Strong, Versatile Cartons Offer Plenty of Shelf Appeal

Published: July 01, 2000, By Claudia Hine, Senior Editor

For the first time in the 57-year history of the Paperboard Packaging Council's carton competition, two winners were chosen for the President's Award. Sharing the prize were F.M. Howell & Company, Elmira, NY, and Somerville Packaging, Montreal, Que., Canada. The awards were presented during the council's Annual Spring Meeting June 24 in Banff Springs, Alb., Canada.

Howell was honored for CorningWare cartons produced for World Kitchen. The cartons' unique structure is said to allow for ease in setup and for quick loading and securing of the product. The packages also demonstrate excellent printing and gloss on recycled boxboard.

Somerville produced the Polo Madison Ave. Candle Box for Slatkin & Co. The carton, which is printed on both sides to simulate the interior and exterior of the Ralph Lauren store in New York City, has a delicate appearance, but it is said to be structurally sound enough to protect the candle and glass container inside.

Somerville's Cobourg, Ont., plant won a Gold Award for Kraft Canada's Minute Rice package, which features a web corner pour spout that enables consumers to pour the product smoothly from the top of the carton, reducing the clog that may occur with sidewall pour spouts.

The Technical Innovation/Achievement Award, which focuses on structural design and technical excellence, was presented to Caraustar, Grand Rapids, MI, for the EconoPour Integral Paperboard Pour Spout, manufactured for Cottrell Ltd. Caraustar developed a specially tooled makeready plate for converting the one-piece pour spout, which dramatically reduced set-up time for each run. The company reports the package has been accepted widely by consumers because of its ease of opening, non-bridging large pour aperture, predictable closing, and full-life functioning, as well as its use of environmentally friendly materials. (Entries in this category are submitted without graphics.)

Caraustar also took home two Gold Awards. For Skaal's Flora Box, Caraustar's Ashland, OH, plant automated what previously had been a very intensive hand labor process of inserting the inner bag and finishing the gluing. This allows the customer to produce the boxes in many designs and market them to a wide variety of retail outlets.

At its Mentor, OH, plant, Caraustar manufactured the Piazza Brewing System carton for Piazza Espresso of America. Because of the selection of direct F-flute for the carton, the customer can use the same package for both its direct mail and retail outlet sales. The package is designed with a fold-over top panel that allows it to accommodate pots of various styles and heights.

Other winners included Smurfit-Stone Container Corp., which won three Gold Awards. A gable top-style carton, created at the company's Fort Wayne, IN, plant for Kellogg's Country Inn Specialties, provided a greatly improved printing surface and increased shelf presence, as well as offering better product protection. The Kansas City, MO, facility was honored for PERSECO's Barbie Collector Box. Because the package doubles as a dollhouse, it provides an incentive to consumers to collect all the dolls in the series. The Morris, IL, plant designed and manufactured a carton shaped like a school bus for General Mills. School Lunch Bus features two doors that open to display pictures, and the pop-up wheels give the carton child appeal.

Inland Consumer Packaging, Leominster, MA, also won three Gold Awards. Hasbro's Millennium Trivial Pursuit Package was designed to maximize visibility of the metal, triangle-shaped canister inside while taking on the look of the product. Eastman Kodak's Advantix Christmas Promotion features a flip-top-style carton that maximizes content viewing and handling. High quality litho laminate E flute was used for U.D.V. North America's Cuervo 1800 gift cartons. The unusual shape of the box, vivid colors, uncluttered graphics, and the gold leaf foil stamping and embossing all help promote the product as a premium brand.

For more information contact PPC, 201 N. Union St., Ste. 220, Alexandria, VA 22314; 703/836-3300. Visit PPC at ppcnet.org