Holland-based Impress said its new generation of peelable ends, for use in continuous retorting processes, have a reduction in weight by up to 50 per cent in comparison to standard easy open ends.
The development of the new Easip end was a result of collaboration with French food company Bonduelle, continued the manufacturer.
Impress explained that its Easip consists of an aluminium membrane heat-sealed onto a metal ring, and the ring is then double seamed onto a food can using standard seaming technology.
Flexible membrane
According to the can manufacturer, the new lid can withstand pressure differentials of up to 1.3 bars in continuous retorts, and during sterilisation the membrane will flex to accommodate pressure changes which occur between the can and the retort during processing.
The convenient opening, continued Impress, does not jeopardize the performance of the can. The manufacturer claims that attributes such as barrier to oxygen and light and long ambient shelf life are retained with the peelable end.
Price hike
The company maintains that it this type of packaging innovation that can help mitigate material costs as it is set to pass on tinplate prices increases to its customers next year.
Impress said that while it has negotiated over the past few months to secure competitive pricing levels and volume of supply with tinplate suppliers, it still has no choice but to pass on the higher costs in 2009.
The company has not, as yet, announced the percentage of the hike in its pricing.
Nick Ince, director of sourcing at Impress, said that the company will continue to standardise and lightweight its product ranges to assist the supply chain in terms of cost reduction.
The announcement follows a similar move by Crown Packaging Europe in October when it reported an increase in its prices for tinplate food cans by 32 per cent from 1 January, 2009.
Crown cited supply shortages and tin mill closures as having a negative impact on the commodity's pricing, and it said that it had no choice but to pass on the increases to its customers.