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Greetings, this month the Victorian Division of AIP did not have a meeting but hosted the National folks and the AIP seminar sessions at Auspack the bi-annual Packaging Machinery exhibition.

Bryce Hedditch Packaging Technologist, Masterfoods Australia, snack foods division, delivered an address entitled Packaging: Maximum Impact!

To get maximum impact from packaging Hedditch says that one must put the goods into wrappings or a container, in a compact form for transportation or storage but satisfy the following criteria:

- Product protected from foreseeable elements
- Labelled for legal sale
- Satisfy marketing desires

On a cautionary note he decreed that as well as maximising the packaging benefit, we must minimize its wastes such as excess material or energy, or those latent by poor material choices that can lead to inefficient densities and ultimately damaged stock.

An important issue often overlooked when seeking to obtain maximum benefit is to involve the consumer. The salient questions are: - What defines satisfaction for a consumer and how will they use the finished article. Packaging that together Bryce said that after determining the consumers’ needs, wants and expectations you must find the right balance for: -
  
“A fancy package may attract a new consumer, but a product that delivers will bring them back”

Turning to inefficiencies that detract from obtaining Maximum Impact Hedditch explained that excess energy can come from slow running machinery, energy leaks, and poor processes including design and also from workforce morale.

He challenged designers to mass a cubic metre of the product in its most raw form and then calculate the number of cubic metres of packaged product on a pallet at despatch. To determine if you are achieving maximum impact you must recalculate all processes and look for where valuable space or mass has been lost. In other words “How much air do you ship?”

Continuation on a theme brought an explanation that poor material costs can affect shelf life and the ability to protect the goods in the supply chain and may well have legal ramifications. There is a need to determine the cost of packaging as a percentage of the return delivered at point of sale. As environmental issues bite it is highly recommended that budgeting considerations have capital for life cycle analysis.

Bryce summed up with a dictionary definition of commend and the verb recommend which is to present or mention as worthy of confidence. His message was if you don’t have enough confidence to back your recommendations go back and review until you do otherwise your packaging will not have maximum impact.

After two days of exacting concentration the delegates joined with the National Chairman of AIP when he thanked all presenters and presented them with a certificate of appreciation and a small token of gratitude. The latter was packaged but environmentally friendly and recyclable would be a good descriptor.

Written by Michael B Halley FAIP
Australian Institute of Packaging
Web site:  http://www.aipack.com.au/

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