The combination brings improved efficiency, stronger product differentiation and greater brand impact to manufacturers seeking highly cost-effective packaging solutions.
Tetra Pak’s OptiSize volume concept for Tetra Fino Aseptic allows customers to produce cartons tailored precisely to 70ml and 220ml portions — with more size options to follow — thus reducing waste of packaging material. The Eco Flexo printing process brings photographic printing to Tetra Fino Aseptic packages for the first time, providing greater opportunities for product differentiation and brand impact.
"Tetra Fino Aspetic is well-known as a simple and cost-effective package that enables producers to deliver safe, nutritious beverages to consumers looking for value as well as quality," said Hemant Krashak, product director, Tetra Pak. "With today’s announcement of OptiSize and Eco Flexo, producers can drive even greater efficiency and value while providing standout branding which will have an impact on store shelves."
OptiSize — a first for carton efficiency
With OptiSize, customers who previously under-filled 250ml and 100ml Tetra Fino Aseptic packages can now select carton sizes to fit 220ml and 70ml portions precisely. Developed by Tetra Pak following customer feedback, the low-cost OptiSize kit enables milk and beverage producers to change the tube diameter and/or the jaw length of the Tetra Pak A1 filling machine, thus allowing cartons to be filled precisely instead of under-filling them.
"OptiSize brings manufacturers greater production efficiency than ever before," said Krashak, noting that an OptiSize-equipped Tetra Pak A1 filling machine producing up to 13,000 220ml packages per hour produces 8.5 per cent more packages per hour than the same machine producing under-filled 250ml cartons.
Eco Flexo — a first for design impact
Eco Flexo printing technology used for Tetra Fino Aseptic packages enables printing photographic images onto uncoated paperboard packaging. The use of different paper, inks, screen ruling, anilox and dot gain interactions reduces mottling effects and maximises print quality.
"Eco Flexo is already having an impact," said Liu Jun, deputy general manager, Xi'an YinQiao, a Chinese launch customer. "It has improved both the image of our brand and the design of the package. Consumers are more aware of our products and we have increased sales by more than 10 per cent since the introduction of photographic printing."
Eco Flexo is currently being rolled out across Tetra Pak’s converting factories in China (Beijing and Hohhot), Pakistan (Lahore), and Russia (Moscow). It is planned for early 2013 in India (Pune), with Brazil (Monte Mor) to follow.
