Sweet things come in small packages

SO HUGE i s one's choice of confectionery and bakery products, that the consumer ultimately only buys things that immediately catch his eye and promise pleasures of the palate. This not only elicits maximum design creativity from packaging producers, but also demands indepth technical expertise in the production process.

Packages for confectionery and bakery products therefore not only have to protect the product's delicate contents, but also tempt potential buyers and  whet their appetite with a short and sweet message at the point of sale.  "Today's consumers are flexible and enjoy change, and their needs are  expanding and increasingly embody such values as freedom from stress, slowing  down, health, convenience and sustainability," explains retailing expert Hendrik Schr?der of the University of Duisburg-Essen.

Suppliers are therefore less and less able to attract consumers with off- thepeg confectionery, since treats that appeal to all the senses are what are  in demand. Alternatively, companies create seasonal varieties such as chocolate with light, fruity fillings in summer, and containing liqueur or rich fillings in winter. Anyone who wants to go a step further markets special products for the many different preferences and new trends.

This is a major challenge, however, because suppliers still have to keep the brand identifiable despite the diversity. Every single product has to be an element in the brand's overall image that fits logically into the overall branding strategy.

German chocolate manufacturer Ritter, for example, has mastered brand  presentation to perfection. Its unmistakable hallmark is the practical snap- open pack in which the company packages all its chocolate bars. And there are  now innumerable sizes and types, as Ritter has developed square chocolate  bars for practically every consumer group: filled chocolate bars and minis for children, reciperefined classics such as milk chocolate or whole nut for  the middle-aged, and sugarfree chocolate for the 50-plus generation. Ritter even targets the L O H A S (lifestyle of health and sustainability) consumer  group with fair-trade cocoa and organic chocolate.

Machines becoming more versatile

The growing diversity of products places growing demands on the equipment for  the production and packaging of confectionery. "Because of frequent product  changes and shorter selling cycles, machines today have to be much more  versatile and amenable to retooling," says Beatrix Fraese of the Food Processing and Packaging Machinery at the German Engineering Federation (VDMA).

A packaging line from the German company Gerhard Schubert, for example, retools and changes over to different products fully automatically.  "Whatever the product - chocolate Easter bunnies or yoghurt tubs - changeover takes only four and a half minutes," says company spokesperson  B?rbel Beyhl.

Behind this innovation is a huge step forward in development. "We are approaching the ideal of digital production that, as part of a higher-level  system, responds directly and flexibly to changing requirements, operates flawlessly and manufactures even the tiniest lots with high productivity," Ms Beyhl explains.

Product suppliers and packaging designers have to take account of differNike