Tube of the Year Winners Announced

The FlexaTube, manufactured by Graham Packaging Co., was named International Tube of the Year/Innovative Tube of the Year.

The Tube Council (Naperville, IL) has announced the 13 recipients of its 2003 Tube of the Year awards. The awards, presented at the council�s 2004 spring conference in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on April 28�30, honor companies that manufacture tubes for the pharmaceutical, medical, food, personal care, and dentifrice industries.

The Colgate Simply White Dual-Chamber Tube, manufactured by AISA Automation Industrielle SA, won an award for Innovative Component/Process of the Year.

Seven judges chose this year�s winners, selected from a total of 70 entries. The tubes were judged for consumer appeal of the package, including graphics, decoration, shape, closure, texture, ease-of-use, and technical merit. Awards were also given for best laminate, metal, and plastic tubes. Additional categories were international tube of the year, innovative tube of the year, and innovative component/ process of the year. The council also announced selected showcase winners, along with the Ted Klein Tube of the Year. Some of the winning products and their corresponding categories include:

FlexaTube, manufactured by Graham Packaging Co. (York, PA), won International Tube of the Year/Innovative Tube of the Year. This tube is an extrusion blow-molded squeezable tube with a one-piece construction formed by standard extrusion blow-molding methods. The container�s retractable shoulder can be positioned in an inverted position to enable the tube to stand by itself and be popped out for dispensing.

The Olbas Analgesic Salve tube, manufactured by Montebello Packaging, won the award for Metal Tube of the Year.

Colgate Simply White Dual-Chamber Tube, manufactured by AISA Automation Industrielle SA (Vouvry, Switzerland), won Innovative Component/Process of the Year. The tube is composed of a thin multilayer divider film welded onto the inner tube body walls and molded onto the tube shoulder with separate orifices for each cavity. The package�s thin divider film has minimal influence on the pressure distribution during squeezing, and the equal pressure applied on both component parts results in accurate closing.

Flexogan 100g Arthritis Pain, manufactured by Montebello Packaging (Hawkesbury, ON, Canada), won Pharmaceutical Tube of the Year. The product comes packaged in a colorfully decorated laminate tube and rests easily on a stand-up, flip-top cap. Its flexible laminate material is reportedly easy to use for pain sufferers.

The Pharmaceutical Tube of the Year award went to Flexogan 100g Arthritis Pain, manufactured by Montebello Packaging.

Burt�s Bees Toothpaste, manufactured by CCL Plastic Packaging Inc. (Los Angeles), won Dentifrice Tube of the Year. The 3�4 � 3-in. tubes contain five layers, with the middle layers made of 45% postconsumer (PC) resin. Tube heads are foil sealed and purport to be the first ever PC tube and PC resin cap produced in North America.

Burt�s Bees Toothpaste tube, manufactured by CCL Plastic Packaging Inc., was named Dentifrice Tube of the Year.

Olbas Analgesic Salve, manufactured by Montebello Packaging, won Metal Tube of the Year. This aluminum tube contains a sealed aluminum membrane and cold-seal adhesive that ensure oxygen barrier until point of use. It is printed in five colors and is capped with a white fez puncture tip.

Judges for this year�s awards included Ben Miyares of Packaging Machinery Manufacturers Institute (Arlington, VA); Paul Popiel, certified packaging professional and packaging engineer for Blistex; and John Bitner, a pharmaceutical industry consultant formerly of Pfizer.