Packaging
United Caps at Propak
Thursday 14. June 2018 - UNITED CAPS, an international manufacturer of caps and closures, today reported it is exhibiting for the second time at Propak Asia, scheduled for 13-16 June 2018 at the Bangkok International Trade Exhibition Centre. UNITED CAPS is located in the French Industrial Pavilion, Stand BN21 in Hall 102 at the show. Featured in the UNITED CAPS exhibit are breakthrough closure solutions that are sure to drive interest in the Asian market.
“We are excited to be at Propak Asia again this year,” said Benoît Henckes, CEO of UNITED CAPS. “And we have a great story to tell – from our Golden Moment bespoke development efforts with Nestlé for its new Nescafé Gold coffee closure, to our GREENER closures made from bioplastics, to our new approaches to anti-counterfeiting, an important consideration in the Asian market. We look forward to greeting visitors during the show and learning more about their business requirements for caps and closures, as well as sharing our story and details about our new factory in Malaysia, part of our Close to You strategy.”
A Golden Moment
“People have moments in their lives that they look back on as golden,” Henckes explains. “It might be a seemingly impossible challenge conquered, a successful collaboration or maybe an event that touched them deeply. Companies, too, have those Golden Moments, and our creation of the new Nescafé closure was one for UNITED CAPS. We faced significant challenges, and many would have given up. But we persevered, and the result was rewarding for us and for Nestlé. At the show, we will be sharing with visitors how we were able to achieve the classy brushed metal look for the new Nescafé closure. It required a 100% metallic material to be wrapped around the skirt of a closure, something that had never been done before.”
GREENER Closures
In collaboration with Braskem, a leading Brazilian petrochemical company, UNITED CAPS has introduced a line of GREENER bio-sourced plastic caps and closures made from sugar cane.
Green polyethylene begins its life as sugar cane, a renewable resource that replaces itself in a single year and is designed to have the same characteristics, quality and properties as conventional PE, sharing the same production route.
That, combined with the fact that sugar cane consumes a significant amount of carbon dioxide, gives green polyethylene a negative carbon footprint. Its use reduces greenhouse gases and it is 100% recyclable. “As more Asian countries look to increase environmental sustainability,” Henckes states, “we believe our GREENER caps and closures will receive a warm reception during the show and beyond.”
Preventing Counterfeiting
With an estimated US$460 billion in counterfeit goods worldwide, counterfeit prevention has significant economic benefits, including protection of jobs. In addition, it is estimated that there are some 3,000 preventable deaths per year due to counterfeit goods. Counterfeiting can also damage a brands reputation, since 45% of consumers will avoid a brand for at least two years after a bad experience, and they share that bad experience on social media as well.
“At UNITED CAPS, we have developed smarter closures that feature new security technologies making it easy to quickly identify a genuine product,” Henckes explains. “This includes QR+ technology, a combination of a QR code and secure fingerprint that help brands enhance consumer confidence. This is especially effective when these technologies are printed onto a non-removable in-mould label. Brands, consumers and others in the distribution chain can quickly and easily validate whether a product is genuine using a mobile app.” UNITED CAPS has partnered with Verstraete In Mould Labels in the development of this unique approach to anti-counterfeiting. Verstraete IML, a Multi-Color company, has more than 28 years of experience in offset-printing labels on polypropylene for injection-moulding, blow-moulding and thermoforming.
At Propak Asia, UNITED CAPS will also demonstrate how holographic engraving integrated into a closure forms an intrinsic and irremovable security feature, providing immediate verification with no need for additional scanners or other equipment. “The added value of these easily-integrated solutions delivers increased consumer confidence and peace of mind for brands,” Henckes comments. “Counterfeiting in Asia is a significant problem, and we look forward to sharing our anti-counterfeiting innovations with show attendees.”