Ardagh was again rewarded for pushing the boundaries of metal packaging with a series of awards at the prestigious annual Canmaker Cans of the Year event.
In what has been a very productive year for the company with an emphasis on focussed innovation, recognition for three of its outstanding developments – the world’s lightest aluminium seafood can for Larsen Danish Seafood, the UN SpRing Latch® for Dresdner Lackfabrik novatic GmbH & Co, as well as the matte, embossed beverage can for AND UNION – were particularly rewarding.
The lightweight aluminium seafood can, awarded with a bronze medal, was the result of pioneering development work at Ardagh Group’s specialist aluminium can plant in Cuxhaven, north Germany. Referred to in the industry as a “dingley”, the shaped seafood can has been designed with a conical wall thickness of only 0.170 mm, a significant advance over its nearest competitor at 0.215mm.
SpRing Latch®, awarded with silver, was developed as an easy and secure opening and reclosing system with automatic closing technology to meet UN regulations. The 6-30 liter metal conical pail eliminates the need for manual closing of the standard Latch Ring closure and greatly improves filling efficiencies and customer convenience.
Another silver medal went to the beverage can from AND UNION, who opted for a design which evoked a minimalist message. Together with Ardagh’s Metal Beverage Business Unit, they developed a white, matte and embossed can which allowed them to stay true to their roots. The clean finish is juxtaposed with a series of geometric images, finely embossed into the can which adds texture and creates shadows around its circumference.
Jens Irion, Director Strategic Development at Ardagh Group’s Metal Division, commented: “We look forward to these annual awards as an opportunity to benchmark our work. The feedback we receive from judges is also valuable and is used internally to ensure continued improvement in all aspects of our operations.”
