Adapting to the latest packaging trends

The shift to single-serve stick packs and sustainable retortable cartons isn’t new, but the handling demands they bring are. As packaging becomes lighter, more varied, and more complex, producers face new challenges across sterilization, tray stability, and process integration.

In this blog, we highlight three things to consider when introducing new packaging formats into your line:

1. Tray design
2. Integration between filler and retort
3. Drying before secondary packaging

1. Tray design is key

Stick packs require specially designed trays due to their small size and lightweight nature. More packs per tray increases the complexity in layout and material use. Lan Handling has developed dedicated trays that keep these lightweight products stable during sterilization. Designed for future automation, these trays are available in stainless steel and plastic. The plastic version offers flexibility, ideal for storage or for producers planning to handle variety packs in the future.

Retortable carton formats vary in size and shape, and can deform during sterilization. Our reversable tray design accounts for these changes, ensuring stability before and after the process. We align tray design with filler output, autoclave size, and pack orientation for efficient, reliable loading.

Curious how this works in practice?

2. Integration from filler to retort

Aligning the filler output with the retort tray layout is essential for a consistent and efficient process. Our tray design, combined with a precise pick and place system, is developed with high position tolerance and repeat accuracy. This level of precision is especially important for lightweight packaging, where incorrect placement can lead to product trapping or instability during processing. The alignment is based on key factors such as:

• optimal retort capacity
• the number of filler tracks
• autoclave diameter
• requirements of heat treatment processing

The result is stable handling from filling to sterilization, ready for seamless automation.

3. Inline drying

After sterilization, residual water remains on both stick packs and retortable carton packaging, which can interfere with downstream processes such as carton boxing, plastic wrapping, or flowpacking. It can also affect the final product weight and increase the risk of contamination from bacteria or fungus. Wet products may cause damp conditions inside the secondary packaging.

To prevent these issues, Lan Handling has developed in-line drying solutions that ensure products are completely dry before entering the next phase of the packaging line.