The growing trend to present FMCG’s in innovative glass container design was a key topics for discussion at a one-day seminar held at JBT Corporation’s Belgian facility last month covering the latest developments in glass filling and closing.
Representatives from a range of European food and drink processors were invited to JBT’s site in Sint-Niklaas to learn more about the newest innovations in glass filling from JBT, Crown Packaging (metal covers for glass jars/bottles) and Ardagh Group (glass containers).
As well as the seminar, visitors were able to view a JBT Unifiller at the factory in a configuration dedicated to filling jam and marmalade in glass containers. In addition to superior filling accuracy, the Unifiller features a glass breakage prevention system and is able to Clean-in-Place without disassembling the fill stations.
JBT’s Patrick Schoenaers explained that one of the key advantages offered by the
Unifiller was that it could be used equally effectively with cans and plastics, as well as glass.
The JBT Unifiller is not only marketed for jam or marmalade applications, but is customized by JBT to meet particular product requirements and container types, from low viscous products without particles to high viscous products with particles, in metal cans, glass or plastic containers.
“The Unifiller is a high-accuracy filling system that features a hygienic design,” he said. “It offers a very quick changeover between product and format, and can be cleaned in-place without having to dismantle the fill stations.”
Among other topics discussed at the seminar, speakers detailed new innovations in the field of closures for glass jars. Crown’s Orbit cover, for example, is a two-piece metal closure design adapted to allow female consumers, older people and young children to open glass jars far more easily.
The increasing trend among food processors to offer personalised glass jars through embossing, sleaving or the use of color was also high on the seminar agenda during the day-long event.
Above: an example of differentiation by coloring the glass.
“All the companies that were present work principally as private labellers. Nowadays retailers are working hard to improve the image of their own brands and are asking their private labellers to add value – one way of doing that is through innovative designs for personalised glass jars,” Schoenaers concluded.
Learn more about JBT’s Unifiller: here