P Sajith, managing director, Impel Services (A Welbound group company) said, "Stelda's singular focus since inception is to address challenges faced by brands in addressing issues like pilferage and product damages. Our end of line machines supplier provides complete solutions in helping its customers achieve their goal in reducing losses in transit."

The WhatPackaging? team at the Pack Plus show noticed that shipper cartons or corrugated boxes – which form either secondary or tertiary packaging are conventionally taped. Tapes do not offer any protection against pilferage – and it is easy to re-tape the box, after removing an item or two. And so, the “Stelda Sealing” uses a special hot melt adhesive, dispensing the same in varying patterns on the flaps, and securing the bond by applying adequate pressure. There is no need to additionally secure this by way of shrink film or straps. What more – this method of sealing resists point loads much better compared to tapes.

Sajith concurred. He added, "We are engaging with brands and helping them conduct Stelda trials where they get to compare the strength of boxes sealed with our technology vs taped ones. We assist them in arriving at probable savings in corrugate by lab tests, and these are then validated through transit trials. In many cases we have been able to help them switch from five-ply to three-ply boxes or reduce the gsm of the liner and flute material”

Stelda is a part of the Impel-Welbound group, which is one of the largest manufacturers of perfect binding machines in the world. The group's years of understanding (and working with) hot melt adhesives and paper, has benefitted in bursting many myths that surround case packaging.

AV Chandrasekhar, the director technical for Stelda said, “The research done by IIT Roorkee Mtech students as a part of their thesis along with our team helped establish the fact that Stelda sealed boxes sustain/ resist point loads much higher than taped boxes."

In a country like India, where a box is loaded or unloaded multiple times, before stacked and stored in a haphazard manner, conventional box design parameters give way for over engineering. One of the key reasons for damages in transit is uneven, transverse-compressive and point loads. Brands end up increasing the paper and ply specs, while the method of sealing will make all the difference.

Working with the reputed accredited lab at Sriram’s Institute for Industrial Research in Bangalore, a Point Load Tester was designed using the conventional BCT tester – which helps arrive at the deflection vs point load chart.

The past 24 months has seen leading brands like Nestle, Haldiram’s and Havell’s installing multiple machines. A case study on Havell’s (the seventh-most  sustainable company globally in its industry group) sustainability initiatives done by WhatPackaging? magazine showcases how Stelda has enabled the group to remove shrink films and straps in addition to BOPP tapes from shipper cartons.

Sajith concluded, "The 3S promise of Stelda is more strength for the box, security by way of clear tamper evidence and sustainability.  Unlike tapes, which can be removed and littered, the adhesive remains stuck to the boxes and gets removed and recycled."