Fords’ Closures Meet Sustainable Packaging Demands

The foil closures can be sealed to other sustainable materials, offer product protection, and meet consumer expectations for sustainable solutions.

Melissa GriffenEditor-in-Chief, Contract Manufacturing & Packaging

Oct 27th, 2021

Fords displays its sustainable foil technology at PACK EXPO Las Vegas.

Fords displays its sustainable foil technology at PACK EXPO Las Vegas.

Fords Packaging Systems (Fords)—a provider of capping and sealing systems for industries such as food and beverage, infant formula, cosmetics, gummy vitamin, CBD and cannabis, and e-commerce—showcased its foil closures at PACK EXPO Las Vegas. The company works with small manufacturers as well as global companies and maintains a strong emphasis on sustainable packaging as companies seek sustainable solutions, packaging that is reusable, or which is easy to separate for recyclability purposes.

Fords delivers seals designed to protect the product, extend shelf life, be tamper evident, and provide the consumer with an easy peel experience. A new aspect that Fords has taken on is marketing features on the foil closures through embossed designs and different-colored printed foil to match company branding.

“We’re the company that gives flexibility to packaging design because we can customize virtually any shape of an opening diameter—most sizes that you can imagine,” said Nila Valvo, sales director, North America, Fords Packaging Systems.

The company can use its foil technology to seal to glass, paper, cardboard, plastic, and aluminum bottles. The technology can also be applied to caps used for pouring and can be standalone, without an over-cap, or with a simple over-cap made of plastic or paper.

The foil closures have various coatings on them, including a polyester layer for puncture resistance that has passed Amazon testing, which typically sets the bar for e-commerce in particular.

Fords uses two different types of foil capping presses to make the foil closures in high-speed applications—one mechanical-driven, the other servo-driven. The company has also added a compact line that addresses lower speeds from 20 to 100 parts per minute (ppm). Using Fords lab equipment for concept design, its customers can then work prototypes into the compact line, and then upwards of 3000 ppm.

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