Premium pots highlight debate underway over use of thermoforming decoration

A new range of retailer-specific cream pots from Arla Foods has fuelled disagreements over the relative cost and quality of different decoration techniques for thermoforming.

The polypropylene pots use high-quality graphics on shrink sleeves from Decorative Sleeves to achieve a premium impact. Arla, which has invested £1.3m in the project for Sainsbury, Morrison and other retailers, says the aim is to "propel cream from a commodity to luxury status"

In this case, the move from direct printing to sleeving can no doubt be justified by the higher price points achieved. But sleeving and pressure-sensitive labelling all double the cost of the undecorated container, say experts. Combining a board outer with a thin thermoformed container is also costly in comparison with direct printing. And the newest technology available, in-mould labelling (IML), is the most controversial when it comes to cost and process efficiency.

IML, which is commonly used with injection-moulded containers for yellow fats and ice cream, has successfully been applied to thermoforming for the first time over the past year or so. In both moulding technologies, the pre-printed label is inserted into the mould as the container is formed. The technique can be used to achieve high-quality graphics and a smooth finish, but critics say it remains costly.

Northern Ireland company Wilsanco supplies Arla with the thermoformed, sleeved pots for its cream range. Sales director Ian Symes says: "We did a lot of pioneering work with IML and thermoforming for the margarine market over an eight-year period. But we decided that, in the end, the injection moulders can produce a better pack." There are, he says, tough practical challenges to overcome specifically in production volumes for thermoforming.

But Swiss in-mould label supplier P'auer says it has addressed many of these problems. By modifying the label, md Hans Auer says he can limit label shrinkage in the mould. He argues that by successfully combining IML and barrier films, thermoforming could win back many applications from injection moulding.

Meanwhile, thermoformer Sharp Interpack has invested £6.5m in its Somerset plant -- none of it in IML.

Symes at Wilsanco believes that IML for thermoforming could be viable if production speeds are maintained. But, in his opinion, high-quality direct printing will become a practical -- and much cheaper -- alternative to IML, sleeving and labelling within a few years.