Beyond The Headlines: Nestlé partners with B&B design agency, TekniPlex Healthcare acquires Seisa Medical

22 Dec 2023 --- This week in industry news, B&B studio equipped Nestlé’s Baci Perugina with a new packaging design for its chocolate and TekniPlex Healthcare acquired medical device manufacturer Seisa Medical. Meanwhile, Kellanova’s snack brands reduced their packaging sizes to save plastic.

In brief: Industry news
Nestlé partnered with B&B studio on a global redesign for its heritage chocolate brand Baci Perugina. The design update aimed to help Baci reignite its status as a true Italian icon. Having carefully analyzed the existing brand design equities, B&B created a refreshed packaging design that delivers bolder clarity, re-emphasizing Baci’s iconic Italian style. Throughout the process, Italian authenticity was championed above all else, delivering a design with greater craft cues and a more confident personality. The logo itself was crafted and simplified, emphasizing the striking shape of the original classic Baci logotype. Product names and descriptors were sharpened up, while product imagery was emboldened.

Novolex brands Eco-Products and Vegware earned awards for their compostable packaging solutions.Tata Steel’s packaging site in Trostre, Wales, achieved the highest possible AA+ food packaging standard rating following a recent unannounced audit. The prestigious classification from BRCGS (Brand Reputation through Compliance of Global Standards) means the site is now among an elite band of premier suppliers to the food industry. Howard Saxty, food packaging standards quality specialist at Tata Steel Trostre, said that while the packaging operation at Trostre is at the end of the steelmaking process, it is the start of the line for high-profile, end-user customers who make the canned goods consumers recognize on the supermarket shelves and in their cupboards at home.

Novolex brands Eco-Products and Vegware earned awards for their innovative solutions in compostable packaging. The two brands were each honored with the Foodservice Packaging Award for Innovation in Manufacturing, tying for first place. Eco-Products earned the award for making high-quality digital print a reality on molded fiber packaging. Vegware was recognized for creating a compostable paper cutlery solution for markets that need fiber solutions across all packaging categories. Eco-Products was recognized for creating a superior printing method on molded fiber products, allowing operators to display its brand and commitment to sustainability. Vegware earned its award for bringing to market a new option for customers who need a fiber-based cutlery solution that is compostable. 

In brief: Acquisitions and expansions
TekniPlex Healthcare acquired Seisa Medical in a deal that extends TekniPlex Healthcare’s medical technology solutions platform. The acquisition enhances the company’s materials science and process technologies for minimally invasive and interventional therapy devices on a global scale. Based in El Paso, US, Seisa is a medical device manufacturer servicing every stage of the product life cycle, including design and development, component manufacturing and final assembly. It employs over 2,000 people across four facilities in the US, Mexico and Slovakia.

Imperial Dade, a North American distributor of foodservice packaging supplies, industrial products and janitorial supplies, announced the acquisition of Wedge Supply. The transaction represents the 76th acquisition for Imperial Dade under the leadership of Robert and Jason Tillis, chairman and CEO of Imperial Dade, respectively. Financial terms of the private transaction were not disclosed.Kellanova’s snack brands reduced plastic while maintaining the same amount of food in each package.

Newmark announced that DrinkPak, a canned beverage manufacturer headquartered in California, US, has closed on two industrial leases totaling 2.9 million square feet in its expansion to Fort Worth, Texas, nearly tripling the company’s real estate footprint. These leases reportedly represent “the largest” new industrial occupier leasing commitment completed in a single market across the US this year and are projected to create 1,000 full-time jobs in the area by 2026. Additionally, the city has approved a 10-year tax abatement valued at US$21 million for DrinkPak’s expansion to support the area’s long-term development.

In brief: Redesigns
Kellanova’s snack brands, Cheez-It Snap’d, Cheez-It Puff’d and Club Crisps, reduced the amount of plastic used in their packaging — compared to the same volume last year — while maintaining the same amount of food in each package. The packaging designs were optimized, reducing the total material weight for these three foods by 672,000 pounds, reducing 124,000 pounds of plastic and 548,000 pounds of corrugated cardboard used for shipping cases (annually). The innovative packaging design aligns with Kellanova Better Days Promise commitment to work toward 100% reusable, recyclable or compostable packaging by the end of 2030.

Desi Daru, an Indian-inspired premium vodka brand, unveiled its new bottle design. Designed in the UK and crafted in Italy, the new bottle has a distinctive shape, luxurious gold accents and a nod to Indian architecture. The standout feature of the new bottle is its unique shape, inspired by the architecture of Indian temples. When viewed from the bottom, the four wedges on each side evoke the grandeur of temple domes. The bottle is adorned with a gold coin and cap, paying homage to the cultural significance of gold in India.

By Natalie Schwertheim