Excellent Roll-off Property Ensures Reliable Airflow for High-Organic Formulations.

Challenge

Agrinos, a global producer of organic soil nutrient enhancers, was making its entry to the India marketplace with Optimus™ HYT, an organic liquid bio-fertilizer. Agrinos India approached Mullackal with multiple requirements:

• The packaging must be produced in 400 ml and 800 ml sizes.
• The design and labeling must be unique, consistent with the company’s “Innovative by Nature” slogan, and consistent with the high-quality image of this high-value product.
• Venting must be integrated to release the high levels of offgassing produced by this organic formulation.
• The container must prevent collapse, bloating and leaks during transport and storage.
• The project must be completed quickly to meet the launch deadline for Optimus™ HYT.

Mr. Ramesh Pillai, Director of Mullackal, had a multi-year working relationship with Gore and believed the GORE® Packaging Vent, in induction liner form, could satisfy Agrinos India’s requirements of a container that could release gases while maintaining its integrity. He had prior experience using this same product for other customers, and it had proven effective in solving highoutgassing issues like those Optimus™ might face. Additionally, the pulp induction liner had previously proven successful in Mullackal’s hot-melt gluing processes.

Solution

A consultation with Gore sales associate Sandip Kumar quickly confirmed Pillai’s recommendation of GORE® Packaging Vents. Kumar noted, “These vents have excellent roll-off, so even highly concentrated or viscous formulations won’t cling and clog the GORE™ Membrane. This ensures the reliable high airflow that’s needed for high-organic formulations such as Agrinos’ Optimus™ HYT.”

Pillai added, “The induction liner allows gases and air to continuously move in both directions through the vent, so if a vacuum or pressure build-up forms in the container, it’s quickly released before it can cause a collapse or a bloat or a leak. Going forward, this offers potential for using a bottle of lighter weight, which would result in saving both weight and materials costs.”

Agrinos was highly enthusiastic about the result: The cap’s highperformance container and vented cap would ensure the integrity of both product and package from manufacturing line to end user, while the cap’s trend-setting design would support Agrinos’ high-quality image.

Agrinos has had no reports of container deformation or leakage since the first “Anulom Vilom” container left the production line, and the solution has been well received in the market. The 2014 INDIASTAR Award capped off a highly successful project.

“We are gratified at the INDIASTAR Award,” said Pillai, “because it represents a wonderful collaboration that satisfied a customer need very promptly and very successfully. We have talented people here at Mullackal. We have an innovative customer – Agrinos was open to the best leading-edge design solutions we could offer. And we had a proven technology partner in Gore – their people and products, we know we can rely on. When you have all those elements in place, it’s not surprising that excellence is the result.”