This Month in Packaging... [May 2022]

Welcome to the May edition of Rocket Industrial’s ‘This Month in Packaging’ blog series, a monthly wrap-up of packaging related content that catches our eye.

From digital printing of beverage cans to twist on refill packaging, here are five things that caught our attention this month.

Digital Printing of Beverage Cans

WHO: Velox

WHAT: A partnership between Velox and Crown Holdings developed a digital printing system for beverage cans to replace shrink sleeves and labels. Once artwork is uploaded to the system and set to print, the seamless 360° printing with no slit or overlap allows for printing within minutes.

WHY IT MATTERS: Digital printing is forecasted to reach $17.5 billion by 2026. With no minimum quantity required to print, the ability to print on demand eliminates overproduction and speeds up time to market.

Shoes Making a Sustainable Statement

WHO: Kengos

WHAT: Sustainable shoe brand Kengos uses a ship in own container (SIOC) shoebox to avoid the ‘box within a box’ experience. The corrugated SIOC shipper is printed in three colors and has a tear strip that references the product’s stitched design to create a unique box opening experience.

WHY IT MATTERS: Once unboxing is complete, the packaging will be recycled almost immediately, so it was important to Kongos to make a big first impression.

Milk-Bone Rebrand

WHO: Milk-Bone

WHAT: An 80-dog photo shoot was the first step to updating Milk-Bone's branding strategy to mimic the exciting moment a dog looks up for a treat. Customers can also order custom treat boxes with their dog’s picture.

WHY IT MATTERS: This visual update had to retain the essence of the Milk-Bone brand while enhancing package engagement at the shelf. The concept of ‘Life’s More Fun with a Dog’ captures consumer emotion, the leading sales factor for the pet industry.

Child Safe Twist on Refill Packaging

WHO: Weener Plastics

WHAT: With a twist of the wrist, the twist-and-click refill system by Weener Plastics conveniently screws onto bottles and after a click, releases the concentrate without a mess. This refill bottle with a child-safe cap requires no secondary packaging.

WHY IT MATTERS: Concentrated product formulas are an effective way to reduce the environmental impact by using refillable containers. These concentrate containers reduce plastic usage by 75% and 97% less water is transported.

Spring Sales Meeting

WHO: Rocket Industrial

WHAT: After being postponed the past couple of years, the annual Rocket Industrial sales meeting was brought back this year in Wausau, Wisconsin. After a day of golf, we held a reverse trade show for our vendors to learn more about our growing team.

WHY IT MATTERS: This meeting is a chance for our vendors to educate our team on new products and projects so we can bring new innovations to our customers.

Submit to the Monthly Packaging Wrap-Up

Do you have a packaging example, industry news article, or idea that your peers should see? Share it with us here! Our blog team will pick a few suggestions to mention in our This Month in Packaging blog series at the end of each month. If your suggestion is used, we will send you a Rocket hat!