The right kind of adhesive can make a package; the wrong kind of adhesive can destroy the integrity of the package and even destroy the product that packaging is protecting.
No kidding, you say? Allow me to explain a couple of scenarios I’ve personally experienced, and I know you have, too.
Take the infamous too-strong potato chip bag – you pull and pull and pull to get the bag open, and nothing. The bag is too strong. The bag is still closed with no tasty chips at your fingertips. You give it a go one more time, this time opening the bag with much more of a yank, and the bag rips open down the side and chips go flying everywhere.
Or even worse than chips flying through the air, is when the adhesive that is too weak for its packaging materials. This adhesive is so weak that it does not keep the bags of chips closed. Bags then start opening during transit, during stocking at the store, or in the customer’s grocery bag on the way home. Not only do the brand owners, their transportation guys, the grocer and their customers have a mess, your company also has a loss.
These are two of many examples of what to avoid when choosing your packaging adhesive. Adhesives definitely are not one-size-fits-all.
Ensure that your package’s materials match the proper adhesive by consulting with an adhesives expert, like Franklin Adhesives. They can help you determine which adhesive will work for your package based on its materials and use, and make sure the chips stay in and come out of the bag when they’re meant to!
Erin J. Wolford is editor in chief of Flexible Packaging magazine,
www.flexpackmag.com, a business publication for those in the flexible packaging industry. Wolford has been in publishing since 2005. Email her at
wolforde@bnpmedia.com.