In direct response to increasing complexities in the pharmaceutical, healthcare and personal care packaging markets, Essentra Packaging has launched its innovative Piggyback® leaflet service.

Increasingly, product manufacturers in these markets are required to incorporate comprehensive usage guidance, regulatory information, and enhanced security features into their packaging. This considerable and rapidly increasing amount of information must be presented in an accessible and legible way. The new Piggyback design from the global leader in the design and manufacture of secondary packaging for the pharmaceutical and beauty industries allows for more content without increasing the dimensions of a leaflet.

The Piggyback® comprises two or three folded leaflets that are glued back-to-back maximising the printed area and limiting the folded size of the finished leaflet. The result is more surface area to include additional product information, enabling incorporation of multiple translations, larger front sizes and advanced security features where required.

Crucially for markets such as pharmaceutical and healthcare, this creates space for multiple languages, instructions for use and components for audience segments, such as physicians and healthcare professionals, patients and consumers.

The new, inclusive format has been developed with ease-of-use front of mind. The aesthetics are not affected, and the integrity of individual brands is retained throughout.

The leaflets are produced separately and glued together. In the healthcare market, this service enables brands to simultaneously communicate with both healthcare providers and patients in one document, making Piggyback® a streamlined and sustainable option. It is also an effective format for pharmaceutical and cosmetic companies that engage with global customers in multiple languages. Piggyback® is available in twin and triple formats and is suitable for industrial runs.

The Piggyback® service delivers innovation in new ways to provide a very strong overall proposition. The technology behind it runs quality checks automatically through a vision coding system to ensue elements are married up correctly, with periphery checks ensuring elements are correctly aligned. The Piggyback® system directly addresses significant challenges for print labs, such as stoppage and downtime, manual collection, diversification into new markets and packing smaller batches. The result is that it’s easier for print labs to deliver visual impact and quality in a tight package.

As the finished Piggyback® leaflet is recyclable, it enables users to manage their waste responsibly at home and in healthcare settings too. The service is available at several Essentra sites around the globe, including Manati in Puerto Rico, Clayton, Greensboro and Indianapolis in the United States, and Wolfen in Germany.

Commenting on the development of Piggyback®, Tina Robinson-Goodman, Technical Product Manager for leaflets at Essentra Packaging, said: "Piggyback® is a highly effective way for brands to provide their customers with a wealth of information in a user-friendly format. Not only does this solution respond to specific market and consumer needs, but it also enhances the way brands entice and engage with end users."

Essentra Packaging operates as a collaborative supply chain partner. Its in-house service and development function expertly optimises carton packaging, leaflets, and labels, as well as packing line and supply chain efficiencies.

Offering a wide variety of leaflet and carton combinations that meet the vast and multifaceted needs of today’s pharmaceutical and beauty manufacturers, this latest investment in Piggyback® demonstrates its commitment to proactively responding to ever-changing market demands.