The foundation

More than a century of achievement and continuous progress

The first aluminium rolling plant in Kreuzlingen, Switzerland was opened by Robert Victor Neher who took out a patent in 1910 for the continuous rolling process. Initially regarded as a replacement for tin foil, by 1911 Bern-based Tobler began wrapping its chocolate bars in alufoil, including the iconic Toblerone. By 1912 foil was being used by Maggi to pack its range of soups and stock cubes.

The unique properties of alufoil have brought many benefits for converters, brand owners, retailers and, of course, consumers. Keeping flavour and freshness in while protecting against damaging moisture or light are today taken for granted, but were revolutionary when first proven.

In the 21st century aluminium foil is performing a vital role in every conceivable market - from food and drink to pharmaceuticals. Applications cover aseptic beverage and juice cartons, sachets, pouches, lids, wrappers, blister and strip packs, coffee pods, foil trays and containers, plus much more.

On the horizon are even more markets, for both existing and new formats, for this ubiquitous material. Already microwaveable containers are gaining traction throughout Europe, while exciting and highly consumer focused applications for pharmaceutical products – such as low cost drug delivery systems and devices, or high barrier packs for biomeds – are reaching the market.

The Age of Convenience and Resource Efficiency

Successes in light weighting of alufoil which had begun in the eighties led to material savings of more than 30% in the new millennium, and in turn this has provided growth in markets for resource efficient packaging options. Today alufoil's unique barrier properties are being merged increasingly with flexible films to create lightweight packs with excellent preservation properties and this has been instrumental in their use for a number of exciting new and expanding markets. To name just a few, pouches for everything from pet food to drinks; lidding applications; technically innovative solutions for pharmaceuticals; and the increasing acceptance of alufoil as a microwave safe material.