“Innovation doesn’t mean reinventing the wheel”: Tetra Pak redesigns a classic pack to enhance distribution efficiency

08 Mar 2019 --- Tetra Pak has taken one of its classic carton packs and redesigned its dimensions to launch the Tetra Classic Aseptic 65ml Cube packaging, touted as an efficient packaging solution for dairy, juice and liquid food. The dimensions of the package have been designed to allow every six packages to form a cube, hence optimizing the use of space in distribution and storage. The design is aimed at bringing improvement in cost efficiencies and environmental footprint, both significant outcomes for manufacturers.

Innovation doesn’t necessarily mean reinventing the wheel, Hemant Krashnak, Product Director at Tetra Pak, tells PackagingInsights. In this case, it was about taking a traditional package and redesigning the basics – the dimensions of the package – and using the geometrics to create something more exciting that is space efficient.

“Unlike all other Tetra Pak cartons that are identical, the new Tetra Classic Aseptic Cube 65ml comes with two matching formats to allow every six packages to form a cube. This means we need to modify the package-forming process in the filling machine and the finished products need to be aligned in two rows for the hand-packing of the secondary packaging,” he explains.

Its robust food protection, minimal use of materials and efficiency in distribution makes the Tetra Classic Aseptic 65ml Cube package a simple answer to the rising need of environmentally sound packages while saving cost for manufacturers, the company says.

The packaging will be particularly useful in countries with distribution challenges, Krashnak says. One example would be a customer of the company in Indonesia which has distribution challenges outside Java Island. “The unique format of this new package significantly improves distribution efficiency, with fewer lorries and container shipments required.”

The new package is now available with hand-packing for secondary boxes. It has been in use since December 2018 at a customer in Southeast Asia selling coconut milk as a cooking ingredient in markets where logistics infrastructure is a challenge.

As a leader in the carton space, Tetra Pak last month became the first company in the food and beverage carton industry to offer full-color digital printing on its carton packages, working in collaboration with Koenig & Bauer, a global leader in the field. The investment in digital on-package printing will offer new possibilities for beverage brands to customize products and differentiate branding.

The digital printing technology is touted as simplifying the complexity of design handling, reducing the time from design to print and opening up new opportunities for flexibility in order placement and product customization. Beverage brands can take advantage of added benefits like dynamic on-package printing and the ability to include a variety of designs within the same order.

Late last year, PackagingInsights visited the Tetra Pak headquarters in Lund, Sweden, reporting on the company’s clear sustainability directive and trends, such as rightsizing, that are driving carton design.

By Laxmi Haigh

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