Billed as the largest packaging conference in the world, Solutions 2000 will be held on Monday through Wednesday, Nov. 6 through Nov. 8, at McCormick Place. Each day will begin with a keynote speaker and will be followed by four concurrent sessions.
In line with the exposition’s name, an international track will be held each day. More than 30 sessions will feature some 75 industry experts discussing contemporary packaging topics. The conference is being produced by Packaging Strategies, Inc. (West Chester, PA), in conjunction with the Packaging Machinery Manufacturers Institute (Arlington, VA). Registration details follow the conference program.
Monday, Nov. 6
8:30 a.m. to 9:15 a.m.
Keynote speaker: John Gregg, vice president, packaging & design engineering, Kraft Foods: Exploring the boundaries of packaging, food processing and marketing in the new economy.
International track
9:45 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Moderators: Mary Ann Falkman, editor, Packaging Digest, and Toshio Arita, consulting editor, Packaging Strategies.
Speaker: Barbara Blakistone, senior scientist, food chemistry and packaging department, National Food Processors Assn.: Using packaging to overcome toxins in food.
Speaker: Masahiro “Mark” Shimoyamada, assistant general manager, Dai Nippon Printing: Markets and opportunities for retortable and stand-up pouches in Japan and Asia.
11:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Moderator: Pauline Covell, consulting editor, MediaPack.
Speaker: John Webb-Jenkins, CEO, Institute of Packaging: EU and the essential packaging requirements.
Coding/marking track
9:45 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Moderator: Kate Martin, managing editor, Packaging Strategies.
Speakers: Peter J. Alvarez, senior manager, technology; John J. Pogorelec, director of replenishment; and Leo L. McIntee, director of operations, all with the Uniform Code Council: Maximizing asset management with RFID (radio-frequency identification).
11:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Moderator: Erik Swain, senior editor, Pharmaceutical & Medical Packaging News.
Speaker: Ralph Dillon, Pharmacia: “Nude” coding for pharmaceutical packaging: There’s more than meets the eye.
Speaker: Steven VanFleet, manager, e-packaging, International Paper Co., Francois Dutray, Motorola Smartcard Solutions Div.: Smart packaging technologies.
Machine productivity track
9:45 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Moderator: Maria Ferrante, director of technical services, PMMI.
Speaker: Jonas Edvardsson, national sales manager, Standard-Knapp, Inc.: How to buy packaging machinery.
Speaker: Pat Helm, senior manager of packaging, Lockwood Greene Engineering: Six steps to successful machine/systems integration.
11:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Moderator: Francis W. Skwira, vice president, E2M.
Speakers: J.F. Stephen Elliott, chief executive officer, E2M; Charles W. Jager, president, Polytron; and Tom Schuler, president, SDF International: Breakthrough expectations: driving productivity with project delivery teams.
Packaging and the Internet track
9:45 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Moderator: Ed Bauer, vice president, industry relations, Pack expo.com, Inc.
Speaker: Erich Spencer, chief architect, Packexpo.com, Inc.: E-business or e-commerce: What does it all mean?
11:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Moderator: Joyce Fassl, editor, Packexpo.com.
Speaker: Paul Mills, global product manager, Markem Corp.: Harnessing the Internet to network package/product coding with other packaging line operations.
Tuesday, Nov. 7
8:30 a.m. to 9:15 a.m.
Keynote speaker: Richard Brindle, vice president, customer e-sales, global e-business unit, Nabisco: Brand packaging and image implications associated with packaging and e-tailing.
International track
9:45 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Moderator: Jorge Izquierdo, director, PMMI Latin American office.
Speaker: Dr. Luis Madi, general director, Institute of Food Technology, São Paulo, Brazil: Packaging and food safety in Latin America.
11:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Speaker: Dr. Beatrix Wepner, department head, packaging research, Austrian Packaging Institute: Packaging materials in Europe: hygienic and legal aspects.
Retail, end-user track
9:45 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Moderator: Charlie Maier, development manager, The Tarsus Group.
Speakers: Mike Kelley, vice president, Specialized Packaging, and Tom McMurray, director, package engineering, Pfizer Corp.: Security packaging: Cost and production implications for end users and retailers.
11:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Moderator: Jerry Welcome, vice president, member services, PMMI.
Speakers: Ed Lerner, Welch Foods, and other members of PMMI’s Packaging Management Council: Packaging management skill set analysis.
Machine productivity track
9:45 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Moderator: Bill Krah, business development director, ARC Advisory Group.
Speakers: Patrik Hug, President/CEO, Elau Inc.; Keith Campbell, director of automation, Hershey Foods; Rick Liddington, executive vice president, R.A. Jones; and Dr. Olaf Rathjen, director, Siemens AG Automation & Drives: Open modular architecture control (OMAC).
11:15 a.m.to 12:30 p.m.
Moderator: Joe Feeley, editor-in-chief, Control Design.
Speakers: Jon Donovan, marketing director, R.A. Pearson; Pat Denney, vice president of engineering, Cascade Controls; and Dave Frenz, packaging engineer, Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc.: Implementation & rewards of standard bus structures: plant floor to boardroom communications.
Packaging and the Internet track
9:45 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Moderator: Pat Yanahan, chief executive officer, USA Chicago.
Speakers: representatives from Schmalbach-Lubeca, White Cap and Bosch Machinery: Web strategy development and electronic procurement and sales of materials, containers and components.
11:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Moderator: David Newcorn, editor, Net Sourcing, a supplement to Packaging World.
Speaker: Katherine Hudson, president and chief executive officer, Brady Corp.: Reducing transaction costs through electronic direct marketing.
Speaker: Tom Egan, vice president, marketing & sales, Hoppmann Corp.: Buying and selling new packaging equipment on the Internet.
Wednesday, Nov. 8
8:30 a.m. to 9:15 a.m.
Keynote speaker: Richard Coleman, founder and chairman, Coleman Consulting Group: Are you sure your capital resources are operating at maximum capacity?
International track
9:45 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Moderator: Elsa Rico-Torres, editor/publisher, Industria Alimenticia.
Speaker: M. S.C. Lenin Ovando, general director, Scientific Certification, Mexico: Packaging for the international food market.
11:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Moderator: Jorge Izquierdo, director, PMMI Latin American Office.
Speaker: M. C. Adrian Avila, director, Mexican Center for Technology & Competition: Package handling across borders: regulations and applications.
Materials, components & containers track
9:45 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Moderator: Steven Ennen, managing editor, Food Processing.
Speaker: Jeff Kellar, vice president, business development, Tetra Pak: High-barrier plastic packaging for food.
Speaker: Dan Carr, vice president/general manager, Pactiv Corp.: Markets and technologies for case-ready meat packaging.
11:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Moderator: Cathy Sivak, editor, Dairy Field.
Speakers: Marc Binet, president, Serac USA, and Kelley McGregor-Gillispie, vice president of marketing, Natrel, Inc.: Extended shelf life and aseptic packaging of low-acid products.
Speakers: Bob Esse, technical director, and Dr. Al Saari, director of research & development, Humidi-Pak Corp.: Disposable, two-way package moisture management system.
Machine productivity/material handling track
9:45 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Moderator: Clyde Witt, senior editor, Material Handling Engineering.
Speaker: Mark Garvey, president, Garvey Corp.: Increasing packaging line/material handling efficiencies.
Speaker: Greg Webb, manager, research & development, Motoman: Using robotic simulation to increase line productivity.
11:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Speaker: Fred Hayes, Hayes & Associates, and Safety & Standards Coordinator, PMMI: Safety risk assessment.
Speaker: Michael Taubitz, global health & safety liaison, General Motors: Implementing line safety programs.
Packaging and the Internet track
9:45 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Special design panel.
Moderator: Jim Butschli, features editor, Packaging World.
Speakers: Richard Gerstman, chairman, Interbrand U.S., and Joe Kornick, principal, Kornick Lindsay: Package design considerations for Internet marketing.
11:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Moderator: Alfred McKinlay, transport packaging consultant.
Speaker: Bill Armstrong, technical development manager, Sealed Air Corp.: Protective and distribution packaging for B2B/B2C e-commerce.
Speaker: Erik Aunan, business development manager, diversified products, 3M Packaging Systems Div.: From pallets to parcels, the next generation of packaging.
Registration for Solutions 2000 is available at PMMI’s Web site, www.packexpo.com. For those who register by Oct. 27, daily fees are $250, and the full conference fee is $395. After Oct. 27, daily fees are $295, and the full conference fee is $450.
