Flash No. 2 | August 2010
Customer magazine
NE W M ACHINES FOR POUCH DEPA RTMEN T
Customers in focus Zurich and Vienna Successful trade show presence wipf day 2010 Customer event with a personal touch Looks plus IQ Employees promote Wipf
Innovative Packaging Solutions
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Editorial
Flash | No. 2 | August 2010
Dear customer In many composites, polyester films (PET) are used as media for printing. The transparent polymer is easy to print because of its dimensional stability and in sandwich printing gives the artwork a radiant presence. With recto/verso printing, visual effects can be achieved using a matt lacquer that combines satin and glossy finishes. This contrast adds impact and optimally showcases the art at the POS. No wonder that 12 µm polyester has established itself as the standard in the packaging industry. In the past, this film was available in almost unlimited quantities. Short delivery times and the massive price slump from CHF 7 to CHF 3 per kg within 15 years eroded the profitability of many PET film manufacturers. For this reason, they sought substitute products, such as flame- retardant, peelable, or white films. They attempted to develop other markets, including the consumer goods and graphic arts industries, but were only partially successful. In the past months, however, the demand for polyester films for flat screens has grown. Film manufacturers have retooled some of their equipment specifically for this application. Because of this realignment, the availability of packaging films has declined and delivery times have increased perceptibly. This is a fact that has been accepted, but shortages in supply-side availability have caused considerable problems. It will take a joint effort and a dialogue to define the future demand for PET film to make sure it can be procured on a timely basis in the right width and quantity. Otherwise, we will face an insurmountable delivery bottleneck. The change in the polyester market is a natural development that must be accepted by the packaging industry. Often, adequate margins can only be secured with process innovations or new products. That’s why we are grateful if you confront us with new challenges. In this issue of Flash, you will find good examples of how changing requirements can be mapped into new packaging systems. Our wipf day customer event was a total success. Going beyond daily contacts with customers, it put people in the focus again. According to their feedback, opportunities to let eyes and ears roam free delighted our visitors. In turn, we at Wipf are delighted to have found a new advertising agency that is conceiving and visualizing our new identity. The new corporate design is a reflection of the development of our heritage as a company and underscores our visions for the future. The Zürich-based Art & Work agency is producing our communication media, such as image and segment brochures, image ads, the website, and a new claim. This issue of Flash already gives you a glimpse of the NEW design approach. Enjoy it! Cordially yours,
Hansruedi Schafflützel CEO
Impressum Publisher Wipf AG, Industriestrasse 29, CH-8604 Volketswil Phone +41 (0)44 947 22 11 Fax +41 (0)44 947 22 89 info@wipf.ch www.wipf.ch
Responsible for content Karin Weidmann, Marketing Manager, k.weidmann@wipf.ch Editorial staff Wipf AG, Marketing Graphic Design Concept Art & Work AG, Zurich
Published twice a year / Downloadable as a PDF from www.wipf.ch
Photos Wipf AG © Copyright by Wipf AG, July 2010 All rights, especially distribution rights, reserved. Reproduction of text and images, translations into foreign languages and duplication are prohibited. Cover photos and Wipf photo shooting, page 7: Siggi Bucher.
Shortlist
Innovative Packaging Solutions
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Airless system with Wipf stand-up pouches
Commended
The high-barrier packaging with an aluminium layer is used in an airless system for dermatalogical applications. All materials of the composite are pharma-compliant, and the barrier properties of the aluminium layer offer optimized protection against the ingress of light, oxygen, and water vapour. The cream, prescribed for skin cancer therapies, is injected directly into the pouch and can be applied with a pump system.
Wipf in Latin America Ignacio Calderon and Alejandro Ramirez have been appointed to represent Wipf in Central America and Mexico. The new commitment to Wipf is a worthwhile addition to their current activities as experienced agents for HYC commodity products (Chile) and Paolini polymer films (Argentina). Malte Jonsson, Wipf’s Food/ WICOVALVE® sales manager, attended Expo Pack in Mexico City and visited a number of potential customers together with the new agents in June. In these countries, it turned out that the interest in retortable pouches and valves is considerable.
The inaugural edition of the book entitled “Schweizer Standards – Aus bester Familie” portrays Wipf AG as one of a hundred privately owned Swiss enterprises. The book presents their heritage and success recipes and at the same time sketches out a chapter of Swiss economic history. Family businesses are the backbone of the Swiss economy and steadfast role models in times of crisis. In Switzerland, they account for about 88% of all companies and employ roughly two-thirds of the country’s entire workforce. “Privately owned companies drive innovation in our country. Many Swiss family businesses rank among the world’s undisputed technology leaders and are thus Switzerland’s finest ambassadors,” noted Doris Leuthard, President of the Swiss Confederation Publisher: NZZ Libro, www.nzz-libro.ch
In this edition 2 3
Today, consumers place great emphasis on user-friendliness in packaging. Wipf packaging systems address these expectations / Page 4
Editorial Shortlist
Commended in a book / Airless system with Wipf stand-up pouches / Wipf appoints new agents in Latin America
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Products
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Marketing & Communication
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News and People
Two new machines for the pouch department · Optimally packaged
easyFairs® Verpackung Schweiz and “Tea & Coffee World Cup Europe” · Show exposure in Zurich and Vienna
Wipf photo shooting · Employees as models Changes in personnel · New order management staff
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Products
Flash | No. 2 | August 2010
T wo new machines for the pouch department
Optimally packaged
Gusset bags
Gusset bags are designed for packaging dry and wet goods as well as medical, non-food, and pet food products.
Consumers expect the foods that they buy to be optimally packaged. Thus, product protection is taken for granted and not generally verified in detail. In other words, they expect that the life of a product at least corresponds to the “best before” date on the packaging and that it can be consumed within this time window without any loss of flavour and quality. At the same time, consumers are placing even greater emphasis on another aspect of packaging: convenience, i.e. user-friendliness. How easily can the packaging be opened? Can it be resealed afterwards, and can it be recognized in the kitchen cabinet or refrigerator? At Wipf, we deal with questions of this kind every day. We entertain an ongoing dialogue with our customers and continually discuss ways to perfect their packaging concepts.
To accommodate an increase in demand for convenience packaging, we commissioned two new pouch machines. A total of 10 machines are now in service on a floor area of 1000 m². Every year, they can produce up to 700 million side-sealed/ stand-up/five-seam pouches and gusset bags.
Features ■ Excellent oxygen and water vapour barrier ■ Very high opacity ■ Various seal geometries with sealed bottoms Convenience Easy-peel ■ Embossing ■ WICOVALVE® aroma-protection and pressure-relief valves ■
Five-seam pouches Side-sealed/stand-up pouches
Stand-up pouches rank among the most popular formats. They are usually used to package dry and wet goods as well as medical, non-food, and pet food products. Features ■ Starter notch or laser perforation ■ Excellent oxygen and water vapour barrier ■ Very high opacity ■ Suitable for pasteurizable and retortable pouches
Convenience ■ Laser perforation ■ Zipper ■ Starter notch ■ Easy-peel ■ Spout ■ Seal-peel ■ WICOVALVE® aroma-protection and pressure-relief valves
Five-seam pouches with aluminium barrier layers are suitable for packaging dry and wet goods as well as medical, and non-food products. Features ■ Aluminium barrier layer ■ Excellent oxygen and water vapour barrier ■ Very high opacity
Marketing & Communication
Innovative Packaging Solutions
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e a sy Fa i r s® V ER PAC K U N G and “ T ea & C offee World C up Europe”
Show exposure in Zurich and Vienna
Zurich The fourth edition of easyFairs® VERPACKUNG Schweiz took place on 21 and 22 April 2010 in Zürich and was again a persuasive event for the Swiss packaging industry. The 220 exhibitors presented a representative cross section of the packaging industry’s value chain and showcased many
debuts. Visitorship increased to 3523 industry professionals. In exhibits this year, the focus was on two segments: Technology & Machines and Design & Sales. The first area was dedicated to all topics involving packaging machinery, technology, and media as well as labelling and marking. Design & Sales concentrated on packaging solutions for consumer goods.
Vienna The “Tea & Coffee World Cup Europe” is the largest and most comprehensive trade show in the coffee and tea industry.
Stand team, from left: Michel Schlaepfer, André Bausch.
The appealing event lures some 3500 producers, importers, exporters, and wholesalers of tea and coffee products from all over the world to Vienna. From 25 to 27 April 2010, more than 300 exhibitors
Sustainability
The Sales Team Switzerland, headed up by Philippe Dubois, chronicled two successful trade show days. We were able to demonstrate our comprehensive product and solutions portfolio in many exciting and interesting discussions.
showcased every imaginable type of service along with goods, machines, roasters, and packaging. Our highlight at the fair was the WICOVALVE® aroma protection / pressure-relief valve. It attracted considerable attention among the show visitors. Overall, we had very interesting conversations during the three-day event, mainly with potential customers.
120,00
CO ² intensity (%)
100,00
Wipf contributes to CO²-reduction. Since the establishment of emission level targets by Switzerland’s EnAW energy agency, Wipf has been able to reduce CO² emissions by more than 50%.
80,00 60,00
Fuel use, target
40,00
Fuel use, actual
20,00 0,00 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
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Marketing & Communication
Flash | No. 2 | August 2010
w i pf d ay 2010
A customer event of the personal kind Our first wipf day took place on 20 April 2010. The multifaceted programme, the excellent networking platform, and the interesting production facility tour delighted our 60 attendees. We can look back on a thoroughly successful event that generated many stimulating ideas and thought-provoking impulses.
The guest lecturer was Roland Hischier, Group Leader LCA (Life Cycle Analysis) at the EMPA Technology & Society Lab (TSL). His speech focused on ecobalances in packaging. On the one hand, the issue was economic efficiency: the economic system must be designed in such a way that the requirements of other domains can be fulfilled. On the other, Mr Hischier also mentioned that ecological awareness is the basic prerequisite for the longterm preservation of an intact ecosystem. The ultimate key is social justice – a just society that is stable in the long term is the real objective of sustainability. Roland Hischier’s conclusion is simple: Ecology is the intelligent deployment of scarce resources. But how can ecology in packaging be measured? “A life cycle assessment, or ecobalance, is a good instrument. The ecobalance is a structured, internationally standardized management tool for the quantification of emissions and resources consumed. It illustrates the impact on the environment and human health across the entire life of a product or service,” Hischier explained. In his speech, he presented a number of case histories that
showed the strengths and potential pitfalls of this instrument with specific references to the packaging industry. The agenda also included a company presentation as well as speeches on printing technology trends and innovations at Wipf, delivered by Isabelle Llaury, head of sales and marketing; Oliver Fankhauser, head of production; and Othmar Wohlhauser, head of development and engineering. For the event participants, the presentations offered a welcome knowhow transfer opportunity. A look backstage The guided tour in the afternoon gave the groups excellent insights into our production environment. Applause for the show The event culminated in an evening spectacle: culinary delights, a magnificent view, and the highlight “Quickies of Entertainment” by Peter Löhmann. With a sharp tongue, witty observations, and cheeky comments, the well-known comedian delivered an extravaganza of magic and contemporary satire.
Clockwise from left: Welcome address by Christian Wipf. Production facility tour. Cocktails in a relaxed mood at Jucker Farmart. Comedian Peter Löhmann with BWI’s Ute Rieger.
Contact us to order a synopsis of the technical lectures. Ecobalance in packaging Roland Hischier, Group Leader LCA, EMPA Technology & Society Lab (TSL). Printing technology trends Oliver Fankhauser, head of production, Wipf AG Innovations at Wipf Othmar Wohlhauser, head of development and engineering, Wipf AG You can obtain these speeches as PDF documents. Contact: Ms Karin Weidmann, Marketing Manager, k.weidmann@wipf.ch, Phone 044 947 22 11
News and People
Innovative Packaging Solutions
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W ipf photo shooting
Employees as models In our era, the eye plays an important role: look first, then listen. A tour through the company showed that we have not only well-trained and competent employees (we already knew that) but in particular also very good-looking ones. In July, four women and one man were photographed in our own premises. So now, they not only work for Wipf, they are also our ambassadors in advertising. Likable. Credible. Convincing. The pictures will be used in our new image brochure and on our website. Congratulations and many thanks!
Sabrina Berglas, accounting
Fatima Ucan, pouch department
Ifadete Sakiri, laboratory
Grzegorz Miskowiec, laboratory
Lendita Sopaj, Labor
C hanges in personnel
New order management staff Piero Rapagna has been head of order management since July 2010. Additionally, he continues to serve our customers Sika and Ospelt as Key Account Manager. Piero Rapagna joined the company 11 years ago. In view of his extensive packaging industry experience, there is no doubt that Mr Rapagna is the perfect match for his position.
After 21 years, Susanne Meier is retiring. During her tenure, she established excellent contacts with you, and we thank you very much for the trust you vested in her. We also thank Ms Meier for her outstandingly cooperative spirit. We wish her great health and plenty of enjoyable moments in this new phase of her life. Susanne Meier
Piero Rapagna
Claudia Kubli
Claudia Kubli joined us in order management on 1 May 2010 and will attend to Ms Meier’s customers from now on. After completing her commercial apprenticeship, Ms Kubli worked in the textile industry and gained experience abroad in exporting and order management. Claudia Kubli looks forward to the privilege of serving you.
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Wipf AG Industriestrasse 29 8604 Volketswil Switzerland Phone +41 44 947 22 11 Fax +41 44 947 22 89 info@wipf.ch www.wipf.ch www.wipfgruppe.ch a
company
Innovative Packaging Solutions