Colep, a leading global player in the consumer goods packaging and contract manufacturing industries, has been awarded two prestigious accolades at the Cans of the Year Awards, held at the Canmaker Summit in London on 9th October.

With a wide spectrum of categories embracing all types of cans and closures, the Cans of the Year Awards recognise the global contribution made by industry leaders. This year, Colep’s Packaging Division won awards in the ‘General Line’ and ‘Fancy Cans’ categories.

Silver Award Winner for ‘General Line Cans’: Colep launched the Flexican process, which involves placing the label inside the double seam on the can, enabling a high-quality lock-up and a full colour, streamlined approach that is flexible and effective. The label edges are not visible, so the Flexican process gives the impression of an offset printed can and coverage of the weld seam enhances the shelf appeal. Another benefit is the label cannot be easily peeled or detached from the can, so the appearance of the product and branding is not compromised.

Bronze Award Winner for ‘Fancy Cans’: Colep collaborated with Gallo Worldwide, to produce a speciality, premium tinplate pack for its leading olive oil brand, Azeite Gallo. The customised, embossed olive oil cans were printed using standard CMYK techniques, to achieve the superior gold colour. On the front face of the can, vertically embossed lines created interest and texture, whilst the eye-catching ‘rooster’ logo and limited-edition plaque were embossed to enhance and authenticate the commemorative message.

Ricardo Costa VP Global Procurement & Buying at Gallo Worldwide commented: “To commemorate 100 Years of our Gallo Olive Oil brand, we challenged Colep to produce a limited edition, golden coloured 500ml can, with embossing effect for an extra sensorial touch and feel experience. This request led to an industrial challenge, where once again Colep proved to be the fitting partner to overcome it. The team managed to produce an outstanding can that represents our brand worldwide.”

José Oliveira, Industrial Director of Colep’s Packaging Division commented: “We are delighted to be recognised for our innovations at the Cans of the Year Awards, winning both Silver and Bronze awards for our Flexican innovation and our embossed can for Gallo Worldwide, respectively.

Colep’s Flexican approach allows our customers to move their products to market much faster, without compromising on quality. This Silver award is testament to the hard work of our team and our commitment to developing our manufacturing processes to meet the needs of our customers.”

José continued: “We were honoured to be asked to produce a limited edition, embossed can for our customer, Gallo Worldwide. Colep has been developing a proprietary system of embossing machines which are more suitable for the 3-piece rectangular cans, like Azeite Gallo. Gallo Worldwide cans are created with this system, enabling higher speeds and higher accuracy of tools placement, resulting in cans with a higher quality finish.”

With over 50 years’ experience in tinplate packaging, Colep is one of the largest producers of tinplate aerosols in Europe and the Iberian leader in General Line packaging. Colep’s sites in Portugal, Poland and Spain produce a wide portfolio of tinplate aerosol and General Line cans, combining expertise in can making, printing and production to meet the highest industry and quality standards.

The strategic ambition of Colep’s Packaging Division is to be the preferred supplier for its customers by leading developments in terms of sustainability and innovation. Innovation, quality, technology and service are the foundations for solid and sustained growth. Colep works in partnership with its customers in the development of products that match current and future market needs.

For further information, please contact: Laura Grant, Marketing Manager laura.grant@colep.com