Extending the shelf life of fresh produce today requires much more than just high-quality films. It requires absolute control over how a package "breathes." The installation of Northern Europe’s first 5-head PerfoTec nanoperforation system at Dutch flexible packaging converter PACK11 marks a major step forward for the entire film converting industry. This investment at PACK11’s Nispen facility merges the company’s strategic approach to packaging design with PerfoTec’s microscopic engineering precision, directly tackling one of the biggest challenges in the fresh food sector: ensuring precise, repeatable gas exchange on an industrial scale for fresh fruits, vegetables, and flowers.
From Concept to Finished Solution
For food producers, selecting the optimal packaging is a process involving numerous market and technological variables. PACK11, however, does not operate as a standard subcontractor but as a strategic partner. The company advises on, designs, and implements flexible primary packaging and modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) solutions, with a strong emphasis on demanding top-seal applications. Expanding its in-house machinery allows the company to maintain full control over both the design and production processes.
Installing the latest PerfoTec technology on the production line is a step that naturally completes this cycle for PACK11. By housing an advanced nanoperforation system under its own roof, the company can now offer clients in the fresh fruit, vegetable, and ready-meal sectors films based on actual respiration parameters, ensuring consistent repeatability and drastically shortening the time to market for new packaging formats.
Moving Past the Margin of Error
For years, standard film microperforation has been an industry compromise. Conventional lasers often melt the edges of the holes they create, leading to unpredictable film permeability and distorting the Oxygen Transmission Rate (OTR).
PerfoTec’s nanoperforation technology sets a new standard. Instead of crude burns, the system creates perfectly round holes ranging from 50 to 200 microns in diameter. Crucially, the machine never operates blindly. An integrated inspection camera records the process at 250 frames per second, analyzing hole quality in real time. Using an advanced closed-loop feedback mechanism, the system adjusts the laser’s power on the fly to compensate for even microscopic variations in film thickness. The result is precise, consistent OTR control from the first meter of the roll to the last.
High-Volume Production, Zero Compromises
Historically, the main hurdle with high-precision packaging technology has been speed. The installation at PACK11 proves that strict perforation accuracy does not have to be a bottleneck in high-volume manufacturing. Utilizing the 5-head configuration, the system easily handles line speeds of up to 450 meters per minute. Switching to a different production program takes just two minutes, giving PACK11 exceptional operational flexibility.
Marc Lodewijks, Managing Director at PACK11, explains:
"At PACK11, we always focus on solutions that tangibly improve our clients' businesses. The integration of the 5-head PerfoTec system is not just a new machine in our fleet; it is a promise of uncompromising quality and flexibility. Our clients in the fresh produce sector now receive films that measurably protect their products and optimize logistical processes, minimizing the risk of spoilage."
Bottom-Line and Environmental Impact
The effects of this installation go far beyond the factory floor. With precise control over modified atmosphere packaging (MAP), food producers gain greater predictability in extending product freshness. This directly protects their businesses while systematically reducing food waste across the entire supply chain.
"This is a step that builds PACK11's technological advantage in the European market. When precision engineering meets efficiency, everyone wins, from the producer to the retailer, right down to the environment," said Bas Groeneweg, founder of PerfoTec. "This installation proves that genuine food waste reduction relies not on promises, but on measurable, technological innovations."
About PACK11
PACK11 is a Dutch converter and strategic partner in flexible materials. The company specializes in consulting, designing, and supplying innovative primary packaging, with a strong focus on top-seal solutions and the circular economy. Backed by extensive in-house technological capabilities, including printing, slitting, and perforating, PACK11 supplies top-quality customized materials for the fresh fruit and vegetable, meat, ready-meal, and dairy sectors.
About PerfoTec
PerfoTec is a Dutch engineering firm specializing in extending the shelf life of fresh produce. PerfoTec’s hardware and software solutions support every link in the fresh produce supply chain, from measuring the respiration rates of freshly harvested produce to providing precision laser systems that ensure strict control over gas exchange. These technologies enable growers, packers, exporters, converters, and retail chains to measurably extend product life and systematically reduce global food waste.
