The Evolving Flexible Packaging Landscape

Walk the supermarket aisle by aisle, and you will witness a packaging and technology revolution is underway. ©nonnie192 – stock.adobe.com

The Role of Horizontal, Form, Fill and Seal Packaging Machinery

By Dennis Calamusa  President and CEO of ALLIEDFLEX Technologies, Inc.

As a prominent North American supplier of flexible packaging machinery and systems to a wide range of industries, including food, snacks, beverage, personal care, and a multitude of other market applications, we enjoy a unique opportunity to gain an inside perspective working not only with the more prominent consumer product companies but also with the growing number of entrepreneurial start-ups with dreams of success.

In our role in the supply of packaging machinery and secondary automation systems, we also have the opportunity to work intimately with the supply chain that provides a vast array of innovative flexible packaging materials and value-added solutions that deliver the essential consumer features that add functionality and convenience to the evolving flexible package format, which now includes a host of innovative convenience features including spouts, fitments and zippers, to name a few. These enhancements provide the needed package functionality, security, and convenience to delight the consumer and ultimately reflect in customer satisfaction and repeat sales.

Packaging is a Strategy

Packaging is a strategy, and this is truer than ever as companies compete for a changing mix of consumer preferences, demographics, and the incredible expansion of the e-commerce business. Flexible packaging plays a significant role in the shift from traditional legacy packaging formats to new, innovative, flexible packaging.

To say the market is changing, and so is packaging, is an understatement. The days of depending on the same old package format are risky for businesses, especially if you hope your products and packaging will continue to appeal to the changing consumer and market conditions.

Over the past decades, many large multi-national consumer product companies have “become the package” on which they have “standardized.” Cereal companies have become “box” companies, Soup companies have become “can” companies, and beverage and personal care companies have become “bottle” companies. Their traditional packaging methodologies have driven their century-old infrastructure and packaging processes. As a result, many of these companies have been reluctant to change due to the complexity of “change” itself. They have been hand-cuffed to their well-established and refined internal and external infrastructures, which go straight through the retail shelf.  Still, packaging change is inevitable, and the transition to flexible packaging is already dramatically underway.

The Transition to Flexible Packaging

This “change” dynamic is creating a unique strategic opportunity for entrepreneurial market disrupters, enabling them to step in with new packaging that provides convenience, improved portability, and the unique ability to stand out on the shelf in the multitude of new marketing outlets, all competing for today’s consumer. In addition, flexible packaging can also reduce costs, simplify logistics, and streamline the internal packaging process, all of which will be critical as we move into the future.

As flexible packaging continues to proliferate in the market, more and more companies are determining their path forward from an operational perspective as they transition from their traditional packaging methodologies to alternative flexible packaging formats. For example, over the past decade, the now-popular standup pouch has experienced dramatic growth, having had a revolutionary impact on the packaging industry globally

Over the past decade, the now-popular standup pouch has experienced dramatic growth, having had a revolutionary impact on the packaging industry globally. Image courtesy of ALLIEDFLEX.

This transition from traditional packaging has not been easy, as many companies have clung to the conventional packaging formats they have utilized for many decades. The reluctance to change is a reality and not always practical, considering the decades of infrastructure and existing assets prevalent in many of the leading mature CPG packagers.

To review the benefits of horizontal, form, fill, and seal (HFFS) packaging, we must first understand how we have gradually and successfully shifted the packaging industry from traditional to more functional, innovative, and flexible packaging alternatives, which are growing exponentially. This shift is mainly driven by consumer convenience, consumer preference, sustainability concerns, and changing market dynamics.

Horizontal, Form, Fill Seal:  Then and Now

HFFS pouch packaging machines of the past were developed and typically utilized for low-cost, high-volume production, generally of dedicated package size. These systems typically produced pouches from economical paper/poly or paper/poly/foil structures that provided additional barrier properties to protect oxygen-sensitive products and extend shelf life. These were typically dry products, including instant beverages, instant soups, baking mixes, etc. This array of products was considered staples by the consumers and very popular due to the convenient single-serve package format.

Over the years, as products evolved and flexible package formats became more functional, horizontal, form, fill and seal machinery technology became particularly suitable for forming unique package styles with consumer convenience features. Packaging trends and consumer preferences can dramatically impact technology and drive packaging development.

The HDG RB-Series In-Line | Rotary Horizontal HFFS. Image courtesy of ALLIEDFLEX.

Packaging Innovation

One of the significant packaging innovations that impacted the HFFS packaging machinery market was the introduction of the “reclosable zipper feature.” Feeding a roll-fed zipper in-line as part of the form, fill, and seal process dramatically reduced cost and added value and functionality to the flexible package format. Once the standup pouch package format was added as a capability on HFFS machinery, magic was created, and the rest is history.

Today’s HFFS machinery is of a completely different generation, no matter the brand; today’s technologies have revolutionized the flexible packaging industry. Machinery buyers are looking for flexible machines capable of producing high-quality packages and accommodating short runs and quick changeovers with minimal downtime to accommodate market conditions. These include a host of different pouch sizes and retail package price points to suit the needs of the evolving retail marketer, in addition to e-commerce and food service outlets.

The HDG RB-Series in-line pouch making workflow. Image courtesy of ALLIEDFLEX.

Important HFFS features include:

• Auto / Semi-Auto Roll Splice Feature (uptime)
• Adjustable Forming Plow
• Power Unwind / Servo Film Advance for Web Tension Control
• Motorized Pouch Making Section to provide quick, repeatable size change
• Quick Change or Motorized Quick Change Pouch Handling Features
• Remote | On-Line Diagnostics
• HMI on Board Operator Interface with Storage Recipes | Data Acquisition

The HDG Rotary pouch handling | filling turret work stations. Image courtesy of ALLIEDFLEX.

Plan for Future Material Changes

It is important to consider planning to accommodate future material changes, including both laminated and monolayer packaging, and recyclable materials, in addition to advances in on-line seal inspection and UPC code scanners.

Horizontal Form, Fill, and Seal pouch packaging machinery technology will evolve beyond intermittent motion machines, which may be configured in simplex, duplex, triplex, and quad operating format configurations. We will also see a trend toward continuous motion technologies to increase output to accommodate the growing demand for production and cost reduction.

As volume grows, faster machines will be needed to shift production demands from traditional packaging to various innovative, flexible packaging formats. This transitional growth will drive the demand for higher output machinery, providing speed and more flexibility with automated and improved “changeover” features and advanced servo technology to satisfy the changing and evolving markets, which will continue to demand different package sizes, formats, and price points.

What’s Next?

As we look into the future, we will continue to see new, fresh, and exciting packaging methods and machinery technologies appear globally. Since my perspective is based on innovative, flexible packaging, I am continually providing my future insights on why the flexible packaging category will continue to be the fastest-growing packaging method.

Flexible packaging is here to stay and will be further enhanced by the industry’s continuous commitment to addressing environmental and sustainable concerns through the increased introduction of recyclable, bioplastic and compostable materials. Our industry has the most to gain based on the numerous advantages the flexible packaging format provides compared to traditional alternatives.

Walk the supermarket aisle by aisle and witness this packaging shift first hand. A packaging and technology revolution is underway.

About the Author

Dennis Calamusa is President | CEO of ALLIEDFLEX Technologies, Inc., based in Sarasota, FL. Dennis has dedicated the past 30 years of his career to commercializing the Standup Pouch and other innovative Flexible Packaging solutions in the North American market. His company, ALLIEDFLEX Technologies, has supplied hundreds of machines to the food, beverage, household, and personal care industries, bringing thousands of products to market in innovative, flexible packaging. Visit the ALLIEDFLEX website at www.alliedflex.com, and learn more about HFFS solutions at https://alliedflex.com/hdg-packaging-machines/