YOUR COMPLETE CRAFT BREW LABELING CHECKLIST

If you’re a part of the burgeoning craft beer industry in the United States, you’re likely at least aware of just how much this once niche market has grown over the last several decades. However, a look at the numbers shows remarkable growth that surpassed even expert expectations. Read More

SEVEN WAYS TO REDUCE PLASTIC IN PACKAGING

PLASTIC IS A PROBLEM. It's something we've known for some time now. Despite its status as multipurpose material that is useful for many applications, plastic doesn't biodegrade and has a tendency to wind up in forests, rivers, and oceans. In fact, in the 1990s, researchers first made the world aware of the plastic congesting the world's ocean — non-biodegradable, single-use plastic more than tripled during that decade, composing 60 to 80% of the world's ocean waste. Images of sea life tangled in plastic netting, plastic can rings, and disposable grocery bags began to infiltrate news segments, leading environmental groups to rally against the use of plastic packaging. Read More

FIVE WAYS ECOMMERCE IS CHANGING PROCESSING AND PACKAGING NEEDS

Decades ago, primary packaging was the main concern of manufacturers, store owners, and consumers alike. For the most part, relatively few people handled items before they made their way into the hands of store owners and consumers. However, once the big box store came into play, bumping up the need for distribution centers around the country and warehousing of high-demand products, packaging concerns changed. Read More

Five Distillery Branding and Marketing Trends You Should Know

Depending on which historian you talk to, distillery is either an ancient process or a very old and revered one. Some suggest the origins of the modern distillery can be traced back to the 9th century, when Muhammed ibn Zakaryia Razi began his work perfecting the art of distilling alcohol. Others place the process closer to the early 17th century, when the first mention of alcohol as a recreational “aqua vitae” appeared in print. Read More

6 ISSUES TO CONSIDER AS YOU LAY OUT YOUR CRAFT BREWERY

Perhaps more than anyone, craft distillers understand the meteoric rise of the craft distillery industry in the US; the most recent data shows operating craft distilleries in the country at numbers quickly approaching 2,000, a staggering figure when you consider that there were just 57 in 2005. Read More

FOUR TRENDS THAT COULD IMPACT YOUR CRAFT BREWING PACKAGING

The beer-making trend since the dawn of the new millennia has been the shift from larger, corporate-owned beer distributors in favor of smaller microbrands. As we move into the third decade of the 21st century, it's clearer than ever that this trend is no longer a trend. It's a significant, grass-roots movement toward more diverse, high-quality beer. Most recently, this movement has embraced the contributions of local and regional breweries as a counterpoint to the distributor-owned national and import craft brands. Read More

ESTIMATING HOT-MELT COVERAGE FOR LARGE APPLIANCE BOXES

Hot-melt is one of the leading forms of industrial glue for manufacturers. The global hot-melt market is worth 7.5 million and is estimated to reach 11.7 million by 2025. Hot-melt adhesive, which may be colloquially called hot glue, is a thermoplastic adhesive. It is available in different forms. Hot-melt is sometimes applied with a hot glue gun, but usually it requires a melt tank and hoses, depending on the packaging and the industry. Read More

HOT MELT VS TAPE: WHICH IS BETTER FOR INDUSTRIAL PACKAGING?

You've designed, perfected, manufactured, and quality checked your product to ensure it adheres to the highest of standards. Now that it's time for packaging, the last thing you want is a flimsy container that will burst open under the strenuous conditions of warehousing, shipping, or shelving. After all, packaging is often your product's first impression on a potential consumer. Read More

MELT-O-CLEAN: THE MAGIC CONTINUES

Just imagine if you could find a cleaner that had it all– a great degreaser, a wonderful cleaner on a variety of substrates, a non-solvent, a nice aroma, and a rating that makes it safe for use with food products. That is exactly what you get with the Melt-O-Clean. It is a citrus-based organic cleaner that replaces solvents. Read More

Still the Best Hot-Melt Purge you can buy

Most maintenance personnel know that regular maintenance extends the life of your equipment and makes it function more consistently and longer. The same is true for hot-melt systems. In order for hot melt systems to continue to work properly, regular maintenance needs to be performed. Cleaning the tanks and flushing the system is an important part of this regular maintenance. Read More