Responding to consumer desire for easier-to-open packaging, Sonoco has announced its latest innovation: an easy-open quad-seal flexible bag with Cross-Seal technology.

Brand owners are increasingly adopting the quad-seal bag format for premium packaging in order to stand out at retail. This package format involves sealing along a side corner of the bag rather than via a traditional back seam, which results in four full panels for bright, clear graphics and messaging to help drive brand identity and product differentiation. The squared-off edges offer more billboarding space on the package, as well as improved blocking/facings on the shelf compared to rounded flexible bags.

“The challenge with producing a quad-seal bag is that you want a strong seal down the edge of the bag, but the top of the bag needs to remain easy for the consumer to open,” says Rod Pettis, Sonoco director of flexible packaging technology. “Bags produced with Sonoco’s trademarked Cross-Seal technology are easier for consumers to use because they require less force and open more cleanly, while reducing the potential for corner tears and product spilling.”

Sonoco’s first commercial application for the Cross-Seal technology is in the coffee segment. For coffee manufacturers, Cross-Seal technology minimizes headaches through uncompromised production speeds, greater consistency regarding slip transfer, a wider sealing range and less buildup on sealing jaws compared to pattern-applied heat seals.

Unlike other quad-seal coffee bags on the market, bags produced with Cross-Seal technology do not have to be in perfect registration. “With other quad-seal bag structures, variation in the sealing process can cause difficult or inconsistent opening for the consumer,” says Pettis. “Sonoco’s Cross-Seal technology eliminates this risk.”

Quad-seal bags made with Cross-Seal technology are designed to keep products, such as coffee, fresh while maximizing branding opportunities and customer satisfaction. Sonoco’s expertise in optimized product protection ensures that the product remains at its best when the consumer opens the package. High oxygen barrier and moisture protection provide the optimum consumer experience every time the bag is opened.

Sonoco
www.sonoco.com