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In the middle of the 1950s, all the signs are set on economic growth in the western industrial nations. The leading economic nation, the USA, can support itself on strong internal demand. North American companies initiate worldwide prosperity. 1955 is one of the most successful years of the economic miracle or “Wirtschaftswunder“ in Western Germany: Industrial production increases by 15 percent compared with the previous year. At the end of the decade some realize their dream of going on holiday in the south. Others at least eat Toast Hawaii.
The prosperous society is taking shape in Europe, with the USA as its role-model. Undisturbed by the direct effects of the two world wars, the conditions for mass consumption are being realized there. The range of consumer products on offer expands rapidly. Quickly changing trends reduce the length of product cycles. The idea that as many areas of life as possible need to be modernized is prevalent. In the fifties, the “American Way of Life“ becomes a guiding vision of consumption all over the world.
The principle of self-service is already firmly established in North America as it is accepted in Europe in the fifties. Like many other accessories and parts of their everyday life, the GIs had the new sales form in their field pack, so to speak. Self-service shops and the first supermarkets are soon no longer something exotic. Reporting shows, however, that there is still a need to explain. The packaging trade magazines make it their task to inform the industry in detail. For example, it is explained that packaging and displays are a means of communication with the customer. They are “dummy salesmen“, the reader is told.
Up to now, consumers have been used to having the desired quantity of a product measured out for them individually. There are many items that are available in re-usable containers that are brought back to the shop to be re-filled. In self-service shops on the other hand, goods are already packed and their packaging often brightly printed. This new way of appealing to customers is sometimes regarded with scepticism. The talk is of deceptive packaging, of unnecessary luxury and of the packaging leading to higher prices. In the end, however, the majority understand intuitively that flawless hygienic packaging is a condition of the life-style that they are striving to achieve.
On 2 March, 1958, the time had finally come: The interpack celebrated its premiere. 32,544 trade visitors from a total of 42 countries flocked to Düsseldorf, in order to visit the exhibits of 255 companies from nine different nations on an exhibition surface area of 30,000 m2. Germany so far had lacked a fair specially dedicated to the packaging industry. The positive international feedback and the extremely high share of foreign guests and exhibitors showed that the concept to unite packaging machines, confectionery machines and packaging means in one trade fair was well accepted abroad. It showed the interpack as the ideal venue. Despite many critical opinions before the fair, with the interpack, a top-global trade fair and an international forum for the entire packaging sector was created.
In view of the strong demand for packaged goods and with a growing labour shortage, the fundamental challenge is to supply enough packaging materials while maintaining consistent quality. In order to guarantee this, more emphasis is placed on automation. The complexity in packaging sizes and filling weights is a problem for logistics and an irritation for the consumer. Standardization is pushed forward at national and international level in order to deal with this.
Whatever packaging an item is in, when it arrives on the shelf, that packaging is to ensure that it looks attractive there. Manufacturers of folded boxes offer packaging that cannot be so easily damaged during transportation and that can be picked up more frequently in the self-service shops without it detracting from their appearance. New high-gloss qualities of paper and cardboard come onto the market.
Transparent plastic sheeting is in fashion, because it seals the packaged goods hygienically, but at the same time allows one to see the contents. One of the most used types of film is cellophane. In the development of compound sheeting made of PVC, PET, polyethylene and polystyrene, the aim is to offer plastics with good tearing and stretching characteristics, which can be welded or sealed tightly shut. Varieties in demand include saran (DOW), lupolene (BASF), mylar (DuPont) and hostaphane (Kalle).
Packaging-related mechanical engineering in Europe has a decades-long tradition to call upon. The histories of the German companies Jagenberg, Hesser and IWK, for example, reach back into the 19th century. After the war, new companies are founded all over the world. Within a few years, Germany is one of the leading exporting nations in packaging machinery. As in other areas of the economy as well, there is a concentration process in the industry because small companies find it more difficult to keep up with the pace of innovation.
The packaging industry has increased the production quantities and upped the pace and now faces the problem of bottlenecks in primary and secondary packaging. The designers of the packaging machines therefore attempt to increase the output quantities of their models. The joining-together of individual machines into lines is developed by the industry, but can only be partially realized. The integration of weighing and dosing machines into the packaging process, on the other hand, is accomplished successfully. The range of photoelectric counting devices is also improved. With the model PZG 3 from the company Firma R. Weber (Germany), magnets and couplers can be switched in less than 1/100 of a second: A speed which packaging machines are still a long way off achieving in practice.
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