McCormick & Co., Inc.

Consolidation of supplier companies continues, and manufacturers themselves are working to reduce the number of companies from which they buy. Some see this as stifling innovation, however.

Kerr Group, Inc., (Lancaster, PA): Robert Anthony Fenno, vp, gen. mgr., Pharmaceutical Packaging Group.

Kerr Group, Inc. (Lancaster, PA) has purchased Friendly & Safe Packaging Systems (St. Mary's, GA) from the Park-Ohio Holdings Corp. (Cleveland, OH).

A new patented process that separates wax from corrugated cases is designed to make wax-coated boxes recyclable, and to provide supplemental fiber for paper mills.

Ramsey-Thermo Sentron (Minneapolis, MN) has agreed to acquire Goring Kerr (Windsor, U.K.), Best Inspection (Welwyn, Garden City, U.K.) and Allen Coding & Marking Systems (Redditch, U.K.) from Smiths Industries PLC (London, England, U.K.).