Ardagh came out as one of the main winners in the prestigious international 2016 Canmaker Cans of the Year awards with two category gold medals and two silver medals.

The feature that is common to all four successes is packaging innovation targeted at maximising customer benefits and consumer convenience.

A patented threaded screw top finish, designed for on the go consumption on the reclosable 250ml aluminium bottle for the Coca Cola Zero and Diet Coke brands earned Ardagh Gold in the coveted Bottle category. This feature also allows The Coca Cola Company to gain maximum efficiencies by filling its products on standard glass bottling lines using market standard closures.

Gold was also gained for Ardagh’s unique metal microwaveable fondue bowl for Emmi, one of Europe’s most innovative premium dairy producers, in the Food Two-Piece category. The drawn tinplate 400g can with its Easy Peel® convenient lid system provides additional consumer convenience and shelf life. The judges were particularly impressed by the collaborative involvement of packaging students from the University of Twente in this project.

A welded tinplate pillar shaped can formed through a process called “mechanical expansion” for the launch by Mead Johnson of its Enfinitas infant nutrition product picked up silver in the Food Three-Piece Sector. Silver was also awarded to the three-piece welded tinplate pail for Akzo Sikkens paints and coating, incorporating Ardagh’s SpRing Latch® pail closure and re-closure system for increasing production line efficiency at minimum cost.

“We are very dedicated to provide added value packaging solutions for our customers, and to receive such accolades for some of our most innovative products is a much appreciated reward,” said Ardagh’s Woep Möller, CEO Food & Speciality, Metal Europe.