Cranswick, one of the UK’s largest suppliers of sliced cooked meats, was asked by Morrisons to change its standard glued corrugated case to a two-piece hood and tray to meet on shelf requirements in the chiller section of the supermarket.
However, the move to a two piece pack would mean extra time to pack the product on line as well as an additional item to order, off load and store.
So, always ready for a challenge, the DS Smith Packaging team at Featherstone introduced a design that would meet both the customers’ and Morrisons’ requirements, with a one-piece pack. It’s called the ShelfMaster. This design avoids the need for perforations or tape opening systems. The front of the pack is very clean cut and looks very appealing on shelf.
DS Smith Packaging invited teams from Cranswick and Morrisons to its unique Impact and Innovation Centre. They were able to inspect prototypes of the new design, digitally printed to a very high standard, in the environment of a real chiller. All agreed that the pack worked well in the fixture and met the needs of both the customer and the retailer. It was also agreed that the colour coding system within the different tiers helps consumers quickly find the product variety they want.
The new style can be used on standard case erector systems. Because a one rather than two-piece pack is being used, the packing process is not hindered and the addition of a crashlock base means a taping or gluing process is not required.
All this goes to show that moving to an excellent retail ready solution does not always necessitate new packaging machinery or major changes to manual packing line procedures.
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