Celebrating the best, the most innovative, the most creative…

The Packaging & Processing Innovation and Design Awards (PIDA) recognise companies and individuals who are making a significant difference in their field. At the Australian Institute of Packaging Conference in May the winners of the 2018 PIDA Awards will be announced. Let’s have a little look at last year’s winners just to get in the mood.

2017 Design Innovation of the Year Award — Food Category

Materials & Packaging: Australian Wholefoods for Levodo Grain Thin Crackers

The Levodo clear plastic packaging is an innovative and unique design for the healthy biscuit category, which is traditionally dominated by cardboard boxes or plastic sleeves. The product is clearly visible at the point of purchase and the carrier tray reduces product breakages during transportation (tall container).The design of the Levodo packaging is beneficial to product shelf life once the tamper-proof seal has been broken. The tube can be used as a storage container for the remaining crackers and by returning the packaging lid, the product will remain fresh without having to transfer contents to a separate storage unit, providing ease of use for consumers. As the pack stands up, it is also easier to find in the pantry and the branding is always clearly visible to the consumer and not destroyed when the pack is opened like traditional flow-wrapped products.

Materials & Packaging High Commendation: Nestlé Health Science Australia and qDesign Enterprises for Nestlé Health Science Resource ThickenUp Hydration range with Innovative Sipper Lid.

Machinery Equipment: Heat and Control for E-FLO

The E-FLO is an innovative machine designed to benefit the food processing industry, in particular potato product producers. It increases efficiency, reduces long-term costs and allows producers to develop a healthier product for their customers by lowering the amount of acrylamide in potato products. The patented E-FLO uses Pulse Electric Field (PEF) processing, or electroporation, to perforate the cell walls of potatoes, creating micro holes that allow asparagine and reducing sugars to be washed out of the potato in a cold water wash. It provides numerous benefits and, in most cases, eliminates the need to blanch the product.

Machinery/Equipment High Commendation: Robotic Automation for the Multi-Product Robotic Packaging Solution

2017 Design Innovation of the Year Award — Beverage Category

Materials & Packaging: CHEP Australia for CHEP Retail Display Pallets (RDP) and Beverage Trays (BT)

RDP and BT provide an alternative merchandising solution for the beverage category. A fully stocked RDP can hold 240 bottles of 1.25 L soft drink and replaces the 20 cardboard cartons that would normally be required to move them through the supply chain. The RDP can be filled at the manufacturer and then be moved right through to the shop floor and used to display the product as opposed to the traditional shelving that would be used.

Machinery/Equipment: Intralox for ARB Technology

Intralox’s Activated Roller Belt technology brings the benefits of modular plastic belting to complex package handling processes like sorting, merging and aligning. The result is an automated conveyance platform that enables critical improvements where it was previously cost-prohibitive or overly complex.

2017 Sustainable Packaging & Processing Award

Materials & Packaging – Transport: Woolpack Australia for Woolcool

Woolcool aims to reduce oil-based packaging use with an innovative product where the thermal insulation component is waste wool. Woolcool is made of 100% sheep’s wool, a renewable resource that is biodegradable, sustainable, natural and compostable.

Materials & Packaging – Retail Primary Packaging: Plantic Technologies for the PLANTIC R Packaging Material

Plantic Technologies PLANTIC R is a bio-based ultra-high barrier material that is renewably sourced, high clarity and certified. Thin layers of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) are adhered to a core layer of renewably sourced, ultra-high barrier PLANTIC HP sheet. PLANTIC R is very versatile and suitable to most thermoforming and tray sealing applications.

Materials & Packaging – Retail Primary Packaging: Pact Group for the rPET Moisturelock Meat Tray

Pact Group developed, designed and manufactured the rPET (Recycled Polyethylene Terephthalate) Moisturelock Tray that comprises 50% recycled material and is accepted by every kerbside recycling scheme. It is made from clear plastic, not black, so it can be easily separated in the recycling centres. The real innovation, however, lies in the tray’s ability to capture fluid in the base. The little ‘dimples’ in the bottom of the tray hold the fluid there even when tilted or turned upside down, meaning customers don’t have to worry about any meat fluids sullying their shopping or having to remove and dispose of the unsightly blood soaked pad prior to preparing their meat.

Machinery/Equipment: Omni for the Omni Pallet Wrapping Solution

The Omni Stretch and Pallet Wrappers can reduce the amount of film used to wrap a pallet by up to 70%. Through cutting-edge resin advancements, Omni has developed high-performance films that are less than half the micron of conventional films with superior puncture resistance and load containment. Used in conjunction with the Omni Wrappers Power-Pre-stretch technology, the Omni Films have a stretch yield over 400%.

2017 Save Food Packaging & Processing Award

Fresh Technologies Ltd and Sealed Air Food Care for Fressure and Cryovac Freshness Plus

The combination of Fresh Technologies’ Cold High Pressure Processing (CHPP) and Cryovac Freshness Plus Active Barrier packaging has enabled Fresh Technologies to achieve a chilled shelf life of 90 days for its avocados, which is a 60-day extension over existing passive high-barrier packaging technology.

2017 Save Food Packaging & Processing Award High Commendation: Woolpack Australia for Woolcool

2017 Industry Packaging & Processing Professional of the Year Award

• Paul Haberland Dip.Pkg.Tech. FAIP, Packaging Manager, Nestlé Australia
• Lester Nichol, Managing Director, Matthews Australasia

2017 APPMA Scholarship

• Michael Van Dord, Technical and Design Engineer, Caps and Closures

2017 Young Packaging & Processing Professional of the Year Award

• Alexandra Brayshaw MAIP, Accessible Packaging Researcher, Arthritis Australia
• Nina Cleeve-Edwards Dip.Pkg.Tech. FAIP CPP, Manager-Oceania Innovation Acceleration Team, Nestlé Australia

2017 Design Innovation of the Year Award — Health, Beauty & Wellness

Materials & Packaging: Nestlé Health Science Australia and qDesign Enterprises for Nestlé Health Science Resource ThickenUp Hydration range with Innovative Sipper Lid.

Machinery/Equipment: HMPS for the HMPS6000 End Load Cartoner