Read More on:
Send to KindleStand-up pouch earns Merrick's merit
Star extrudes the proprietary sealant layer in-house through its blown film division Tara Plastics (Forest Park GA). The structure is said to deliver excellent laminating characteristics at low temperatures. Additionally the structure delivers added stiffness. The outer high-gloss film layer from different vendors provides shine as well as puncture- and tear-resistance.
Zipper is key
After printing the film Star laminates the two webs before forming the material into a 9”-wide x 14”-high pouch. That’s done on a new pouch making machine from Proven Designs (Macedon NY). The machine forms the 4” gusseted bottom then heat seals the male half of the LDPE zipper to the inside of either the front or back panel. The female portion of the zipper profile is heat sealed to the other inside panel.
During this process the zipper halves interlock. So a special device on the Proven Designs machine reopens the zipper to allow Merrick to fill the bags. That’s done after the machine heat seals the two vertical side edges to form the pouch.
Star recommended that Merrick use Presto’s Fresh-Lock®-style 106 zipper for the pack. The zipper includes patented sealant ribs on the backside of the zipper’s flange to improve its sealability to the film at lower temperatures. Lower temperatures help minimize film distortion and allow faster pouch-forming speeds. A tear notch above the zipper allows the user to open the stand-up pouch.
Sales are up
Star Packaging ships zippered pouches to Merrick’s Hereford facility in wicketed bundles. Pouches are filled semi-automatically then the tops of the filled pouches are heat sealed before 10 pouches are bundled into a heavy-duty plastic “baler bag.”
Palletized baler bags are exported to Europe where they’re sold in Italy Greece Switzerland and Austria. “And we’re working on [selling the product] in other countries” Merrick says. He says that in Europe “it’s too early to say for sure if [the packaging change] has resulted in the increase in sales that we hoped for but we think it has.”
Merrick is also considering the stand-up pouch for other dog food products. “The pouch has given us a nice presentation and we’re always looking for other products where we can use the stand-up pouch to help push them into the U.S. market where we’re just a little bump on a log compared to the big boys” he acknowledges.
Merrick reportedly is working with Star Packaging and Presto Products to evaluate the use of zippered pouches for 8- 10- and 20-lb product sizes determining what zipper laminate and pouch designs will be necessary to accommodate the heavier products.
Regardless of the product size the ability to reseal the packs will again be the key packaging focus. “The convenience of the zipper is huge” Merrick states. Combined with quality product it’s that packaging convenience that Merrick hopes will help the company take a competitive bite out of the big dogs in the U.S. dog food market. —JB
Comments(0)
Add new comment