Outside the box thinking

18 June 2013



The luxury and gift segments of the packaging sector often enable manufacturers to showcase examples of their art that illustrate the peak of their technological abilities. Tim Sheahan investigates the latest developments across these sectors and asks what is driving this innovation


Luxury packaging is big business. And that's not just the packages themselves. The luxury and gift segment of packaging is a massive opportunity for brand-owners to present their product offering in a special, added-value fashion, very often in a bid to pique consumer interest during the festive and holiday periods. It also enables luxury brands to convey the value and worth of the product carried within, be that perfume, alcohol, food or clothing.

Recent research into luxury packaging discovered that 61% of men and 63% of women agreed that receiving a present that was professionally gift-wrapped helped elevate the item into special status. According to polyethylene packaging manufacturer Duo UK, 25% of respondents said luxury packaging created a sense of increased value for money, while a fifth said they would be more likely to recommend the brand in question to a friend.

Boxed innovations
It's unsurprising then to find the sector more buoyant than ever, with a greater deal of packaging firms bringing their expertise and
making their foray into the luxury and gift arenas. One group well established in this sector is Leo Luxe, a packaging design,
printing and manufacturing supplier that has been dedicated for many years to the luxury goods industry worldwide.

The Hong Kong-based firm has just expanded its Folding Rigid Box portfolio with the addition of several new flat pack designs
targeted at the retail and cosmetics markets. The new designs are positioned as packages that will help minimise shipping costs and
space in the retail environment, but then set up as a rigid box, enabling the client to fully promote its brand.

The Folding Rigid Box can be customised in a number of ways, with size and shape adjustable to accommodate different types of
product. It also features a variety of closure options that include integrated or separate lids, magnetic latches and tuck-in flaps.

Customers can also specify optional features such as diecut windows, glittering effects, foil-blocking, and flocking, which can help transform the substrate to resemble materials such as metal or wood.

Leo Luxe sales manager Cuan O'Callaghan, who speaks in more detail below, says: "There are various types of folding box solution in the marketplace, but few combine the total solution and proprietary nuances that create the overall versatility, design and quality of the Leo Luxe Folding Rigid Box collection.

"We are constantly driving new innovations to create stunning signature looks for various brands at retail, to maximise the connection between the packaged product and its appeal to consumers."

Glass goals
Within the US fashion space, glass specialist Stölzle Flaconnage has made a foray into the world of haute couture after it was enlisted to provide the bottle and decorative techniques for Reem Acra, the eponymous inaugural fragrance from the US designer.

The company - part of the Austria-headquartered Stölzle Glass Group - has produced a rectangular glass flacon from flint that is decorated using a vacuum process to provide an "all-over" metallised layer. This is then cut using a digital laser, which leaves a
golden frame on the front. A matching clear window is cut from the back, while the bottle is over sprayed with a clear lacquer.
According to the company, this results in a "sophisticated, feminine and high fashion" product, available in 30ml and 60ml bottles.

Luxury appearance
Elsewhere, privately owned UK business Benson Group recently demonstrated its capabilities in helping transform dessert packaging into an item with a luxury appearance elevating it above its on-shelf competition. Working with brand-owner Willie
Harcourt-Cooze and creative agency BrandOpus, Benson Group was given the initial brief to: "Make the desserts look like
jewels in a box".

Printed in six colours (four process colours plus two specials), Benson achieved a luxury-look finish with the addition of a satin touch varnish and a spot-UV varnish.

Gold foil blocking was added to the carton, which utilises 460 micron Linofreeze board and 36 micron polyester window materials. The six colour print and double coating are laid down in one press pass, utilising one of the company's latest Heidelberg XL105
presses.

"In order to create a denser look on the black of the carton, we suggested that a satin varnish should be used instead of the matt varnish that we use on the Willie's Chocolate product boxes that we also print," says Nikki Clark, marketing manager and head of design at Benson Group. "On the larger-sized carton it just gives that added contrast in both look and feel between the base black, the spot-UV gloss, and the gold foil blocking."

The carton insert is glued to provide extra stability within the pack, which allows the product to sit more effectively within the carton. All inks, coatings and adhesives used are low migration products in order to prevent tainting the product.

Tactile territory
Another UK business making strides in the luxury food space is KM Packaging Services, which has launched KM Velvet, a new premium film claimed to have velvet-like texture designed for luxury confectionery and other high-end boxed goods.

The coated polypropylene substrate is available as a reverse printed heat-sealable film laminate designed for use on form-fill-seal or flow-wrap equipment. According to KM, the substrate can be laminated to board.

Charles Smithson, managing director at KM Packaging Services, says confectionery brands are "constantly searching for the elusive USP" that will make their products stand out among the crowd.

He adds: "Shiny gloss sleeves are giving way to matt finishes which convey an element of discreet quality, and the next stage is enhancing the visual impact with an unbeatable feel of luxury that tempts consumers to touch and pick a product up.

"This is a very competitive market and we expect that such a sophisticated development as KM Velvet will provide a winning point of difference to confectionery and packaging manufacturers in our existing and new markets worldwide."

Cartonboard creations
Elsewhere, cartonboard manufacturer Metsä Board recently announced a raft of "major enhancements" to its Avanta Prima, Simcote
and Carta Elega folding boxboards for the luxury goods sector.

This follows technical improvements made at its mills during the company's 2011-12 investment programme. The product enhancements are said to improve the suitability of each cartonboard type for a particular packaging application, such as food, beautycare, healthcare or luxury packaging and graphics.

Avanta Prima (healthcare market) and Simcote (food) both now have improved bulk, meaning the same thickness and stiffness can be maintained while achieving a lighter weight or improved yield. Grammages in each case have been lightweighted across the range. Avanta Prima's surface has now been optimised to allow for 2D data matrix coding, and its shade has been optimised to enhance visual whiteness. The shade of Carta Elega has also been optimised to enhance visual whiteness - "an important characteristic in the beautycare market".

According to the company, the enhanced board range can now be ordered.

Packaging Today recently caught up with Leo Luxe, which enjoyed another successful showing at the recent Packaging Innovations 2013 event in Birmingham. Here Cuan O'Callaghan, sales manager at the international group, discusses the measures the company has taken to help its customers gain a competitive edge over their rivals.

What approach has Leo Luxe taken to the luxury goods market?

Leo Luxe is a global packaging design, printing and manufacturing supplier for the luxury product industry; categories include
premium drinks, cosmetics, toiletries, confections, watches and jewellery. We offer a bespoke, end-to-end service to each of our customers, to meet their unique specifications, and we are constantly driving cutting edge packaging design concepts and new innovations in finishing techniques and processes.

With our own extensive manufacturing plant, our service incorporates innovative constructions through to full supply chainmanagement.

In today's competitive retail environment what is it that high-end brand-owners are demanding from their packaging?

High-end brand-owners need to leverage the full power of the brand and engage target customers at point-of-sale by executing their messaging through packaging. Brands will want to get it right first time, especially with increasing pressure to maintain sales during periods of difficult market conditions, as well as competing on a crowded retail shelf.

We are also receiving requests for sustainable and environmentally friendly solutions; as such, some of the secondary printing processes we offer include turning paper and board into a surface that looks and feels like acrylic, wood or metal. This achieves the brand's desired effect for a packaging concept using more environmentally friendly materials.

What, in your opinion, is the most important factor to consider when creating packaging for luxury products?

A brand needs to optimise its unique selling proposition and use this differentiation to its advantage. Leo Luxe extracts this knowledge by working with clients from the design concept stage - a process that we call Visioneering.

This bespoke approach measures the importance and performance of a brand in the context of the competitive market space, its distinct attributes and its customers, to see where issues and opportunities exist. It enables the brand's owner to achieve the best possible end result through providing them with a strong competitive advantage.

How does your company try to differentiate itself from the competition?

Our extensive range of packaging formats includes flat, rigid and foldable boxes and specialty gift bags. Our extended foldable rigid setup box collection encapsulates an assortment of shapes and sizes, and these unique constructions simultaneously
differentiate products at point-of-sale and reduce shipping costs with no extra manufacturing implications.

Leo Luxe is also meeting the growing demand for active or smart packaging, with its designs for sensory packaging solutions that utilise custom-designed sound modules and/or LED lights to enhance the appearance of the product and appeal to consumers' senses.

In addition, we recognise the need for processes to be efficient in today's complex and competitive environment. Our production facility has many lean manufacturing initiatives in place to ensure that efficiencies are made throughout our production line, and we also offer supply chain management to ensure our customers benefit fully from a lean supply chain, even after the packaging has left our production line.



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