Industry Watch

  COMPANIES Thermo Electron Corp. and Fisher Scientific Intl. Inc. have merged to form Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., creating a provider of products and services in the high-growth life, laboratory, and health sciences industry.

Co.Ri.M.A., Marchesini Group, S.p.A., Siena, Italy, began construction of a new 6,000 sq meter plant in Siena to develop sterile products.

CombiScale Inc. moved into a new 4,000 sq’ facility in Elk Grove, IL.

Molins PLC entered into a contract to sell its Sandiacre Rose Forgrove packaging machinery business.

Printpack Inc. reached an agreement to purchase Seal-it, Inc.

Sonoco signed an agreement to acquire Clear Pack Co.

Pack Cheon Machinery Co., Ltd. appointed Packaging Technologies & Inspection as its North American distributor for Packon liquid filling and
capping systems.

Perfecseal will expand several of its facilities, including New London, WI; Derry, Northern Ireland; and Selangor, Malaysia.

Hartness Intl. and Visy Industries, Melbourne, Australia, formed Hartness Visy Automation, a robotic and automation division.

Domino Printing Sciences plc acquired 100% of the equity in Easyprint A/S from Easyprint Holding ApS and Vald.Nielsen & Son Export A/S, Karlslunde, Denmark, strengthening its portfolio of coding and marking technologies.

Pliant Corp. and NovaCentrix announced a strategic alliance to create and commercialize technology solutions for performance and packaging needs.

Two Massachusetts companies, Econocorp Inc. and Packaging Machinery Co. Inc., were awarded training grants by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to support a comprehensive lean training program.

Kuka Robotics Corp. was selected by Delta Sigma Corp. as its robotics supplier for DSC’s new gantry dispensing system.

PEOPLE

Jeffrey Kellar joined Alcoa as president of its flexible packaging business.

Weighpack Systems Inc. added Vasile Neagu to its service team at its Las Vegas, NV facility.

Eric Luftig joined Nordson Corp. as marketing manager for adhesive systems.

Greg Anderson was promoted to national accounts manager, films group, for Appelton’s Performance Packaging Div.

Amcor PET Packaging appointed William Featherstone vice president, sales, Beverage Div.; and Kim Houchens vice president, product development for North America.

Shigeru Takano was promoted to president of Yupo Corporation Japan. Yupo Corporation America promoted Marty Fiorillo to vice president, distribution, sales, and marketing; Andrew Madded to vice president of sales, thermal, pressure sensitive labels, and general label applications; Ed Burtner to vice president of manufacturing; and Mike Licata to director of technical services.

Jan Erik Kuhlmann was appointed president and CEO of Multivac, Inc.

Dow Corning announced the following staff changes: Lucrèce De Ridder, global marketing manager, pressure sensitive industry; Luc Dusart, solutions team leader, paper & process industries; and Alan Yu, Asia group leader.

Dow Corning announced the following staff changes: Lucrèce De Ridder, global marketing manager, pressure sensitive industry; Luc Dusart, solutions team leader, paper & process industries; and Alan Yu, Asia group leader.

Eric Klein was appointed to the newly created position of distribution sales manager for Lenze Group/AC Technology.

ACHIEVEMENTS

Two subsidiaries of Crown Holdings, Inc. have won “Cans of the Year 2006” awards for innovative shaped packaging. Crown Food Europe received the Silver Award in the Food Category for a distinctive hourglass-shaped can for Crosse & Blackwell’s Waistline^® line of diet foods; and Crown Aerosols Europe received the Bronze Award in the Promotional Category for the special shaped aerosol package The Gillette Co. used for a World Cup promotion.

Curwood, Inc. was named Supplier of the Year 2006—Primary Packaging by Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc. and earned Hormel Foods’ No. 1 Award for performance excellence from 2001 through 2005.