Verstraete IML Seizes Three IMDA Awards

Each year, the American professional association IMDA or the ‘In-Mold Decorating Association’ presents the IMDA awards. The IMDA is an association of injection moulders, printers and suppliers of materials and machines used for in-mould decorating. In the tenth edition of the awards this year, market leader Verstraete IML from Maldegem won awards in the following categories: Best Thin Wall Packaging, Best Blow Moulded Package and Best Product Family. As a result, Verstraete IML took home 3 of the 8 awards.

IMDA Symposium sets the tone
On 6th June, Verstraete IML received the IMDA awards during the 2016 IMDA Symposium at the Franklin Marriott Cool Springs hotel in Tennessee.

Peter Paelinck (Business Development Manager North America): “The IMDA Symposium is an annual event which is eagerly anticipated by every company in the IML packaging industry. It is the perfect place to brush up on your skills in the area of in-mould labelling (IML) and in-mould decorating (IMD). What's more, you can attend interesting workshops and get an opportunity to network with IML specialists from around the world. Verstraete IML is very honoured to receive three awards on this occasion.”

And the winner is…

Best Thin Wall Packaging - Gold for Unilever

Unilever's margarine containers and lids underwent a thorough makeover. They are now made with paper-thin walls which meet the most stringent technical requirements. Unilever switched from direct printing to in-mould labelling. And they changed the shape of the containers - from round to rectangular - to save valuable space during transportation and on shop shelves. Thanks to the photographic quality of the IML labels and the seven different sizes, the four brands now occupy a unique market position.

In addition, the re-branding of Unilever's margarine brands proceeded smoothly due to the excellent cooperation between Verstraete IML and the three injection moulders RPC BRAMLAGE-Wiko USA, PSPM and Berry Plastics.

Best Blow Moulded Package - Gold for Taanayel

The Lebanese dairy giant Taanayel Les Fermes, known for its natural, authentic and traditional dairy products, chose IML for blow moulding from Verstraete IML for their Laban Baladi product range. Blow moulding is the perfect IML technique for hollow plastic packaging: and, one that is also ideal for storing semi-liquids as well as soft and creamy dairy products. The IML labels from Verstraete IML are moisture-proof and can withstand temperature fluctuations. This makes them an ideal solution for decorating synthetic packaging for refrigerated products. The vintage design of the packaging enhances the authentic nature of the product.

Best Product Family - Silver for Berry Plastics

Berry Plastics’ SelecTE™ product group is a range of high-quality rectangular, sealed packaging provided with three-sided or five-sided IML labels. Thanks to the way in which this packaging is decorated, the quality of the food product is clearly visible to the consumer through the transparent sections of the packaging and there is also enough free space to attract consumers with the excellent graphical quality of the label. The entire packaging is 100% recyclable. The container, the lid and the label are all made of polypropylene. The IML label can also be printed on transparent material or in a metallic look to draw greater attention to the brand on the shop shelves.

Supplier of IML labels and professional expertise
Verstraete In-Mould Labels has more than 25 years of experience in offset printing labels on polypropylene for injection moulding, blow moulding and thermoforming. The company produces more than 45 million in-mould labels every day for various segments of the packaging industry. Verstraete IML is an innovative company in terms of its choice of materials, efficient production and state-of-the-art printing and finishing processes. The result is a high-quality product accompanied by top-notch customer service.

Dieter Maes (Business Development & Marketing Manager): “Our winning projects would never have been so successful without the excellent collaboration with our partners. We are much more than a printing company. We are an international full-service company. Our IML specialists share their knowledge and insights with our customers. Knowledge that not only increases our production efficiency and functionality, but also - and more importantly - optimises the emotional character or, in other words, the ‘look and feel’ of our customers' packaging. Demonstrating the tangible benefits of our insights to our customers, that is what it's all about.”

Source: Verstraete IML