Packaging for the food industry

Packaging for the food industry

The food industry requires extremely specialist solutions to ensure products are packaged to the highest standards of hygiene and quality, as well as packaging requirements for different temperatures including chilled, ambient and frozen products. The food industry also requires a high-level of service to ensure traceability of products in case of a problem, and, in terms of shelf-ready packaging, a high standard of print quality to enhance shelf velocity. Kite’s expertise within this industry lies in indirect packaging, such as shipping containers, outer sleeves and retail ready cartons to enhance the display and aesthetic appearance of consumer food products.

We have also developed specific bespoke services for the food industry to incorporate its key needs, using the experience of our packaging experts and current clients.

These include:

• Full shelf planning service – Kite will work with the shelf size dimensions to enhance the shelf space and draw consumers attention to products using specialist packaging designs
• RDC to shelf logistics / full supply chain logistics – Kite can design packs that can be put straight on to the shelf with little to no unpacking or assembly
• Palletisation – Pallet planning ensures that the maximum amount of products will fit on to one pallet load without compromising on pack quality and protection against damage
• High quality print service – Giving customers a choice of offset lithographic printing, digital printing and high quality post print and pre-print services including full artwork design and origination
• WRAP (Waste and Resources Action Programme) – Kite will create cartons that are designed specifically to reduce waste on-site
• Compression strength testing – To ensure products are not damaged in transit even under a high amount of pressure
• Automation and assembly advice – Kite’s packaging technologists will work with your business to ensure packs can be easily assembled and are suitable for chilled or ambient atmospheres
• Short-lead time / just In time service – Stock will be provided to customers even with incredibly short lead times, this is particularly useful for the food industry when conducting supermarket promotions
• BRCGS Compliance – Most of Kite’s regional distribution centres are compliant with BRCGS

For further details of these offerings go to service.

Product offering

Kite offers a number of packaging solutions for the food industry, to ensure high quality and compliance with health and safety.

These include:

• Shelf-ready packaging
• Bulk transit packaging
• Chilled, frozen and ambient packaging
• Corrugated and solidboard cartons
• Barrier films
• RPET/PET/HIPS Films

Food case study

Project brief

Kite contacted one of the UK’s biggest suppliers of cooked meats after it learnt that the company was running out of space in its warehouse, and required a packaging service that would be able to adhere to its tight delivery times. For this reason the business, who supply to many of the leading UK retailers, were particularly interested in our Just In Time offering. Kites role was to develop a service that would deliver products in a timely manner, store extra products where necessary and provide bespoke packaging design expertise.

Design and development

The first aspect of designing a solution for this business was to develop a timed delivery service that tackled both the problem they had with space and the high demand they received from the supply chain. Kite’s just in time service can be adapted to even the most specific of needs, and a service offering was developed that allowed orders to be placed late afternoon, and received by the customer early morning. Kite could achieve this through its dedicated sales, warehouse and delivery teams and systems, and meant it could guarantee 100% OTIF deliveries.

As well as this, throughout the on-going relationship Kite have had with the customer, more than 2 million cartons and sleeves have been produced during the rolling contract period, across 40 lines. Another key issue this customer had was that their shelf-ready packs did not block stack, this is where pallet planning becomes critical to ensure the most amount of cartons can fit on to a pallet without compromising on protection. Kite worked with this food business from start to finish on their packaging needs which included shelf planning, providing a number of product samples, designing the artwork, providing adequate labelling and on-going supply. More specifically, corrugated and solid-board were tested for use in shelf-ready packaging so that it could be used in both ambient and chilled temperatures.

Testing

In terms of service, the JIT solution Kite provided was developed with reasonable yet specific delivery times in mind. Kite’s experience of this supply solution, which boasts 100% OTIF for previous large accounts of a similar nature, proved that it could guarantee the same level of service for this customer.

The bespoke design solutions Kite developed was tested thoroughly to ensure minimal damage and maximum velocity. This included a compression test using a pallet design to ensure that even the bottom layer of the pallet was undamaged by a constant weight, a key aspect of the pallet planning process. The products also went through a transit test which it passed, which was designed to test the products durability against vibration, atmospheric changes and handling. All packs that had specific temperature requirements were also tested, to ensure products didn’t deteriorate in chilled, frozen or ambient temperatures.

Result

The business took Kite on as its main packaging supplier after receiving a quote from the Kite team. The prices were attractive and, although comparable to their current supplier, offered a much higher service level which they needed to solve their space and delivery time problems. Kite has managed this account for over 6 years, and delivered all stock OTIF with no complaints.