views about this particular sector, beginning with recent trends and developments.
Tetra Pak Category Management Director Susan Frame says we are seeing the emergence of a new golden triangle in consumer demands, built around health, pleasure and convenience and these global trends in consumer preferences are shaping product development.
According to research in 30 countries, health and fitness is a top consumer value in almost all countries. Product development will increasingly leverage this opportunity. New health positioned concepts will accelerate demands on packaging attributes such as appearance, protection of fragile ingredients and the need for new features such as portion control.
The growth of on the go eating and drinking was highlighted in a 2006 report that found that 27% of respondents sip a drink while walking or driving, and the figure is far higher in individual countries; in the US, 58% of people do this. Mobile eating and drinking puts demands on availability, visibility and appeal, since buying on impulse is more and more frequent. Extreme convenience will be the name of the game, claims Frame.
Key consumer trends such as the demand for healthy added value products, the rise in concern over childhood obesity, the move towards smaller and single households and the erosion of traditional mealtimes due to busy lifestyles has lead to the demand for on the go dairy beverages in smaller portion pack sizes from 25cl to 50cl, says Elopak Group Senior Manager Marketing Communications Werner Basler.
We see the emerging and development of new moments of consumption, he remarks. Consumers are consuming while travelling, at work and during social and sporting activities, giving rise to new distribution networks for portion sized products including
vending machines, forecourts and leisure outlets.
Changing habits
At SIG Combibloc, Product Manager for the combibloc and combifit ranges Luc Viardot also comments on the global change in eating habits: The number of people eating the traditional three meals a day is constantly dwindling. Eating habits are more and more dictated by the individuals daily routine. For many people snacking has become a way of life. Meals are becoming more liquid - soups are making a comeback, and even a breakfast meal is now a breakfast drink rather than toast or a bun.
As consumers become more mobile, the food industry is keeping pace. New product concepts are bringing fresh impetus to the international food industry catering for consumers expectations that food and drinks should be available at any time and able to be conveniently consumed anywhere. Appropriate packaging plays a significant role in this, says Viardot.
A glance at the shelves in any supermarket shows what international market research studies also confirm: more and more foods in single serve packages are hitting the market.
We reckon that by 2010 worldwide more than 30% of all aseptic carton packs will be small size packages up to 33cl. Compare this with the situation in 2002, when single serve carton packs made up a scant 20% of the total, predicts Viardot.
We are seeing an increasing number of consumers willing to experiment and to discover new product benefits, which is also driving innovation in the industry, says Frame from Tetra Pak. This is translating into rising demand by consumers for a variety of package shapes and sizes and increasing functionality. But it must be balanced with the demand by our customers for increasingly cost effective, flexible solutions with higher performance. This means we will see further changes in aseptic packaging technology and the products we develop.
So what is the industry looking for in the on the go sector?
Susan Frame: The industry is looking for the highest performance levels from hygienic and aseptic technologies to ensure the most demanding standards of food safety and quality are achieved.
This is even more challenging in flexible or high speed applications and here low acid dairy applications are at the leading edge of technology performance compared to high acid categories such as juices, nectars and still drinks.
Pressure to improve performance levels come from all sides of the value chain - from consumers, from competition in the dairy industry, from retailers and from legislators, she points out.
Meanwhile Viardot warns: In saturated markets standard products will just not make the grade. Competitive pressure in the dairy industry is growing and with it the need to develop fresh, innovative ideas that allow food manufacturers to differentiate their products from those of the competition, while at the same time using more cost effective methods of production. These multi sport disciplines are the main drivers for decision making in the beverage industry, and they demand a real all rounder - with regard to products, processing technology and packaging.
Any food manufacturer who wants to do more than just get by on the international market needs solutions that meet the demands of consumers and retailers, while simultaneously increasing profit margins.
Food manufacturers find themselves in a difficult position, because in order to be successful they are expected to lower costs and at the same time offer products with added value. Product developments that do not add up to profits are no innovation at all, claims SIGs Viardot.
Ticking all the boxes
Meanwhile, Basler from Elopak observes: Consumers demand specific functional, emotional and environmental benefits from portion packs - easier to hold, drink from, open and re-close with no leaks and easy to dispose of and recycle. Our customers are looking for a portion packaging solution that ticks all these convenience boxes but which brings product differentiation and on-shelf visibility.
Many customers across all beverage sectors have seen great success with the Diamond Pure-Pak Curve and the Mini Diamond carton. The Curve has been seen by many consumers as providing an easy grip for grab and go. For older consumers and kids these benefits have proved very important, but also the unique shape of the cartons has provided the marketing tool for the right product or brand image.
As childhood obesity has doubled worldwide in the last 20 years, this epidemic has fuelled campaigns and crusades over healthy eating for kids. School milk has been a central focus with many countries seeing many changes including the banning of sugar based drinks in favour of milk, juice and water. For Elopak customer Reids in Canada, the Mini Diamond Curve cartons in both 25cl and 50cl sizes was the perfect portion pack to capture the right image for their school beverages as cool products designed to fit with kids busy on the go lifestyles.
At the other end of the age range, the over 55s or seniors market continues to grow as a key beverage market. Here the portion pack is seen to have an important role to play.
As seniors have very specific health requirements and as more seniors find their appetite wanes with age, the industry can assist by providing products with recommended portions on one serving. As European pioneers in this market, Austrias Alpenmilch Salzburg found the 33cl Mini Diamond Curve the ideal solution for its Tut Gut Does Good product range designed to meet the needs of the fifty plus generation.
The creamy drink made from buttermilk and yogurt, contains Lecithin which helps to improve memory and concentration - key health concerns of older people.
To make it easy for consumers to obtain a daily dose of this nutrient - together with the health benefits of milk - the customer looked for a portion pack that provided a simple, easy to use pack, that provided on shelf differentiation and is recyclable in Austria.
Consumer surveys confirm the trend towards greater public awareness of health and diet issues, says Viardot, and this is opening the way for foods with added value to have a stronger market appeal. Food manufacturers see this as an opportunity and a response to the question of what products they can use to create an added value product to justify charging a higher price and increase their profit margins. This means that investments in added value products must also be economically profitable.
Other considerations
Products with unusual textures, such as velvety smoothies, provide an opportunity to combine new drinking and taste experiences with healthy ingredients such as fruit. In China, for instance, UHT milk containing pieces of real fruit in aseptic carton packs are proving a hit with consumers. Here too, Mengniu is setting the trend working together with SIG Combibloc to develop the new product concept.
SIG Combibloc Market Segment Manager Liquid Dairy Diana Bechtold says: We are convinced that this new product concept will bring fresh impetus to the international UHT dairy market. And in fact UHT milk containing rice and wheat grains has now also been launched in single serve carton packs in China.
Frame says: In many markets cost is a major consideration. In emerging markets in particular, weve seen a trend towards smaller volume packages such as the 12.5cl and 20cl sizes that the Tetra Wedge Aseptic can offer. This meets consumer demand for key price points and at the same time, accommodates shops with limited shelf space.
In addition, some segments of the market, particularly younger consumers, like to express their personality through what they drink. For this group of consumers, funky, modern, and trendy packaging is a must. The attractive, eye catching forms of the Tetra Wedge Aseptic and Tetra Prisma Aseptic are perfect for this group. Tetra Top packaging solutions are also interesting because producers can combine different bottom formats, volumes, tops, carton materials, print qualities and cap colours to create a unique package that appeals to a certain market segment.
As well as design and functionality, environmental concerns are playing a more significant role than ever in the packaging strategy, observes Frame. With both dairy producers customers and the end consumer becoming more aware of green issues, producers need to more carefully consider the environmental profile of their products. The less plastic, the better!
SIG confirms that environmental issues also impact on the go, as they do in all other dairy sectors and points to a recent study by the Nielsen Company (Global Food Packaging Survey) that confirms that half of all consumers already choose environmentally friendly packaging over convenience and want food manufacturers and retailers to react to that demand. Deliberately offering and consciously choosing ecologically friendly packaging solutions is a start.
Future outlook
Looking to the future, Tetra Pak recently announced the Tetra Top packaging solution for high acid ambient distribution (HAAD). Available in a variety of shapes and sizes from 20cl, this packaging solution presents another strong option for on the go packaging. Tetra Pak plans to develop this range for dairy drinks too because the original Tetra Top range is doing particularly well for white milk, yogurt drinks and other liquid dairy products.
The key factor in deciding on the development of new technologies and innovation is their cost effectiveness, performance and market impact, says Frame. Developing products that will help our customers be competitive and provide consumers with safe, new, functional packages that meet their changing needs is what drives innovation at
Tetra Pak.
L Continue Reading Article
portrait innovations?
Written by packagin
on July 24th, 2009
I’m thinking of using this company to have my daughters’ (have 3 of them) pictures taken in their cheer uniforms.
I normally use target and they do a GREAT job but portrait innovations has a pretty good sized package for 10 bucks (we’ll spend more i’m sure).
has anyone gotten their pictures taken from this company? how good is the quality?
if anyone has used the chandler,az studio in particular-i’d like to know about them since that’s the one i’m going to.
thanks!!
Tatiana
Please Help Me: I need some idea’s on how to organize in Power Point With some nice Pictures?
Written by packagin
on July 18th, 2009
I need help on finding gooe pictures for each of my ideas posted here; perhaps i can help you with something? i am in South Korea; just ask.
I am doing a Power Point Presentation on Protect the Enviroment; and i have the following ideas; however i could use great help on pictures for each idea. Please help me?
To Stop Global Warming (Protect our Environment)
1. Replace a regular incandescent light bulb with a compact fluorescent light bulb (cfl)
CFLs use 60% less energy than a regular bulb. This simple switch will save about 300 pounds of carbon dioxide a year.
2. Install a programmable thermostat
Programmable thermostats will automatically lower the heat or air conditioning at night and raise them again in the morning. They can save you $100 a year on your energy bill.
3. Move your thermostat down 2 in winter and up 2 in summer
Almost half of the energy we use in our homes goes to heating and cooling. You could save about 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year with this simple adjustment. The American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy has more tips for saving energy on heating and cooling.
4. Clean or replace filters on your furnace and air conditioner
Cleaning a dirty air filter can save 350 pounds of carbon dioxide a year.
5. Choose energy efficient appliances when making new purchases
Look for the Energy Star label on new appliances to choose the most efficient models available.
6. Do not leave appliances on standby
Use the “on/off” function on the machine itself. A TV set that’s switched on for 3 hours a day (the average time Europeans spend watching TV) and in standby mode during the remaining 21 hours uses about 40% of its energy in standby mode.
7. Wrap your water heater in an insulation blanket
You’ll save 1,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year with this simple action. You can save another 550 pounds per year by setting the thermostat no higher than 50C.
8. Move your fridge and freezer
Placing them next to the cooker or boiler consumes much more energy than if they were standing on their own. For example, if you put them in a hot cellar room where the room temperature is 30-35C, energy use is almost double and causes an extra 160kg of CO2 emissions for fridges per year and 320kg for freezers.
9. Defrost old fridges and freezers regularly
Even better is to replace them with newer models, which all have automatic defrost cycles and are generally up to two times more energy-efficient than their predecessors.
10. Don’t let heat escape from your house over a long period
When airing your house, open the windows for only a few minutes. If you leave a small opening all day long, the energy needed to keep it warm inside during six cold months (10C or less outside temperature) would result in almost 1 ton of CO2 emissions.
11. Replace your old single-glazed windows with double-glazing
This requires a bit of upfront investment, but will halve the energy lost through windows and pay off in the long term. If you go for the best the market has to offer (wooden-framed double-glazed units with low-emission glass and filled with argon gas), you can even save more than 70% of the energy lost.
12. Get a home energy audit
Many utilities offer free home energy audits to find where your home is poorly insulated or energy inefficient. You can save up to 30% off your energy bill and 1,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year. Energy Star can help you find an energy specialist.
13. Cover your pots while cooking
Doing so can save a lot of the energy needed for preparing the dish. Even better are pressure cookers and steamers: they can save around 70%!
14. Use the washing machine or dishwasher only when they are full
If you need to use it when it is half full, then use the half-load or economy setting. There is also no need to set the temperatures high. Nowadays detergents are so efficient that they get your clothes and dishes clean at low temperatures.
15. Take a shower instead of a bath
A shower takes up to four times less energy than a bath. To maximise the energy saving, avoid power showers and use low-flow showerheads, which are cheap and provide the same comfort.
16. Use less hot water
It takes a lot of energy to heat water. You can use less hot water by installing a low flow showerhead (350 pounds of carbon dioxide saved per year) and washing your clothes in cold or warm water (500 pounds saved per year) instead of hot.
17. Use a clothesline instead of a dryer whenever possible
You can save 700 pounds of carbon dioxide when you air dry your clothes for 6 months out of the year.
18. Insulate and weatherize your home
Properly insulating your walls and ceilings can save 25% of your home heating bill and 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year. Caulking and weather-stripping can save another 1,700 pounds per year. Energy Efficient has more information on how to better insulate your home.
19. Be sure you’re recycling at home
You can save 2,400 pounds of carbon dioxide a year by recycling half of the waste your household generates. Earth 911 can help you find recycling resources in your area.
20. Recycle your organic waste
Around 3% of the greenhouse gas emissions through the methane is released by decomposing bio-degradable waste. By recycling organic waste or composting it if you have a garden, you can help eliminate this problem! Just make sure that you compost it properly, so it decomposes with sufficient oxygen, otherwise your compost will cause methane emissions and smell foul.
21. Buy intelligently
One bottle of 1.5l requires less energy and produces less waste than three bottles of 0.5l. As well, buy recycled paper products: it takes less 70 to 90% less energy to make recycled paper and it prevents the loss of forests worldwide.
22. Choose products that come with little packaging and buy refills when you can
You will also cut down on waste production and energy use!
23. Reuse your shopping bag
When shopping, it saves energy and waste to use a reusable bag instead of accepting a disposable one in each shop. Waste not only discharges CO2 and methane into the atmosphere, it can also pollute the air, groundwater and soil.
24. Reduce waste
Most products we buy cause greenhouse gas emissions in one or another way, e.g. during production and distribution. By taking your lunch in a reusable lunch box instead of a disposable one, you save the energy needed to produce new lunch boxes.
25. Plant a tree
A single tree will absorb one ton of carbon dioxide over its lifetime. Shade provided by trees can also reduce your air conditioning bill by 10 to 15%. The Arbor Day Foundation has information on planting and provides trees you can plant with membership.
26. Switch to green power
In many areas, you can switch to energy generated by clean, renewable sources such as wind and solar. The Green Power Network is a good place to start to figure out what’s available in your area.
27. Buy locally grown and produced foods
The average meal in the United States travels 1,200 miles from the farm to your plate. Buying locally will save fuel and keep money in your community.
28. Buy fresh foods instead of frozen
Frozen food uses 10 times more energy to produce.
29. Seek out and support local farmers markets
They reduce the amount of energy required to grow and transport the food to you by one fifth. You can find a farmer’s market in your area at the USDA website.
30. Buy organic foods as much as possible
Organic soils capture and store carbon dioxide at much higher levels than soils from conventional farms. If we grew all of our corn and soybeans organically, we’d remove 580 billion pounds of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere!
31. Eat less meat
Methane is the second most significant greenhouse gas and cows are one of the greatest methane emitters. Their grassy diet and multiple stomachs cause them to produce methane, which they exhale with every breath.
32. Reduce the number of miles you drive by walking, biking, carpooling or taking mass transit wherever possible
Avoiding just 10 miles of driving every week would eliminate about 500 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions a year! Look for transit options in your area.
33. Start a carpool with your coworkers or classmates
Sharing a ride with someone just 2 days a week will reduce your carbon dioxide emissions by 1,590 pounds a year. eRideShare.com runs a free national service connecting commuters and travelers.
34. Don’t leave an empty roof rack on your car
This can increase fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by up to 10% due to wind resistance and the extra weight - removing it is a better idea.
35. Keep your car tuned up
Regular maintenance helps improve fuel efficiency and reduces emissions. When just 1% of car owners properly maintain their cars, nearly a billion pounds of carbon dioxide are kept out of the atmosphere.
36. Drive carefully and do not waste fuel
You can reduce CO2 emissions by readjusting your driving style. Choose proper gears, do not abuse the gas pedal, use the engine brake instead of the pedal brake when possible and turn off your engine when your vehicle is motionless for more than one minute. By readjusting your driving style you can save money on both fuel and car mantainance.
37. Check your tires weekly to make sure they’re properly inflated
Proper inflation can improve gas mileage by more than 3%. Since every gallon of gasoline saved keeps 20 pounds of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere, every increase in fuel efficiency makes a difference!
38. When it is time for a new car, choose a more fuel efficient vehicle
You can save 3,000 pounds of carbon dioxide every year if your new car gets only 3 miles per gallon more than your current one. You can get up to 60 miles per gallon with a hybrid! You can find information on fuel efficiency on FuelEconomy and on GreenCars websites.
39. Try car sharing
Need a car but don’t want to buy one? Community car sharing organizations provide access to a car and your membership fee covers gas, maintenance and insurance. Many companies - such as Flexcar - offer low emission or hybrid cars too! Also, see ZipCar.
40. Try telecommuting from home
Telecommuting can help you drastically reduce the number of miles you drive every week. For more information, check out the Telework Coalition.
41. Fly less
Air travel produces large amounts of emissions so reducing how much you fly by even one or two trips a year can reduce your emissions significantly. You can also offset your air travel by investing in renewable energy projects.
42. Encourage your school or business to reduce emissions
You can extend your positive influence on global warming well beyond your home by actively encouraging other to take action.
43. Join the virtual march
The Stop Global Warming Virtual March is a non-political effort to bring people concerned about global warming together in one place. Add your voice to the hundreds of thousands of other people urging action on this issue.
44. Encourage the switch to renewable energy
Successfully combating global warming requires a national transition to renewable energy sources such as solar, wind and biomass. These technologies are ready to be deployed more widely but there are regulatory barriers impeding them. Take action to break down those barriers with Vote Solar.
45. Protect and conserve forest worldwide
Forests play a critial role in global warming: they store carbon. When forests are burned or cut down, their stored carbon is release into the atmosphere - deforestation now accounts for about 20% of carbon dioxide emissions each year. Conservation International has more information on forests and global warming.
46. Consider the impact of your investments
If you invest your money, you should consider the impact that your investments and savings will have on global warming. Check out SocialInvest and Ceres to can learn more about how to ensure your money is being invested in companies, products and projects that address issues related to climate change.
47. Make your city cool
Cities and states around the country have taken action to stop global warming by passing innovative transportation and energy saving legislation. 194 cities nationwide representing over 40 million people have made this pledge as part of the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement. Find out how to make your city a cool city.
48. Tell Congress to act
The McCain Lieberman Climate Stewardship and Innovation Act would set a firm limit on carbon dioxide emissions and then use free market incentives to lower costs, promote efficiency and spur innovation. Tell your representative to support it.
49. Make sure your voice is heard!
Americans must have a stronger commitment from their government in order to stop global warming and implement solutions and such a commitment won’t come without a dramatic increase in citizen lobbying for new laws with teeth. Get the facts about U.S. politicians and candidates at Project Vote Smart and The League of Conservation Voters. Make sure your voice is heard by voting!
Aydin