Gator Pack
Gator Pack
| School: | University of Florida |
| Team: | Juan Suarez, Gloria Mai, Eden Navarrete, Joshua Summerhill |
The current design of 24-ct drink packages is simple, but with little consideration to the consumer experience. When purchased, the consumer must haul around a large 26-lb with no real handles. Then, when they get home, they must rip into the exterior wrap to pull out the contained bottles one-by-one. The Gator Pack design aims to improve the ease of transportation in a 24-ct beverage pack and sealso improve the accessibility experience of the beverages inside.
The Gator Pack implements a modular design to achieve these goals. The new innovative features of this design include perforated casing, easy-grip handles, and a carrying tray, while still retaining the familiar exterior PE shrink wrap.
After the consumer purchases their 24-pack at the store, they may tear the exterior wrap along the center perforation to separate the pack into two 12-packs. The 12-pack utilizes the remaining exterior shrink wrap and a cardboard insert to keep the bottles securely contained and also provides a handle for the consumer to easily carry the package. By separating the whole package into two, the strain on the consumer has been reduced since they no longer have to carry the 26 lb. package all together.
The cardboard insert also functions as a carrying tray for the bottles. Once the consumer gets home, they may simply place the 12-pack into the fridge and remove the remaining exterior shrink wrap. The bottles will remain arranged nicely for easy access in the refrigerator, and the remaining 12 bottles can be stored elsewhere to save space in the refrigerator until one is ready to consume them.
This design utilizes 100% recycled PE as the main exterior packaging. On the inside, two inserts of E-flute cardboard provide the support for the two 12-pack halves. This design will remain easily recyclable, with a simple separation of the cardboard and PE, and no additional adhesives used.
We believe the Gator Pack is an easy-to-implement solution that can improve the portability and accessibility of all 24-ct beverage packages!
