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Send to KindleHP's printer clamshell is market-able
Other package components include two corner cushion pieces molded of recycled PET (RPET). Additionally two die-cut 14-pt SBS cards snap into tabs inside the clamshell one on the front one on the back. The CS1 card stock is printed in four colors with an aqueous varnish.
Howard admits that some consumers may be put off by all the plastic packaging versus printed corrugated boxes. But he notes that the clamshell—and RPET cushioning—are molded with the #1 SPI coding for PET. The environmental aspects of the packaging are otherwise not noted for consumers.
Totally recyclable
“Even if consumers are unaware of the differences between plastic materials I feel it’s my responsibility to help safeguard the environment while maximizing HP’s profits” says Howard. “Including the inner packaging components and the tape it’s totally recyclable even with tape on the edges according to a local recycler.”
Because the clamshell is not cut or destroyed upon opening Howard feels that “it’s stout enough to reuse and because it has no sharp edges kids can even use it to store toys.” That’s due to the use of tape to seal the clamshell which is another of the package’s breakthroughs.
The clamshell’s edges are tamper-evident sealed in four areas using pressure-sensitive tape which Howard believes is unique. “We didn’t want to rely on radio-frequency which is normally used to seal thermoformed packages because it would be impossible for a person to cut through this thick material” he explains. “One of my vendors said that in his 44 years in thermoforming he has never before seen tape used to secure a clamshell.”
The flanges are molded with marks in four places to inform HP workers where to apply the 4’’-long pieces of TE tape: one on each side and two on the top (the bottom is hinged). The laminated film tape is supplied to HP die cut on a liner with a permanent adhesive. It is printed in one color repeating the HP logo.
“For heat-sealed clamshells users often don’t know where to cut the package open and can sometimes damage the product inside” Howard says. “The beauty of this package is that because of the tape knowing where to cut the package open is completely intuitive for consumers.”
The tape requires scissors or a knife to open and does not propagate a tear. “We didn’t want a thief to be able to open the package with his hands or teeth” Howard points out. He declines to disclose more about the p-s tape which required “a lot” of development.
A walking billboard
HP also put much thought into the carrying handle. “It is unusual in that it forces the consumer to carry the product in only one orientation” Howard explains. “That means that the unit’s graphics are always going to be displayed to other consumers as the consumer walks down the aisle with it.”
He also notes that the handle is not die cut so it does not have any sharp edges that could make it uncomfortable to carry.
One of the few drawbacks to the new package is that it does not cube out as well as boxed versions on pallets: HP gets only 60 per pallet compared with 108 in a standard printer box. Two clamshells are placed into a corrugated master case before palletizing. “Corrugated takes up 100 percent of the compressive load in protecting the clamshells” explains Howard.
The clamshells are also stackable a feature that was not part of the original design. When it was found during development to be “absolutely essential” in Latin American and European markets HP redesigned the clamshell to make it stackable. Howard reports that the clamshells are stacked up to five high in stores in Germany.
Howard acknowledges that the packaging is “significantly more expensive” than standard box-and-foam packaging. “We felt more value could be derived by spending more money than usual on packaging so we can catch consumers’ eyes as they walk down the store aisle” he says.
Although it’s too early to note sales results Howard says that in market tests worldwide the clamshell has gone over “terrifically well.”
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