International Packaging GroupIndustries
Packaging solves a specific problem
Generic packaging fits nobody. In every sector the product fails in its own way, and the failure mode is what decides the barrier required.
The failure mode
In every sector the product fails in its own way
Below: what each sector is up against, and what we supply for it. Fresh meat loses colour. Fish gives up moisture. Cheese respires. Baked goods stale. These are not the same problem, so they cannot take the same material.
- Core sector01 / 06
Meat and processed meat
- High barrier02 / 06
Fish and seafood
- Ripening and portions03 / 06
Dairy
- Moisture control04 / 06
Bakery and confectionery
- Respiring produce05 / 06
Fruit and vegetables
- The load06 / 06
General industrial
336B410 × 360 × 120 mm
01 / 06Core sector
Meat and processed meat
Our core sector. Barrier forming and lidding films, vacuum bags, MAP trays.
- The challenge
- Fresh red meat loses colour as myoglobin oxidises – the customer sees that long before the product is actually spoiled. On cured, smoked and emulsified products the primary threat is fat oxidation and rancidity. Then there is the production reality: the sealing line runs fast, and fat and protein keep finding their way into the seal area and contaminating the weld. The pack has to hold on the line, not in the laboratory.
- What we supply
- The barrier is specified for colour retention and fat oxidation, and the sealing window for the speed of the line.
- PA-PE forming webs with EVOH barrier for deep-draw lines
- Peelable and weldable lidding films, with anti-fog where required
- Barrier vacuum bags for whole-muscle and cured meat
- Thermosealable trays TT001–TT008 for MAP packing
- Reinforced carton boxes for loads of 1000 kg and above, for meat blocks and raw material
- Adhesive and printed labels carrying batch and date data
Product groups
02 / 06High barrier
Fish and seafood
High-barrier structures for moisture and odour, seal integrity through the cold chain.
- The challenge
- Fish is wet, aggressive towards the pack, and has the shortest shelf life of any protein. Drip continues for the whole storage period and can compromise the seal. Odour compounds pass through a weak barrier and transfer to other products in the same cabinet. Part of the volume travels frozen, so the material has to stay flexible below zero and not crack during handling.
- What we supply
- A high barrier to moisture and odour, enough tray depth to contain drip, and a material that stays flexible below zero.
- High-barrier forming and lidding films with an EVOH layer
- Anti-fog lidding for chilled retail display
- Barrier vacuum bags for fillets and portions
- Trays with sufficient depth to contain drip
- Transport cartons for frozen and chilled product
Product groups
03 / 06Ripening and portions
Dairy
Films for portioned cheese, containers for fresh products from 250 ml to 1 L.
- The challenge
- Cheese is a live product: some varieties give off gas as they ripen, so a fully sealed pack starts to balloon while a weak one lets mould take hold. Sliced and portioned cheese dries out and discolours at the cut face. Fresh dairy is sensitive to light and to odour pick-up. On top of that sits a plain commercial condition: the portion has to look tidy on the shelf after transport.
- What we supply
- The barrier is matched to how the cheese ripens, and the container volume to the portion and the shelf.
- Barrier films for sliced and portioned cheese
- Thermosealable trays for portions and assortments
- Flat-lid containers FL001–FL006 from 250 ml to 1 L for fresh products
- Barrier bags for ripening and large-format cheese
- Labels that hold on cold, damp surfaces
Product groups
04 / 06Moisture control
Bakery and confectionery
Dome-lid and flat-lid containers, corrugated boxes for retail.
- The challenge
- The enemy in bakery is not oxygen but moisture movement. Bread stales because moisture leaves; crisp pastry softens because moisture arrives. Fatty products migrate into the packaging material and can stain it. Add that the products are fragile and the customer wants to see them, and the pack has to be rigid and clear at the same time.
- What we supply
- Moisture movement is handled by the container geometry and an anti-fog coating; fragility by the rigidity of the base.
- Bakery containers BC001–BC006 for single items and multipacks
- Dome-lid containers DL001–DL006 for tall products
- Anti-fog lidding films
- Corrugated boxes for retail and transport
- Printed labels carrying ingredient and allergen information
Product groups
05 / 06Respiring produce
Fruit and vegetables
FV001–FV003 trays, transport and retail cases.
- The challenge
- Fresh produce keeps respiring after harvest. It releases moisture, which condenses inside the pack and creates the conditions for rot. Soft fruit bruises under pressure, so the pack has to carry the load from above instead of passing it to the product. On top of that sit tight retail weight tolerances.
- What we supply
- The pack takes the load from above, and tray and case construction are specified against the weight unit and the stacking height.
- FV001–FV003 trays for standard retail weight units
- Non-barrier PE bags where a sealed pack is the wrong answer
- Dome-lid containers for taller and softer produce
- Corrugated cases built to take stacking height
- Labels carrying weight, origin and batch data
Product groups
06 / 06The load
General industrial
PE films, heavy-duty carton boxes and containers, identification labels.
- The challenge
- In non-food consignments the problem is the load, not the shelf life. What matters is how much the pack holds, how many times it is handled, how long it stands in the warehouse and at what humidity. Corrugated board loses strength in damp conditions, so the right board grade is cheaper than a damaged consignment.
- What we supply
- Board grade and construction are specified against the actual weight, the number of handling operations and the humidity in the warehouse.
- Reinforced carton boxes and containers for loads of 1000 kg and above
- PE films and technical films
- Recycled-content products where the specification allows
- Identification and logistics labels
Product groups
Product groups
Six groups
Each group below sets out what we supply and what we need to know in order to specify it. Exact structures, gauges and widths are set per enquiry, because they depend on your line.
| FLMThermoforming and lidding films | TRYThermosealable trays | BAGBarrier and non-barrier bags | CNTContainers and lids | BOXCorrugated boxes | LBLLabels | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01Meat and processed meat | What we supply | What we supply | What we supply | What we supply | What we supply | |
| 02Fish and seafood | What we supply | What we supply | What we supply | What we supply | ||
| 03Dairy | What we supply | What we supply | What we supply | What we supply | What we supply | |
| 04Bakery and confectionery | What we supply | What we supply | What we supply | What we supply | ||
| 05Fruit and vegetables | What we supply | What we supply | What we supply | What we supply | What we supply | |
| 06General industrial | What we supply | What we supply | What we supply |
Your sector not listed?
The sectors above are the ones we work in daily. If you pack something else, describe the product and how it fails – the answer usually comes out of the same material groups.