The pandemic placed a new focus on safety concerns with packaging, especially as it relates to hygiene. And, of course, there is always pressure on cost-effectiveness, including the ability to ship more product in less space.

With its unique approach to the production of single-dose sachets, V-Shapes ticks all these boxes. V- Shapes offers a wide range of solutions to brands, packaging converters and co-packers around the globe. The customer process starts with an in-depth analysis of their packaging needs, educating them about V-Shapes’ unique approach to both sampling and production runs of hygienic and sustainable single-dose sachets that can be opened with a single gesture using one hand. Its unique, vertically integrated machines speed time to market and can eliminate the need to outsource printing of the recyclable substrate with either inline or nearline digital inkjet printing capability.

V-Shapes offers a number of substrate choices for its innovative sachets, key among which is SIHL ARTYSIO flexible packaging film for water-based inkjet, certified recyclable by Interseroh. The two companies collaborated closely during the development process to ensure the substrate delivered the best possible quality and to work through supply chain issues to ensure a reliable supply in both North America and Europe. “We had a very good experience working with SIHL as we developed our innovative vertically integrated and patented single-dose packaging solution. We certainly benefited from their deep knowledge of coatings and substrates, and how inkjet printing of our sachets can be optimized. As a result, the substrates we obtain from SIHL for our customers are delivering even better than anticipated.”, explains Jesper Gustavsson, V-Shapes Business Development and Founding Partner.

But it’s not only making a film printable in aqueous inkjet, according to Ronny Kunze, Global Director Sales and Business Development Packaging of Sihl. “You have to understand the entire functionality needed for the film (printing, barriers, sealing and machinability) in consideration of the filling product, the customer usage and machine concept. With V-Shapes as a partner, we are able to efficiently concentrate on those questions to quickly provide an adequate packaging film solution for their customers. This is especially true of the brand-new high barrier mono-structure ARTYSIO film of based on PP which shows the great results that have come from our partnership. Due to our warehousing program, SIHL ARTYSIO is already available in EMEA as well as North America.”

In addition to precise dosing, V-Shapes patented one-hand opening sachets do not require any air headspace, both reducing the size of the packaging and better protecting contents against oxidization that can occur when air is inserted into the packaging, as is the case with traditional single-unit packaging. Virtually 100% of the contained product is dispensed, reducing waste. In addition to Interseroh certification of recyclability for Sihl substrates, TOMRA, a producer of customized sorting solutions, has confirmed excellent detection of V-Shapes sachets as polypropylene, ensuring that they can be appropriately sorted for recycling in industrial recycling operations.

In addition to their compact footprint, all V-Shapes machines are easy to operate, even with less skilled operators. A single operator can manage multiple machines, reducing labor cost as well. V-Shapes sachets can be customized with variable branded information and sizes ranging from 40x50 mm to 100x100 mm.

The V-Shapes Product Line

The V-Shapes product line includes:

V-Shapes AlphaFlex, a compact, professional-grade system that features high quality full- color synchronized printing on both sides of the sachets, Powered by Memjet DuraFlex® and ColorGATE Packaging Production server. This six-lane machine supports filling volumes from 0.2 to 40 ml at up to 16,000 units per hour.

V-Shapes Alpha is also a six-lane machine, supported by the VSdFlex near-line roll-to-roll printing module that was also developed in partnership with Memjet and ColorGATE, using water-based pigment inks for vibrant imaging and ensuring the ultimate in color quality. Both AlphaFlex and Alpha can use Sihl ARTYSIO flexible packaging film for water-based inkjet, certified recyclable by Interseroh. Entry-level V-Shapes PRIME, a combination of the world’s first narrow flexible ink-jet press

TrojanLabel T2 By TrojanLabel and the compact Prime packaging machine that allows you to have in a minimal space LEAN production and fast delivery of V-Shapes customized unit-dose sachets with the innovative one-hand opening system. It produces up to 2,100 finished unit dose packs per hour and also can use Sihl ARTYSIO flexible packaging film.

For more information contact Jesper Gustavsson email Jesper.Gustavsson@v-shapes.com or Ronny Kunze from Sihl Ronny.Kunze@sihl.com