Page 32 - Plastics News February 2022

FEATURE

The Art Of Making Better Bottle

Justin Howell and John Hillenbrand

When designing a bottle, one of the first steps is to bring together stakeholders and hold a “dis-
covery session” to capture all packaging requirements, including the brand’s goals, potential chal-
lenges and more.

apidly evolving consumer demands, pack). Also discussed is the consumer
Ralong with strict retail and regulatory experience. Where will the product
requirements, are driving packaging be sold (convenience store, vending
companies to push the boundaries of machine, etc.)? In other words, there are
what a bottle can be. Nonetheless new multiple “touch points” for the bottle
marketing developments and business that are critical to how it functions and
compulsions so to say such as brand performs to maintain its desired shelf
identity, e-commerce, sustainability and appearance and meet the end user’s
lifestyle are impacting bottle design. needs.
However, while evolving design tools The product development engineer is
allow designers to be more creative and responsible for creating a development
help customers achieve their unique specification while ensuring alignment
brand identity through shape, embossing Establishing the Blueprint for Bottle with customer requirements. The
and etching, there’s more to it than that. Design development specification includes
When a customer approaches a packaging The first step in designing a new bottle material/barrier requirements, type of
company with a new bottle concept, is to bring together all stakeholders— filling process, package performance
there are multiple critical engineering and including both brand and engineering requirements, dimensional aspects of
design methodologies that are deployed teams—to engage in an initial “discovery the package, and how the product will
long before the final product reaches the session” to capture all packaging be delivered to the customer.
customer. Bottle design and development requirements. These sessions help
take into consideration the entire product gauge each stakeholder’s goals for the The development specification also
life cycle, including its performance product, identify potential challenges and allows the technical team to establish both
throughout the supply chain. determine how they will be addressed knowns and unknowns (i.e., what needs

To ensure a successful development, during product development. The to be learned during the development
process) so these issues can be explored
all stakeholders must come together discovery session is particularly valuable and refined. Throughout the process,
at the start of the project to establish in identifying true requirements versus there are a series of review steps that
the goals, functional requirements and other features that may be desirable but allow team members to collaborate and
desired outcomes for each new bottle not necessary and helping to prioritize share knowledge to satisfy stakeholders
design—as well as identify any limitations trade-offs (e.g., the desire for a more with the final specification and product.
or complex challenges associated with rigid side wall versus the desire to reduce
fulfilling those goals.This process not overall bottle weight).
only ensures the desired outcome for the Packaging companies walk customers
brand and bottle, but it also allows the through the bottle life cycle to understand
packaging company to create a work plan the requirements of the bottle and then
that can streamline the manufacturing apply those requirements toward defining
process while offering a more sustainable, a specification. The product life cycle
cost-effective solution. To build a better includes the filling line and how the
bottle, there are a number of process bottle is conveyed, filled and capped,
steps and common factors that designers the labeling system and how the finished
and engineers must consider toward container is packaged (e.g., cases or tray
achieving desired outcomes.

32 PLASTICS NEWS FEBRUARY 2022