Japanese Fresh Produce Distributor Adopts Innovative Convex Packaging

Convex Plastics, August 1st, 2003

A worldwide search for innovative packaging technology has led a large Japanese distribution company to form an alliance with Convex Plastics to help them differentiate their quality fresh produce in the increasingly competitive Japanese market.
 
Kyoto-based Ocean Trading Co Ltd plans to use Convex Plastics' re~fresh modified atmosphere packaging to differentiate their fresh produce by extending its shelf life and freshness, and improving its visual appeal.
 
Ocean Trading Co Ltd supplies nearly all regions of Japan with a wide range of fresh imported perishable products to help meet the area's growing demand for top quality produce, flowers and luxury food items such as Scandinavian Salmon.
 
The Japanese company is already successfully using re~fresh liners for packing Korean-grown capsicums (marketed as paprika in Japan), and is currently in the process of working with Convex Plastics to develop customised re~fresh liners for several other products including Japanese-grown blueberries, and perilla and asparagus from the Philippines and Thailand.
 
According to Garry Piller, General Manager of Ocean Trading Co's Research & Development department, the recent downturn in the Japanese economy emphasised the need to further differentiate their products and search for greater innovation.
 
He says, "Convex Plastics' ability to provide a customised service and their willingness to work together with us to develop unique packaging for each product prompted us to approach them. Even though most of our products are air freighted there are still breakdowns in the cool supply chain, as well as transit, transportation and delivery delays. The increased shelf life, freshness and improved resistance to the effects of thermal abuse provided by Convex Plastic's re~fresh packaging has helped us overcome many of the difficulties associated with importing fresh perishable products, and differentiates our products from our competitors."
 
Convex Plastics has also succeeded in minimising distance and regulatory delays by helping Ocean Trading Co establish a produce respiration testing facility in Kyoto to determine the initial packaging needs of each specific type of produce. This has eliminated the need to have fresh produce samples sent from Japan, and enables the Convex Plastics technical team to custom design life-extending re~fresh films that exactly match the handling conditions, ethylene sensitivity and respiration rate of the intended packaged produce.
 
Convex Plastics re~fresh Business Manager, Stephen Dench says, "Our successful collaboration with Ocean Trading Co has highlighted our ability to work with distant clients and provide customised working solutions. We now have a proven model that will enable us to do business in almost any part of the world."