Chesapeake sets up pharma packaging design centre
studio and product development group in the UK, dedicated to
pharmaceutical and healthcare packaging, to strengthen its position
in paperboard packaging in Europe.
The new design centre will focus on constructional design and new product development and is located at the company's Field Boxmore subsidiary manufacturing plant in Nottingham, UK.
Researchers and designers at the centre will evaluate paperboard and plastic substrate materials and printing processes for a wide range of packaging formats including cartons, labels, leaflets, leaflet-labels, booklets and various combinations. Computer-aided design equipment with 3-D simulation and a Kongsberg sample-making table enable the design group to produce prototypes for customer evaluation.
Chesapeake said that driver behind the move was increasing competition in the over-the-counter (OTC) pharmaceutical market, which is heightening the importance of branding and shelf presence in the drug sector. A report from OTC market consultancy Nicholas Hall recently showed that the global OTC market is expanding at just 2.5 per cent a year - static in real terms - and this is increasing the importance of having a well-differentiated, visually attractive product.
The studio at Field Boxmore is also developing solutions in response to ethical pharmaceutical legislation that could require anti-counterfeiting protection, Braille or child-resistant safety features.
Chesapeake believes that its new pharmaceutical and healthcare packaging design studio is the first of its kind in the industry. The company also operates a large design centre in Bradford, UK, which focuses on packaging for international and branded products such as alcoholic drinks, confectioneries and cosmetics.
