Task

To shrink sleeve promotional ‘Powerade’ bottles for Coca-Cola Enterprises Limited (CCE)

The idea

This was part of the company’s "Try me free" promotion, allowing consumers to try a bottle of Powerade for free by tearing off the label on the bottle and filling in the details online.

Challenge

Not only did CCE commission Mailway to shrink sleeve 2.5 million bottles in just eight weeks, the challenge lay in the bottle’s unusual shape, as the hand grip area made it extremely difficult to get a clean smooth sleeve finish to follow the contours of the bottle.

Solution

Mailway’s expertise in handling large volume, technically difficult projects over short time scales meant they were able to complete the job and retain a high quality finish.

Working with CCL Decorative Sleeves, Mailway carried out numerous trials and tests on a range of different materials, before selecting a steam grade high shrink PET material, which was ideal for the job and met CCE’s high standards.

Mailway then created a bespoke automated solution that utilised a double steam tunnel to achieve the desired running speeds and shrink finish. The sleeves also incorporate vertical perforations that allow the consumer to easily remove them in order to fill in the details online as part of the promotional campaign.

Powerful packaging solutions

What you may not know…

Mailway managed the sleeving and all of the material supply for this project on behalf of CCE. This total project management service, including packaging supply, has become increasingly popular as it means Mailway is effectively a one stop shop for all packaging needs.