Articles by Grant Gerke

Plasma Surface

Can Plasma Surface Treatment Deliver Sustainability and Reduce Cost?

The printing and converting industry is moving quickly to develop more recyclable material to help consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies’ meet fast-approaching sustainability goals. And new plasma treatment research is showing opportunities for converters and extruders to reduce solvents and increase recyclable film material.
Grant Gerke
March 22, 2021
Incrementalism may be gone in the flexible packaging industry, as film suppliers and consumer packaged good (CPG) companies race to find sustainable solutions in both upstream and downstream areas.
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Remote Service

How Remote Service Offerings for Converters is Being Deployed

While ‘smart manufacturing’ slogans can border on marketing hype, OEMs have been expanding remote service technology options for the last six years — and the flexible packaging industry is no different
Grant Gerke
March 17, 2021

Manufacturing and designing hardware is a tough business, and selling equipment in the 21st century is getting even harder. That’s why original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) have been offering more remote servicing options to converters, film extruders and flexible packaging companies over the last 10 years.


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Linerless Back Label

Linerless Back Label Application Nets a Big Fish

The South African Breweries’ Flying Fish beer brand implements a linerless back label and reduces material waste by 51% with an innovative solution from Arconvert-Ritrama
Grant Gerke
March 16, 2021
As the severe challenges of 2020 move from view, consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies are sharpening their focus to meet internal sustainability goals and increase their coordination with material recycling facilities to reduce waste.
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Wash-Off Label Technology Meets the Challenge

With increased pressure to meet numerous sustainability mandates by companies and governments, wash-off label technology offers a way to optimize bottle recycling, deliver more rPET material for the supply chain and produce a clean-label look
Grant Gerke
March 16, 2021
In a recent Flexible Packaging article about new polymer film material and equipment requirements, Simon Hermans, director of U.S. sales and marketing for Südpack, stated that millennials will drive demand for new sustainable packaging formats.
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Case Study: Pouch Making

New Pouching Machine Thrives at Associated Labels and Packaging

Associated Labels and Packaging, a Canadian flexible packaging and printing company, recently purchased a servo-driven stand-up pouch machine to meet growing demand for smaller runs.
Grant Gerke
January 20, 2021
Most consumers and industry professionals want to see a post-COVID 19 world emerge as soon as possible, and there’s hope on the horizon with recent vaccine breakthroughs. However, a big question going forward will be what flexible packaging trends stick in a post-COVID world?
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Finding the Right Sustainable Film Material and Equipment

Many film suppliers are adding more post-consumer recycled material to packaging film, so how do these sustainable efforts affect machinery?
Grant Gerke
December 7, 2020

The market for sustainable film materials is growing each year, and converters, original equipment manufacturers (OEM) and consumer packaging goods (CPG) companies want to know what’s working, as well as what sustainable film material and equipment work well together.


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Technology: Coating

Slot Die Coating Technology Targets Flexible Packaging

Slot die coating is being used in many industries, and more converters are examining how slot die technology can offer unique packaging solutions for customers.
Grant Gerke
November 10, 2020

Flexible Packaging caught up with Mark Miller, co-founder of Coating Tech Slot Dies, to discuss the state of slot die coating technology, resolution of coating defects and equipment-based design on fluid rheology for specific applications.


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