Despite a drop in turnover resulting from the current health crisis, German contract manufacturer Weckerle has a number of investments in the pipeline: MS3, its new filling line, packaging innovations Myconic, the supplier’s first 100% recycled cosmetics pen and Click n’Break, its lipstick sampling solution. A press conference last week gave the lowdown on the latest developments.
In response to consumer demand for more sustainable packaging solutions, Weckerle is poised to launch Myconic, a mono-material, airtight pen made entirely of recycled and recyclable PCR material, according to the supplier. It was designed to be lightweight and is said to be 23% lighter than previous generations. The formula is available with either a flat or slanted bullet.
Sampling solution Click ’n Break is a single-use lipstick “capsule” with a .04ml capacity. The pack will be offered in 100% RPET or alternately a bio-based PP, while a biodegradable packaging solution is under study. The cap was designed to break off easily thanks to its narrow break force tolerance.
These launches come in the context of the supplier’s sustainability strategy to make its packaging recyclable, reusable or compostable by 2025. To reach this goal it is working towards refillable formats, favoring mono-material packs (mainly PET and bio-plastics) and reducing decoration to the “bare minimum”, with a reduction in its use of microplastics.
On the industrial front, this year Weckerle has also developed a new-generation filling line, Multi Stick 3 (MS3), which has already been deployed to its sites in the US, Mexico and Germany. Specialized in top and back filling, soft mold, metal molded lipsticks, sticks and pencils, it can also fill jar, bottle and pan formats. What sets the machine apart is its mastery of mold temperature for each phase of production: pre-heating, dosing, cooling and demolding. Thanks to the induction-heated system, silicone molds can reach a surface temperature of up to 60°C, while metal molds can reach 100°C in just a few seconds. Another novelty is the machine’s magnetic carrier system.
“This new technology makes for an optimized process for bulk crystallization. Originally for lipsticks, it now works with all types of color cosmetics including lip gloss and mascara,” explains Franz Gilg, COO of Weckerle Holdings. Also in the pipeline is a demolding technology geared also to refillable packs.
In France, the company inaugurated its rebuilt production site, an investment of €5m following the fire that destroyed the factory in 2018.
