Customers of Qube, a flat fold tube design, featuring a gold metallized polyester carton tube base with gold tinplate lid include Asda Extra Special Handmade Cornish Sea Salt Caramel Fudge and Asda Extra Special Prosecco & Raspberry Flavoured Belgian Milk Chocolate Truffles.
Rigid tube packaging
But more recently, The Serious Sweet Company in Harrogate, UK, and Dutch chocolatier, Baronie have signed up to the product because it has supply chain and environmental benefits over conventional rigid tube packaging systems.
“We are delighted with the interest in the Qube,” said Richard Pacey, creative director, Qualvis.
“We had complete faith in the design from the outset. It ticks the right boxes from a supply chain perspective by offering manufacturers an alternative to rigid packaging.
“All that was needed was an appropriate application, as in this case provided by confectionery manufacturers. Given the interest in the pack, the design appears to have much potential for other applications.”
Qualvis is based in Leicester, UK, and has a 76,000 sq ft manufacturing facility supplying in-house packaging design, carton construction, pre-press, window patching, pick & place ridged windows, gluing, coding and finishing services.
Investment program
The business recently completed a £5m investment program, which included a dual digital packaging line Xerox iGen 4 sheet-fed digital printer, side-by-side with an iGen5 automated line. The company has also invested in a seven-colour KBA Rapida 106 litho press, which will be used for printing confectionery, distillery, cosmetics and high-end food packaging.
“We spent 18 months researching the best match for our needs and the two Xerox digital presses are ideal. As a print and packaging business we are seeing diminishing run lengths and increasing demand for innovation from our customers, including personalisation and localisation,” said Jason Short, MD, Qualvis.
“Brands and retailers are looking for variety and having the ability to produce quick-to-market packaging is essential.”