Archives 2019

Compared with traditional mechanical packaging machines, servo-controlled machines offer 3 distinct advantages.

Today, machinery construction designers and manufacturers are facing special challenges that include rapid format changes, versatility, security, flexibility and availability. Much of this is driven by changing tastes of the consumer, and to the need to combine different packaging production processes on the same machine to maximize investments. These goals are easy to achieve with the right servo drives and motion control systems.

Today’s machines need a compact footprint. Servos can provide a much higher torque-to-volume ratio than other technologies. Servos are also available in a wide variety of sizes, making the processes around machines easier and faster. Servo drives and electronic here motion controllers like the enable very simple format changeovers. Electronically synchronized servo drives ensure an optimized dynamic response in every phase of production and provide very consistent results.

There are 3 distinct advantages to to servo-driven systems:

1. Ease of Programming

Motion control programming in 3 steps

1. Graphically configure the drive.
2. Select the motion functions using technology objects.
3. Programming with PLC open and proven machine libraries.

2. Proven application configurations

The technology makes it possible to download ready-to-apply function configurations, for tooling that includes cross-cutting, gearing, flying saw, jog path, load sharing, positioning, rotary knife, splice control, synchronicity and more.

3. Improved Safety

Implementing safety in a conventional machine can be cumbersome and costly. With integration of safety technology, the safety functions are directly integrated into a servo drive with no need for additional hardware. Functional safety can be expanded for use with different applications in full compliance with standards.

Because the architecture is based on high-speed industrial Ethernet networks  special or detailed diagnostics of all components can be implemented within a network. Drives can be commissioned and fully diagnosed without requiring any additional software.

ORICS has the right servo-driven system for your needs. Let’s talk about your project, click here.

The way food is packaged and marketed is continually changing, due in part to consumer trends, the need for packaging sustainability and desire to reduce food waste.

One of the changes in packaging design is resealable, flexible pouches, stick packs, plus the ability to use intelligent labels and security materials in certain applications.

Recently, resealable has taken a leap forward in the way it can be used. New heat-sealable resealable systems with FDA approval for direct food contact and re-heat ability have been introduced. These systems deliver both visual appeal and features such as enhanced functionality and convenience, plus the benefits of packaging economy and sustainability.

The new film materials directly address current consumer desire for site convenience, fresh food, and sustainability — and waste reduction needs.

Today’s consumers are looking for easy-to-use products. Food meal kits have become ubiquitous in both the supermarket and convenience stores. But not all of that product is necessarily used in one sitting, and consumers welcome packaging that makes it fast and simple to reseal the contents and keep it fresh until the next time.

ORICS Industries is reacting to demand for resealable packaging by designing and manufacturing machines and systems that simplify the packaging of products utilizing resealable roll stock film options. Specifically, machines like the S-30, R-50, SLTS, and CMTS are well suited to these functions.

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Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Turn To Form, Fill & Seal Technology For Single Dose Medication Packaging.

Growing demand for single dose pharmaceutical packaging, particularly for aseptically filled liquid medications, is creating an opportunity for form-fill-seal (FFS) technology suppliers like ORICS Industries.

Used for the aseptic packaging of ophthalmic products, respiratory (inhaled) medications, biologics and vaccines and other injectable drugs, FFS technology enables continuous, automated forming, filling and sealing of unit-dose liquid packs.

Package formats include ampoules, vials and bottles, and product sterility can be assured throughout the process. Benefits of FFS, versus glass packaging, include reduced waste and breakage and the elimination of product preservatives, which patients may be allergic to.

The FFS-30 is an inline, intermittent motion sealing system that forms real steroids trays, cups and pouches in real time from roll stock film.

By forming trays online, this system has the ability to save the user tens of thousands of dollars by eliminating the costs associated with purchasing and shipping pre-formed trays.

What’s more, with a simple tooling change, this flexible system is capable of creating multiple tray/pouch sizes and configurations.

Film may be flexible, semi-rigid, or rigid.

Final package may be ambient, vacuumed, gas flushed to create a gas/air filled package or vacuum gas flushed to create a true Modified Atmosphere (M.A.P.) package.

FS offers cost savings over conventional aseptic processing in glass. Traditional  filling and packaging requires many steps and individual machines for filling, stoppering and capping. In contrast, FFS requires one piece of automated machinery, and takes place in six seconds or less.

When used to manufacture products intended for subsequent sterilization, these machines may be installed within an environment that would normally be considered appropriate for the manufacture and filling of terminally sterilized products. If the machines are to be used for the aseptic filling of sterile products they are usually provided with a localized environment at the point of fill with Grade A air.

According to recent statistics from investors groups approximately 1.3 billion tons of food is lost or wasted each year. The commodity groups that see the most waste include fruits, vegetables and roots and tubers, each with approximately 45% of the overall volume produced going to waste.

Extending shelf life to reducing product loss are high priorities for the key markets mentioned. Companies are also finding the freshness of product is an important factor in driving growth. Particularly for fruit and vegetables, harvest timing, shipping temperature and handling all have an impact on taste.

The issues effecting these key markets are driving innovation in modified shopanabolics atmosphere packaging as suppliers seek to ship at optimal temperatures to preserve taste and freshness. Some companies are looking at examples set by the pharmaceutical packaging industry to create solutions that work for fruits and vegetables.

One of the challenges created by utilizing pharmaceutical logistics is that many air freight companies require those containers to be shipped under pharma service rather than the general cargo service, which can significantly increase costs.

ORICS Industries engineers can help you create a system that solves the challenges of packaging atmosphere control without adversely effecting your shipping costs. Let’s discuss your challenges. Start by filling out our RFQ, and we will follow up expeditiously.

Vintage Is Cool

2019 saw retro style taking the marketing and advertising industries by storm, and with it, the return of vintage packaging. Buzzwords like vintage, retro and classic come and go in cycles and the current state of consumer taste is favorable to nostalgic looks.

Many manufacturers are already riding the wave and vintage is making itself part of the psychological landscape in every corner of pop culture, from restaurant menus to background music in television and film.

This trend can be seen in the food and drinks industry through packaging. Many major food and beverage companies are featuring products with package designs that are nostalgic in visual appeal.

Quarterly earnings from many food companies suggests that vintage alpha pharma branding does sell, both online and in physical stores, for a variety of reasons.

The Real Deal

Authenticity is a strong purchasing trigger for many people. We live in a marketplace of knock-off, generic copycat products and people like to know they have the original. Retro style packaging conveys authenticity because it often suggests good workmanship and top quality. Vintage design can get the buyer to think about values of the brand. Retro imagery also suggests scarcity, which is a strong purchase trigger for most people. Tapping into these strong triggers among buyers results in more sales volume.

Sometime we associate nostalgia with quality, partly because of fond memories of older, non-existent brands but also because of the suggestion of care and attention to detail associated with the “good old days”. Vintage packaging reassures the buyer that they’re making the right choice, the only choice, the product that’s been popular for a long time because of its good quality.

Eye Catching

The most important factor in the visual presentation of a product is that it stands out in a sea of sameness. More and more, brands rely on uniqueness to catch the consumers attention. Retro designs tend to be attention grabbers in a crowded market space, which is driving the trend towards vintage packaging design.

Modern packaging processes such as those used in modified atmosphere packaging allows for brands to use the visual aspect of vintage design, with the safety, sustainability and economical benefits of the latest technology.

If you are considering a more vintage design for your product ORICS Industries can help with the automated system to deliver the results you are looking for. Whether a retooling of an existing system or design and manufacture of a new system, ORICS can provide you with an affordable solution to keep up with any packaging trend.

Call us today (718) 461-8613 or visit our website to request a quote. https://orics.com/request-for-quotation/

New Features At PackExpo 2019

The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies has added new features to this years PackExpo show, offering more on-floor experiences and education to maximize time spent at the show.

The improvements include:

Robotics Zone, showcasing some of the latest technologies in robotics where you can witness their capabilities and see them in action.

The Forum, offering free, 45-minute learning sessions on the latest industry trends, including hands-on activities, small group discussions and Q&A each day of the show.

Technology Excellence Awards. recognizing exhibitors’ innovative epicsteroids technology that has not yet been shown at a PACK EXPO and Healthcare Packaging EXPO in the previous calendar year.

CarrerLink Live, PMMI’s online dianabolos job board, is going live for the first time at PACK EXPO Las Vegas and Healthcare Packaging EXPO in 2019. CareerLink LIVE @ PACK EXPO is an opportunity for PMMI, CPA, IoPP members and consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies to meet with students and veterans pursuing careers in packaging and processing during one-on-one informational interviews.

To keep track of all the new additions as well as old favorites, attendees can use My Show Planner to check the schedule of booth activities, add itinerary sessions and plan routes around the show floor. Get more info here.

Of course, ORICS Industries will again be exhibiting at PackExpo this year and to help you save time and organize your schedule we taking requests for pre-scheduled appointments using the simple form below. Please indicate date and time you would like to meet: September 23—25, 2019, between 9:00am and 6:00pm PST.

The eyes have it. It is true, and it is hardwired into our brains. Anything that looks beautiful and appealing to the eyes is likely to trigger an assumption that it will be appealing other senses. This is something to consider with regard to product packaging.
Product identification and awareness are the primary functions of packaging and labeling, of course. They provide customers product information including ingredients, nutritional facts, volume and buy-before dates. They also play an important role in marketing. More than ever, standing out in a sea of sameness is key to grabbing consumers attention.

Attractive packaging helps to create a customer’s connection to a brand with some functional and emotional content. Information related to storage and preservation of package contents and features that make the product celebratory, aspirational or proud to own or gift help create a relationship with the brand.

An attractive package isn’t everything, but visual appeal does matter.

How Packaging Relates to Marketing

Consider the role packaging and labeling plays in the marketing of a product.

1. Providing Important Information to Customers.
Delivering information to the customer quickly and conveniently is the core of every marketing campaign. This is especially true for new products launches, where product information plays a crucial role in market penetration. Packaging should deliver essential information—such as how to use a technology device; how to cook or store food; procedures and precautions to take during product usage; and so on. In short, it gives the details that you can’t cover in short form advertising.

With more and more people shopping online, even for food, the role of information delivery in packaging becomes even more pronounced. Unboxing a new package from an ecommerce transaction will be the first time that a consumer interacts with a product and brand. This unboxing is critically important and can even have a psychological influence on how much enjoyment the consumer gets from a product. Online sales create a new channel for reaching customers and driving sales, but it’s important not to fall into the trap of thinking that this eliminates the need for attractive packaging.

You can use your packaging information to protect your company. While it is true that you can’t give all the information about your product in short form advertising, what if someone sues you for information not provided? Printing the information on the packaging safeguards the company.

2. Showcasing Sustainability.
There is a good reason why more and more businesses are opting for sustainable packaging across the world. In 2016, the global green packaging market reached $139,000,000,000. Also, it is expected to cross $230.000,000,000 by 2024, equaling a compound annual growth rate of 6.5% between 2016 and 2024.

Biodegradable molded fiber is gaining rapid commercial importance in the packaging industry and is one good way to show your customers you care. Consumers are not just ready to buy something that’s environmentally friendly but are also willing to pay more for it.

3. Extending Brand Image.
When we think of any major brand, we generally see an image of the brand’s signature product package. The packaging is responsible for the product’s brand image and brand recognition.

The role of packaging in marketing the marriage between form and functionality. The purpose of the packaging is to entice customers not only to buy the products but also to come back for more. It becomes synonymous to your brand’s image, as it grabs the attention of your target audience, while functioning as a tool for information transmission.

It is therefore essential to consider all aspects of your product packaging so that it creates the most profitable impact.

Putting it All Together.
Once you have figured out the perfect packaging for your product that’s when ORICS can help provide you with the perfect automated system to get your product into the packaging. Our superior designs can help you maximize productivity, extend shelf life and freshness, expand distribution territories and maintain quality control.

For many brands, horizontal form-fill-seal (FFS) equipment represents a significant investment. FFS machines can be the most expensive machine on the packaging line. To maximize return on the investment, companies re-purpose machines for packaging a range of products. This makes quick tooling changes an attractive feature.

Over the last few years, ORICS Industries has worked to ease changeover in our FFS-30 for changing package sizes. We understand that our customers have been looking for ways to make it more efficient.

The ease of changeover can depend upon how easy it is to get tools in and out. Tools are often heavy and require a lot of muscle to remove and replace. This can result in injury risks, such as strained backs, broken fingers, etc. The risk of damage to tools is also heightened.

Changeover varies in complexity. The change may simply be to the packaging material, maintaining the same packaging footprint. Or, an entirely new package size or style may be needed. The amount of tooling changes depends on the degree of packaging change.

Tooling that can be changed includes forming dies, sealing platens, and cutting knives. There are control issues that may need to be changed to accommodate different packages, such as changing temperature, pressure, and index length. And there are peripheral issues associated with things like lot coders and in-line printers to changeover.

Should You Change?

Many companies that employ FFS machinery do so because they want better productivity and lower costs. Higher volumes may justify a dedicated packaging line, thus obviating the need for routine changeover. A daily production on FFS could be more than 100,000 packages, depending on the product being manufactured. Thus, the goal is often not to change out tooling.”

There may be other reasons for foregoing changeover. Validation of FFS is directly tied into forming tooling, loading, printing, sealing, and cutting. This process, when properly done, can take up to a week or more per tooling set. Once this activity is successfully completed, manufacturers would not want to upset the apple cart by making changes. This is also reinforced by the fact that FFS runs are generally three shifts for many weeks, sometimes months.

A partial if not complete validation would be required every time tooling is changed out. Depending upon the actual situation, the cost of the re-validation could exceed the potential cost savings of ‘quick-change’ tooling.

Packaging With E-Commerce In Mind

Traditionally, product manufacturers have packaged goods that consumers would directly unstock from shelves in a brick and mortar retail environment. In many cases, the e-commerce sales of the same products would result in products being packed for the merchant, unpacked and stored or stocked, and then re-packed and shipped to the customer, resulting in higher costs half of the work is unpackaging a product to repack it for e-commerce.

With so much extra handling of packages, damage rates rise and returns work to raise costs and drive profits down. The industry must take a new look at the true cost of returns due to breakage and void in shipping,

The challenges presented by e-commerce delivery are forcing brands to consider multiple packaging versions, depending on the route the product will take to the consumer. Reducing the number of packing and unpacking steps between the source and the end-user is key to managing costs and maintaining margins.

ORICS Industries would like to help your company navigate the complicated landscape of strategizing your ‘packaging for point of sale’ process. Our experts engineers can help bring fresh perspectives to the automation of packaging for multiple shipment and delivery requirements. Call us Today at (718) 461 8613 and let’s talk about your challenges.