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Cans for the brewing industry

On Demand Printing for Cans

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Last year there was an uproar and worry when Ball Corp announced that it was increasing the minimum order on printed cans. There has also been concern that many of the vinyl stickers going on blank cans are mucking up the recycling stream. As brewers look for ways to get cans in front of customers and many are looking for eco-friendly options, a relatively new technology has emerged that provides on-demand printing on a small scale, allowing brewers to only order what they need.

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Best Practices for Crowler™ Filling and Sealing

posted by Oktober Can Seamers

Crowler™ canning started as a practical solution to offer to-go beer without many of the issues of glass growler. The bottles are big and heavy, tough to clean, and once opened the entire 64oz needs to be completely consumed. Cans weigh almost nothing, arrive at the taproom beer-gunk free, and offer many packaging size options. On top of that, by taking the right steps, cans offer the potential for maintaining the quality of the beer longer. To get a feel for how long that can be, watch a typical canning line run and take note of the steps involved.
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Is Your Can Recyclable? Four Keys to Can Design that Don’t Contaminate the Recycling Stream

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It turns out that cool label on an IPA might actually be a contaminate for the recycling stream.

Over the last two years as draft beer sales have fluctuated around the country, smaller breweries have been scrambling to keep up with packaged offerings, mostly in the form of cans.

Of course, this has led to reports of can shortages and news that some of the manufacturers are working around the clock at existing plants and even building new ones to keep up with a demand that is likely to continue into the future.

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Alternative Packaging – Cardboard and Compostable Can Holders for the Craft Brewer

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The social media posts were simple but eye catching. Familiar cans of Heady Topper, the flagship beer of The Alchemist, in a group of four, and bounded together by a plant-based can holder.

For the Vermont brewery, the switch to compostable packaging from the familiar plastic snap-on holders signaled yet another step in the company’s sustainability efforts. As brewers continue to think about the effects of climate change, waste, and renewable resources, they are looking for alternatives to the norm.

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Ball to Close Can Plants in St. Paul and Phoenix – Delay Opening of Nevada Plant

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Ball Corp. announced yesterday that it will close its St Paul, Minnesota and Phoenix, Arizona can manufacturing plants and delay the construction of a new facility in Nevada.

In a press release detailing second quarter 2022 financial results, the company said the closures were in “response to the deceleration in customer demand late in the second quarter.”

Shares of Ball Corp. plunged after the company posted a loss for its latest quarter and announced the closure of the two plants.

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American Canning Adds New Capabilities to Increase Output

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American Canning has opened a second shrink-sleeve line in their canning plant which will increase their capacity and ability to service craft beverage producers needing cans at lower minimum quantity orders.

The supply of cans for craft brewers has been stressed in recent months due to a number of factors. Cans now make up over 74% of all beer sold in the US, up from 58% 10 years ago.

VP of Operations at American Canning, Russ Spooner, said, “Our company is here to serve the small- to mid-sized craft beverage makers, and sleeving is one of the most valuable options for them to get their brand out there. It’s part of who we are.”

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Best Practices for Crowler Fills Every Brewer Should Know with Dennis Grumm of Oktober

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In retrospect, crowlers were inevitable. It’s hard to imagine the decades when glass growlers ruled the take away beer scene. They get wet, drop, and shatter easily. They’re awkward, heavy, and a pain to clean. And you usually have to plunk down some decent money to buy one for each brewery or else your local tap finds itself filling a package with a competitor’s name and logo on it.

In comparison, crowlers are clean, simple, and tidy. They’re cheap, easy to fill, and remain an elegant if ironic throwback solution to the vexing issue of how to best serve beer for take away. We recently chatted with Dennis Grumm, CEO and founder of Oktober LLC, a leading crowler manufacturer, to get his take on the best crowler related practices.
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Now is the Time to Re-Evaluate Your Packaging Graphics

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In the earliest days of the pandemic retail beer sales did remarkably well, with established brands leading the pack. Much of this had to do with the “comfort food” mentality. Customers reached for something familiar in a time of worry, but it also helped by having clear labels, spelling out what was in the can (or bottle) from a distance and without having to hunt for information.

Clear labeling is important to attracting customers and as more breweries have pushed into distribution, coming up with strong messaging has been important. Artistic labels are great and fun to look at but for the general consumer clarity is key.
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Mobile Canning – Tips on How to Prepare and Get it Right With Roger Kissling of Iron Heart Canning

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The ever-evolving beer industry means that breweries of all size need to be asking the hard questions on how to best compete for customer dollars. When the COVID-19 pandemic upended draft beer sales more breweries than ever before switched to packaged beer and chose to work with a mobile canner.

It is a good option as taprooms remain closed or operating at limited capacity but there are things to consider before making the call to choose a mobile canner, and benchmarks to meet before that first filling day.
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Ball Corp. Postpones Minimum Order Requirement

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In a dramatic turn of events, Ball Corporation has said that they will temporarily postpone the minimum order requirements that they had implemented on craft breweries last late last year.

Last November, Ball Corporation notified their customers that the minimum order would be moved to five truckloads per SKU for printed cans for non-contracted customers. In addition, Ball said that they would no longer warehouse inventory on behalf of customers.

The Brewers Association issued a statement notifying their members and the industry that “Ball will postpone until March 1, 2022 the implementation of their minimum order requirements for customers that do not have supply contracts with the company, with the caveat that they will not be able to provide those customers with delivery date assurances. Ball also stated that they are open to further engaging with brewers on the distributor supply option to offer additional sources of aluminum beverage packaging.”

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American Canning to Expand Can Manufacturing Capabilities

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American Canning will be expanding operations with the addition of an aluminum can manufacturing plant and second shrink-sleeve line.

The new 155,000 square foot facility will dedicate 3,500 square feet to a second shrink-sleeve line focused on specialty can sizes that will increase production to more than 1.5 million cans per week. The sleeved line will be running by spring while the can plant itself is expected to be operational this August. Initially, 12oz aluminum cans will be manufactured, with plans to add 16oz cans quickly thereafter, moving towards 300 million cans per year.

David Racino, co-founder and CEO of American Canning, says, “Large can makers do what they do very well—scale and efficiency. That requires their customers to have long-term forecasts, substantial production runs, and sophisticated supply chain operations. That is simply not something all small and upstart beverage companies have. We want to build a more modern ecosystem that allows those brands and organizations to thrive.”

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Can Supply May Become More Difficult as Ball Announces New Purchasing Requirements

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Brewers who have been buying cans from the Ball Corporation are being notified that the minimum order has moved to five truckloads per SKU for printed cans for non-contracted customers. In addition, Ball will no longer warehouse inventory on behalf of customers. Non-contract customers with quantities less than five truckloads will now have to order and purchase through a broker. The new policies were brought to light today by the Brewers Association in a BA Industry Update to its members.

Overall aluminum can shortages appear likely to continue well into 2022 and perhaps further, and these new purchasing standards imposed by Ball represent a shift to serving high-volume customers at the expense of smaller craft brewers. Small brewers are likely to see prices increases, additional labelling costs, increased transportation cost and an increase in lead times by having to work through brokers.

Full story here.

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The Can Topper Recycling Dilemma – Not Always Recyclable

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Do you know where your plastic can toppers end up?

It is estimated that the brewing industry uses over a billion plastic can toppers a year. And although they are listed as “100% recyclable,” in many cases they are not, according to an article from WBRU News.

The problem lies in the sorting of recyclable materials. Toppers are flat, so in many recycling facilities they get sorted out with paper products. Because of this, they not only skip the process of being recycled along with other plastics, but they contaminate the purity of paper products for recycling.

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Beverage Packaging Shortage May Not Improve Until 2023

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When will the current shortage in packaging materials, including cans and bottles, improve? The general consensus from those in the supply chain is not until sometime in 2023.

“We are starting to hear some talk about the grip loosening up in late 2022 -2023,” Dan Kobiske, VP of supply chain for the distributor Mexcor International told Beverage Dynamics. “Our current situation will take some time to get out of. I don’t think it will ever return to what it was pre-pandemic, but we will settle in with a new normal.”

Carlton Fowler, co-founder of Goat Rodeo Capital, a venture capital firm that invests in early-stage beverage alcohol brands echoed that same assessment. “When I talk to my co-packers, they don’t think the shortage will end until 2023, it not further out,” he said.

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Crown to Open New Aluminum Can Manufacturing Plant in Nevada

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Beverage can producer Crown Holdings will be expanding its production capacity with a new aluminum beverage can manufacturing facility in Mesquite, Nevada.

Announcement of the new production plant comes two weeks after Vobev, a Utah-based can manufacturing company announced details about its new can manufacturing facility that is due to open by the end of this year in Salt Lake City. There has been an ongoing shortage of beverage cans since well before the pandemic. Last fall Ball Corp., the world’s largest manufacturer of cans, said that the company was short 10 billion cans in 2020. Last year, domestic beer in cans grew 11.4% to 12.7 million barrels, according to Beer Marketer’s Insights and now make up 74% of total volume share, up from 58 share 10 years ago.

The two-line plant will produce both standard and specialty beverage cans for customers across a wide variety of categories, including carbonated soft drinks, sparkling water, energy drinks, hard seltzers, beer and ready-to-drink cocktails.

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New Vobev Can Manufacturing Plant to Open by End of Year.

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Vobev, a Utah-based can manufacturing company established in 2019, has announced details about its new 1.2 million sq. ft. facility that is due to open by the end of this year in Salt Lake City, Utah. The new production plant is expected to help provide some relief for the ongoing can shortage that has impacted the beverage industry.

The new operation will have variety pack options, research and development capabilities, graphics and more and is designed as a one-stop shop for beverage brands with simplified production choices that includes everything from recipe creation and packaging design, to filling, packaging, storing, and shipping beverages.

The facility will produce, fill, and package cans, supporting a variety of beverages including waters, carbonated soft drinks, energy drinks, wine, spirits, seltzers and more.

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Can Shortage Continues

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Demand for cans was unprecedented in 2020 — and it hasn’t slowed in 2021.

The shortage has impacted brewers both small and large. Even Anheuser-Busch InBev referenced the can shortage in its second quarter earnings call last week. “We had to import a lot of cans from several different markets, cans from Mexico, cans from China, cans from Europe and India in order to serve the high demand,” chief executive Michel Doukeris told Reuters in a telephone interview, referring to the U.S. market.

In the meantime, some brewers have turned to bottles. Others are slapping new labels on empty cans stamped with beer varieties they no longer sell.

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Cans Capture 74% of All Beer Sold in 2020

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Domestic beer in cans grew 11.4% to 12.7 million barrels in 2020, according to Beer Marketer’s Insights. Cans now make up 74% of total volume share, up from 58 share 10 years ago. Not surprisingly in the pandemic year, draft fell by 7.9 million barrels and bottles dropped almost 3.6 million barrels.

The enormous uptick in beer packaged in cans was driven not just by the massive pivot from draft to cans and bottles due to the pandemic, but also due to the huge popularity of hard seltzers in which cans is the prevalent package.

More here.

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