On a global scale, movement of goods and resources is increasing. Goods are being transported over greater distances, meaning they are more vulnerable to being lost or damaged during transportation. Load security is, therefore, a major challenge for the supply chain and the freight industry, as cargo failures represent a major economic, safety and waste issue. As a raw material supplier providing to these industries, we develop material science products that help retailers, brand owners, logistics and shipping companies find solutions to help reduce the economic and safety impact of cargo failures and ensure goods arrive safely at their final destination.

In the Middle East region, similar market trends are driving the freight and transportation industry. The region is experiencing growth in many areas, including manufacturing, consumer goods spending, and the logistics and distribution markets. This, in turn, is increasing the need for efficiency in packaging of goods, from source all the way to supermarket shelf.

In the industrial packaging sector, we see a rising demand for efficient pallet packaging and wrapping, along with cost effective solutions and strong film performance. Load stability is a key challenge for the industry, as unstable pallets can result in financial loss, as well as wastage and the potential for human injury. Regional stretch film, stretch hood, collation shrink and heavy duty shipping sacks producers are therefore looking for solutions that can provide easy processing, down gauging potential and high load stability. They require easy processing resins with a high holding force, tear and puncture resistance, consistent cling quality, outstanding optics for visibility of packed goods and shelf appeal and a low unwinding noise. As such, converters look for raw materials that provide excellent gel quality for high-end lamination films, low seal and hot tack initiation temperature for fast packaging speeds, higher machine output, film gauge optimisation and, ultimately, secure pallets and protected goods.

The implementation of highly efficient raw material technology in the upstream levels of the packaging production chain means that brand owners can also be confident their goods will be packed and transported in a safe and appropriate manner.

Mainich: hoping to continue to deliver innovations in pacakging solutions

They can also be assured that, once on shelves, their packaging will reflect the quality of their brand image. On the other hand, for consumers, this means not having to be worried about the integrity of the goods they purchase, whether food or beverage items, as well as being assured of the quality of the brands they have chosen.  

Ultimately, moving goods safely requires solutions that meet the needs of an evolving society and food supply chain, where goods need to travel longer distances and where globalisation is increasingly requiring safer, cheaper and more sustainable transport solutions. Keeping this in mind, Dow works hard to develop packaging solutions that can address these key issues and ensure all goods are safely transported along the supply chain to the end consumer, notably through the improvement of pallet load stability and more safely packed goods. Dow’s solutions for stretch hood and stretch wrap films help convertors offer higher load stability, better package integrity, weatherability and durability so goods arrive in good condition at their final destination. Similarly, Dow’s Precision Packaging resins for flexible food packaging and heavy-duty industrial shipping sacks, offer twice the abuse resistance in coextruded films versus standard PE resins.

In the consumer packaging sector, we see growth being driven by a rapidly growing population, increased urbanisation and a rising middle class, as well as an increase in demand for packaging material that combines sustainability with consumer convenience functionalities and cost effectiveness; thereby driving better brand differentiation. There is continued growth in demand for lightweight plastic packaging and pouches for food items such as dried food, milk and juices.

At Dow, we produce increasingly sophisticated barrier films, and laminates to meet these demands and ensure that food stays fresh for longer. For instance, sealing performance is critical to develop cost-efficient packaging solutions that deliver maximum content protection and package integrity, as well as improved shelf-life and consumer convenience, while reducing waste and spoilage. In that field, we have solutions which deliver outstanding seal integrity for all films including complex barrier films and laminates, as well as remarkable optical properties.

Convertors can also our ‘all-rounder’ resin which offers enhanced mechanical performance and consistent Coefficient of Friction (COF). Finally, convertors who are looking for performant adhesives can rely on the fast cure, long pot life and bonding properties of our solventless adhesives or opt for water-borne adhesives, which meet a wide range of adhesives needs, from labels to flexible lamination.

With a greater presence in the region, and increased collaboration across the value chain, Dow hopes to use its materials expertise know-how and packaging knowledge to continue to deliver innovations and solutions to enhance packaging solutions and the development of innovations in Middle East and Africa.