“We were using clear film and having each individual unit stickered with a UPC,” says Sean Stevens of Bumble Bee Seafoods. “This at times caused problems as the individual unit UPC would be scanned, making it unreadable at the club stores.”
The printed polyvinyl chloride heat-shrinkable unitizing sleeve from Ultrapak not only enables the company to feature its logo more prominently, it also allows them to cut costs by eliminating the need for the pressure-sensitive UPC labels and labeling machinery. The sleeves are printed reverse gravure in eight colors.
Either two or four cans of product are placed in the decorated sleeves before proceeding through a heat tunnel.
“The shelf appearance is the main benefit,” Stevens says. “Bumble Bee has seen a five percent increase in sales due to the change and we expect to double that in the next few months. Our customers are excited about the new packaging. They find it’s easier for them to read the nutritional information.”
The multipacks are available in club stores nationwide and retail for between $2.99 to $5.99, depending on number of cans and type of salmon. (ALR)
