New oil-filter package slick move by FRAM

In search of a package that would "sell itself," FRAM has broken with tradition to accommodate a new oil filter. The company has selected a composite canister from Sonoco for its new FRAM X2 Extended Guard Oil Filters.

The cylindrical-shaped FRAM can is the first of its kind for oil filters, providing clear differentiation in a market dominated by folding cartons.

"Like all products, you have to earn your place on the shelf," says Jim Brown, senior product manager, Honeywell Consumer Products Group, the Danbury, Connecticut-based maker of FRAM filters. "Once there, you have just eight seconds to get consumers' attention. By changing the entire genre of oil-filter packaging, we felt we had a pack that reflected the truly unique product inside and clearly communicated that message to consumers."

Different package for different product
Sonoco (Hartsville, South Carolina) is supplying FRAM a total of 19 SKUs that includes nine can sizes in three diameters — 300, 307 and 401 — ranging from a 300 x 310 for small filters to a 401 x 512 for large filters.

The new, unique package is reflective of the innovative product inside. The FRAM X2 filter is engineered to provide 70% more capacity over conventional filters, extending the interval between oil changes from 3,000 miles to 7,000 miles. This dramatic improvement in performance, according to Brown, was a key driver in FRAM's decision to offer the new packaging format.

"We could have stayed in a folding carton, made it taller or changed the label, but we chose instead to go to a completely different package," says Brown. "The ‘physicality' of the can, its color and shape makes it a package that can truly sell itself."

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Sending a message
The Sonoco composite canister provides FRAM X2 strong shelf presence. The six-color flexo-printed convolute labels with an aqueous coating are designed to resemble stainless steel and project a premium, high-tech image. A bright orange plastic overcap accentuates the label graphics.

Brown says the look of the package tells a lot about the product. "The metallic look sends a message about the rugged nature of the product. It also underscores the premium position of the filter," he notes.

FRAM further leveraged the marketing power of the package by applying a multi-page booklet-type label to the top of the overcap. The label tells all about the new X2 product, educating consumers at point of purchase. Finally, FRAM added an oil-change sticker between the overcap and the EZO metal ring-pull opening system that consumers can use to remind themselves of their next oil and filter change.

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Passing the tests
FRAM's decision to use composite cans instead of cartons did not come hastily. Honeywell, which manufactures and markets a wide range of automotive filters, car care products and spark plugs, conducted extensive qualitative and quantitative consumer research before committing to the Sonoco cans. The final analysis determined a clear consumer preference for the package.

"The cans tested really well," Brown attests. "Consumers perceived the product to have more value when packaged in a can rather than a carton. They felt the package added value to the purchase because they could reuse the package."

Retailers have also responded positively to the packaging change. Despite the new format, the FRAM can maintains the same footprint of existing filter packages, yet the cans are easy to stack and display. In addition, the construction of the can — consisting of two plies of spiral wound 100% recycled paperboard, a liner for enhanced strength and a label — makes it more durable and less prone to crushing and denting than traditional filter packages.

But, above all, it is the commanding shelf presence that has caught the eye of national and regional retailers like Wal-Mart, Pep Boys, Jiffy Lube, CSK and Track Automotive. "Most of the major automotive retailers have taken the product," says Brown.

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Thinking outside the plant
Making the new package a reality required a significant change in how Honeywell typically packages its oil-filter products. FRAM, the market leader in oil and air filters, packages its products on high-speed equipment. Having never before ventured into composite cans, the company decided to outsource the packaging of the X2 filters.

FRAM chose Packaging Unlimited, a co-packer in Covington, KY, that offers complete turnkey design, manufacture, assembly, delivery and raw materials capabilities. Brown says that using a co-packer allowed FRAM to go outside its traditional packaging realm and into a new packaging format quickly and without a major capital investment.

The FRAM project was Packaging Unlimited's first foray into filling cans. The company invested in three seaming machines, with Sonoco providing consulting services on the purchase and setup of the seamers. The Kentucky-based co-packer is hand-filling, seaming and palletizing the cans for distribution.

While the composite can oil-filter package is a first for FRAM, it's not quite a first for Sonoco. "Up until the 1970s, composite cans were the package of choice for motor oils before being replaced by plastic bottles," says Sonoco's Ross Rossiter, who worked closely with FRAM on the project. "Supplying the new FRAM can is a homecoming of sorts for Sonoco."

For more information:
Sonoco, Tel: 843-383-7000, Fax: 843-383-7008
Packaging Unlimited, Tel: 606-431-6194, Fax: 606-431-0808

Edited by Bill Noone