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Forum looks at cosmetics piracy

Even those who had come from far away were more than pleased with the information offered and insights gained. The opening and welcome by the company’s directing managers Mr. Rainer Feuchter (Kugler and SF Vision) and Mr. Hans Bühler (Optima Group) was followed by presentations from six experts, highlighting various aspects of the filling and packaging industry. The numerous international guests enjoyed simultaneous translations of the presentations in English. The symposium, held at the “Haus der Wirtschaft” (Hall of Commerce) at the industrial zone “Solpark” was booked solid. 

One of the insights gained at the symposium was the need for the cosmetic sector to have sensitivity towards  trends: Yesterday’s hot products may be outdated tomorrow. For that reason, manufacturers are continuously searching for innovations, so-called line extensions – a trend with an inevitable backlash on the machine building industry.

Product and format changes at the machines have to be exceptionally fast. One of the presentations therefore discussed technical and organizational strategies for line change-over time optimization. Simultaneously, however, the cosmetic sector proceeds in a distinctquality-oriented manner, a fact made obvious by an appraisal of various jar sealing technologies. Inductive sealing ensures residue-free peeling of the foil and generally offers the best sealing safety. Acquisition of the equipment, however, is more expensive than for conventional conductive sealing. Kugler complemented the topic by additional information and practical experience.

The situation of contract fillers and packaging companies is undergoing change. Services are the central issue of this sector, and in the extreme case, the activities of a cosmetic company might just consist in selling as a core competence. Accordingly, other functions are outsourced to partner companies.

Product piracy does not stop short of the cosmetic sector, and the presentation dedicated to that topic explained possible counteraction by means of special procedures and labeling features.

Multi-component container materials, presenting cosmetic products, were also introduced. The method offers countless variants, from soft, almost rubber-like materials to very precious, glossy containers. Even labels cast into the jars were presented at the Kugler symposium. 

A further trend  presented was the so-called airless dispenser. The dispenser not only brings substantial benefit to the customer, but additionally offers great safety for sensitive products. During filling, and also when pumped out, the product stays clear of surrounding air. Moreover, these functional containers ensure attractive product appearance. With the necessary equipment in place, such as the equipment built by Kugler, the lines’ efficiency remains unaffected.  

On the next day of live presentations, the participants visited Kugler’s production facility  and were shown a mascara line with an output of 120 units per minute. Until then, however, 60 units per minute were considered the absolute maximum. A newly developed vertical cartoning machine, that opens flat carton blanks, inserts cream jars and closes the flaps, operates at a speed of up to 200 units per minute. The machine had been integrated into a line in which a maximum of 120 cream jars per minute are sorted, filled, alu-sealed, receive screw-on caps at a precise torque,  labeled and finally packed in folding boxes with instruction leaflet. 

Flexibility of Kugler machines is achieved through  modular design and servo technology. The majority of the presented machines allow subsequent modification of dosing technology. At the same time, they are equipped with rapid change-over technology to enable high-speed change of the remaining format components. As a rule, the closing units enable a multitude of closure types. High-precision filling results are another advantage of Kugler machines, particularly  for processing high-priced products.

Further presentations  included an auger filler for cosmetic powders as well as the Autocon automation software for line control and evaluation of relevant operating data for quality assurance purposes.

Many of the visitors decided to stay until Friday afternoon to profit from the event as much as possible. “We are right at the source of innovation – so to speak!” commented a  a visitor. Discussions unfolded alongside the machines, and some of the customers communicated detailed requests. “It had been our intention to give the event a personal touch, which was evidently well received by our visitors!” was the summary of Rainer Feuchter. Undoubtedly,  this was also due to the evening program, placing the machines in the right light once again. Color spotlights and matching music formed quite an extraordinary arena for the Kugler machines, creating interesting show effects and an almost artistic ambience.