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By Thomas Anderegg, CEO Corvaglia Closures*
*The main driver for current developments in bottle closures, apart from improvements in existing concepts, is a steady pipeline of innovations. *
For high-value products and the creation of unique selling points or added value for the customer, the optimisation of the costs isn't the top priority. For mass products on the other hand, cost leadership is imperative in the long run. Both of these trends are reflected in the new generation of closures for beverage bottles.
Innovations in design and added functionality as well as increased ease of use provide significantly opportunities to achieve a differentiation in the marketplace. If these options are used skillfully, a manufacturer can achieve a unique position and escape the downward spiral of cost reduction. * Functionality and ease of use* Apart from a visually appealing and informative appearance and perfect functioning, the ease of use and handling is the be-all and end-all of any successful package. Saving time, energy and space is becoming more and more important to today's consumers, who are looking for added functionality beyond the closing, sealing and opening functions of a standard closure. Such needs are met by a user-friendly closure that combines added functionality with an esthetic appeal.
One example of such added functionality is the active SmartSeal Flex closure. The main feature of this innovative development is the active valve with additional sealing properties. With this solution, accidental spillage is excluded. The closure only opens during drinking and offers a high level of user friendliness and safety.
Design and differentiation The plastic closure of a beverage package is an important part of the brand concept and underpins its originality, appearance, status and maturity. An attractive package is known to arouse the interest in a product and may have a significant impact on the decision to buy.
Skilled package design results in a high level of differentiation of the product. As an important component of the beverage package, the closure therefore plays a major part in positioning a product in the marketplace.
The special design of bottle and closure of the Y-Water kids' drink successfully provides the new product with unique selling point. Neck and cap of the bottle are based on the PCO Corvaglia closure thread design. The use of a top cap achieves a well proportioned continuation of the bottle contour. * Limits to enhanced functionality* The design freedom in creating a new closure and the enhancement of its functionality are limited by the costs and the intuitively controlled acceptance by the final consumer. A closure must be easy to understand and easy to handle.
Unfortunately, you still find poor examples on the shelves where these principles haven't been observed. If it becomes necessary to provide the bottle with written instructions on how to open it, sales of the product will be impaired, no matter how sophisticated the additional function or how attractive the design may be.
Keep it as simple as possible – this should be the motto, the only exception being special applications such as child safety locks. * Cost and weight reduction* With identical offers, the consumer will opt for the least expensive product. This results in pressure on the costs of the package and thus also of the closure.
Standard closures are mass products that are available from a number of manufacturers and are interchangeable at a justifiable expense. To keep transport costs as low as possible, mass-produced closures must be produced near the bottler.
While the variety of expensive colors and printed caps is continuously decreasing, the proportion of one-piece closures is on the rise. 'Shoot and ship' – this best describes the efforts to cut closure costs to the absolute minimum. Yet, the best result in weight and thus cost reduction can only be achieved if bottle and closures are seen as one.
The PCO Corvaglia short thread saves about 1.5g in neck weight and up to 1.2g in cap weight compared with the standard PCO 1810, and this without any sacrifice in the performance of the system. The high compatibility with existing preform molds, blow molding machines and bottling equipment permits an implementation at lowest costs.
This lightweight product for bottles for non-carbonated drinks is currently being launched in the US. The neck only contributes 1.7g to the weight and the cap weighs less than a gram.
Light-weighting in plastic closures is only limited by the technical feasibility. Continuous weight reduction makes increasing demands on the robustness of the closure. This applies to all areas alike – from production to packaging, storage and transport to handling, conveying and filling and through to the ultimate function of the closure on the bottle in the stores and the hands of the final consumer.
Virtually in all fields, current trends are accompanied by an increasing environmental awareness, driven by the continuously rising prices of raw materials and their limited availability.
Also, the effect of the carbon dioxide emissions caused by the product (product carbon footprint, PCF) is a matter of concern. This calls for sustainable developments meeting the demands of the current generation without jeopardizing the options for the generations that follow.
Waste must be eliminated wherever this is possible and must be recovered where not. Waste reduction comprises all measures preceding the recycling stage that result in less waste. If waste streams cannot be avoided, the input materials should be recycled as secondary raw materials.
Another important aspect of all ecological considerations is the saving of energy in all steps of the production process by measures reducing the primary and secondary energy demand. And this is where the Corvaglia neck systems and caps make an important contribution.