Beverage producer: premium multipack, 10-colour print and film downgauged to approx. 33 µm

An international beverage and juice producer wanted three things at once: better-looking multipacks, printing in 10 colours instead of 8 and further downgauging of the film. The NEX-SHRINK HR formulation combined with NEX PRINT printing delivered shrinkage without distortion in the windows, 10 colours on the premium line and a film of approx. 33 µm on selected beverage lines.

01 Customer

An international beverage and juice producer operating in Poland and the Benelux countries. PET bottles reach the shelf in multipacks wrapped in shrink film.

02 Challenge

The customer combined three requirements at once. They wanted to raise the visual standard of the packs, because shrink distortion was visible in the windows. For the premium line they needed printing in 10 colours instead of 8. Across the main portfolio they wanted to keep reducing film thickness.

In parallel, they wanted to launch a line with PCR content.

03 Solution

• Formulation: high-gloss NEX-SHRINK HR with controlled shrinkage, matched to the pack geometry.
• Printing: integration with NEX PRINT, flexo CI in 10 colours.
• Design that allows for shrinkage: artwork designed so that it lands on the windows after shrinking.
• Downgauging: further reduction of film thickness to approx. 33 µm on selected beverage lines.

04 Results

• Appearance: a consistent premium look for multipacks on the retail shelf, without distortion in the windows.
• Printing: 10 colours on the premium line.
• Packing line: fewer rejects.
• Material: lower consumption per pack with approx. 33 µm film.
• PCR: a path to a variant with recycled content launched in parallel for juices.

Sealer infeed: the film wraps the PET pack; this is where the position of the artwork relative to the windows is decided.

Tunnel exit: even shrinkage without distortion in the windows, the pack is ready for the pallet.

05 What this means for you

Shrink aesthetics, the number of colours and film thickness usually pull in different directions. They can be reconciled, but only when the film, the print and the artwork come from one supplier and are calculated for a single geometry of your pack.