Packaging Resources Inc. is launchings it Schutte Clipp in the US market with hopes of offering an alternative to options for food manufacturers looking for ways to seal things like bread and potatoes.

The company, which is owned by the Holland-based Schutte, has been selling the automatic bag closing pieces in Europe for about 30 years. But they had hesitated to bring the product to the US because of possible patent issues with its competitor, Quik Lok, says Jeff Lukas, president of Packaging Resources Inc. and the US marketing representative of Schutte.

However, they proactively took the issue to court, and won. The US District Court for the Southern District of New York issued its decision in the Schutte Bagclosures Inc. v. Kwik Lok Corporation case. By convincing the court that Quik Lok’s patent should be cancelled, Schutte can now provide US bakers an alternative – the Schutte Clipp

“We wanted to head off at the pass before we started selling and introducing the product into the market, [and] that was a more proactive approach,” Lukas explains.

The U-shaped product is on a reel and applied by a machine.

“So when a loaf of bread is in a bag, the machine will actually twist and punch up the plastic bag ... so it will stayed close. And it’s done automatically, which is the big advantage vs. twist ties,” Lukas says.

He adds that the clips will run on existing equipment.

“They’re used for anything that would have a bag that would need to be closed, like foam plates, they’re used in the product market for potatoes and apples, in some instances you’ll see them in snacks, and then we have whole other range, for the double wire that you might see on high end candies,” Lukas says.

They will officially be available in the US in January 2017.

For more information: Packaging Resources’, (708) 883-7240 sales@clipsamerica.com, http://www.clippsamerica.com.