An abundance of new ideas: COSSMA

At the recent General Assembly meeting of Etma, the European tube manufacturers association, the Tube of the Year was chosen. This year, 20 member companies submitted a total of 40 tubes in the prize-winning categories aluminium, plastic, laminate and prototype tubes.

Metallurgica’s aluminium tube embeds digital watermarks invisible to the human eye

Aluminium tube with digital watermark

The first prize in the category Aluminium Tube went to the Italian tubemaker La Metallurgica for a hair dye tube. The special feature here is that the tubes all appear to look the same, thus concealing the actual innovation. A watermark that is □invisible to the human eye is perfectly integrated into the printed image; a special software even allows different digital watermarks to be embedded in the motif. With the help of the Linkreader app, the respective digital marking on the tube can be easily scanned. Using a smartphone or tablet, the consumer then has direct access to the most diverse range of digital data and media. The possibilities are almost endless: the client’s own website, special landing pages, videos, Facebook profiles, contact data for further communication, blogs and forums, and other customised information. A true milestone for consumer-oriented communication of the future and, not least, important added protection against product counterfeiting.

Albéa’s plastic tube has one of the lightest closures in the market

Plastic tube with light flip-top

French producer Albéa carried off the first prize in the category Plastic Tube. A new flip-top cap was developed for the Klorane brand from Pierre Fabre. Compact and flat, the Slim Cap is one of the lightest closures currently available in the marketplace. With its particularly flat shoulders and a special sharp edge, the design ensures that water does not accumulate in the cap. The exceptional shape of the new cap differentiates it clearly from other popular closures and thus gives the tube an eye-catching look. When it comes to consumer perception at the point of sale, it creates a tube with an unmistakeable and powerful presence. Its attractive appearance and characteristic colouring is obtained using a combination of flexo and silk-screen printing.

Easy-to-use laminate tube

The winning Laminate Tube was submitted by Hoffmann Neopac from Switzerland. The no-mess applicator was developed to make the tube for Voltaren even more consumer-friendly and easier to use. The novel massage nozzle for applying the gel is self-closing. At the same time, the special design of the applicator also minimises gel residues after application and is thus cleaner and more hygienic than other solutions on the market.

The particularly stable shape of the tube helps users reach their backs and shoulders more easily.

Linhardt’s prototype tube’s inner  layer has an antimicrobial effect

Clean solution for prototype

The winner in the Prototype Tube category was a tube from the German manufacturer Linhardt. For this literally clean solution special steriones for the inner layer of the tube laminate were developed; these are organo-metallic molecular complexes that do not damage the actual contents of the tube but drastically reduce the negative impact that bacteria, viruses and fungi have on them.

This antimicrobial effect lasts for a period of more than five years so that biocides or nanoparticles cannot cause any damaging effects. The amounts of preservatives required for the product are thus reduced.

Gregor Spengler, Head of Packaging, German Aluminium Association – Gesamtverband der Aluminiumindustrie (GDA), Etma Secretary General, Düsseldorf, Germany