Explore all the latest packaging trends, all at PACK EXPO International
Discover new packaging and processing solutions from 2,500+ exhibitors, all under one roof at PACK EXPO International, Nov. 3 – 6 in Chicago.

Report: Innovative new e-commerce at PACK EXPO

Covering 1.2 million net sq ft of exhibit space and drawing 2,500 exhibitors, PACK EXPO International brought 50,000 attendees to the biggest packaging event of the year. Here is our report on e-commerce.

PACK EXPO International
PACK EXPO International

Each year the editors at PMMI Media Group roam the aisles of PACK EXPO looking for the next big thing in the packaging sector. Of course, with a show this size it’s never one big thing we find but rather a multitude of things big, medium, and small, all of them innovative and meaningful in one way or another to packaging professionals of today.

This report sums up what we found in six main categories. We present them here for your review knowing full well that, inevitably, we missed a few. Probably more than a few. That’s where you come in. Let us know what we missed and we’ll look into it. Or at the very least, we’ll know to be on the lookout for it at the next PACK EXPO.

Our report comes to you from the following:

Matt Reynolds, Editor, Packaging World

Pat Reynolds, VP Editor Emeritus, Packaging World

Anne Marie Mohan, Senior Editor, Packaging World; Editor, Contract Packaging

Stephanie Neal, Senior Editor, Automation World; Editor-in-Chief, OEM

Joyce Fassl, Editor-in-Chief, ProFood World

Maya Norris, Managing Editor, ProFood World

Natalie Craig, Managing Editor, OEM

Jim Butschli, Editor, Healthcare Packaging

Keren Sookne, Director of Editorial Content, Healthcare Packaging

E-COMMERCE

PET BOTTLES SPECIFICALLY FOR E-COMM
PACK EXPO International 2018 served as the launching pad for Dromo (1), a new PET bottle system designed specifically for liquid or semi-viscous products sold through e-commerce. The first-of-its-kind system is ideal for personal care, household chemicals, and a wide range of other CPG products, according to PTI, the developer of Dromo. PTI’s business model is to license its technologies to producers who make containers in commercial quantities.

PTI developed the Dromo bottle and dispensing system to support growing e-commerce product demands, survive the distribution channel with limited secondary packaging, and reduce dependence on raw materials.

Up to 75% lighter weight than traditional personal care PET bottles, the 16-oz PET refill weighs less than 10 g and has been designed to be inserted into an attractive, rigid, reusable dispenser. PTI engineered several dispenser types, each with specific features to address brand preferences. The injection stretch-blow-molded bottles can be made from virgin PET or up to 100 percent recycled PET.

Opposing flat side panels provide sidewall strength and facilitate stacking prior to shrink wrapping into optional double packs. Bottles can also be sealed with a traditional threaded closure or accommodate a foil seal.

Unlike traditional PET bottles designed for the retail shelf, this system has been specifically designed for e-commerce distribution. That means structural attributes that are mandatory in the retail space, but unnecessary for e-commerce, have been removed.

Dromo bottles have also passed burst tests of up to 173 psi and drop tests (both base and sides) of 6 feet to ensure that they will be able to handle the rigors of e-commerce distribution.

“Consumers have never been more vocal about reducing plastic packaging consumption. Along with this has come the significant shift in buying habits, moving away from retail stores toward e-commerce,” says Thierry Fabozzi, President of PTI. “Different times call for different packaging solutions, and that’s what this innovation represents.”

BAGGING SYSTEM
Always innovating in the area of bag packaging machines, at PACK EXPO Automated Packaging Systems displayed two new Autobag® systems for large bag applications (2). The new Autobag 600 (pictured left) and Autobag 650 (pictured right) wide bagging systems handle a range of the company’s Autobag bags-on-a-roll and bags-in-a-box material up to 16 in. W x 27 in. L. According to Lynn Greenfeather, Global Marketing Communications Manager for the company, the machines are ideal for longer-run applications. The Autobag 600 is a semi-automatic filling and sealing machine designed for packaging large products at speeds to 65 bags/min. A new engineering design has eliminated the need for light curtains or double-palm switches, while the adjustable 6-in. pass-through enables faster, more efficient cycle times.

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