Herti is a company with 20 years of experience in the production of aluminum, plastic and composite pilfer proof closures for glass and pet bottles. The quality is top priority when providing products, entirely satisfying the needs of the customers: leading world producers of different types of wines and spirits, mineral water, juices, olive oil and pharmaceutical products.
The products of Herti are supplied in precise and constant quality in more than 50 countries worldwide.
Naturally we face grate challenges working in the packaging industry. One of the biggest was to work out and offer to the market an aluminum wine closure suitable for all kinds of wines and at the same time to preserve the carbon dioxide of fizz wines. Our efforts resulted in developing and launching “Vinstar Smart” – a patented technology combining the stability of PVC-free compound and the standard BVS closure that keeps the internal pressure up to 4 bars and can be used for capping still and sparkling wines. Vinstar Smart is available in two dimensions 30x60 and 28x44 which allows them to be decorated by 5 colors offset print and hot foil and gives the bottle complete and premium image. This closure is another step in the developing of the BVS stoppers, first used in Australia, and for the wine industry this is a perfected technology which can enlarge its application.
Our focus on aluminum closures for the past two decades helped us to continuously upgrade and perfect our products and make them part of the visual impact and safety of our customers brands. We are going to follow that course in the next years to provide our clients with individual and customized packaging solutions, corresponding to the market requirements. For the next 5 years our main efforts will be put in new technologies and developing of new products complying with the market trends to enlarge markets and boost sales.
Our plans for the future are to optimize the energy costs and improve the efficiency by increasing the production capacity and investing in new machines. We will study the needs of the packaging industry and try to develop products for more different sectors in the industry. Our main task is to improve the processes in the company and keep them in harmony with the outside processes in the light of the market, the product and the client.
The three main principles for the company while working on a new project are as follows:
- · The product has to bring benefit to the client and to the society
- · It should be manufactured accordingly to the latest technology, ecological standards and efficient energy costs
- · It should comply with the latest market trends and bring long term benefits for the customers and for us.
A key factor for the success of packaging industry is innovation. It is important not only for entering new markets, but also to keep the company at the top. Another factor is the relation between the quality and the price. If a product does not have the “money for value” feature, all other benefits could be missed for the client. The successful sale should be supported by a good after sales service. Even if you offer a good product at a good price the customers have to rely on a free of charge technical service and advice. Respecting those three factors and following them strictly is an important reason for the company success during the years and helps it to become better in the sector in which it operates.
We face a lot of challenges from our customers, but most often they require a low cost packing product, which is an incentive for us to optimize and improve our processes and to search and use quality materials with lower production costs. Our clients receive a better price and we implement new technologies to achieve this. The trend for using eco and biodegradable materials in product packaging is also one of the big challenges on the market. A particular challenge for us is the work on specific projects for closures, corresponding to the individual requirements of our clients. Every new project that we realize together with our partners is a specific challenge and brings benefits both for us and
for the customer. Coping not only with major, but also with minor challenges which clients and the market put before us, gives us incentive to perfect the technology, develop innovative products and constantly improve our production and delivery processes.
The trends are different for each sector. In the wine industry this is the use of aluminum closures which successfully partly replaced the cork stoppers in the last decade and still continue to change and develop. No other packaging element of the wine has changed so quickly and effectively, gaining market share by its quality and advantages. This trend changed the market in the wine industry, pushed back the use of synthetic and natural cork and gave the aluminum cap a deserved place in the diverse wine packaging.
The spirit sector stays stable in the last years but its packaging strives for a more premium look by using elaborate original bottles and closures to attract the attention of consumers. This is the reason why spirit producers prefer and seek for composite closures (combination of aluminum and plastic) of the type GPI. Our customers look for a changed image of the bottle and outstanding design and an impressive composite or aluminum closure is obligatory for the complex appearance of the packaging.
The main trend for the plastic products is to make the package lighter. The pet bottles and plastic caps find more and more application in the beverage industry and at the same time requirements to their environmental impact grow. The manufacturers of plastic caps are looking for acceptable solutions to diminish its weight and work together with pet bottle producers who pursue the same aim to answer the higher ecological standards. All this leads to lower production costs and decreased price of the package for the benefit of consumers and producers.
The packaging industry reflects the development of the food and beverage sectors which it serves.
The statistics for the beverage packaging on a world scale show growth in water consumption as well as wine and low spirit drinks. It determines the higher demand for packing products in this field. The enhanced consumption leads to increasing the variety of bottles, labels and closures for the industry. The raw materials also change and all this helps the packaging industry to develop. The main requirements before it stay the lightness, eco standards, impressive design and lower price. The packing producers have to conform with all these requirements and perfect their products on all levels especially in the food and beverage industry which grows faster compared to others.
Name: Ms. Ina Ivanova
Designation: Head of Foreign Sales Department
Organization: Herti JSC