API Group is a leader producer and provider of films, laminated and holographic materials for finishing of packaging in all the sectors, from beverages to cosmetics, from confectionery to personal care products. With an headquarter in England and 13 locations in Europe, America and Asia, API features a presence also on the Italian market in S. Salvatore Monferrato (AI) managed by Riccardo Sottocorno, that we met during the last edition of Packaging Premiére, where the company decided to expose with a very brilliant and shining stand, considered the products presented.
API produces everything internally, from holographic films with rainbow colors to laminated with Fresnel lenses, that offer incredible depth and movement, thanks to microstructures constituted by lenses that transfer and reflect the light into the surrounding environment. Integrated with printed graphics, Fresnel lenses can significantly increase the visual impact.
As an example of this technique, David Peters, creative development manager at API, reminded its application for champagne bottle by Taittinger produced in occasion of 2018 World Football Championship.
The design of the packaging presents a “cosmic theme”, blue and silver, an evident recall to the goals obtained in the space by the hosting country of the championship, Russia. API Group used Fresnel lenses technology to convert the iconic bubbles that identify the brand in fantastic diamonded balloons, making the packaging become an object of collection for football and champagne fans. Obviously, there is also the trophy of FIFA World Cup, realized with a silver metal foil.
API doesn’t only produce materials but it’s also trying to support the users indicating the future trends: since 2015, during Luxepack, the fair dedicated to luxury packaging that takes place every year in Montecarlo, the company presents its Trends Folio, anticipating the main market trends. This year, after having led an investigation between operators and customers, the Trend Folio will be enriched with precious information.
To understand how much is important to differentiate and amaze it’s enough thinking that 78% of brand owners is convinced that a packaging able to be in line with cultural, fashion and design trends, can get a positive impact of customer’s decisions.
Peters then reiterated the concept of differentiation, referring to the beauty of the light that plays on the shelf, but also to the textures, even the natural ones that are coming back into vogue.
“The CB series is a new over-printable hot foil that offers a brilliant metallic reflective finishing. The UB series is designed to be extremely effective on porous, absorbent and more demanding substrates, typically used for packaging of wines and spirits, being brilliant anyway. Today, the biggest challenge is to be able to combine technical challenges, that is sustainability and recyclability, new films and speed of application with design trends”, concluded Peters, already working on trends for the next two years, because research is endless and must never stop.
