Impress innovation recognized at the Best in Metal Awards

The Metal Packaging Manufacturers Association represents the interests of companies involved in the production of light metal containers, closures and components. Experts from across the industry judge the Best in Metal Awards. Impress had continued success this year, receiving seven Awards:

Best in Metal - Sustainability: Gold Award
Impress Norwich have introduced a new style of ring to improve the opening of lever lid paint cans. The final design has been applied to sizes across the full range of can diameters and will reduce tinplate usage in Norwich by over 500 tonnes. Additional sustainable savings will also be made in the reduced transportation of steel from the mills in central Europe to Norwich.        

Best in Metal - Technical Innovation: Silver Award
This eye-catching shaped can produced for Sara Lee's Ambi Pur 'Puresse' range has an exceptional level of expansion achieved by pneumatic blow forming a distortion printed 52 x 161mm standard shape can. Tinplate having the required characteristics for expansion was identified and a special over-varnish was developed. Years of experience in distortion printing enabled the graphics studio to produce a high quality end product in which the front logo remained perfectly square. Special thermoformed trays were developed to avoid scratching or scuffing during transit. For economic and environmental reasons, these are returnable and reusable. 

Best in Metal - Technical Innovation: Bronze Award
The Sherpa Digital Proofing System now used by Impress Norwich reduces the lead time for customer proofs from 10 days to just 24 hours. Customers are provided with digitally produced paper proofs rather than the usual proofs printed on tinplate. By adjusting the ''whiteness'' of the paper to match the grey-white of the metal an exact colour match for the final product can be produced. The system also allows Impress to offer composite printing to its General Line customers who can now benefit from reduced print quantities by using a number of different designs on the same printed sheet.

Best in Metal - Functionality: Silver Award
Best in Metal - Product Market Award: Food
Manufactured in France for the Daesang Corp. Korea the 4oz Club Luncheon Meat can is an aluminium retortable can which is ideal for single serving. With a peelable Easy Peel® lid which is easy to open, safe and secure, the design makes the product easy to release. Two recipes (luncheon meat and high pork) are produced in this format. Together with similar products in 12oz and 7 oz packs, the result of a highly successful collaboration between Impress and Daesang, the image of luncheon meat packaging has been re-defined!

Best in Metal - Functionality: Bronze Award
Produced for J. W. Ostendorf GmbH & Co. KG in Germany, a new handle design for 2L & 2.5L 140mm diameter cylindrical pails, integrates a wire handle into the ring with a plastic retainer. The handle lies flush to the lid and does not overlap the outer circumference of the can. This gives the filler the entire surface of the body of the can for printing & labelling without the usual 'ears' or a handle interrupting the design area. The filler can still use the same lids as before which can be sprayed in the colour of the contents without the handle being in the way. Stores save shelf space as no ears or handles separate the cans on display, there is less denting in transit and transport costs are improved by better pallet utilisation.

Best in Metal - Product Market Award: Homecare & Industrial
Impress has developed a new colour system for Laura Ashley for the launch of its range of pearlescent emulsion paints. Packed in 750ml lever lid tins, a deep pearlescent effect was achieved by using specially developed silk screen inks which had to be both compatible with the silk screen printing process whilst matching exactly the colour of the paint inside the can. This is a new and innovative way of promoting the products, displaying the range of colours on shelf rather than using the traditional paper colour-card. It is a testament to what can be achieved in metal packaging and speaks volumes for the quality and strength of printing on tinplate.  

''A large number of this year's entries demonstrated clearly that the metal packaging industry is listening hard to consumer requests for improved performance and greater functionality,'' commented Tony Woods, Director of the MPMA. ''Many of these improvements involve quite simple ideas but are again technically very demanding.''

Impress is a global market leader in the consumer metal packaging industry. It is the worldwide leader in the seafood can market , European and Australasian leader for aerosol cans, European leader in cans for Paints and Coatings and European leader in cans for Infant Formula and Nutritional Powders. Impress is also the second largest supplier of heat processed food cans in Europe and Australasia. Impress is based in Deventer, the Netherlands and had worldwide sales of approximately €1.5 billion in 2006. It employs approximately 8,600 people in 59 facilities in 21 countries in Europe, North America, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Seychelles and Morocco.

For further Information please contact

Ysabel Noel: Talents et Compagnie :Tel: +33 1 56 89 56 52    Fax: +33 1 56 89 56 50     e-mail: noel@talents-compagnie.com

Mary Chapman: Mary Chapman Communications: Tel:  +44(0)1452 720208    Fax:  +44(0)1452 723724    e-mail:  marychpm@aol.com

Discover Impress at: www.impressgroup.com