by N.S.
Innovating processes and packaging means achieving concrete results: less waste and fewer line stoppages, greater food safety and better product protection. Today, packaging does not merely “wrap” the product, but also has the task of protecting, communicating, and simplifying management along the entire supply chain, from the packaging line to the shelf.
Display box, a key solution for the point of sale
We met Giovanni Anzani, Sales Director of Gampack, who explained that “in confectionery, the most requested packaging solutions are linked to the type of product. In the case of chocolate bars, as well as bars from the most renowned manufacturers, one of the most common applications is precisely the display box. We are talking about a box designed to be displayed directly at the point of sale, obtained from a flat blank transformed into a display case. The package is shelf-ready; the lid is removed and, if necessary, part of the front wall. The resulting window shows the products and allows the consumer to pick them up easily.”
Packaging for chocolate and bakery products
“When moving to products other than chocolate, such as croissants, the packaging solutions change. The common configuration is the multipack with several pieces, which are placed in trays that, for large-scale retail, are often neutral and unprinted,” explains Giovanni Anzani.
“The tray is made by a forming machine starting from a flat cardboard blank, using a top-loading line. Here, the logic is different from wrap-around, which directly wraps the product. In top loading, the empty tray is erected first and then filled in the next station, generally with a loading robot. At this point, the full tray moves to the flowpack packaging machine, which applies a printed and branded flowpack bag to make the products recognisable on the shelf. This is a typical solution for croissants and biscuits, while for products such as chocolate, especially premium chocolate, more “valuable” packaging is used, with greater attention also from an aesthetic point of view.”
From secondary packaging to the pallet
The choice of packaging is linked to the product and to its presentation. “To complete the picture, in wrap-around solutions, the packaged product is often palletized directly on the shipping pallet,” Anzani continues.
“In top loading, however, the flow is often more articulated. Normally, there is a first secondary packaging step, where the family pack is created, consisting of multiple pieces. This pack, which can be in a flow-pack bag or in flat solid board, is inserted into a transport case. The case can be erected in wrap-around or can be a Regular Slotted Container: namely a pre-glued box ready to be closed. In short, it is a two-level sequence: first grouping, then packaging for handling and shipping.”
Confectionery in Europe, North America and Latin America
“In markets such as Central America and South America, the display box is not as widespread as in North America and Europe. In these contexts, the packaging is not designed to enhance the product on the shelf, but to ensure transport,” explains Giovanni Anzani. “In fact, it is a functional case, designed to reach its destination and then be removed and discarded. Between the United States and Europe, however, the approach is similar. The display box is often the starting point of packaging. This is because products can differ in shape and size, and a solution is needed that supports both distribution and presentation at the point of sale.”
Modularity and flexibility for different products and packaging
Line flexibility and modularity are decisive when packaging products with many variants. “In these contexts, single size machines are rare. The norm is to have adjustable machines to work with variable sizes. A well-designed line typically manages 5, 6, or even 7 sizes. For this reason, flexibility is an essential requirement. Our solutions are based on combinable modules. For example,” explains Anzani, “we can produce a box with a hinged lid and in-line closure, or packaging made of two parts, base and lid, with different technology, according to the product and the configuration.”
Gampack modular solutions make it possible to design tailor-made systems with a modern approach that brings benefits, including compact footprints and optimised energy consumption.
“When specific requirements emerge, it is possible to go beyond the standard and also develop dedicated modules,” Giovanni Anzani continues, “creating tailor-made solutions. This is the Gampack culture: we value modularity, which ensures reliability and reliable lead times, thanks to the ability to design special elements when necessary. This distinctive value and strength goes hand in hand with standard solutions.”
Designing a system: customer-manufacturer collaboration
When designing a machine or a complete line, collaboration between customer and manufacturer is essential. “If, for example, the customer requests a line to manage five sizes, we start from the study of the packaging that we develop and share with the customer, in order to verify dimensions, proportions, and functionality together,” the Sales Director points out.
“In packaging, tolerances, repeatability, and paperboard technical details matter, as they determine process stability and efficiency. For this reason, Gampack carefully collects the customer’s requirements. At the same time, the customer must understand the technical constraints that allow an automatic line to work at high performance. Our role is to guide the project, suggesting the best cardboard technical solutions consistent with the production objective, in order to create an efficient and reliable system.”
From primary to end-of-line: Gampack integrated engineering
Gampack is known for secondary and tertiary packaging, but it is as well able to offer complete lines, from primary packaging to end-of-line, with a single coordination.
“We do not limit ourselves to secondary packaging and end-of-line. Our large complete lines are developed for leading international customers. Primary packaging is built by Gampack partners, while Gampack handles its engineering and integration. We define the architecture of the complete system, designed according to the customer’s plant,” Anzani continues.
“Gampack integrates the different parts and delivers the complete line ready for production. The core of the integration is the synchronization between the parts of the line, carried out through software that coordinates rates, interfaces, and automation systems. This software is developed internally at Gampack, so the system works automatically and uniformly, as a single machine.”
Line software and sustainability: a single direction to integrate machines
“Line software is the logic that coordinates the entire system, developed by us. A flowpack machine has software made by the manufacturer, but the way it is synchronized with the rest of the line is part of our engineering. This makes the system manageable as a whole, with single and coordinated management,” Giovanni Anzani explains, continuing: “in addition to software integration, there is the issue of the sustainability of the machine or the complete line: reducing material waste, also with solutions that group multiple products in a single package, reducing the overall packaging. In addition, when possible, there is the progressive increase of cardboard-based solutions instead of plastics.”
Optimising packaging from the pallet: less air, fewer trucks, greater efficiency
“Packaging development must also be optimised according to palletisation, rationalising spaces for goods transport. The objective is to minimise empty spaces in loads in order to reduce the number of trips required,” Anzani points out.
“We start from the pallet and work backwards, optimising the volumes of cases and packaging. New packaging applications have allowed us to obtain several patents by reducing the material used and replacing plastics with paper or solid board. Innovative packs such as our Mini Tray are on the market thanks to collaboration with major partners and are being increasingly used.”
Sustainability in energy and material optimisation: intelligent automation and Mini Tray
“Energy saving is central, and we must consume better, according to what the line is doing at that moment. We have long adopted energy-saving motors and components to reduce consumption, but the real leap in optimising the use of resources comes with our intelligent automatic systems: each module is active only when there is product in transit. Otherwise, the module remains in a resting position, ready to work with minimum consumption. The conveyor belts also activate when necessary, namely when the packages pass through, remaining on stand-by for the rest of the time to reduce energy waste and make the system more efficient.”
“If, instead, we look at materials, Mini Tray is a solution designed to optimise resources by reducing the use of materials. The PPWR also pushes in this direction, making this alternative increasingly relevant. The point is not only to ‘use less material’, but also to reduce its dispersion into the environment, a concept that perfectly matches our Mini Tray,” explains Giovanni Anzani. “With its single-serve logic, when a single portion is taken, part of the tray remains attached to the package and will be disposed of together with the beverage carton. This is a substantial difference compared with band solutions, which can be dispersed into the environment.”
Factory layout and end-of-line: compact and integrated solutions
Another valuable aspect is the compactness of the lines, because in production there is never enough space. Reducing the footprint of the systems is not only an advantage, but often a necessity.
“In most projects, packaging comes after the raw materials and their transformation process. When it comes to packaging and end-of-line, the space assigned is often the residual space of the layout, usually limited,” Anzani explains.
“Cases in which a new factory is designed starting from a well-sized overall layout do exist, but they are rare. Often, it is necessary to design ‘tailor-made’ solutions within defined constraints. In practice, this means developing increasingly compact and intelligent solutions, capable of maintaining performance and efficiency even in optimised spaces.”
Display boxes and large-format trays: the most requested solutions
“The most frequent requests that guide the market are mainly two. The first is the adoption of display boxes for premium products to simplify their display: it is enough to remove the upper cover to obtain a ready-to-use display. This results in faster shelf management and fewer manual activities for point-of-sale staff.
The second trend is the growth of large-format trays for large-scale distribution, especially for discount stores: dimensions can reach up to a quarter pallet, used both as a container and as a support for display and handling,” observes Giovanni Anzani. “The sizes requested today exceed those considered ‘classic’ until a few years ago and are becoming an increasingly recurring design requirement. The most requested packaging is not only the one that protects the product, but the one that reduces time, simplifies operations, and makes the entire chain more efficient, from warehouse to shelf.”
