Industry News
HG Molenaar’s polypropylene fresh milk labels
HG Molenaar’s polypropylene fresh milk labels will save dairies a bundle
HG Molenaar’s Packaging Equipment division is offering GERNEP labellers to reliably wrap high-density polyethylene (HDPE) fresh milk containers in normal polypropylene (PP) labels usually associated with carbonated soft drinks (CSD).
This departure from the low-density polyethylene stretch sleeves typically used for fresh milk containers provides enormous cost advantages without the detrimental effects usually associated with glued labels on the hard-working milk packaging.
Normal PP labels are, by contrast, widely used in the CSD industry in high volumes that significantly reduce the per unit costs. While the ability to apply these labels to milk containers is not entirely new it is the first time it is possible using standard, un-modified equipment that significantly boosts peace of mind around line uptime and production availability.
HG Molenaar’s Packaging Equipment division has a long-standing supplier relationship with GERNEP for its full range of pressure sensitive, wet glue, and hot-melt for roll-fed or pre-cut labelling systems. Now, however, GERNEP’s closed loop glue method, with its unique spray system, allows the same labels that wrap CSD products to be applied to milk containers.
HDPE plastic fresh milk containers are typically subjected to tough forces, such as freezing and thawing, flexing, and heavy handling during the transport and retail phases of the supply chain,” says Reinhard Watermeyer, business manager at HG Molenaar. “Stretch sleeves adequately handle those pressures but the low volumes associated with limited application focused on the dairy industry increase the unit costs of those labels. But, before now, there was no reliable alternative.
“There is already significant market interest in this capability and the equipment we make available from GERNEP,” says Watermeyer. “Dairies and bottle manufacturers in South Africa have equally expressed their interest since it provides outstanding competitive advantage in what are, from the dairy and retail perspectives, saturated markets that rely in many cases on minor differentiation and slender margins.”
German engineers have tested and developed the equipment on flexible fresh milk HDPE packaging over the past few years. GERNEP’s unique glue spray system gives producers and packagers ultimate control over precisely where glue is applied, which ensures the label adheres perfectly to all panels of the rectangular or square profile containers.
About Packaging Equipment by HG Molenaar
HG Molenaar’s Packaging Equipment division meets complete turnkey and standalone packaging needs. It selects preeminent solutions for local conditions and requirements with the build quality and support our mature markets and critical environments demand – for large, medium, and niche operations. It appoints best-of-breed can, glass, PET, and HDPE solutions from the international arena, and innovates and manufactures sensibly engineered, bespoke solutions in its Paarl-based engineering and manufacturing facility. Its customers benefit from deeper than typical investment in field service engineers and therefore do not rely solely on international support to resolve complex, technical challenges, although supplying partners do provide substantial services available full-time. Packaging Equipment from HG Molenaar is the trusted one-stop partner for rigid packaging businesses that demand robust professional support and operational collaboration.