Ceepackaging

Technology

Double award for Kobusch-Sengewald

The bulge was the problem. The disadvantage of all previous packaging was that large bales of filter material had bulges at the top and at the bottom when packed – initially in boxes, then in coated fabric web secured with Velcro. To ensure stable transport and space-saving, secure storage conditions, the unwieldy bales either had to be turned 90 degrees or put on special frame pallets. This method was, admittedly, rather complicated, but it did solve the transport problem. However, there was still a risk that bales become unstable and topple over if they were stacked too high.

The sensitive cellulose acetate material also requires effective protection against moisture. With this in mind, Rhodia Acetow eventually decided to develop a completely new, innovative packaging concept: the filter material was to be vacuum-packed in a cube of film, like ground coffee. The inner vacuum prevents the problem of bulging at the top and bottom, which was the drawback of all previous packaging methods. All that needed to be done now was to find a suitable partner with the technical experience and knowledge for practical implementation of the idea. After all, a TOWCUBE® weighs around 600 kg, and some 10 square metres of film are required to wrap it.

Rhodia found exactly the right partner – the packaging film manufacturer Kobusch-Sengewald. The specialist supplier eventually had the edge over two other competitors who were definitely not just minor players. In the words of Bernd Nandzik, Engineering Project Leader at Rhodia: “There is no doubt in our minds that Kobusch-Sengewald’s film has exactly the quality we need, since cigarette filters are manufactured to ‘food standard’. This makes KS the perfect partner for us. What’s more, the company has the in-depth experience, highly skilled staff and technical capability that are necessary to produce the individual film components reliably and to a consistently high standard.“ Rhodia Acetow signed an exclusive agreement with Kobusch-Sengewald at the beginning of 2007.

A machine was especially developed for the production of both the wrapping and the cover films required by the Rhodia concept. The real challenge is the 250 micron thick PE wrapping film with two-colour printing. During processing on the machine, additional deep-drawn “corners” are welded to the film at regular intervals. These corners are required so that flat films can be welded together to form a three-dimensional cube with a capacity of about 1 m³. The deep-drawn base was developed by KS in collaboration with the company
meta-technik® in Rheine.

Jürgen Vaupel, Sales Manager Non Food at Kobusch-Sengewald, explaining the technical side of the challenge, says: “The material tends to expand for about two days after it is manufactured, so our film had to be one hundred percent airtight”. This innovative packaging concept brings another benefit and added convenience for Rhodia’s customers. The film is peelable, making unpacking simple and effortless: it only takes about 30 seconds to unpack the filter material. All that is left is around a kilo and a half of packaging film that can be disposed of easily without harming the environment. The bottom line: the new packaging concept means 60% less weight and 50% less energy consumption than the old method.

At Rhodia, everyone is happy too: “The strong, reliable partnership that has emerged guarantees the long-term success of this packaging form. Our customers are absolutely delighted with the new packaging, and the competition is already enquiring about licences for the patented packaging material and processes. It is not just that the packed bales can be stacked, which was not possible with the old cardboard packaging, but they also look cleaner and neater – emphasising the ‘foodstuff quality’ of our product ‘Filtertow’”, explains Uwe Schäffner, Process Technology Project Leader at Rhodia.

Rhodia Acetow is the world’s third-largest supplier of cellulose acetate tow for cigarette filters and one of the market leaders for cellulose acetate flakes. Rhodia Acetow, with six production sites worldwide, has a total turnover of € 450 million. The company employs a workforce of about 1,300. The Acetow division is based in Freiburg.

Kobusch-Sengewald is an internationally operating manufacturer and processor of flexible packaging, and also supplies specialist solutions for packaging foodstuffs, chemical and technical products, and hygiene and medical articles. Kobusch-Sengewald employs more than 500 people at its sites in Warburg and Halle/Westphalia and had a turnover of about
€ 126 million in 2006. The company is a 100% subsidiary of the Pregis Corporation (USA), a leading manufacturer of state-of-the-art specialist packaging