In mid-'95, the company altered its 60-ga oriented polypropylene/7# polyethylene/48-ga metallized polyester structure by substituting Toray Plastics' (North Kingstown, RI) 70-ga metallized OPP for the polyester. The 12-oz stand-up bag with semi-block bottom also uses a Toray film, albeit with a slightly heavier gauge for added stiffness. In the 16-oz bag-in-box, even though the new material is thicker than the polyester it replaces, it still yields a cost savings. "In my experience, any time you move from polyester to polypropylene, it's less expensive," explains Bob Green, packaging engineer at President Baking. Shelf life is the same or better, says Green, who conducted shelf life testing prior to the switch. The material was a virtual drop-in replacement on the packaging line. "We've been running it for over a year now and we haven't had any problems," he says.
