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FROMPOUCH TOPOOCH

FROMPOUCH TOPOOCHWhy oneJapaneseconverter isabout to bringpuppy love toNorth America

Why oneJapaneseconverter isabout to bringpuppy love toNorth America

Issue 209: March 2019IsIsIsIsIsIsIsssusususususususue e e e e e e e e e 220202020202020202 999:9:9:9999 M M M M M M M M M M Marararaarararara hhchchchchchchchh 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2010110101010101011999999999Issue 209: March 2019

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STAND-UP POUCHES

M ore than a century ago, TakigawaCorporation Japan was producingmusical instruments. To a fanfare in

the mid-1960s, the factory was converted tofilm extrusion and synthetic resin moulding,with gravure printing following some yearslater.

In 2002, Takigawa moved its plant to Fun-abashi in the east of Tokyo and started singlelayer and slider bag production. Since 2007, ithas focused on square-bottom bags or flat-bottom pouches, which turned out to be asmart move. From a single plant in Japan,Takigawa has since opened sales offices inSingapore and the US, and a second plantstarted in Vietnam seven years ago. This yearwill see the opening of a plant in the USA,which could be a pivotal moment for the com-pany, as its president Hiroyuki Takigawaexplained.

“We started small in Japan and step-by-step the quality of our products allowed us togain new customers and partners as theyintroduced Takigawa to other companies.Today, we are producing about 60 million flat-bottom pouches a year in Japan. We were thefirst to bring flat-bottom pouches to diverseapplications and pet food has become a majorsector for us. Over the years, we have developeda very close collaboration with Royal Canin.Pet food is a very sensitive product to pack; itneeds excellent barriers, as animals areextremely sensitive to aromas. Today, fillingequipment runs at high-speed and functionalelements such as closures, modified atmospherepackaging and ease-to-handling are prerequi-sites. The look of the pouch conveys brandquality but also an emotional value, with theanimal being part of the family.”

One of the president’s sons (part of thefourth generation at the company), generaldirector Sho Takigawa, added: “To keep ourleading position in this sector over the years,we have our strategy focused on quality andinnovation, as a superior packaging producer.We want to grow together with our customer,offering high production efficiency, timely inno-vation to meet their needs and providing out-standing service. With only three rejectedbags out of 60 million bags delivered, we aimfor a 100 per cent service indicator level.

“Another example: In 2011, the earthquakedamaged our Japanese factory with extensivepower cuts. Within a week, we purchased agenerator and air freighted our products tocustomers to respect the deadline. It wascostly at the time, but we won the customerloyalty in the long term.”

The Funabashi plant operates with 250staff across the entire packaging productionprocess. In this ultra-clean environment, firstcomes film-making in polyethylene andpolypropylene, and then rotogravure printing,seen as the most reliable solution for colourmanagement of accuracy at differentials ofDelta E 1.5-2 (Delta measures the differencebetween two colours), depending on customerneeds.

“Colour accuracy is very important for ourinternational accounts so their bags all lookthe same in every country,” he explained.

To offer state-of-the-art printing, Takigawanow also offers digital printing with an HP20000 press dedicated to sample, promotionaland short runs. The next phases of productionare lamination (extrusion and dry) and thenbag making, with careful inspection qualitycontrol at each step. Warehouses complete the

plant with automated guided vehicle (AGV)robots to transport heavy loads.

Hiroyuki Takigawa continued: “Our plantin Vietnam (50km from Ho Chi Minh City) isbuilt on a similar pattern and operates underthe same production model to get similarresults. The goal is to allow each plant to backup the other. Takigawa is a family business somy son Yu Takigawa leads this (Vietnam)factory. It employs 290 staff and caters mainlyfor the export markets (Australasia, Europeand North America). Our company believesstrongly in external audits, not so much forthe certificate itself as for the search for con-tinuous improvement. Yet the Vietnam plantis proud of an AA for its BRC Packaging auditand here our Japanese plant has an A scoregranted by TUV. But you know how we are, weJapanese: perfectionists and competitive!”

Another motivational tool that could beseen on the wall of the Takigawa factory is the5S method. This workplace organisation methoduses a list of five Japanese words that can betranslated as: Sort, Set In Order, Shine, Stan-dardise and Sustain.

This describes how to organise a workspace for efficiency and effectiveness by identi-fying and storing the items used, maintainingthe area and items, and sustaining the neworder. The decision-making process usuallycomes from a dialogue about standardisation,which builds understanding among employeesof how they should do the work. However, anadditional ‘S’ is added to the Takigawa boardand stands for Participation.

“To continue our growth and maintain ourlevel of service, we decided to open a plant inthe US. That is the reason why a few dozenoperators from America are here for training.

From pouchto poochTwo years ago at a large European exhibition, a Japanese converter promotedhigh-quality bags and stand-up pouches to the international market. Thatsame company is about to open its first North American plant as it introducesits wares overseas. Dominique Huretvisited the company

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They have to understand and learn our way ofdoing flexible bags and pouches,” explainedHiroyuki Takigawa.

The US project has been a very interestingprocess for Takiagawa and started with 300potential sites, narrowed down to 50 and thento three. Finally, Bardstown in Kentucky wasselected as the best option both economicallyand for staffing reasons. Occupying 17 acres,the plant will be four times the size of the com-

pany’s other two factories and is expected toopen soon

“We really want to get closer to our cus-tomers with an international presence andour objective is to offer ‘Japanese Quality’ tomore than 14 countries,” the president con-cluded.More information from Takigawa Corporation Japan, 4 Chome-12-1,Narashino, Funabashi, Chiba 274-0071, Japan. Tel: 81 47 403 6300.Email: info@takigawa-corp.com. Web: takigawa-corp.com

The Japanese art of the pouchTakigawa’s latest innovations fall into severalkey themes:

Environment– A 100 per cent PE flat-bottom bag provides an easier-to-recyclemono-material structure, although it is harderto produce on account of the seals being trickyto manufacture.

Safety– Takigawa launched the ChildProtect pouch with standard zipper. In this casethere is a hollow cavity on the zipper thatconsumers put a finger in to open the package.It cannot be opened like the average package bysimply pulling, unless great strength is applied.These two features make the package child-resistant.

Convenience– The Tear-Rite pouch allowsthe package to be opened easily by tearing dueto the use of a specially manufactured film. Witha notch on the package, there is no need forscissors, and this results in a straight and cleantear.

In addition, the PacXpert pouch is used as asolution for natural disasters. Japan is a countrythat experiences a lot of earthquakes, typhoonsand tsunamis, so PacXpert is used to supportpeople in such times, as it is an easy-to-pourbag in a soft material.

Technical– Fibre-Vent allows air to bereleased from the package, but since there is noactual hole, insects cannot enter the pack. Theair release part of the Fibre-Vent can also beadjusted. Japanese consumers are very keen onairtight packaging for aroma-preservation andhygiene reasons.

Decorative packaging– Matte varnishesand shiny effects can be printed on the samepackage for attractive results, but differentvarnishes also have different ‘slip’ coefficientsfor small or large bags. For stable palletisation,large bags often need low slip while smallerones might need a higher slip.

Top left: Takigawa is strong in pet food. Top right:Pets are king in Japan. Above: The company’s ChildProtect pouch features a zipper for tamper-resistance.Right: Pet food shelves in Japan are a popular location for flexible packaging

President Hiroyuki Takigawa presents the company’s matte varnish pouch

Above: Pet foodpouches with extra sheen.Right: General director Sho Takigawa holdsa pouch of super premium pet food

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