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O-I Peldar presented three distinct challenges to UPM Raflatac, the first being an exclusive design. An attractive package design is often essential to increasing a company’s brand value – a core principle both O-I Peldar and UPM Raflatac strongly believe in.
For months, O-I Peldar searched for a label that would better suit one of its latest innovations – black coated glass. Such an attractive package design required a waterproof solution that would allow the label converter to print intense black on both sides of the label.
After thorough search and testing involving different label printing technologies, O-I Peldar discovered that none could meet the required high levels of quality and design. Enter UPM Raflatac.
The labelstock supplier’s personnel has extensive knowledge and experience in the research and development of innovative self-adhesive products with the singular goal of meeting the requirements of everyone involved in the production of the final packaging solution – the label converter, the designer and the brand owner. Additionally, UPM Raflatac offers a broad range of face materials designed to produce an attractive design and satisfy customer expectations.
The process included relevant laboratory tests and industrial trials to ensure the expected results were both obtained and approved by all. The involvement of each party; O-I Peldar, the label converter and UPM Raflatac, and the creation of a strategic project team in order to achieve the common goal, was essential for the project’s success. The result? A high-quality glass bottle featuring an innovative and exclusive design easily identifiable with the brand.
The second challenge presented to UPM Raflatac was to overcome the adhesion and brand image quality problems that O-I Peldar was facing with labeling glass beer bottles through the washing and sterilization process. UPM Raflatac was charged with finding the best self-adhesive construction that would complement O-I Peldar’s bottle while successfully exceeding demanding bottling requirements.
The extreme conditions that beverage bottles experience during the bottling process require self-adhesive materials with a tolerance for high temperatures and resistance to water-whitening at every stage, including prolonged immersion in water after labeling.
This was no problem for UPM Raflatac, as the company offers a wide range of beverage label materials, combined with attractive finishes and excellent printability, converting and durability properties. And UPM Raflatac employs a team of experts with extensive knowledge of the bottling process and its diverse technologies.
After assessing O-I Peldar’s requirements, it became clear that the key to success was largely dependent upon choosing the right adhesive for this application, and UPM Raflatac recommended its RC7B adhesive. This adhesive is perfectly suited for glass surfaces and is the ideal product for applications requiring the desired “no-label look.” Additionally, RC7B as multipurpose permanent adhesive offers excellent performance in tough conditions, along with good adhesion and lasting clarity even when applied to wet bottles. And its high temperature tolerance makes this adhesive an ideal choice for packaging and bottling processes, including pasteurization.
The third and final challenge was to select a self-adhesive product that not only featured extremely high transparency, but one that was also conformable to the attractive curves of a new spirits bottle for Peldar’s Premium product line, Covet.
The problems O-I Peldar found with polypropylene materials were mainly caused by their limited conformability to the contours of Covet’s uniquely-shaped bottle. Although polypropylene gives the appearance of a “no-label look,” with its excellent clarity, the material’s rigidness can cause wrinkling once applied to uneven surfaces, so O-I Peldar dismissed this film as a solution. With polyethylene, additional problems arose; this material is flexible and adapts well to irregular surfaces, however, it is not an adequate material when a “no-label look” is required.
When O-I Peldar presented all the problems they encountered to the UPM Raflatac experts, their answer was unanimous – Raflex Plus. This exclusive UPM Raflatac face material combines the best functionality properties and appearance of polyethylene and polypropylene in a single product. It conforms well to package contours and provides the sought after, aesthetically pleasing “no-label look.”
In this instance, when faced with specific challenges, UPM Raflatac was able to provide a high-quality self-adhesive product that ensured a stunning brand image, which O-I Peldar and its Covet product line insist upon for their most sophisticated and innovative glass containers.