Jaakkoo-Taaras packaging designer Pasi Juhola and operator Jesse Salminen create packaging structures according to customer requests. First, the customer and JT’s sales representative discuss the customer’s wishes and the packaging details and together consider the best solution for the customer’s needs. After that, the information is sent to the packaging designers.
– Most of the time is spent on tool drawings. The sales team and the customer specify the type of structure they want, and based on that, I start drawing, Juhola says.
When customers share their wishes, the first thing to do is ensure that Jaakkoo-Taara can fulfill them. For example, the customer’s packing style affects the packaging structure that can be used. Hand-assembled packages require a different structure than those made with an automated assembly machine.
– We can fulfill almost all orders. Sometimes, however, a customer may want a small package so we can’t glue the parts as needed. An example of this could be a lipstick carton, Salminen explains.
Before starting to plan the structure, the sales representative and the customer review the raw material options. A customer may require that the packaging materials must be, for example, FSC or PEFC-certified.
Jaakkoo-Taara can offer customers examples of the packages they are working on using Precision Cutting System devices and 3D technology. Both methods have their advantages.
– A 3D model can be sent to the customer electronically, and printing can be included, allowing the customer to see what the final result will look like, Juhola explains.
The modeling device is still used more often than 3D modeling, as physical models are printed for customers weekly.
– It’s easier for the customer to visualize how the finished package looks and feels when they have a physical model in hand. The PCS device is also helpful for those of us designing the models, as we can make test samples for ourselves during the process and send the customer only the version that we know will work, Salminen says.
The design of an enclosure can take several years at most. One challenging, years-long project was a child-resistant veterinary medicine package designed in collaboration between Juhola and the customer.
– The package must be child-proof, which means that a child cannot open it within a certain time during testing. This required us to design different buttons that needed to be pressed to open the package. Additionally, the package must not rip when opened and should be reusable, Juhola explains about the project.
The long work paid off, and the package won both the WorldStar 2024 and ScanStar 2023 awards.
– The package has many different features that need to be combined into a functional whole. This was a challenging project, but Juhola and the customer together achieved a successful package,” Salminen praises.