Rexam's ground-breaking European & Asian beverage cans

Rexam are constantly innovating in the beverage can industry, they have created the worlds’ first 5 colour printed end and new 360° diamond embossing design.

Last year Rexam launched an industry first at Brau Beviale when it unveiled FUSION, the aluminium resealable bottle. At this year’s Brau Beviale, Rexam’s stand will display its entire range of formats, printing techniques, stylish graphics, embossing techniques and cans created specifically to meet the needs of markets and brands, many of which are new this year.

Amongst the innovations on display will be the worlds’ first 5 colour printed end which has been produced for UK customer Energizer Brands Ltd for its new energy drink “Attitude”. Printed ends provide total brand visibility, even on the bottom of a retailer’s shelf. With the ability to use up to seven colours on cans ends, brands can really differentiate and make the most of their visual identity.

This summer saw Swedish brewer Spendrups become the first customer to use Rexam’s new 360° diamond embossing design for its beer brand Norrlands Guld. 360° embossing has been a real success story for Rexam, with a number of customers choosing to enhance their brands with the value-adding technique that creates a visual impact that makes it stand out on the shelf.

Finnish brewer Olvi also saw success this year with 360° embossing when it chose to use Rexam’s “golf ball” design for its cider cocktail brand FIZZ Cooler. This made it the first brand in the cider category to use Rexam’s breakthrough 360° embossing technique. By combining embossing with Rexam’s illustration impact printing technology, Olvi created a package that differentiated FIZZ Cooler from its competitors.

Since its launch, FUSION continues to make progress. Rexam’s aluminium bottle, now being offered in both 33cl and 25cl formats, represents an unprecedented opportunity for customers to evolve or reinvent their premium brands. Visitors to the stand will be able to drink from specially designed FUSION bottles filled with various alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.

Another of Rexam’s recent launches, the Alu Sleek can, has proved extremely popular and is now the most recognised format for cans in many European countries. Because of the great success of this packaging format, Rexam has made investments into additional capacity to meet demand.

Commenting on beverage can innovation, Göte Nylin, Market Development Director for Rexam Beverage Can Europe and Asia said: “The first thing a consumer sees when buying a product is the packaging. Rexam’s recent innovations such as 360° embossing and printed ends, can be used by marketers to really make a brand stand out on-shelf and maximise brand impact.”

He adds: “Understanding consumers and key market trends is critical to the industry as it allows us to develop packaging that delivers real consumer benefit that is commercially valuable to brand owners. What’s more, our research spans markets, both geographical and product categories, giving us a sound understanding of where our cans are appropriate and for which products.”

He concludes: “Brau Beviale, for us, is the perfect place to demonstrate to customers our commitment to innovation and prove our strength as the leading beverage can maker in the world.”

Visit Rexam at Brau Beviale 2008 (Hall 4A, stand 115).