How does Plastican Inc., a supplier of rigid plastic containers with four manufacturing sites, manage to lead the market? By listening to customers. Whether the customers require higher environmental sustainability, improved product safety or superior convenience, Plastican develops innovative packaging products to meet their needs.

For nearly 40 years, Plastican has asked its customers exactly how the containers they need will be handled, from filling, to storage to opening. They have put the answers to good use, as evidenced by Plastican’s patented pail designs, innovations in resin formulation, efficient molding technologies, better gaskets, creative lids and decorative exterior graphics. Many of these items—each the result of good listening—will be on display at here at the show, booth S-5001.

Case in point: convenient lids.

Customers demanded user-friendly covers that fit snugly and hold up to their stacking and storage conditions. Plastican listened. Their patented Twist & Lock containers offer an innovative closure system. Pails open with a push of a tab and a twist of the cover. Closing is even easier—just twisting the lid locks it in place. Plastican is investing significant capital to increase production of Twist & Lock pails for pool chemicals, building products, and other industrial and consumer products. Demand for the Twist & Lock line has exceeded expectations since introduction in 2007.

Additionally, Plastican has developed a variety of lid designs, including a new five-gallon, medium-duty cover (40CQT) that stands up to industrial handling and is easy to remove. Child-resistant, seniorfriendly, tamper-evident, hinged and wipe-dispensing lids are also available.

Earlier this year, Plastican introduced a line of lightweight plastic pails for food-service applications. Suitable for liquid, dry and frozen foods, these leak-proof four- and 4¼-gallon containers tolerate a wide temperature range and offer excellent stacking strength, easy handling and resealability. Ergonomic finger grips or bi-directional handles are available, and the lids, with or without gaskets and hinges, have a tamper evident seal strip. Right down to the resin blend, the pails comply with all pertinent government regulations associated with food-contact packaging, and with kosher rules when necessary.

Case in point: lightweight, “green” containers.

Environmental sustainability is everyone’s concern. Plastican has developed lightweight yet rigid containers for various applications with round and rectangular designs in capacities of one to five gallons. These pails use less plastic than thicker-walled containers without sacrificing strength. They are rated highly on retail scorecards because they use plastic more efficiently, maximizing the number of units per truckload and resulting in fewer shipments. Efficient use of space also helps maximize the number of filled containers per foot of retail shelf space.