Packaging Security
December 1,2011, Printed Electronics USA 2011, Santa Clara, CA—Michael Londo from MWV Packaging described their efforts to increase packaging security for consumer products.
Packaging can deliver benefits to consumers, brand owners, and retailers in the areas of protection, and image while maintaining convenience and sustainability. In the areas of protection, the big box stores lose from 1.5 to 3 percent of their inventory through theft. This theft amounts to $Bs according to a retail theft report.
Security solutions for packaged goods include EAS (Electronic Article Surveillance). This security system uses disposable label tags or reusable hard tags attached to the merchandise. An alarm is triggered when walking through detection pedestals at the store exit if the disposable tag was not deactivated or a reusable tag was not removed at the checkout counter. Alternatives and additions include lock boxes and spiders as well as clamshell packaging.
The problem with most of the package security solutions is that they don’t offer equal benefits to all of the parties involved. Lock boxes and spiders only help the retailer. Clamshells only offer benefits to the brand owner, and EAS only slows down the losses. To address the issues, the company worked with Western Michigan University, Alpha High Shrink Solutions, and Vorbeck Inks to develop enhanced capabilities for packaging + EAS.
They are developing new materials for emerging flexible substrates and printed electronics for security packaging. Their development objectives included being costs competitive with existing EAS solutions, roll-to-roll production greater than 200 fpm, being robust, and it must not disrupt the existing supply chain efficiencies. In addition, the packaging materials have to be sustainable and the new security systems has to work with existing retail security systems.
The groups evaluated many materials for conductors to find an optimal mix of resistance which is less than 275 k?, has a low sintering requirement, exhibits flexibility and low cost. In addition, the inks and packaging had to survive mechanized packaging equipment and have high rub resistance, pass environmental conditions from hot and humid to cold and arid for extended times, and survive a drop test of 3 feet with full product and packaging attached.
As a result of their efforts, they used the advances in conductive ink technologies to develop enhanced security packaging. They had to involve many players within the supply chain to create a win-win-win set of opportunities for all. And finally, they used the newest technologies to create a market pull for packaging that enhances brand image while offering greater protection for retailers and convenience and sustainability for consumers.
