A constant cause of concern for industrial bakers and supermarkets alike is the damage to delicate food items during transit. The problem costs bakers and retailers both in cash terms and in its impact on the environment.
In response Europe’s leading multi-material food packaging manufacturer, LINPAC Packaging, has developed an innovative new range of recyclable PET transport trays.
Currently, bakery products such as iced doughnuts are packed inside traditional carton board boxes, without separators, for transportation to retailers. Because of their delicate nature the food items can be packed only one layer high, which increases the transportation costs because of the empty space in each box.
However, despite efforts to minimise damage, products often arrive with the icing-coat cracked or missing and, as a result, don’t make it on to the shelf – at considerable cost.
The new transport tray from LINPAC Packaging, with its cavitised design and special rib architecture, keeps individual products protected and separate. By turning the trays through 180-degrees, up to three times as many products may be packed in an individual box than before.
This provides a far stronger protective environment, and by enabling more items to be transported in a single box, distributors can deliver more cakes per trip – reducing costs and helping to limit carbon emissions.
Ian Perkins, Business Development Manager for LINPAC Packaging, said: “Products such as doughnuts often come with delicate coatings and, as with most products, presentation is key if the customer is going to select the items and take them home.
“Up until now, distributors, packers and retailers have had to contend with a packaging solution that not only left merchandise subject to damage in transit, but also resulted in a lot of wasted space and unnecessary journeys.
“With our new transport tray, we’re confident we have created a solution that meets both of these costly problems: better protection for products, resulting in less waste, and a reduced carbon footprint – due to increased capacity and fewer journeys.
In summary, the key benefits of LINPAC Packaging’s new transport trays include:
- Empty trays stack together very closely, thereby reducing delivery costs.
- When the trays are filled and turned through 180-degrees the rib design ensures products do not touch each other from one layer to another.
- Products can be packed 40 or 60 to a box, rather than the current 20
- The increased payload in relation to volume saves on transport costs and reduces fuel consumption.
- The trays are lightweight and can be recycled – offering further environmental benefits.
- The robust design reduces the risk of damage during transit.
- The new packaging is available in a range of colours – including black and opaque, so retailers can clearly differentiate between product ranges for consumers.
- The stylish trays can be used as point-of-sale display units, as well as transport trays.
LINPAC Packaging is a leading supplier of food packaging products. The company’s head office is in Knottingley, West Yorkshire, United Kingdom, with manufacturing sites at Featherstone and St Helens – supplying both the UK and the rest of Europe. LINPAC Packaging is a multi-material packaging supplier to the protein, bakery, fresh produce and foodservice markets across Europe and beyond – working with customers to offer consumer-focused packaging solutions.
