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Nothing but Litho-Laminating
March 1, 2008 By: Mark Arzoumanian Paperboard PackagingAustralia's Glama Pak really started growing when it became an "elegant solution" to a business fallout.
You can put your product on my shelf, if it will sell itself.
Retail executives throughout the world have been telling their suppliers this for quite a few years now. They no longer want to spend money on employees who will walk their aisles and politely ask, "May I help you?" If the package isn't already selling the product, you can be assured that they will find a colorfully printed or litho-laminated alternative that will catch the consumer's eye and entice him or her to buy.
 John Wheeler, Glama Pak's managing director, checks the quality of one of the many litho-laminated packages his company produces. |
Packaging industry veteran John Wheeler, managing director, Glama Pak, Melbourne, Australia, knows all too well the clout of retailers. In his native country, Coles and Woolworth's control 80 cents of every dollar spent.
The company he runs today exclusively produces litho-laminated packaging; 30 percent of it is for the wine industry. The rest of Glama Pak's business comes from the alcoholic beverage, agricultural, candy, and household goods industries. If a high-end product in Australia is worth more than $25, there's a very good chance it's in a Glama Pak litho-laminated box, Wheeler maintains.
Gavin Hogan started Glama Pak, which today employs 97, 21 years ago in Melbourne. Initially it was a trade services business that specialized in providing packaging coatings and varnishes. In 1995, Visy Board, one of the two largest corrugated box makers in Australia (the other is Amcor), acquired Glama Pak for $3.1 million (U.S.) At the time, Wheeler was working for Visy Board as general manager of the corrugated box division.
 Glama Pak runs a computer-to-plate making machine from Switzerland's Lüscher Swiss. |
"We bought Glama Pak because we saw the growing market for litho-laminated products and wanted to get a toehold in the market," he says.
Parting of the Ways
For two years, Wheeler operated Glama Pak for Visy Board, which is privately owned by Richard Pratt, chairman, Visy Industries. But in 1997 Pratt and Wheeler found themselves having more disagreements than agreements about the business. Wheeler realized than he wasn't going to become ceo of Visy Board. So he decided it was time to move on. That's when Pratt suggested he purchase 50 percent of Glama Pak.
"The opportunity to buy a controlling share [51 percent] in Glama Pak was a once in a lifetime chance to develop a wealth base in a private company environment," Wheeler says. "It was an elegant solution for both parties."
 Singleface is laminated on a 65-in. Asitrade inline corrugator, one of two operating at Glama Pak. |
Thanks to the growing popularity of Australian wines, many of Glama Pak's laminated packages find their way to store shelves throughout the world. The 75,300 sq ft operation in Melbourne uses B-, C-, E-, G-, and N-flute. It can also produce any flute combination a customer could want. Each year it laminates 17 million sheets onto 7,500 tons of board.
All about the Flutes
Flute flexibility gives Glama Pak distinct advantages in the marketplace. Singleface board is laminated on a 65-in. Asitrade inline corrugator (a second one was just installed) that offers the option of applying in-line a linerboard top or a printed litho sheet. Using G-flute, which has 9.3 flutes per inch, reduces significantly flute show when laminating the top sheet, Wheeler notes. Flute flexibility also allows him to employ lightweight linerboard. The corrugator typically runs about 390 ft/min with a three-man crew.
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