AlliedFlex, a North American supplier of flexible packaging machinery and integrated packaging systems, and SmartSolve, a developer of water-soluble and environmentally responsible packaging materials, have announced a strategic collaboration focused on sustainable flexible packaging applications.
The collaboration will combine AlliedFlex’s expertise in pouch, sachet, stick pack and stand-up pouch packaging, along with filling, sealing, automation and systems integration, with SmartSolve’s portfolio of water-soluble packaging materials.
The companies said they will work together to evaluate and develop packaging applications that pair flexible packaging materials with commercial-scale machinery and automation, with the aim of supporting the transition of new packaging concepts from development to production.
For companies developing alternative packaging materials, moving from laboratory or pilot-scale development to commercial production can present challenges related to machinability, filling, sealing and equipment configuration.
As part of the collaboration, AlliedFlex and SmartSolve plan to jointly assess packaging applications, material performance, package configurations and the machinery requirements associated with SmartSolve materials. Areas of focus are expected to include water-soluble packaging applications, flexible pouch and packet formats, material machinability, filling and sealing performance, package design, production-scale testing, automation and systems integration.
The companies also intend to provide development and commercialization support to brand owners and contract packagers.
“The packaging industry doesn’t simply need new sustainable materials. It needs sustainable materials that can be successfully commercialised. Our collaboration with SmartSolve brings material innovation and packaging machinery expertise together so we can help customers move from an exciting concept to a practical, scalable packaging solution,” said Dennis Calamusa, president and CEO of AlliedFlex.
Jon Jakubowski, CEO of SmartSolve, said the companies will focus on connecting material development with production requirements.
“Innovation becomes meaningful when customers can put it into production,” he said. “By collaborating with AlliedFlex, we are combining SmartSolve’s material technology with extensive flexible packaging machinery and application expertise to help customers evaluate, validate, and ultimately commercialize new packaging possibilities.”
The companies said they plan to work with brand owners, product manufacturers and contract packagers to identify potential applications and conduct packaging trials. These trials are expected to examine whether materials and packaging configurations can meet production requirements.
The collaboration follows SmartSolve’s commercial launch of PureNil 0, which the company describes as a plastic-free dispersing flexible packaging substrate designed to run on standard form, fill and seal equipment.
AlliedFlex has positioned flexible packaging as an alternative to some rigid formats, citing potential reductions in material use, package weight and transportation requirements. The collaboration with SmartSolve expands that focus to materials designed to provide different end-of-life characteristics.
“Flexible packaging has already demonstrated that we can accomplish more with less packaging. SmartSolve challenges us to take that thinking even further. The opportunity is to combine innovative materials with innovative machinery and create packaging solutions that simply weren’t practical before,” said Mr Calamusa.
Further application developments and commercialisation initiatives resulting from the collaboration are expected to be announced as they become available.
