"The packaging technology for natural cheese products has not changed significantly in over 30 years," stated Joseph Baksha, Outlook's president and chief executive officer. "Thenew technology we are introducing enables cheese producers to wrap their cheese in film that is thinner, tougher and less expensive than the film currently being utilised."
Outlook will provide a packaging system that includes the company's printed and laminated flexible films and Avisto's new cut-and-sealdevice. The device will fit on existing machinery and allows the lower-cost packaging material to be cut and sealed for wrapping assorted sizes of cheese, Outlook claims.
Outlook said it will give the equipment away under long-term agreements. Outlook will then provide cheesemakers with the packaging material and printing services.
Baksha said the agreement with Aviso Packaging allows Outlook to enter the cheese market. The company plans to market the packaging technology to other segments of the food industry using similartechnology.
"We believe our relationships with new cheese customers should also provide cross-selling opportunities in other areas of our business such as printed labels," Baksha stated. "Thisagreement is a major step in expanding our successful supply chain management capabilities into a new market."
Keith Flesch, Aviso Packaging's co-owner said the company had developed the technology to enable cheese producers to benefit from the added strength, longer shelf-life and lower cost of co-extrudedfilm.
The Aviso device and the thinner material is being tested by a national cheese packager in the US, Baksha said. Outlook expects to begin production of the new equipment in a few weeks.
Outlook Group Corp. is a printing, packaging and direct marketing company.