Unique Stand-Up Pouch for Motor Oil

It all started with a cleaner, greener product. In 2009, Universal Lubricants brought a fresh environmentally conscious product to the automotive marketplace with the introduction of ECO ULTRA, a re-refined synthetic blend motor oil made from used oil that is purified of spent additives to produce high-quality Group II base oil. This "green" base oil is blended with performance-enhancing additives to make ECO ULTRA. Universal Lubricants executives say the quality of the ECO ULTRA formulation is comparable to or better than oil made from crude. The Wichita, Kan.-based firm collects, re-refines, blends, and re-distributes the oil, and has gained a business-to-business following through car dealerships, quick lube shops, and installers.

But what's a cleaner, greener product without a cleaner, greener package? In 2012, Universal Lubricants began exploring options to extend ECO ULTRA's environmental benefits to its exterior, and ideally, expand the motor oil's share of market. Initially distributed to the installer and fleet market in bulk and drums, and then later in 1-quart to 2.5-gallon plastic bottles, ECO ULTRA needed a package that more strongly supported its sustainability, yet reinforced the oil's high-quality, high-performance positioning.

The solution came in the form of the stand-up pouch—a flexible packaging construction that has attracted a growing number of rigid package conversions in the consumer segment over the past decade, from early applications in tuna and juice to more recent laundry detergent and condiment entries. For ECO ULTRA, the pouch not only reduces packaging material, landfill waste, and bulk space requirements, but also—thanks to overall consumer enthusiasm for this package type—offers potentially enhanced appeal in the consumer retail environment.

Pouch pro partnerships

To push the ECO ULTRA pouch concept forward, Universal Lubricants teamed with Star Packaging, an Atlanta-based flexible packaging printer, laminator, and converter. "Star had a lot of experience and a proven track record with the type of package Universal Lubricants envisioned," comments Jessica Pianalto, assistant product manager. "They were at the top in terms of developing a package that works historically, and very knowledgeable in terms of customized design. They were also very willing to take the project on."

This willingness is a standard component of Star Packaging's interactions with end users, maintains Brian Votaw, Star's director of sales and business development. The 155-employee converter, with operations in Atlanta and Tampa, frequently sits down with prospects to talk through new packaging ideas, providing feedback and suggestions, and arming companies with all the information they need to get started, he says. To further assist in that capacity, both Star facilities house prepress, platemaking, warehousing, and R&D lab services, and offer mid-50˝, 8- and 10-color flexographic printing, via Windmoeller & Hoelscher presses in Atlanta, and PCMC and Comexi presses in Tampa. Additionally, while both facilities feature multiple adhesive laminators and pouch lines, Atlanta's operation includes three Inno-lok® Transverse zipper insertion lines and Tampa's facility operates several side weld poly bag machines.

According to Votaw, Star had conducted a preliminary exploration of motor oil spouted pouch applications before its formal conversations started with Universal. "We got a call from another oil blend company because a customer had asked them about putting their product in a pouch," he relates. "We started talking about different options and recommended the spout was the way to go." Star knew a strong resource for producing the spout—Peachtree City, Ga.-based Innovative Packaging Network (IPN)—was close to its Atlanta facility, and presented the prospect with a solution that combined the firms' services. Due to a business connection with the prospect, Universal Lubricants representatives also heard this presentation, and ultimately decided to run with the concept on their own, Votaw recalls.

Ultimately, ECO ULTRA became the first re-refined motor oil to be offered at the retail level in a flexible package. It took about six months of reviewing mock-ups and prototypes; researching and testing pouch materials, spouts, and solutions; and gauging customer feedback via online consumer surveys, focus groups, and even conversations with NASCAR® fans at the Daytona 500®.

The finalized ECO ULTRA FlexPak features a 6-mil, 3-layer barrier construction of polyester, nylon, and linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) which is flexo-printed in seven colors and formed into pouches on a Totani pouch machine at Star's Tampa plant. The FlexPak's high-density polyethylene (HDPE) Clean Spout 106 XLR, developed by IPN for a smoother, less spill-prone pour, is inserted at IPN's Peachtree City facility. The pouches are filled through the spout and cap back at Universal Lubricants, which opted to build its own filling line for ECO ULTRA.

The pouch design's improved environmental impact is clear upon sight. According to Universal Lubricants, the FlexPak requires 68 percent less raw material to manufacture than the previous rigid plastic bottle. Its smaller size and lighter weight significantly reduce freight costs; one truckload of unfilled FlexPaks is said to equal 26 truckloads of unfilled rigid plastic containers. Additionally, the pouch's flat form after use reduces landfill wastes.

Double-checks and do-overs

ECO ULTRA's transition to the pouch progressed amid numerous decisions and revisions. "We started with the one quart size determination and then had conversations [with Universal Lubricants] about other features that were desirable," Votaw remembers. "We decided on a small spout because it offered less spillage and was a better cost point." The pouch's round handle was devised after lengthy discussions about ECO ULTRA customer preferences, and the package's final footprint was the result of careful testing to assure the oil could be sold in any retail environment.

At Universal Lubricants, internal buy-in of the FlexPak design took some time. "Our salespeople approached the new package design with caution," reveals Nancy Blanchat, marketing director. For instance, the team expressed initial concerns about the spout's size, but put those concerns aside after observing the spout's smooth pour.

Finalizing artwork also proved to be a lengthy internal process. Blanchat estimates ten versions were created and revised to arrive at the desired layout, which had to effectively accommodate the pouch's folds, curves, wrinkles, and non-firm shape. According to Votaw, the artwork's cool gray color scheme, with its screens and gradients, can be "notoriously difficult" to print. Star used metallic inks and optimized the flexo print process to keep the graphics clean and defined to accentuate the package's features. Votaw goes on to say, "Our W&H ten-color press, along with our experienced printing and graphics teams, did an outstanding job in the end."

Externally, Universal Lubricants actively gathered customer commentary throughout the package development process and adjusted design plans accordingly. "The first run [of the pouch] was really a test," Blanchat clarifies. "We had installers work with it and give us feedback. In the next round of production, we strengthened all the seals, and moved around some artwork."

A bigger, broader future

ECO ULTRA is currently available for wider consumer purchase through Amazon.com, and Universal Lubricants is looking at other national retailers for the oil. A 5.1-quart ECO ULTRA pouch is set for release in the first quarter of 2013. Blanchat says the same "test run" process will be followed for the new package, and Pianalto adds that the pouch construction could also be applicable for Universal's ECO ULTRA transmission fluids and anti-freeze products.

Votaw reports that Star is looking at even larger-sized spouted pouches with handles—as large as four gallons—for other liquid product applications. "The biggest barrier to transitioning to pouches," he observes, "is the existing capital investment in rigid packaging equipment." It's more productive, he continues, to target new applications and product lines for a pouch conversion, and align any new equipment investments with product launch objectives. (In Universal Lubricants' case, the investment in a filling line for the ECO ULTRA pouch brought all aspects of production of the oil in-house.) At the same time, Votaw believes, continued in-roads in pouches will cause competing rigid packages to lose market share, and ultimately compel those brands to consider their own rigid-to-pouch transition. pP