With the support of SIG’s Connected Pack solutions, Brazilian dairy producer Languiru Cooperative has become one of the leading market players in the southernmost state of Rio Grande do Sul at a time of increasing competition and growing consumer demands. And to reaffirm its ongoing partnership with SIG, Languiru has commissioned another filling line from SIG.

Since implementing SIG’s pioneering digital solutions in 2017, Languiru has experienced a number of achievements. These include greater consumer trust and quality perception in their products, improvements in productivity, and now a market share growth that puts Languiru in the region’s top three largest dairy producers, according to Kantar WorldPanel. Before its traceability project with SIG, Languiru was the fifth largest dairy producer in Rio Grande do Sul.

Languiru operates in an environment where consumers are demanding more transparency in business, more product information, and more digital communication with their brands of choice. Alongside this, food and beverage producers like Languiru need to reliably manage products in their supply chain, and ensure visibility at all times to guarantee efficiency, control and safety.

As a response to these market challenges, Languiru set out to create a new dairy concept: Qualidade do início ao fim, which translates as “Quality from beginning to end”. But in order to realise this promise, the producer needed a solution that not only makes product data easily accessible, but can also drive consumer engagement, trust and brand recognition.

Quality from beginning to end

To technically realise its vision of “Quality from beginning to end”, Languiru turned to SIG’s integrated Connected Pack platform – a drive to deliver unique digital coding technologies and track-and-trace solutions that ensure 100% connectivity and transparency together with greater digital interaction and engagement.

“Languiru has always stood out for the quality of its products, and the use of SIG’s innovative Connected Pack technology has enabled us to strengthen this perception and show consumers that Languiru milk is truly differentiated,” said Languiru Cooperative president, Dirceu Bayer.

As of May 2017, Brazilian consumers of five different Languiru milk products can access quality data, brand information and interactive quizzes directly on their smartphones by scanning a unique on-pack QR code. This QR code system was unprecedented in the food industry when it launched and proved SIG’s early commitment to the connected packaging trend.

“We have no doubt that with SIG we have a greater competitive advantage within the market compared to many other brands,” added Languiru’s Bayer. “SIG understood our demands and developed a tailor-made solution for Languiru that demonstrates quality and therefore adds value to our brand.”

Adding value throughout the supply chain

With a direct link to consumers, Languiru also has the opportunity for digital marketing activities, such as games, quizzes and promotions. In addition to this, in-line monitoring capabilities and vast data collection in the product journey has enabled Languiru to optimise production and logistics, and manage quality risks more proactively. The process of product traceability in the supply chain has now been reduced from five hours to five minutes, making recalls significantly easier. And in 2018, Languiru recorded a productivity improvement of more than 5% at its dairy plant, resulting in less waste and improved costs.

Languiru has also commissioned a third SIG filling machine. This new line ensures that 100% of Languiru’s long-life milk and chocolate milk product Chocolan has surgical traceability with unique QR codes securing end-to-end traceability for consumers and Languiru.

“For SIG, our greatest achievement is the success of our customers. Being part of the growth of Cooperativa Languiru and its consolidation as a market leader in long-life milk in Rio Grande do Sul is very gratifying and shows SIG’s commitment to be not only a supplier but a solution partner,” said Ricardo Rodriguez, CEO of SIG Combibloc Americas.

Traceability from the start for Origem

In August, Languiru launched a new premium milk called Origem. The milk is produced by only five farms, which all have the Good Practices of the Farm seal – a local initiative recognising dairy farms with best practices and processes – and are filled within 24 hours. The originating milk doesn’t have stabilizers, which maintains its purity, freshness and flavour characteristics.

With SIG’s Connected Pack technology, consumers can obtain information about the milk and the farm where it was produced, as well as information from producers, time of collection and satellite images of the farms.

Unique QR codes tied to the originating milk, as well as Languiru’s regular line, offer detailed information on factory quality tests and support traceability all the way to the shelf. This means Languiru can offer consumers an even more premium product with differentiation for those seeking a product of proven quality.

SIG’s Connected Pack is one of three value-adding segments that are part of its Value Proposition to help food and beverage producers meet increasing industry demands. Other solution-driven segments available include Product Innovation & Differentiation, and Smart Factory.

Coveris, a European manufacturer of flexible packaging solutions, is launching a new, sustainable and high-performance version of its CPP film. The latest invention is a cast polypropylene film (CPP), the Coveris Print Layer (PP CPL), designed for flexible packaging of a wide range of food, pet food and non-food products.

With its improved structure, it offers outstanding stiffness that perfectly protects the product from external damage. The key factor behind CPP’s excellent performance is the ability to withstand re-shrinking at high temperatures (0% at 150°C). In addition, the mono-material is retortable and provides strong heat-seal resistance up to 180°C.

Thanks to its 100% PP based structure, it successfully minimises material waste and thus underlines Coveris’ commitment to the circular economy. “In summary, our latest film solution outperforms the standard CPP film’s characteristics and compensates some of the disadvantages the manufacturer experienced in the past. By combining the benefits of normal CPP and BOPP film, it offers ideal properties for flexible packaging of food, pet food and non-food products on the market,” comments Jan-Torsten Vollmer, Head of R&D and Quality Management at Coveris Kufstein.

The new Coveris Print Layer is also perfect for polypropylene laminates. It offers high transparency and gloss, which help brands boost their presence on the supermarket shelves. The new CPP film is available for both flexo and rotogravure printing, which ensures that the graphics catch the customer’s attention.

Simple to install and maintain, the SF82 is a fast response moisture meter measuring dew point and moisture content and is available with a range of process connections and electrical connectors.