Peter Rigney Package Of The Year Award

Grafo Regia
Product: Harina Tortillas Selecta

Grafo Regia, a new member from Monterrey, Mexico, took top honors in this year's Metallized Product of the Year competition with a 1-kilogram bag for Harina Tortillas Selecta tortilla mix. The converter was honored at a banquet on Monday, March 10 during AIMCAL's Management Meeting, March 9-12, 2008, at Rancho Las Palmas in Palm Springs, California.

The film Grafo Regia produces for Molinera de México S.A. de C.V., Naucalpan, Mexico, consists of matte biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP)/ink/adhesive/metallized BOPP/adhesive/2.25-mil modified low-density polyethylene (LDPE). The structure provides excellent sealability and good barrier properties to protect the shelf life of the flour-based tortilla mix. A matte finish with metallized details stands out on store shelves. The bag format represents a reduction in packaging materials compared to traditional bag-in-carton packaging often seen in the dry baking mix category. The multilayer, metallized structure also provides better graphic reproduction and shelf life protection than the paper or fabric bags found in this segment. Grafo Regio provided design and converting services for this project. Other participants include substrate supplier Biofilm, Puerto Industrial Altamira, Mexico; metallizer Poligal (Polipropileno de Galicia) S.A., Naron, Spain; and contract packager Molinos Azteca S.A. de C.V., Guadalupe, Mexico.

The judges were impressed with both the technical and marketing aspects of the package and noted the matte finish resembled a tortilla. "We love the feel of the film," they agreed. The packaging also promotes the use of metallized film for a high-volume product that ordinarily uses paper or a pouch in a carton. "In the grocery segment, you need one pioneer to use the technology before others follow," commented one judge.

Food Category: Marketing Award

Uflex Limited
Product: Tata Tea Pouch

Another international member, Uflex Limited, Noida, India, won honors in the competition, taking home the Marketing Award in the Packaging: Food Category for a stand-up pouch for tea mix from Tata Tea Limited, Kolkata, India. Uflex provides single-sourcing capability for the pre-formed pouch including design, substrate production, metallizing, converting and contract packaging. During the converting process, 12-micron polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is reverse-printed rotogravure in eight colors and adhesive-laminated to 12-micron metallized polyester, which provides barrier properties and extends product shelf life. This two-ply structure is then laminated to 50-micron blown LDPE. On the pouch-making machine five webs are brought together in register to create a stand-up pouch with two side gussets, one bottom gusset. Other features include a tamper-evident seal, a laser score for easy opening and a slider zipper for reclosure. Filling occurs on a fill-seal machine. The stand-up pouch format, high-quality graphics and zipper reclosure differentiate the tea from its competition and discourage potential copycats.

The judges liked the eye-catching appearance of this stand-up pouch. In addition, the judges felt decoupling pouch making from pouch filling offers advantages in production efficiency and filling speed. The judges also appreciated the security aspect of the tamper-evident seal, the control of the laser score in the metallized lamination and the consumer convenience provided by the zipper reclosure for the multi-serving product.

Healthcare Category: Marketing Award

Unifoil Corp.
Product: Sarah Jessica Parker Covet Perfume

Unifoil Corp., Fairfield, New Jersey, swept the Packaging: Healthcare Category, capturing both the Marketing Award and the Technical Award.

The Marketing Award went to a holographic set-up box with matching promotional folder and envelope for Sarah Jessica Parker Covet perfume from Coty, New York, New York, which created the design. Unifoil converts polyester from Toray Plastics America Inc., North Kingston, Rhode Island, which has been metallized by Celplast Metallized Products, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The box wrap consists of gold, acrylic-coated, 48-gauge polyester laminated to 80-pound, coated-one-side paper. Light green raised printing adds texture. The complementary promotional folder and envelope consist of gold, acrylic-coated, metallized, 48-gauge polyester laminated, respectively, to 20- and 11.4-point coated-two-side Invercote Creato solid bleached paperboard from Iggesund Paperboard Inc., Lyndhurst, New Jersey. Graytor Printing, Lyndhurst, New Jersey, performs contract packaging duties.

The judges liked how well the marketing materials matched the packaging and the way the stripes on the box look like actual ribbon. "From a distance it's hard to tell it's not really ribbon," said one. "They did a good job of making the stripes look like something that ties," agreed other. The judges also noted the sturdiness of the box and believe it encourages reuse by the consumer once the perfume has been used.

Healthcare Category: Technical Award

Unifoil Corporation
Product: Puffs with Vicks Tissue Box

A barrier carton for Puffs with Vicks tissues from Procter & Gamble Co., Cincinnati, Ohio, captured the Technical Award in the Packaging: Healthcare Category for Unifoil. To protect the freshness of the tissues and prevent the distinctive smell of Vicks from permeating the environment around the product, the carton consists of aqueous-printed, stain-resistant, 20-pound Millmask clay-coated news from Rock-Tenn, St. Paul, Minnesota, laminated to metallized, coextruded, 36-gauge PA10 polyester. Unifoil performs converting duties using polyester supplied and metallized by Toray. Contract packaging occurs at Rock-Tenn. The metallized polyester barrier layer prevents odor, moisture and vapor loss, protects product freshness for the duration of the distribution cycle and extends shelf life. In fact, the metallized polyester/paperboard offers better water vapor transmission values than a traditional foil/paperboard barrier structure. Technical hurdles included creation of a curl-free lamination so cartons could be erected and filled without loss of speed. Adhesive selection also was critical to ensure the uncoated coextruded polyester would seal properly. The coextruded, metallized polyester/paperboard also represents a less expensive, source-reduced alternative to a foil/paperboard structure, which would have been prone to cracking at the scores.

The judges felt this use of metallized polyester expands the frontiers for metallized materials. They also were impressed by its machinability, odor-control capability and improved environmental and cost profiles versus the foil-based alternative.

Nonfood: Marketing and Technical Award

Unifoil
Product: Metro Day Pass Tickets

Unifoil also took home the Marketing and Technical Awards in the Nonfood Category for the role it played in a holographic security paperboard for tickets for the California Department of Transportation Metro, Los Angeles, California. Artwork for the pass series, which was designed by the Metro Design Group, includes a calendar, line drawings of vehicle details, four-color photographic vehicle details and typeset information. The new Metro Day Pass, which replaces more expensive tokens, features fluorescent inks. The Metro Transfer passes use lower cost solid inks and exhibit a family resemblance to the Day Passes. To create the tickets, Crown Roll Leaf, Paterson, New Jersey, receives the artwork from the Metro Design Group and creates the holographic design. It then metallizes polyester film from Toray and embosses the custom holographic images. A proprietary coating developed by Unifoil in conjunction with Crown Roll Leaf enables the next step, where Unifoil transfer-metallizes the holographic pattern onto 10-point, coated-two-side solid bleached sulfate (SBS). Unifoil then ships the resulting UniLustre metallized, holographic SBS sheets to Images in Foil, Monarch Beach, California, which prints graphics in register with the holographic patterns. The nonlaminated, transfer-metallized paperboard prints like paper, resists curling and presents sparkling first-generation images. The nonlaminated tickets with custom-registered images discourage counterfeiting and permit frequent design changes for monthly, weekly and daily transit passes as well as transfer tickets.

The judges loved the look of the tickets and believe their appearance generates strong consumer appeal. They also felt the transfer metallizing process results in numerous advantages related to cost, customization of patterns and designs, and minimization of production steps. "In short it benefits the consumer while reducing costs for the transit system," summed up one member of the panel.

Decorative Display Category: Marketing Award

Vacumet Corp.
Product: Rolling Stone Magazine Cover

In the Decorative Display Category, the Metallized Paper Division of Vacumet Corp., Franklin, Massachusetts, received the Marketing Award for a series of three collectible holographic covers celebrating the 40th anniversary of Rolling Stone magazine. Vacumet supplied and metallized the 100-pound, coated-two-side HoloPRISM holographic paper. After coating the paper, the world's largest embossing machine applied the custom holographic micro-embossing. The paper was then metallized and finished with a printable top coating. Printing of the 43 x 40-inch press sheets was done by Wynalda Litho, Belmont, Michigan, using ultraviolet ink. Finished sheets ran through standard bindery equipment to produce copies of the magazine. Rolling Stone publisher Wenner Media, New York, New York, commissioned custom graphics from Chip Kidd and finalized the designs for the May, July and November 2007 issues. The May cover uses the No-Color Glitter pattern on the RO graphic element and a Pillars of Light metallic background to support the issue's "Where We've Been" theme. The July cover for the "Summer of Love" issue adds faces to the RO element, but repeats the No-Color Glitter pattern on the letters and the Pillars of Light for the sky background. The November cover switches patterns to support the "Where Are We Going" space theme. A customized Soft Swirl pattern displays colorful space clouds on the RO element, while a Double Carousel pattern highlights the seemingly never-ending collage of galaxies depicted in the background. Back covers, which feature a series of artwork for advertisements for Intel Corp., Santa Clara, California, also take advantage of the metallized paper.

"These covers make consumers want to pick up the magazine even if they are not regular readers of Rolling Stone," noted one judge. "Glitzy," added another. In fact, the judges agreed they not only liked the impact of the front covers, but also the ad on the back covers. "The covers clearly demonstrate the capabilities of metallizing technology, its precision and appeal," they concluded.

Industrial Category: Technical Award

Celplast
Product: AstroShield - Reflect Met

In the Industrial Category, Celplast received the Technical Award for its Reflect-Met top-coated metallized PET, which is used in AstroShield material, a low emissivity product sold by Innovative Energy Inc., Lowell, Indiana, for applications requiring reflective insulation or a radiant barrier. Converted by Pregis Innovative Packaging Inc., Plymouth, Indiana, and used primarily in building construction and remodeling, the AstroShield options include Reflect-Met/bubble/bubble/Reflect-Met, Reflect-Met/white bubble or Reflect-Met/white bubble/white bubble. The coated metallized layer helps the lamination meet water vapor transmission, strength, thermal and fire performance requirements, while providing a brightness similar to foil. In fact, the Reflect-Met layer meets reflective insulation standards for moisture corrosion resistance (ASTM D3310), vapor retarding (ASTM E-96), aged vapor retarding (ASTM C1258) and emissivity less than or equal to 0.05 (ASTM C1371). The coated metallized polyester also is significantly more machinable than thin-gauge foil because its resists the tear-outs and creasing that typically generate scrap rates ranging from 4% to 8% for foil laminations. Perhaps, most importantly, the Reflect-Met metallized polyester meets pending changes to the ASTM E-84 flame test, which will render laminations using an unprotected foil layer unacceptable. Finally, the fiber-free lamination comes in easy-to-handle rolls, requires no custom installation tools, and eliminates the need for any special personal protection equipment.

Although insulation is a big market for metallized material, the judges concluded, "We haven't seen anything like this with so many technical attributes." The top coating is key because it protects the metallization. The judges also viewed the material as safer in a fire than foil laminations used for reflective insulation and appreciated its proactive compliance with pending standards for flame and smoke spread.

Other Category: Marketing Award

Vacumet Corp.
Product: Comfortex Blackout Shade

In the Other Category, Vacumet Corp., Wayne, New Jersey, received the Marketing Award for metallizing 48-gauge white polyester, which is laminated with a water-based adhesive to a nonwoven polyester fabric for "blackout" window shades from Comfortex Window Fashions, Maplewood, New York. The metallized film makes it possible for shades to display white on the street side, one of 18 different colors on the room side. With an optical density of 4.0 and an absence of pinholes, bands, and other surface imperfections, the metallized film completely blocks light transmission. In addition, the metallized polyester and cellular structure of the shade significantly improves its insulating capability, adding as much as 3.59 in R-value. The bi-laminate material, converted by Flexo Solutions, Appleton, Wisconsin, represents a cost savings and source reduction compared to tri-laminate alternatives and eliminates the need for one pass through the equipment. Use of water-based rather than solvent-based adhesives improves the product's environmental profile and generates process cost savings. The bi-laminate also weighs 45% less, which reduces shipping costs and offers operational advantages because the shade is easier to pull up and release, and there's less wear and tear on operating cords.

Although recognizing the entry's technical merit, the judges fell in love with what the shade could do for them in terms of room darkening and insulation capabilities. "I know I would buy it," said one. "It answers my need," said another. The judges also viewed the use of metallized film as an improvement over the metallized fabric seen in other shades.

Other Category: Technical Award

Rohm and Haas Co.
Product: Windsurf X-PLY® Fabric

Rohm and Haas Co., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, captures the Technical Award in the Other Category for its role in the development of sailcloth material by DIMENSION-POLYANT Inc., Putnam, Connecticut. The colored, metallized windsurf X-PLY® fabric consists of a core of 1-mil metallized film plus high tenacity polyester X-PLY® yarn positioned at 22-degree angles and 0.75-inch spacing to form a diamond-shaped grid pattern, creating a multidirectional stretch resistor and an extremely rugged rip-stop. These internal layers are sandwiched between two layers of ultra-clear PET film to form a total thickness of 4 to 6 mils depending on the application. The windsurf sail offers visible light transmission of 35%, providing vital transparency and enabling the windsurfer to keep an eye on surrounding traffic while still enhancing the UV properties. The metallized film imparts a shimmer to the sail when it's observed from the shore on a sunny day. It also reflects sunlight and protects the PET on either side. The judges liked both the functionality and appearance the metallized film imparts to the sail. The panel also believes this application expands the use of metallized materials to new frontiers. "It's transparent, yet it blocks UV light. We can see a lot of potential outdoor applications for this type of structure," they agreed.