Summer/Fall 2009 — Vol. 62, No. 3

By Liz Newall

Clemson’s latest bold idea has moved Clemson students to the head of the line in the white-hot industry of consumer packaging.

We want it all … and we want it now.

But we also want it to open easily, reseal snuggly, resist spoilage, prevent breakage, store conveniently and somehow be recyclable.

We are, after all, savvy consumers of lots of stuff. Not that we give packaging that much thought, at least not consciously, until it doesn’t work. Like those bulletproof blister packs or double shrink-wrap you need Edward Scissorhands to get into. Foam peanuts that defy gravity. Anything that leaks.

Clemson’s Sonoco Institute of Packaging Design and Graphics is all about getting it right. And with its new Harris A. Smith Building, state-of-the art equipment, industry support, across-the-campus collaboration and well-established reputation, Clemson has secured its position as a national leader.

“We’re the only university program in the country bringing together packaging science, graphic communications, materials, environmental science, manufacturing, marketing and psychology disciplines to study packaging methods,” says Chip Tonkin, institute director.

Right: Packaging faculty instructor Andrew Hurley (right), undergraduate student Filip Coleman (left) and graduate student Carson Snipes evaluate the slit scores produced on a Kongsberg iXL44 sample table

The right design for the right stuff

”Modern” packaging may have begun with the metal can and contents label (or glass container, depending on your source). But “appropriate packaging” is as old as the New Testament if you consider the analogy of not putting new wine in old wineskins.

Maybe that’s a stretch. But the economic impact of the packaging industry isn’t. In fact, consumer packaging is a $4 billion global industry with well over $1 billion in the United States (REXAM, Consumer Packaging Report 2007-08).

Tonkin, who holds Clemson degrees in mechanical engineering (1992) and graphic communications (M 1994), brings his own industry experience from the diversified, global company of International Paper.

He returned to the University for the chance to guide Clemson’s bold approach to preparing students for the packaging and graphics industry — a concept that relies on academic excellence, willingness to think beyond “separate towers” and eagerness to engage industry leaders — all for the best possible experience for Clemson students.

Clemson’s Sonoco Institute of Packaging Design and Graphics does just that. It focuses on the big picture by integrating the multiple steps in package design, graphics and construction into a single workflow including:

• Designing environmentally sustainable packages;
• Developing electronic films that can be printed on packages to create displays, track shipments, or apply environmental or biological sensors;
• Testing the impact of package design and graphics on consumer attention, buying patterns, use and disposal in its consumer experience lab.

Below: Carson Snipes and Dannah Curcio load the final plate cylinders for an acceptance test on the newly installed Omet Varyflex platform printing press

Environmentally friendly packaging is moving from “a good idea” to preferred in most areas. And no one is more concerned with environmental impact of packaging than current students going through the institute. In fact, the Smith Building itself was constructed for LEED Gold certification.

Printed electronics for packaging — including displays, radio-frequency identification, and environmental and/or biological sensors — just may be the new frontier in the packaging graphics industry.

According to IDTechEx, of the total $1.92 billion market for printed and potentially printed electronics in 2009, 35 percent of these electronics will be predominantly printed. Initially, photovoltaics, organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) on glass, and e-paper displays will grow rapidly, followed by thin film transistor circuits, flexible OLEDs, sensors and batteries. By 2019, the market will be worth $57.2 billion, with 76 percent printed and 73 percent on flexible substrates.

Clemson is perfectly positioned to be a leader in printed electronics.

“Advancing the applications and usage of printed electronics in packaging is a natural fit for the University,” says Tonkin. “We have a practical applied approach to the printing process, advances in optical materials research, high-quality engineering and science programs, and thorough knowledge of the packaging requirements and test procedures.”

The Smith Building “classrooms” are laboratories designed for interaction among students, faculty and industry. They include a state-of-the-art computer-aided packaging design lab; a package prototyping lab capable of using paperboard, corrugated board, plastics and other materials; and a printing lab with a variety of small-scale and production-class printing equipment. Offices, conference rooms, even casual seating areas reflect a combination of art, technology and open communication.

Collaboration with a big C

The institute, like Clemson’s other innovative centers and partnerships, thrives on collaboration.

The institute wouldn’t exist without the ongoing support of industry icon Sonoco. Nor would it would have a new 28,000-square-foot home without the generosity and foresight of Harris Smith, former chairman, president and chief executive officer of Smith Container Corp. of Atlanta, Ga.

Smith made gifts and pledges of $3.7 million and Sonoco Products Co. of Hartsville $2.5 million for the construction of the building and to launch the packaging and graphics institute.

Other companies have given top-of-the-line equipment, software and additional materials that will be used to train students and help industry partners research packaging methods, technology and design.

And it gets even better.

“The institute will have a great deal of positive impact on student and faculty opportunities and will do it without affecting the University’s budget,” says Tonkin. “The ultimate goal is to be self-supporting with revenue streams from faculty research, assistantships, intellectual property, and industry fees and contributions.”

Web Extra: SonocoInstitute of Packaging Design and Graphics

Student with a $25M mission Packaging science senior Stephen Tyner traveled from his South Carolina home in McBee to Pleasanton, Calif., last year for an internship with The Clorox Co. While there, he helped design a package that saved the company a bundle — estimated at $25 million. And just as sweet, the new design is a boost to environmental sustainability. “My dream is to help bring about a new age of truly sustainable packaging by developing packages that have a positive end use,” says Tyner, “whether it be natural degradation or by utilizing a more efficient recycling system.” He’s well on his way. And as the recipient of several University scholarships, he’s grateful for the opportunity to begin his dreams at Clemson.

For more on the Sonoco Institute of Packaging Design and Graphics, go to www.clemson.edu/sonoco_institute or contact Chip Tonkin at sonoco_institute@clemson.edu or (864) 656-4732.