I just love it when someone rips the blinders off and comes at a problem in an entirely different way.

Although not paper, this innovation may affect paper and paperboard in the future.

Corona has just debuted a beer can with threads on the top and bottom. These cans can be screwed together into a string of cans up to a maximum length of 10 cans. This eliminates the plastic ring that holds six cans together now. Corona is making this an open design so anyone can use it. You can see this on Youtube here.

Brilliant. Take a problem, throw out all the existing misconceptions, and put the solution together in a different way.

In this case, an innovation may cause a problem for Coated Natural Kraft manufacturers. If they can figure out a way to ship cans this way, is the CNK container necessary?

That remains to be determined.

Jim Thompson is CEO of Paperitalo Publications.