Claude's Sauces Commercializes the First Non-Beverage Application of Amcor's PowerFlex(TM) PET Bottle
Manchester, MI - (October 23, 2007) - Amcor PET Packaging commercializes the first non-beverage application of its PowerFlex(TM) polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottle. Claude's Sauces, Inc., El Paso, TX has just launched eight varieties of sauces and marinades in Amcor's 16-ounce long-neck PowerFlex(TM) bottle.
Conversion from glass to PET has resulted in 50% reduction in freight costs and a 90% reduction in breakage/damaged goods charge-backs from retailers. Additionally, due to the standardization to 16-ounces (from a mix of 12- and 16-ounces bottles), production changeover time has gone from four or five hours, down to less than one.
"We've been in business for thirty years and for the past three or four we had been looking for an attractive plastic bottle that could accommodate both hot and cold fills," explains Joe Castanada, owner, Claude's Sauces.
Castanada takes pride in his mouth-watering formulations, starting with the original brisket marinade developed more than three decades ago. He points out that even though Claude's Sauces is a small company, its goal is to "try and keep up with the big boys." As a result, the natural evolution was to find a lighter weight alternative to its glass bottle in order to reduce breakage and freight costs.
Castanada turned to his bottle distributor, Berlin Packaging and challenged his sales rep to find a plastic alternative that would accommodate both cold (80-90 degrees Fahrenheit) and hot (180-185 degrees Fahrenheit) fills. Additionally, the bottle had to provide a strong aesthetic showcase for the brand. Berlin introduced Castanada to the PowerFlex(TM) bottle-which up until that time had only targeted hot-fill beverage applications.
"We have an excellent marriage with Berlin Packaging. We knew if anyone could find the right bottle for us, it would be them," he says.
Amcor's PowerFlex(TM) bottle features a revolutionary patented panel-less design which takes hot-fill (185° degrees Fahrenheit) bottle options to a new level. Amcor's structural design not only eliminates the panels, but unlike competitive containers, PowerFlex(TM) has a large, completely smooth label panel - free of any kind of ribbing.
Amcor's technical staff, through a combination of design and manufacturing innovations, has created a patented bottle that absorbs vacuum via a specially designed base. A unique
diaphragm within the base draws upward as the liquid cools. It has the geometric characteristics to enable the inverted cone shaped diaphragm to deflect upward as the vacuum is created.
Castanada selected one of two stock PowerFlex(TM) bottles-a 16-ounce, long-neck design with a 38mm finish. (The other stock option is a 16.9-ounce dome-shouldered bottle.) The next step was to test the heat-set bottle to make sure that it would be compatible with both cold and hot fill formulations. After testing, Castanada was satisfied that the bottle would perform under both hot and cold fill scenarios. The next step was to get by-in from his distributors and retailers.
"My retailers and distributors reacted very favorably. We were very happy to finally find a bottle that would meet all of our requirements," Castanada explains.
The dramatic cost savings associated with the conversion also benefited consumers. The company was able to increase several of the SKUs from 12- to 16-ounces and not raise the retail selling price. "Our customers got a heck of a deal," Castanada says.
Production was also dramatically affected. "Instead of being down four or five hours to make a glass change, all we need to do now is sanitize, and change the sauce, labels and coders. The whole process takes about an hour," he says.
Prior to launching the new line, the labels for the Claude's Sauces line were redesigned. "Because the bottles are smaller in diameter, we were also able to remove some cost from our wraparound labels. Also, the paper labels feature a glossy finish that is accomplished by a UV coating. The coating allows you to expose it to water and the label will not deteriorate," he says.
Unlike other hot-fill PET alternatives, PowerFlex(TM) bottles do not have sidewall panels, making them easier to label. Packers don't have to worry about mislabeling-missing the vertical bars in applying labels. Nor do they have to deal with the ripple effect labeling over panels can cause.
In addition to the body label, an additional, color-coded shrink band is placed over the 38mm tamper-evident closure and neck of the Claude's Sauces bottles. This adds another level of protection for the brand.
The geometry of the straight wall design gives PowerFlex(TM) great top load characteristics. The straight wall has no points of stress concentration which removes the potential of bending. Also, unlike competitive technologies, PowerFlex(TM) bottles can be run easily on existing glass filling lines with little or no equipment modification-which was the case at Claude's Sauces.
The availability of the stock containers allowed the company to launch quickly without incurring any additional tooling costs. Optional customization features, such as embossed
logos or patterns, can be added in the future, if the company chooses.
The Claude's Sauces line is available in eight varieties: Brisket Marinade, Mesquite Marinate, Hickory Meat Marinate, Fajita, Western Style Barbecue Sauce, Variety Sauce, Hot Spicy and Steak.
Claude's Barbecue Brisket Sauce originated in a small El Paso, Texas grocery store. The founder was a butcher by the name of Claude Struve who sold ready to cook briskets marinated in his family's Old World recipe. Word of Claude's delicious tender briskets spread quickly through out West Texas. Claude's secret was in his marinating sauce, prepared only with the finest fresh ingredients. Today, the company is proud to continue that tradition, by bringing its family of sauces to tables around the United States. For more information, visit www.claudessauces.com.
Berlin Packaging is North America's largest stocking supplier of glass, plastic and metal containers and closures. Its design division, Studio One Eleven, creates custom packages that "standout". Berlin Global Packaging Group sources from around the world. Berlin Financial Services offers flexible financing and leasing opportunities. Freund Container is Berlin Packaging's "need-it-now" packaging catalog provider. E3 is Berlin Packaging's supply chain management system. Berlin Packaging is headquartered in Chicago and operates 25 US sales and supply centers. Visit www.BerlinPackaging.com.
Amcor PET Packaging is the leading manufacturer of PET (polyethylene terephthalate) plastic packaging for the global beverage, food and non-food industries, with over 80 manufacturing sites in 19 countries. Its parent company, Amcor Limited, offers a broad range of packaging solutions and ranks as one of the top three packaging companies in the world. Amcor's extensive operations include 217 plants in 34 countries. It is headquartered in Melbourne, Australia and, for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2007, had sales revenues of US$9.0 billion. For further information, visit www.amcor.com.
Please forward sales inquiries to:
Shelley Steele
Director of Marketing and Communications
Amcor PET Packaging
935 Technology Drive, Suite 100
Ann Arbor, MI 48108-8919
Phone: (734) 302-2264
Fax: (734) 302-2810
Email: shelley.steele@amcorpet.com
Joe Castanada
Owner
Claude's Sauces, Inc.
935 Loma Verde
El Paso, TX 79936
Phone: (915) 858-4299
Email: joec@claudessauces.com
Carole Yassen
Vice President of Marketing Services
Berlin Packaging
Phone: 800-7-BERLIN
Email: cyassen@BerlinPackaging.com
