Syngenta Thrive - 4Q/2013 - 24

BEST PRACTICES

Syngenta engineers design
containers for safety and
ease of use for growers.

The Whole Package
One-of-a-kind Syngenta lab puts packaging to the test to ensure
safe, efﬁcient deliveries to customers.

hen it comes to Syngenta products, you might say
good things come in good packages, regardless
of size. The company’s Package Testing Lab in Greensboro, N.C., makes certain that all Syngenta products are
contained in the industry’s best packaging.
“Syngenta is the only ag chemical company in the U.S.
with its own in-house full-testing lab,” says Tim Cotter,
global head of packaging at Syngenta. “Having some of the
best products in the industry won’t do us any good if they
aren’t packaged safely and efﬁciently for our customers.”
The Right Balance
Before a product is approved for sale, Syngenta packaging
engineers and lab technicians, such as Josh House, rigorously test the package with many different factors in mind.
“Our No. 1 goal is safety,” says House. “But we also
have to balance cost, requirements from regulators like

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the Environmental Protection Agency, storage, transport,
ergonomics, customer experience, environmental impacts
and disposal.”
With so many considerations, efﬁcient package testing
becomes even more important. “We test our packages to
balance all of these factors,” says Cotter.
The Syngenta Package Testing Lab is authorized by the
U.S. Department of Transportation and International Safe
Transit Association (ISTA) to self-UN (United Nations) certify
packaging for Syngenta products, meaning engineers in
the lab can approve packaging themselves. According to
Cotter, such capabilities increase efﬁciency, allow for instant
testing feedback, reduce costs for Syngenta and its
customers, and ensure superior packaging through
state-of-the-art testing technology.
Package testing can take anywhere from three to 12
months and can be an expensive process. Having the full

PHOTOS: ALEX MANESS; ILLUSTRATION: TODD DETWILER

Syngenta Thrive - 4Q/2013

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