Inline Plastics Playbook v2 JUL-21

OBJECTION CATEGORY: EASE OF USE

OBJECTION

BEST ANSWER

Ease of Use • Why are Inline containers so difficult to close? • The containers are hard to open

Before we introduced our first line of Safe-T-Fresh® containers, we performed consumer research to establish the right balance between container integrity (leak and tamper resistance) and what we call open force. The current locking forces have been tested and evaluated by several varied age groups. Yes, even senior citizens. To this day we test our products with consumers confirming that the balance is still right – and it is. Please tell me about the experience you are having, and we can investigate it for you. Clamshells with attached lids are indeed different to manage through packaging operation especially when containers are narrow and tall. There are a few different ways to set up the line to support the lids and keep containers straight. We have a long list of customers that have successfully switched from two-piece containers to Safe-T-Fresh®. (Please obtain the details of packaging operation so we can help with finding a solution.) The main reasons for customers switching from two piece to Safe-T-Fresh® are two-fold – simplified inventory management due to reduced number of SKUs (no more mismatched volume of lids vs bases, fewer inventory items to manage, lower cost due to less scrap) and sometimes needing to add tamper evidence as third step – which in case of the shrink band requires a heat tunnel. Needless to say – heat tunnel is another piece of equipment requiring space and labor – while in many food products shortening shelf life due to exposing it to heat. Ultimately, the customer who uses the one-piece container from Inline gets all the benefits that have been previously described as part of our product attributes, including enhanced merchandising. Furthermore – our automation team can help with packaging process – would you like to consider that?

• I like the look of the Inline’ PagodaWare bowls, I tested them in store and found the containers very hard to open, we have an elderly clientele that use our stores, what if anything can be done?

S A L E S P L AY B O O K

• Our processor partners prefer two-piece for speed of loading • Our stores prefer two-piece packaging for speed of loading and closing

CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION – For Internal Use Only