The tube is a packaging solution with a future
On the occasion of the 175th anniversary of the invention of the tube, etma – the european tube manufacturers association – held the World Tube Congress in Berlin at the beginning of June 2016. Under the title of "175 Years of Flexible Tubes – And Still Going Strong" some 130 international professionals met, representing the entire process chain of tube production. Numerous talks and presentations with subsequent lively discussions grappled with the challenges and future prospects of the tube as package.
etma president Dr. Monika Kopra-Schäfer, Michael Hoard, president of the US Tube Council, and Ashok Goel, CEO of Essel Propack, agreed: Even if a drop in growth in the world economy was making the situation in the main markets in Europe, North America and Asia more difficult, the tube is still a packaging solution with a future. Challenges that would have to be mastered in future include the increasing complexity of the international markets with ever-smaller batch sizes and constantly increasing demands on decoration, a tightening of legal requirements on food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic products, and rising expectations on the sustainability of the packaging. Megatrends such as an aging society, evolving buying behaviour of increasingly mobile consumers (subject: Internet shopping), and "Big Data" (the package as communication tool) are a few examples of the subjects concerning the future that are affecting the branch.
"In addition to the expert input from the speakers, we also wanted to offer all participants an opportunity to exchange information between the various disciplines. An optimisation in the collaboration across all levels of the process chain in particular will continue to boost the success of the tube," emphasized the congress organiser, Gregor Spengler. "And we certainly accomplished that in Berlin. This is evident not only from the many discussions and stimulating conversations, but especially from the wide spectrum of disciplines and international firms represented."