All that glitters is not metal

Keep the great look of metal while getting the benefits of plastics. This is possible with the In-Mould Labelling technique from RPC Superfos. The paint producer PPG has successfully completed a huge conversion from metal to plastic for a top end product.

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Metal pails may to some people appear the only right type of packaging for paint. Others consider plastic pails more up-to-date and easier to handle. The French part of the American PPG Group has now made the move from metal to plastic and has no regrets, on the contrary:

“Our prior pails for the top end range paint under the main brand GUITTET, MAT 78 HydroPlus, COVRYL and SATINEA were made of metal. Part of the design - before with metal and now with plastic - is the nude, shiny metal look; an area without decoration of any kind. We were pleasantly surprised by how well it could be done with In-Mould Labelling. It perfectly incorporates the notion of high quality paint, so converting to plastic was worth doing; the result is absolutely splendid,” says Saura Mamvukila, Marketing and Packaging Executive at PPG.

Plastic and metal in one family
RPC Superfos has created a big surface with a metal effect on the plastic pail by making use of In-Mould Labelling. Compared to the prior pails of metal and to the existing range of paint sold in metal containers, Saura Mamvukila finds that the resemblance is striking.

“We have a family image where metal and plastic co-exist and therefore it is important that the different packaging solutions look good together. And they do,” she says and continues:
 “The conversion demanded numerous tests but the final result is exceptionally satisfying. RPC Superfos ambitiously kept on going until we obtained the final impeccable result: a container of a very high quality in all aspects. It has been a pleasure to work with the truly professional team from RPC Superfos.”

For the professional painter
The chosen packaging solution is SuperLift Extra which has a steel handle with a roller grip for better handling. This is important as the GUITTET range of interior paint has a volume of 15 litres, targeting the professional segments. To make it easy to open the lid, a new version of the tool FlexOpener from RPC Superfos has been adapted for SuperLift. The staff that operates the tinting machines at the points of sales simply use the FlexOpener - a little piece of hard plastic – to open the pail in no time and without getting sore hands.

The other marks are jealous
According to Saura Mamvukila, employees working with other brands within the PPG Group have expressed their admiration for the new packaging solution, almost showing a tendency towards jealousy. But Saura Mamvukila stresses that there must be a difference; the exclusiveness must be reserved for certain product lines. However, she does fancy plastic for paint in general and says: 

“At the end of the day, I find that plastic is the most contemporary kind of packaging. More and more paint producers head in that direction.”