A new stand-up pouch from Valvoline for two varieties of its synthetic gear oil is making changing gear oil easier, while providing a more flexible, less wasteful automotive DIY experience. That’s according to the Lexington, Ky.-based worldwide marketer and supplier of premium branded lubricants and automotive services, which says it developed the new format—called the FlexFill™ bag—to tackle consumer issues with the existing packaging.
Historically, Valvoline’s synthetic gear-oil packaging has consisted of a rigid high-density polyethylene bottle that is difficult to maneuver in an automobile’s undercarriage, resulting in unused product per bottle. Says Valvoline, Inc. Senior Brand Manager Tracie Mayo, “Valvoline sought to address various consumer challenges associated with performing a differential service, primarily accessibility to access points under the car, difficulty with dispensing gear oil with the standard cone-top bottle, and waste in the form of oil remaining in the container.”
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As Tom Golinski, CPP, Senior Manager – Procurement – Packaging & 3rd Party, for Valvoline, Inc., shares, when Valvoline began the search for a more convenient package for the gear oil, it quickly zeroed in on the pouch format due to its flexibility. “A flexible pouch met the application requirement and gave us the ability to use our desired brand graphics,” he explains.
Requirements included a film construction robust enough to withstand distribution environments as well as any shelf limitations, such as length, width, and height. In addition, the print process had to align with the marketing team’s required graphics.
Valvoline worked with Hammer Packaging to design the FlexFill bag, which is a lamination of PET/nylon/low-density polyethylene, with the layers chosen for printability, strength, and sealability, respectively. Hammer litho-prints the film in seven colors and converts the material into a premade pouch, complete with a yorker-style cap, which Steve Ruble, CPP, Principal Packaging Engineer for Valvoline, Inc., says is the standard cap Valvoline uses for its gear oil packaging.
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Ruble says that Valvoline is in the process of completing a full Life Cycle Analysis to compare the carbon footprint of the new pouch versus the HDPE bottle. What is known is that the 32-oz FlexFill SUP is 60% lighter than the bottle.
Valvoline’s Full Synthetic Gear Oil grades SAW 75W-90 and SAE 75W-140 are available in the FlexFill package at retail outlets nationwide, including Advance Auto Parts, AutoZone, Meijer, and Walmart as well as on Amazon.
