KHS GmbH is a winner of the 2016 German Design Award for ‘excellent communication design in packaging’ and sustainability for its innovations Direct Print Powered by KHS™ and Nature MultiPack™. Direct Print will enable beverage companies to individualize PET bottle decorations on the industrial scale with high resolution, 360-degree decorations in real time, eliminating labels and cutting time to market from several weeks down to a matter of minutes. Nature MultiPack™ , with individually orientated PET bottles, leverages specialized adhesives to replace shrink film, plastic rings, and paperboard, for the ultimate sustainability message with 90% reduction in materials and greatly reduced energy consumption. Both disruptive technology solutions have been developed by KHS GmbH, with KHS manufactured equipment, co-developed materials, service and system performance to be provided by NMP Systems GmbH, a 100% KHS-owned subsidiary.
“Winning the German Design award is a great achievement. The competition places high demands on its award winners. We are therefore very pleased to be selected and will continue to invest in disruptive innovation in addition to our 147 years of investment in sustaining innovations” says Prof. Dr.-Ing. Matthias Niemeyer, CEO at KHS GmbH.
Direct Print is the first industrial-scale, digital printing process with low-migration LED UV-cured inks to provide a food-safe decoration solution for PET bottles. The Direct Print artworks management platform combines sample making for print approvals with online industrial direct-to-bottle printing systems, enabling beverage companies to change graphics and individualize decorations within minutes instead of weeks, bringing a new medium for consumer engagement in an increasingly digital world. Over time, Direct Print will eliminate labels altogether, thus reducing materials, carbon footprint and time-consuming changeovers on higher flexibility filling and packaging lines.
Innovative and sustainable packaging solutions
Nature MultiPack™ is based on specially adapted adhesives, simply bonding containers together to form multipacks for PET bottles, cans, and even glass bottles at some time in the future. The primary container becomes the star of the show, while secondary packaging is reduced by 90% (approximately 1,5 grams of adhesive vs 15 grams of printed film), and packaging equipment energy consumption is cut by 67% with the elimination of shrink tunnels. Peelable adhesives with low residual tack leave bottle and can surfaces clean, and eliminate in-store and consumer packaging waste altogether. Bottle and can orientation complemented by an industry standard tape handle bring marketing messages and consumer friendly features.
The German Design Award is the top international prize of the German Design Council and has been awarded annually since 2012. It is one of the most well-respected design competitions in the world. Its goal is to discover, present and honor unique design trends. The award is given to submissions from the fields of product and communication design that are in their own way ground-breaking in the international design landscape. Winners will receive their awards at the Ambiente 2016 trade show in Frankfurt am Main which takes place from February 12 to 16, 2016.
Photo KHS:
The combination of Direct Print Powered by KHS™ and Nature MultiPack™ stands for sustainable packaging which uses few materials and resources.
