The cosmetics industry depends on images of beauty. The pharmaceutical industry needs packaging to protect the contents. Both industries choose to overwrap.
Presentation and packaging drive the sales decision. How a package is wrapped or closed affects how consumers perceive quality and value. The cosmetics industry spends $29.1 billion on packaging alone. The $94 billion pharma spending on packaging is nothing to sneeze at, either.
The time-honored finish for drugs and cosmetics is a rectangular box with clear or printed overwrap. There are hundreds of packaging machines available on the market today.
Read on to compare and contrast Marchesini and SOLLAS AMERICA.
The Best Choice for Drugs and Cosmetics
There are several reasons why the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries choose overwrap instead of other methods of package closure.
Great Looks
Overwraps add to perceived value. A thick clear film or glossy paper gives a “hand-wrapped” look to any box. It adds an air of luxury and quality to perfumes and candy.
No Distortion Prints
Overwrap film does not shrink. Print and seal package messaging without distortion. Advertising and marketing graphics remain pristine.
Frustration-Free Opening
Opening tamper-resistant packaging can come with challenges to people with fine motor and mobility issues. A simple tear tape added during overwrapping allows for quick and easy removal.
Near-Hermetic Seal
The overwrap process provides a tight, almost hermetic seal. Sealing methods like shrink-wrap have small holes to allow air to escape.
Protection from Contamination
Perforated shrink-wrap, even when sealed, allows contaminants, moisture, and air to cross. Contrast this with overwrap films. Overwrap films do not have holes and do not allow air, water or other contaminants to pass.
Tamper-Evident
Overwrapped goods have a multi-fold sealing process that is difficult to duplicate or reseal once opened. Other packaging methods are easy to defeat. Shrink-wrap, for example, is easy to reseal with the use of a hair-dryer.
Economical
A film or paper overwrap used to bundle items is less expensive and wasteful than a complete carton. Block items like soap or cereal boxes are often overwrapped into family packs rather than placed in a carton. Overwrap films and papers are less expensive per meter than the equivalent polyolefin shrink wrap.
Waste Reduction/Green
The overwrap process wastes little film and weighs less than the equivalent volume of shrink wrap. Green films made with cellulose are available.
Saves Energy
An overwrapping machine uses 2 to 6 kilowatts of power to close a package while a shrink-wrap tunnel may take 10x as much power. Heat is only applied to an overwrap at the seals. A shrink-wrap tunnel exposes a package to hot air on all sides.
The Overwrapping Process
Overwrapping takes a rectilinear box, bundle, or carton and rolls a length of film or paper around it. The product travels through a series of rollers and dies to wrap and cut the piece around it.
Once the film piece is cut to fit, the machine seals the base seam. A series of fitted plates tucks and folds the ends. The result is the traditional gift-wrap triangles on each end.
A heated plate then seals the ends. Overwrap films hold a sharp edge crease and have a higher perceived value than flexible shrink wrap.
The Marchesini Group
The Marchesini Group was founded in 1974 to manufacture automatic machinery. Through a series of acquisitions, it entered the overwrap machinery market in 1996. It offers new and rebuilt machinery through agents in 200 countries.
It specializes in fast filling pharmaceutical and cosmetic lines. and offers a wide array of bottle, tube and tub fillers, cartoners and sealers.
Marchesini Machinery
Marchesini offers four overwrapping types, integrated with other automatic lines. Some machines are suitable for stand-alone use. The optional tablet-based controller is a unique aspect of Marchesini automatic lines.
Farplus/C
This fully automatic machine is designed for the pharmaceutical and cosmetic markets. It folds a six-sided complete wrap with lateral envelope folds. The operator controls it via PC. It can handle up to 80 /min
MF910/Mini
This automatic machine is suitable to overwrap cartons and/or regular shaped single or bundled products. It handles up to 100/ min.
MF910/Mini C
This machine is especially suited to the cosmetic industry. It features Teflon plating, chromium finishes and felt conveyers. Speeds up to 100/min.
MF930
This machine uses a polypropylene film and can handle 30/min.
Marchesini makes several other specialized machines for other functions. These are simply the overwrap machines.
The Sollas Company
Sollas is based in The Netherlands. It remains a family-owned enterprise headquartered, near the capital city of Amsterdam. Sollas machinery gets manufactured in The Netherlands, and distributed throughout the European Union and abroad.
Sollas has specialized in overwrapping and banding technology since 1948. Roberts Technology Group of Chalfont, Pennsylvania represents Sollas America in the United States and Canada.
Sollas America supports sales, installation, and service of thousands of Sollas machines in North America.
Overwrap Machines From Sollas
Every Sollas machine gets built with the customer’s exact needs in mind. Select only the features needed. Each order is customized to exact specifications.
Sollas SE Series
The SE Series is the entry-level, easy to maintain manual in-feed overwrapper. It is easy to operate and offers flexible size ranges. It has an advanced Siemens PLC control. The maximum output can reach up to 25/minute.
Sollas XE Series
Machines in this series have a maximum output of 50/minute. This series offers greater efficiency and fast changeovers. It is semi-automatic.
Sollas SX Series
The SOLLAS SX Series advances features and efficiency. The maximum output speeds are 60/minute to 80/minute.
Sollas FSX Series
The most advanced Sollas overwrapper supplied by Sollas America. With a max output of 100/minute and 10-minute changeovers, this machine maximizes efficiency. The FSX Series includes a product data menu that stores all product settings.
Complete sales, installation and service packages are available with your machinery. All machinery and spare parts are manufactured by Sollas entirely.
The Sollas Advantage
What makes Sollas machines special? The Sollas Company takes pride in these qualities.
Visually Appealing Products
Overwraps are already a superior packaging form. Sollas machines create exceptional packaging quality with crisp edges and precise folds.
Longevity
Sollas has manufacturing experience numbering in decades. Specializing in one type of machinery results in consistent machine quality. Spare parts and service worldwide are no problem. It’s easy to get answers and solutions through a wide alliance of partners.
Speed
Sollas overwrappers are speedy. They have output speeds as high as 100 pieces per minute. Rapid changeovers are another bonus. No shutting down lines for hours. Sollas has some of the most highly efficient machines on the market today.
Flexibility
Each Sollas machine is made to custom specifications. As a company grows and changes, a Sollas machine can adapt, as well. Change parts are low-priced and backward compatible.
There really is no quality comparison between a Sollas America customized machine and Marchesini machines.
We can help you find the right features for your packaging process. Contact us today for your quote.