Zuegg replaced its familiar 1x3 aseptic brick multipack with a 2x2 Brick Carrier multipack for five nectar flavors and three sugar-free offerings, all in 20-cL (6.76-oz) serving sizes.
The machinery developed by Riverwood is capable of producing double- and triple-lane Brick Carrier configurations from 2x1 to 3x4 formats for a variety of aseptic brick pack sizes. Zuegg is using the 2x2 configuration on packages produced with materials and equipment supplied by Tetra-Pak (Chicago, IL).
A metering belt transports brick packs into the machine. The 18-pt Aqua-Kote® paperboard carrier is fed from a magazine, erected and positioned. Hot melt is applied to the open carrier's side and base panels. The four brick packs are then pushed into the carrier, and at a compression section, the multipack is formed as the packs adhere to the glue. The carrier is cut and scored, providing consumers with a convenient grip handle.
According to Riverwood's Italian-based sales manager, Alessandro Rapetti, the four-pack was test-marketed successfully last November in supermarkets. Full-scale production began in May. Initial sales forecasts called for six million of the four-packs, but robust results have nearly doubled that number. The packs are sold throughout northern Italy. Zuegg is now considering a 2x3 Brick Carrier configuration. Meanwhile, the carrier has earned Riverwood and Zuegg a 1995 Oscar dell'Imballaggio award from the Istituto Italiano Imballagio.
Separately, Riverwood announced last month that Couvas, a produce marketer in Limassol, Cyprus, became the first company worldwide to use Riverwood's Verti-pack(TM) packaging machine and Vertipack coated paperboard cartons. Couvas is packing premium quality table grapes for export to Europe. The firm is replacing corrugated and wooden cartons with the Vertipack cartons.
Currently in test markets within the U.S. for cherry tomatoes, the Vertipack concept was introduced in February. The SUS paperboard package incorporates locking tabs and vertical load-bearing "webs" that make stacking possible. Also special ventilation design minimizes spoilage. But perhaps most significant, the Vertipack permits high-impact graphics that enhance brand identification and point-of-sale appeal.
