Custom tilt-neck containers with sleeve labels differentiate DuPont Performance Chemical products from competitive brands on retail shelves. Fuel system cleaner (top) and engine treatment additive (bottom) have color-coded caps and label graphics.

LAKE FOREST, IL — When a major US manufacturer introduces a new line of car care products in the 21st century and expects to win the battle for attention over established brands on retail shelves, it had better have a big packaging idea. After all, labels cannot get much snazzier than they already are, or containers any more colorful. So when Tenneco Automotive planned the launch of "Dupont Performance Chemicals," its newest line of car performance products, it decided on a radical container design with a long, tilted neck for its fuel treatment and engine treatment additives.

To mold this new, unique shaped product, Tenneco solicited the expertise of Kaufman Container, Cleveland, OH, which partnered with several vendors to complete the finished packaging, selecting NOVAPAK Corporation, Eatontown, NJ, for the tooling and extrusion blow molding of the PVC containers.

The base of the bottle consists of a bulb that tapers into a long angled neck. The spout ends in a 22-mm opening that fits conveniently into the fuel tank and crank case openings of all automobiles. "It was imperative that the angled neck did not protrude beyond the sides of the bottle, ensuring that the bottle would not interfere with other packages on the shelf," explains Lela Prica, accounts manager for Kaufman Container.

The unusual shape created several challenges, one of which involved packaging logistics. According to Michele Heinle, Novapak's project manager, the bottle does not pack into a normal stack layer configuration, requiring tumble packing.

Labeling also proved challenging due to the bottle's shape. Tenneco chose shrink sleeves to maximize the container's decorative area. "The bulb makes it more challenging to apply the label and shrink it with no wrinkles," says Heinle. Care must be taken not to skew the graphics around the angled neck. Orienting the bottles for consistent label application also proved challenging, but the label applicator accomplished it successfully.

Tenneco chose silver and black for the shrink labels for continuity with the decorating of other products in the appearance chemical line, an existing line of DuPont car care products including waxes, protectants, car wash, and tire and wheel care products. "We wanted consumers to recognize that we had introduced a new product in the performance chemical arena, but also to associate it with the existing products in the car care line," says Laura Morris, Tenneco's marketing manager for the DuPont Car Care family of products.

To differentiate the gas and oil additives on the shelf, the bottles for the 10-ounce fuel system cleaner and 12- and 20-ounce fuel injector cleaner sport a red cap and red circle for graphics. The engine treatment product, packaged in a 16-ounce bottle, is decorated with a blue circle and matching blue cap. The color coding was created for easier identification and differentiation of gas and oil products on the shelf for the consumer.

Due to the unique container shape, Novapak built disposable unit-cavity tooling for each bottle size and ran samples prior to production. The 16-ounce bottle was tested first. To meet Tenneco's tight timeline, Novapak began construction of the six-cavity production tools for all three sizes while constructing the two-unit cavity tools for the 12- and 20-ounce bottles. The company completed production tooling in four to five weeks, says Heinle, and is geared for runs of one million to one and one half million of the bottles annually.

"This packaging design was on an extremely aggressive timeline, from concept to delivery. The process took approximately seven months," says Morris. "The program just began shipping this year, and we are already seeing great success via the re-orders. The product is clearly selling."

Judging by retailers' reactions, the new bottles have achieved their goal. During presentations, the bottles were placed on the table slightly out of reach. "It was amazing how many customers reached for the bottle because of its shape," notes Morris. "People reach for it because of the angle of the spout and the richness of the graphics. It is ergonomic to hold, which makes pouring into the gas tank or crank case even easier."

Tenneco was presented with the 2005 Gold Award for the packaging of its Performance Chemical line from the National Association of Container Distributors (NACD).

Tenneco Automotive is packaging its DuPont Performance Chemical line in extrusion blow-molded PVC containers featuring a long angled neck designed to attract attention.