A co-packer’s dream: Amcor unveils e-commerce-ready PET bottle range

06 May 2020 --- Amcor has designed a family of stock PET bottles that enable co-packers to meet the demanding requirements for e-commerce-ready packaging. OmniPack PET bottles increase capacity and reduce downtime by having the same diameter with the same finish – only the height changes to accommodate the varying fill volumes. Suitable for dressings and sauces, the global plastic packaging supplier also identifies hand sanitizer as a key application for OmniPack PET bottles amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

“Our customers want e-commerce-ready packaging,” explains Greg Rosati, Vice President of Marketing for Amcor. “With OmniPack, Amcor is optimizing commercialization and helping companies take products from concept to cart, faster.” The e-commerce supply chain moves quickly, and brands and co-packers require packaging that keeps pace while also withstanding the rigors of this channel, according to Rosati.

Small- and medium-sized brands with niche products have found that e-commerce supports their growth. Among the latest trends in e-commerce are younger consumers exploring new brands and products. At the same time, the industry has seen a shift in how products are packaged. For example, it’s not uncommon now for salad dressing to be packaged in beverage bottles or olive oil in wine bottles.

Flexibility for co-packers
Amcor believes co-packers are uniquely positioned to satisfy needs for optimized e-commerce packaging because they provide flexibility, agility and resourcefulness. Agile co-packers have increasingly played a key role in e-commerce by filing products for multiple customers in multiple sizes and finishes. This means several changes to the fill line, resulting in reduced capacity and downtime that could instead be used to fill products.

OmniPack maximizes operations and provides flexibility for co-packers. The range of PET containers comes in 8-, 10-, and 12-oz sizes with a 38 mm finish that accepts continuous-thread or beverage-style closures. Since all the containers all have the same footprint, a co-packer can add a new size or switch quickly from one size to another without adjusting guide rails or other variables that involve time and labor. The only adjustment is fill height.

“As all the containers have the same footprint, a co-packer can add a new size or switch quickly from one size to another. OmniPack maximizes operations and provides flexibility for co-packers [while] reductions in downtime range from 10-20 percent, dependent on production line lengths and speeds,” Al Pizzuti, Marketing Manager, Food Segment at Amcor, tells PackagingInsights.

Amazon-approved
OmniPack containers greatly reduce or eliminate the need for secondary packaging and meet Amazon’s requirements for Prep-Free Packaging (PFP). They pass ISTA6 requirements, eliminate damage and product loss and minimize shipping costs.

“The International Safe Transit Association is a third-party regulatory agency which has developed established protocol for distribution of packaged products. The ISTA6 protocols are based on simulated scenarios like vibrations and drops, which mirror a broad range of e-commerce supply chains. The containers were validated during testing at Amcor’s ISTA-certified laboratories in Manchester, Michigan, US,” Pizzuti says.

“All three OmniPack containers meet Amazon’s requirements for PFP. A container that is ISTA-6 qualified can ship in an Amazon box without secondary packaging. Other containers would need to be packed in a secondary box that is then packed in an Amazon box. There are other scenarios but ultimately you go from requiring two sets of outer packaging to one with ISTA-6 qualified product,” he explains.

OminPack bottles are available to customers now for line qualification purposes.

A container to combat COVID-19
OmniPack’s key applications include salad dressings, cooking sauces, barbecue sauces and other specialty sauces such as chili and soy. Hand sanitizer has also emerged as another growing application to meet increased demand during the coronavirus pandemic.

“With the recent upsurge in e-commerce deliveries due to the COVID-19 outbreak, we envision many new opportunities for OmniPack containers in a range of consumer packaged products,” Pizzuti concludes.

Amcor researched the impact of e-commerce on fresh food grocery shopping across Europe, anticipating that the online grocery market will grow by 66 percent by 2023. The report indicates that consumers are relying much more heavily on e-shopping during the COVID-19 pandemic, although this trend was detectable before the crisis.

With this changing consumer behavior comes concerns of intensified packaging waste management issues. David Clark, Vice President Sustainability at Amcor, tells PackagingInsights that packaging recycling is a “chicken and egg” situation in which recyclable packaging and recycling infrastructure must coincide to realize greater environmental sustainability.

By Joshua Poole

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