New-look containers and packages with enhanced functionality are pouring out of R&D labs, but turning them into production-friendly containers is where the rubber meets the road.
One of the more complicated new-container projects in recent years is the Tetra Recart, the retortable paperboard carton that had its North American debut last year. Production lines at Hormel Foods in Beloit, WI, and at Corfuerte SA's Los Mochis, Mexico, plant started using Recart last summer. There was a three-year lag between the package's European introduction and North American rollout, during which time technical experts resolved both packaging and processing issues. Both manufacturers are using the containers with low acid products: Hormel and Stagg chili in Beloit and Del Fuerte brand potato cubes and other vegetables in Los Mochis. The Recart line, which delivers 20,000 packs per hour, was part of a greenfield project for Corfuerte.