O-P-C Spells Industrial Success

Industrial Label teamed with Bemis' Pet Products Div. to produce the first resealable label closure for pet food bags.

By Jessica Millward

IT WAS THE beginning of a beautiful friendship. For the pinch-bottom bag market, Bogey and Bergman have nothing on the collaboration between Bemis' Pet Products Division and Industrial Label Corp., both located in Omaha, NE. The two companies jointly developed the O-P-C™ (Open-Pour-Close) easy-open and reclosable label feature for bulk bags of dry pet foods—the first of its kind.

After two years of intensive research and development, the O-P-C is now available for commercial use. Consumers will first see the O-P-C in action on bags of Thompson's Pasta Plus® dry dog food, manufactured by Thompson's Nutritional Technology, Inc. (TNT).

Dynamic duo

"The pet food industry has been asking for an easy-open feature on pinch-bottom bags for years," observes Mike Schmitt, vice president, Bemis Pet Products. Armed with a vision, Quality and Product Development Manager Ron Thrall came up with a preliminary design.

Thrall's conception of the label was focused on an easy-peel feature, strong adhesion for a secure seal, and, in manufacture, a simple application at the top end of the glue-sealed bag. With Thrall's blueprint in tow, Bemis searched for a partner in the O-P-C's evolution, one able to determine how the design could be executed efficiently and consistently. Enter Industrial Label.

Founded in 1959, Industrial Label is a rapidly growing label printing and converting company. The company currently produces labels, coupons, inserts, and booklets primarily for the food and beverage markets. In addition, ILC offers complete graphic design service and distributes automatic label/applicating and printer/applicating equipment.

Monnie Peterson, executive vice president, recalls that Bemis first contacted ILC about the O-P-C's design in July of 1998. "Ron Thrall had worked with our engineering people before," he explains. Thrall therefore found it easy to begin work with Jim Freeman, manager, label engineering, and Wayne Piper, director of equipment sales. The three would eventually share co-inventor patent credit for the O-P-C.

Label logistics

To prevent the label from tearing the printed outer layer of the bag as it is pulled open, Freeman designed the bottom layer with a permanent adhesive to adhere to the bag. The second clear, plastic layer employs a striped adhesive that delaminates, separating the label structure. Opening and reclosing information is printed on the outer layer surface.

The O-P-C team faced its first major challenge in constructing the reseal device. To keep clear of any food product and avoid contamination, the reseal adhesive needed to be on the bag rather than on the opening flap, as is the case with most reseal designs.

Eventually the engineers concocted a new take on the reseal standard. As Peterson notes, "We had done seal/reseal constructions in the past, but what is so unique about this one is it is backwards." To produce the heavy-gauge, multi-layer structure, the team procured a specialty coater-laminator that reverse-coated with the adhesive on the reseal layer.

The other crucial factor in the successful production of the O-P-C label was its placement on the bag. "It has to be precisely positioned on the bag, or the closure does not work properly," affirms Peterson.

Piper coordinated the design of the label applicators himself. They are custom-built by a supplier partner to handle the heavy, rigid construction of the O-P-C feature, and operate at speeds ranging from 120 bags per minute to140 bags per minute.

Industrial Label prints the labels from 10.5&Mac253; roll stock, die cuts them into 5&Mac253;x3&Mac253; sections, and delivers them to Bemis in a fan-fold format. They are spliced in-line for continuous application.

A Windmoeller & Hoelscher in-line bottomer machine forms the bag plies into a tube and cuts the tube ends in graduated steps for sealing. The label is then applied as the peel bar on the applicator strips the label from its release liner and, it is wiped onto the bag.

O-P-C in action

The O-P-C feature lends instant recognition and differentiation to the Thompson's pet food bags, giving the company an edge in the fiercely competitive pet food market. In addition, TNT President Jeff Herbster says, "it provides the consumer with significantly better bag handling ease and convenience, as well as excellent product protection."

Those selling points are likely to hook a host of manufacturers, from those in the pet food industry to the entire granular, bulk packaging market. As Peterson summarizes, with the O-P-C label, "we are taking existing adhesives and facestocks and putting them together in a completely new way." Pinch-bottom bags will continue to reap the benefits of that research.