What Flexible Packaging Companies Focus on in New Product Development

According to the latest research report released by international market research firm Transparency Market Research, the global plastic packaging market achieved a compound annual growth rate of 5.2% from 2014 to 2020. In the United States, as the second-largest packaging segment, flexible packaging accounted for 18% of the US packaging market valued at US$145 billion. In China, flexible packaging is developing even more rapidly and competition is even fiercer; for enterprises to achieve sustainable development, they must keep innovating and enhance their market competitiveness.

In new product innovation, using new film materials to give packaging more performance—such as high-temperature resistance, acid and alkali resistance, antibacterial properties, biodegradability, and even thinner gauges, greater transparency and anti-fog properties—has become an important means of innovation for enterprises.

Many companies have invested heavily in R&D and production of their own proprietary films:

For example, after entering the Chinese market by acquiring Dongguan Qiaomiao, the US company Bemis acquired the film company Xinchangsheng, completing an important layout for its own R&D of new film products;

Sealed Air had its own developed films early on, and even produces proprietary packaging equipment for its own chilled fresh meat packaging;

Application example of the biodegradable polymer alloy material developed by Jiangsu Caihua

Jiangsu Caihua has developed and researched a biodegradable polymer alloy material. This material offers high barrier properties and can be used for premium food packaging; it is also biodegradable—when degradation conditions are met, degradation begins in 30 days and reaches 80% within 6 months. There is also an easy-tear retort application film without laser tear lines or mechanical perforation lines; both are now in mass production and have won customer favor;

Changsha Yinteng has also invested heavily in introducing German W&H blown film equipment, supporting its gravure printing center from the raw material side;

The inner PE used by Guangzhou Guanyu is also entirely produced with formulations developed in-house according to customer needs: contamination resistance; if filling powders, increased low-adsorption performance; resistance to salt, acid, spice, oil or chemicals; high-temperature sterilization resistance, etc.;

Ruiming three-layer cat-eye full-plate film betel nut pouch

The 'cat-eye full-plate film' developed by Zhuhai Ruiming Technology Co., Ltd. adopts UV film embossing technology with a 'platinum embossing' plate-making process; through pre-coating on a pre-coated film followed by hot embossing, the resulting film has better brightness and precision, with gold and silver embossed effects and a very sparkling appearance that shines from multiple angles like a diamond, combining aesthetics with anti-counterfeiting functions. It has been applied to facial masks and betel nut pouches;

The BOPP film independently developed by Dalian Shangye Color Printing & Packaging for sandwich packaging has good anti-fog and breathability, which can eliminate the fog or water droplets formed by moisture from the food inside the bag, thereby maintaining food freshness and extending shelf life, while also ensuring high clarity and high transparency of the entire package••••••

New film materials with unique formulations developed by enterprises themselves can not only meet customers' personalized needs in a customized way and achieve many new packaging performances, but also carry a high threshold—an original pouch shape may be easily imitated, yet a new film material with a unique formulation and unique performance is not so easy to imitate!

Therefore, developing one's own unique new film materials, or cooperating with film companies to develop new film materials to increase the added value of one's products, has become an important means of enterprise innovation.

At present, what aspects are our flexible packaging companies focusing their R&D on? What issues should companies pay attention to when using new film materials?

I. New film materials that flexible packaging companies are watching

Manager He of Chengxin Packaging:

The development direction of flexible packaging films should have two directions. One is high barrier: for cost reasons, products generally will not use laminates that are too thick or have more than four layers, so films with normal thickness but excellent barrier performance will certainly be popular. The other direction should be environmental protection. In fact, films that degrade quickly already exist; low-end customers do not pay attention to them now, but this is the development trend after all, and some high-end customers have begun to pay attention. I believe this will be another development direction besides high-barrier films.

Mr. Wang of Xinchangsheng:

Personally, I feel the demand for packaging films is moving toward thinner, high-barrier and biodegradable directions. Each direction and each application has different value, and doing well in any direction will have a great impact on the industry.

Manager Jiang of Nanchong Sanying Pharmaceutical Packaging Materials Co., Ltd.:

We are currently developing an antibacterial film material whose advantage is biodegradability. It is mainly used for fresh vegetable and fruit packaging, and a patent has already been applied for. I personally believe packaging materials are trending toward environmental protection and safety.

Xiao Liu of Huiteng Color Printing:

We are currently developing boilable, UV-resistant packaging for exported foods, with a PA/PE structure. We are now looking for UV-resistant, high-barrier BOPA material. This pouch is relatively stiff, and the PE strength is very good; generally PA/PE is not this stiff, but the sample pouch we obtained is made with this structure. So modified PA should have been used.

Plamex Hebei:

I personally suggest everyone pay more attention to high-barrier shrink films. Abroad, the largest use of this film is chilled fresh meat packaging, especially in the US and European markets.

For example, IBP and EXCEL, major US suppliers of fresh beef, were pioneers in using vacuum shrink bags and central packaging plants. Today, the supply from these major plants accounts for 3/4 of the total slaughter volume of cattle raised, of which 85% of products use vacuum shrink packaging. Vacuum shrink-packaged beef in the US already accounts for 90% of its total beef output.

With the vigorous development of the meat industry, the manufacturing and material technology of vacuum shrink packaging bags has also made notable progress. With improvements in co-extrusion technology, shrink bags with more layers can be produced, allowing the plastic material of each layer to fully perform its function; materials have become thinner, lighter, more transparent and more attractive, while offering more functions of heat-shrink film: exquisite printing technology that does not easily come off, high oxygen barrier, high resistance to external forces, good sealing, retort resistance, low-temperature shrinkage, bone puncture resistance, etc. The material can be used for packaging chilled fresh beef, lamb, pork and cheese products, and is also suitable for packaging high-temperature cooked meat products.

At present, this vacuum shrink packaging method is still at a very early stage in Asia. Based on considerations of economy, convenience and quality, I believe it will become a development trend.

Wang Chengyan of Shanghai Qixiang Qingchen:

For flexible packaging films, our company has been testing the pre-coated film format to replace the current method of adhesive lamination of multilayer films. Pre-coated film can greatly reduce operational difficulty and reduce the impact of human factors on lamination quality, yielding better and more stable multilayer film packaging results.

I personally believe pre-coated film is the development direction for flexible packaging films, and we have already tested its application effect in some regional markets. Enterprises only need to purchase functional pre-coated film that meets their own requirements; they are relatively unaffected by lamination equipment and personnel, which can greatly reduce cost pressure and enhance competitiveness.

At present, the pre-coated film structures we make are still relatively limited, and this path needs more companies to participate and provide testing platforms.

Mr. Chen of Guangdong Zhixin Color Printing Co., Ltd.:

We are still focusing on high-temperature retort films, especially films that can withstand 135℃. At the same time, we are developing a new product that requires the barcode numbers on the front and back of the packaging to match accurately. In addition to accurate registration, there are also requirements for the film's stretch properties.

Mr. Yuan of a flexible packaging company:

We are currently focusing on high-temperature retort films, easy-tear films, anti-fog films, stretch films, resealable films, etc. Innovating through packaging materials is an approach many companies choose, especially in many fields that previously did not use flexible packaging; new material applications can greatly expand them. For example, in some remote areas and areas lacking refrigeration conditions, high-barrier materials can be used to extend food shelf life, so that these foods can be sold in these areas while still relatively fresh. At present, demand for high-barrier meat product packaging in the Asia-Pacific region is growing rapidly, which will certainly drive the rapid development of high-barrier, antibacterial, and even antiviral-barrier films. We are also watching new film materials in this area.

Manager Zhu of Process Development at Shanghai Jishi New Material Technology Co., Ltd.:

Shanghai Jishi is a wholly owned subsidiary of ORG Technology integrating science, industry and trade with new material technology at its core. It is committed to developing various new materials and providing society with green, healthy and high-quality packaging material solutions.

At present, our product focus remains on the R&D of laminated steel material. Laminated steel directly laminates film onto the metal surface without the use of adhesives or various solvents; it can solve the food safety problem of bisphenol A harming human health, eliminate the migration of harmful substances, and provide a reliable guarantee for the hygiene and safety of food and beverages. In addition, laminated steel has better can-making performance than traditional printed tinplate products, with significant advantages in processing resistance, corrosion resistance and barrier performance, which can greatly broaden the application scope of metal packaging products.

At present, we have also entered the flexible packaging application field. For film materials, different companies have different performance requirements, and we will develop corresponding new products according to their requirements.

Li Zhuo of Wipak Packaging (Changshu) Co., Ltd.:

At present, we mainly develop PP multilayer extruded blown film for paper-plastic lamination, requiring antibacterial properties, mainly for pharmaceutical packaging. At the same time, we are also developing a high-temperature retort film that remains clear and transparent after retorting, with no fogging. Wipak's headquarters is in Germany; the new plant in China has passed ISO14644-1 certification and has a Class 8 cleanroom.

Wipak Germany and its sister companies in North America together form the packaging business division of Wihuri Oy, headquartered in Helsinki, Finland. The North American company ranks 11th on the list of the largest film and sheet producers in North America. We are the flexible packaging production base built by Wihuri Packaging Oy in Changshu, and also Wipak's first plant in China and even the Asia-Pacific region.

Therefore, our technology basically all comes from headquarters, and we hope to provide the industry with innovative and safe packaging.

Manager Jiang of Hebei Yongxin:

We have always attached great importance to new product development, focusing on the safety, environmental friendliness and anti-counterfeiting performance of packaging films. They are mainly used for dairy products, food, daily chemicals and other industrial products, usually with plastic-plastic, aluminum-plastic and paper-plastic structures.

With the development of the flexible packaging industry at home and abroad, I think films will increasingly move toward simplified structures, environmentally friendly and easily recyclable materials, green inks and adhesives, and food safety and reliability. Solvent-free lamination, extrusion lamination, flexographic printing, and functional integration of mono-materials will become mainstream. Therefore, the R&D direction of films will certainly align and match this development.

Cao Yongpeng of Dali Packaging:

We are currently very focused on high-barrier materials with good transparency, preferably also with heat sealability; we are also researching them ourselves. Also, pearlized films from abroad can be heat-sealed in a single layer and can prevent mildew, but at present we still need gas flushing to solve this. Currently we use metallized film and K film more often.

Ding Bo of ExxonMobil Chemical:

At present, our development focus in flexible packaging films is on products that help preserve food, while also having excellent tear resistance, reduced film weight, low heat seal temperature, etc. For example, our newly launched Vistamaxx™ 6000 high-performance polymer, used in the functional layer of machine prestretch cast film, can achieve excellent ultimate stretch, superior holding force and tear resistance even at thinner gauges. Although the functional layer of stretch film accounts for only about 10%~15% of the total film composition, the inherent properties of the material used in this layer are critical to the film's performance. Another new product, Vistamaxx™ 3588FL, can provide excellent heat seal performance for CPP and BOPP films, aimed at fast and reliable packaging. This new grade has both an extremely low heat seal temperature (10℃ lower than standard terpolymer polypropylene resin) and a low hot-tack initiation temperature, as well as a wider hermetic sealing range, which makes it very suitable for packaging snacks, biscuits and candy. At the same time, Vistamaxx polymers can expand the heat seal range of polypropylene cast film by up to 300%, making them very suitable for modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) applications that require leak-proof and sealing performance.

In food packaging, the trends we see are more economical pre-packaged foods and smaller package sizes, which require faster and more efficient packaging lines. By using pure Vistamaxx 3588FL in the heat seal layer of 3- or 5-layer heat-sealable CPP or BOPP films instead of standard terpolymer polypropylene, the production speed of horizontal form-fill-seal (HFFS) and vertical form-fill-seal (VFFS) lines can be increased.

II. Issues to consider when using new film materials

Manager He of Chengxin Packaging:

We are constantly developing new products; after all, all manufacturers need new attempts to survive, and the development focus is mainly on trying new film materials that have not been used before. Because the film changes, the corresponding other raw materials and processes may also change. Therefore, when using new products, enterprises had better first conduct a small-scale trial to work out the best matching scheme and process parameters.

For example, we are now responding to a customer's need to print on a film without surface treatment. This film has very high requirements for the adhesion of printing inks, with no lamination and no corona treatment. The inks used before do not meet the requirements, so we are currently cooperating with ink manufacturers and conducting repeated tests.

Another attempt is printing with matte varnish to create a printing effect similar to spot UV on paper on flexible packaging products. This kind of printing is already used in some plants, and we have only just started trying it. The product is used on biaxially oriented printing substrates according to normal printing processes, but registration is difficult because matte varnish is hard for the electric eye to track. The product is mainly used for food and cosmetics packaging, and the final finished product looks good.

Li Qijiang of Zhongjin Matai:

The purpose of using new materials is mainly to develop new products or improve products and replace original materials. For new film materials, the main considerations are certain superior performance and price, quality stability, and delivery time. New film materials fall into two categories: one is newly launched new materials; the other is materials new to our company. They need to be treated differently.

In the first case, the performance of the new material is only introduced through the supplier's technical data sheet and experience; the uncertainty of product performance needs to be considered, along with delivery and quality stability, and verification is required before the product's performance can be confirmed. In the other case, because it has been tested by the market, its characteristics, advantages and disadvantages have been verified by the market and are relatively clear.

At present, the film properties we mainly focus on include: hygienic performance, physical properties, chemical properties, barrier properties, heat resistance, heat seal performance, resistance to chemical media, processing performance, storage performance, etc.

Mr. Wang of Xinchangsheng:

Xinchangsheng has always been developing innovative new film products. We provide corresponding products according to customer needs; if the customer has no special requirements, we recommend one with better performance. Customers need film dimensions and performance, and also what product they plan to make, and whether it will be roll film or bags after printing—correspondingly, different films are needed. Other common requirements include flatness, appearance, good heat sealing and good openability.

Manager Jiang of Nanchong Sanying Pharmaceutical Packaging Materials Co., Ltd.:

When choosing new materials, we first consider safety performance, and only then the packaging performance that meets various customer needs.

Manager Jiang of Hebei Yongxin:

When choosing new film materials, we first focus on food safety, that is, the safety of processing aids; at the same time, we also focus on improvements in material performance, and whether they can bring benefits such as thickness reduction, structural simplification and recyclability.

Cao Yongpeng of Dali Packaging:

When we choose new materials, we mainly look at what type of product is being packaged; it is also closely related to the product. Our company's leaders often bring some materials back from abroad, and we also test and analyze them ourselves. When selecting new materials, we will certainly first consider cost and performance, including oxygen and moisture transmission properties. We test and analyze films from different raw material manufacturers, and also test and analyze products on the market and our own finished products, to know which materials are good and which are not. At present, some foreign materials are indeed made very well; for example, some projects on certain materials are not required by national standards, but if you know their performance, it is also convenient for material selection.

More and more new film materials are broadening the application fields of flexible packaging and making our lives better. In addition to the various new materials mentioned above, packaging films with high barrier properties and non-metallized characteristics, developed abroad using plasma surface treatment technology to vacuum-deposit inorganic oxide coatings such as SiOx and AlOx on substrates such as PET and BOPP, are also gradually being applied to high-temperature retort sterilization food packaging. There are also green packaging products such as biodegradable films, edible films and water-soluble films; research on using natural macromolecular polymers such as lipids, proteins and carbohydrates as packaging films is also flourishing. Environmental protection, green, sustainable, more performance—the R&D of new film materials has no end, and flexible packaging will bring us more and more surprises. 'Packaging BBS' is a platform for everyone to exchange ideas and speak freely. Welcome to this platform to participate in discussions, express your views, and jointly promote the development of this industry through candid exchanges. Welcome to continue speaking freely on this topic at our 'Packaging BBS'; meanwhile, you are also welcome to provide hot topics. Contact: Editor-in-Chief Fan Junhong: 020-85626447-608, mobile: 13609084976, email: fanjunhong@126.com; Editor Shen Xiaoyun: 020-85626447-601, email: ss8996@126.com