World’s First 3D-Compatible Shrink Labels
Fuji Seal celebrated its 120th anniversary in 2017. We are continuing to grow as a company. We started out in the woodworking industry, but changes in the times and containers prompted us to shift to the packaging business.
In 1961, we developed plastic cap seals. After that, we developed the world’s first shrink labels. At the time, labels were mostly made from paper and did not give details on package contents or have other added functions.
On the retailing front, a shift from face-to-face sales at specialty retailers to self-service sales at mass retailers such as supermarkets along with the recent rise of convenience stores has given consumers the freedom to choose and buy merchandise on their own regardless of their age, gender or the time of day.
On the packaging front, a wide variety of containers have been developed including glass bottles, cans, PET bottles, functional containers, and packages that are easy on the natural environment. Accordingly, demand for shrink labels is increasingly growing.
In this climate, Fuji Seal has stayed focused on packaging that delivers value to customers.
- Safety & Security
(Carefully protecting and delivering the contents to customers) - Displaying & Information
(Accurately conveying to customers the contents of the package) - Decoration & Media
(Conveying products' appeal to customers via design, branding, etc.) - Adding functions
(Protecting product quality) - Environment & Safety
(Reduce, reuse, and recycle)
At Fuji Seal in Japan as well as Europe and the United States, we approach these tasks as shared challenges. We believe that working with customers to solve problems and create new products and markets fusing expertise and knowledge around the globe is a tremendous force for building trust with customers.
Fuji Seal developed the world’s first 3D-compatible shrink labels. One of their biggest features is the ability to perfectly fit to any shape of container.
It used to be that there were containers, and then you needed labels to add design and indicate contents.
However, there are now shrink labels that enable designers to freely create containers. Moreover, shrink labels with a variety of added functions are bringing about new markets with the development of containers with unprecedented material properties.
Further, packaging’s functions and shrink labels’ roles are ever-evolving.
Packaging’s function is starting to change from protecting and indicating the content of products to being a tool for conveying product strengths to consumers.
In our core business of shrink labels, we led the world in developing labels with the unique feature of being able to fit like a glove to containers and bottles even of odd shapes by leveraging film that shrinks when heated.
Labels with an array of functions
World’s First 3D-Compatible Shrink Labels
Shrink labels are the world’s first 3D labels suitable for containers of any shape. As such, they made it possible for designers to create containers in shapes only limited by their imaginations. Further, labels covering more of the product have enabled bold designs using the entire area to showcase the product. Such labels serve as media where the product is its own advertisement.
Safety & Security (Maintaining Quality)
The contents of many products are sensitive to light. Products are not just exposed to outside light, but are displayed under fluorescent lights that are always on at 24-hour convenience stores. Shrink labels can also serve to block out light using film and printing ink. This helps to protect the quality of products and ensure that they are delivered safe and sound to consumers.
Campaigns (Marketing Proposals)
We also make the little stickers to be attached to PET bottles, cans, and other containers for recently popular marketing campaigns. Campaigns that were entered by collecting the tabs of cans and affixing them to an entry sheet used to be mainstream. However, a need for fresh types of campaigns arose as the information revolution gathered greater speed in recent years. The idea of using conventional self-adhesive labels for entering marketing campaigns combined with widespread uptake of computers and mobile phones led to the establishment of a system where anyone, anywhere can easily and quickly participate in a campaign at any time.
This system has made it easy for consumers to enter contests and tell on the spot whether they won or not. It is now possible for manufacturers to build data bases to systematically manage and analyze information from contest entries and put it to use in developing new products and marketing. Through activities like manufacturing labels, developing labeling machines that affix labels to cans that are traveling rapidly along production lines, and developing systems for campaigns, we are offering new sales promotion and campaign possibilities.
Labels that Extend Battery Life
Battery sizes have become standardized globally. Typical examples are D, double A, and triple A batteries. Batteries have conventionally been protected by a metal jacket, an outer covering made of metal. When consideration was given to extending battery life, a possibility that emerged was a shift to thin film from metal outer coverings.
A change from metal to film required a lot of technological development. Materials needed to be selected, film strengthened, high-speed labeling machines and adhesive developed, and steps to prevent battery leakage taken. Our work paid off with a 20% increase in battery capacity (life). Thinking out of the box was key to our success in this endeavor.
A Package, Cooking Vessel, and Dish All in One
CUP NOODLE developed by Nissin Food Products in May 1971 proved to be a huge hit as a product packaged in a container that keeps the contents safe at stores and can be eaten from directly. Fuji Seal has developed thin plastic containers with heat-retaining and heat-insulating properties to which shrink labels have been affixed. Further, we developed a new labeled container that is microwave safe. It can be held with bare hands even when its contents are piping hot. It is a container, cooking vessel, and dish in one. The know-how and technological skills we have built up in shrink labels are giving rise to containers with new functions.
Moving ahead, we look for even bigger, indispensable markets to be born.
Soft packaging full of functions including portability, convenience, and quality control
As containers evolve by leaps and bounds, the value provided by packaging is also changing. Pouches developed by Fuji Seal are used for products like beverages, hair care, and medicine. These functional containers are designed to protect product quality.
Any changes in the property of contents, leakage, or so forth constitute major defects. We provide optimal packaging in terms of ease-of-use for consumers by carefully selecting properties such as capacity, shape, film, and container openings according to the industry.
Full-Coverage Packaging Packs a Punch
Have you noticed anything different about instant noodles at supermarkets, convenience stores, and so on lately?
They have bold designs that put the sizzle and brands front and center. Being eye-catching is important in terms of the ability to market a product amid limited store display space. Packaging’s vital mission ranges from providing information on and protecting the content of products to directly conveying products’ appeal to consumers. These packages are also easy on the environment since after their labels are peeled off and the products are cooked and eaten, the remaining plain containers can be recycled.
Trusted by Many Brands
The Fuji Seal Group has production sites and business offices around the globe.
We supply shrink labels to global companies worldwide, helping them convey their products’ strengths to consumers. Delivering value to customers is always on our minds. It is a shared task that we work on. We bring issues to light and consider solution along with customers.
We set ourselves apart from the competition by drawing on expertise and knowledge throughout the Group to develop new products and create new markets. We believe that growing together with our customers is the foundation upon which trust is built.
