Steel easy open end : New technological advantages Easy open ends have become a major marketing argument for steel cans in the food sector. Following a relatively slow take off, their rate of use is currently experiencing strong growth throughout Europe, reaching almost 90 % in certain sectors. It is against this background that the steel maker Usinor Packaging has developed a new quality of steel which, linked to an original rivet making method, will see a significant step forward in the optimisation of steel easy open end.  A major marketing argument Recent studies prove it : more than 90% of consumers are aware of and appreciate easy open end on steel cans. Better still : a study carried out by UPPIA(1) has shown that 65% of consumers are prepared to pay a little more for the benefits of easy opening and to be able to leave the can opener in the draw. In concrete terms, they are prepared to pay 40 centimes more for a can priced at 5 FRF, in other words an extra cost of 8%. This verifies that making cans easier to open constitutes a major advantage in terms of sales. It is recognised that easy opening is considered by consumers as the major marketing argument of the metal can. This argument is sufficiently important, therefore, to arouse the interest of marketing managers of mass consumption products and to drive the producers of steel cans to invest in R&D to optimise the concept. But how long has this feature on steel cans been around and how has it evolved at European market level?   An ever-increasing rate of use It was back in 1965 when we first saw the «easy open end» feature on food cans, which were first made with aluminium before steel took over. Until the end of the eighties, however, progress in their rate of use was relatively slow. It was not until the beginning of the nineties that easy open ends really took off, particularly on 400g cans of pet food. The rate of use of steel easy open end has now reached 40 % in Europe, and is even higher in certain sectors such as pet food ( 85 %) or fish (72 %), for example.There are still, however, major differences from country to country. The main users are : France, Italy and Germany. French major canned food producers were the first to promote it, and continue to do so with companies such as D'Aucy which has just equipped its 99 diameter vegetable cans with easy open ends. Easy open ends have now become standard and are now also requested by the distributors for their own brands.   New technological progress Overwhelmingly preferred by the consumer, and with an indisputable impact on sales, easy open ends are currently undergoing a phase of rapid evolution, approximately 10% growth per annum. It is against this background that the concept has begun to see the light of day, developed by the French steel maker Usinor Packaging in collaboration with SERVICE TOOL INTERNATIONAL (USA). What is special about the concept ? New high technology steel combined with a new method of producing the rivet allowing for increased ease in opening and the possibility of reducing thickness. It is known as double reduced steel, with characteristics specially adapted to the demands of easy open canned food. François Struyven, Usinor Packaging's Marketing Manager told us of the challenge that had to be met : " One has to be aware that in the case of easy opening, the characteristics of the lid are an inevitable compromise between easy opening and resistance, during the sterilisation process. In fact, the new type of double reduced steel we have developed, called METEOR, is a stiffer metal which has allowed us to considerably optimise the compromise between easy opening and strength. " The use of METEOR thus allows for a reduction in the effort needed to open the can while keeping the traditional characteristics of the lid intact, particularly the " tamper evidence " feature, that is the inability to meddle with the contents without such meddling being visible. François Struyven : " Given that it can be used both for round and rectangular cans, the improvement in the method of opening is particularly advantageous in the case of rectangular cans. This new development demonstrates that the industry is capable of even further improving the concept of steel easy open end. " Another major advantage : the use of this type of steel means that the thickness of the top may be reduced, constituting an obvious economy. In order to offer a comprehensive solution which can be applied rapidly, the steel maker has signed an agreement with a specialist reputed worldwide, SERVICE TOOL INTERNATIONAL, to produce new tools or adapt existing ones. Technological breakthrough thanks to a strong partnership The success of this new concept, which is currently at the pre-production stage, is due to a combination of the following parameters : a new quality of steel, a new production technique and a partnership between the principal industries involved. It has allowed for the proposal of a key solution to the needs of consumers as identified in the surveys carried out by companies dealing in mass consumption goods. According to Lans Herbert, Marketing Vice President of SERVICE TOOL INTERNATIONAL : " Thanks to the co-operation between a steel-maker, a tool-maker and a can-maker, we have been able to achieve a technological breakthrough in the improvements to opening ability and in the potential for thickness reduction which could reach up to 20%. " As for the steel industry’s involvement in this development, Jean Chevreux draws the following conclusion : « The kind of steel used for easy open ends is high technology steel which requires a specific production process. This goes to show that the steel industry is genuinely committed to adapting to specific market requirements. »