Through an agreement with Italian labelling duo Irplast and P.E. Labellers, Netherlands-based FrieslandCampina plans to wrap cans of Rainbow Condensed Milk with pre-glued, heat-shrinkable wrap around plastic labels.
Irplast’s Label Tape Shrink plastic labels will be applied to more than 300m cans of Rainbow Condensed Milk using machines designed and supplied by P.E. Labellers.
According to Irplast and P.E. Labellers, FrieslandCampina identified a need for a “safe and longer lasting solution to the stress paper labels were subjected to on the way from production to the final consumer.”
“Extreme temperature changes” and “uncontrolled warehousing temperatures” in the Middle East, the core market for Rainbow Condensed Milk, have wreaked havoc on paper labels until now, according to the labelling firms.
Speaking with DairyReporter.com, Ria van der Peet, a spokesperson for FrieslandCampina, confirmed that these factors played a part in it moving from paper to plastic on cans of Rainbow Condensed Milk.
She added that the decision is part of a larger “development plan.”
“This is part of the investment plan for FrieslandCampina,” said van der Peet. “We invest in state-of-the-art machinery and techniques.”
“A new trend in labelling”
Label Tape Shrink is, as the name suggests, a shrinkable plastic label. It is pre-glued without backing paper, and supplied in roll-fed format.
The fact that it is pre-glued means that the use of hot-melt or cold-seal glue during label application is completely eliminated - saving time, energy, and adhesive.
The deal with FrieslandCampina marks the first ever application of roll-fed, pre-glued shrinkable labels for tins and cans, according to Irplast and P.E. Labellers.
“This is a completely new solution for tins and cans, allowing perfect adhesion of the labels shrunk on the cans for a durable labelling solution especially for the difficult environmental conditions along the supply chain like extreme temperature swings and uncontrolled warehousing temperatures,” said the companies.
“This first step will set a new trend in labelling for tins and cans in the dairy industry and for other high volume labelling applications on similar containers, well beyond the 300m labels which Irplast will supply to FrieslandCampina during this year,” they added.