Conveying & accumulation

Suppliers recognize packagers' training needs

In describing their own programs, suppliers acknowledge shortcomings and reflect the criticisms made by their customers. Time allocated for training remains the most pressing need, they agree.

October 31, 2000

Package Printing: Page 50

Additives, coatings & inks

Plastics to expand through 2002

Although a lack of automation is hindering growth in productivity in the plastics industry, shipments of plastics products are expected to reach a record $145 billion by 2002.

September 30, 2000

Additives, coatings & inks

Thermoplastic adhesives

Jet-melt™ adhesives from 3M (St. Paul, MN) are solid thermoplastic resins. When heated, they become fluid and quickly wet the bonding surface.

September 30, 2000

Controls & Machine Components

Relocations, expansions

Klöckner Pentaplast of America, Inc. (Gordonsville, VA) has opened a new 54ꯠ sq’ facility in Beaver, WV. The $6 million satellite plant includes a new polyester film extrusion line that will add 16 million lb of film and sheet output.

September 30, 2000

Flexibles

Purchasing moves 'slow speed ahead'

Pharmaceutical/medical and beverage markets will drive packaging machinery spending this year, says a PMMI study. U.S. domestic equipment sales are expected to rise 2% to 3% in 2000 to $4.9 billion.

September 30, 2000

Blisters/clamshells/skin packaging

Positively different battery packaging (sidebar)

A tubular Leap

September 30, 2000

Flexibles

Hardware products renovate with packaging

Packaging seen at the National Hardware Show ranged from consumer-friendly packaging for data comm products to innovative film cubes for potting soil. The softer side of hardware was seen in a trend toward products packaged for females and light do-it-yourselfers.

September 30, 2000

Closures

Relocations, expansions

Tetra Pak (Vernon Hills, IL) announced the opening of its new pilot plant in Denton, TX.

August 31, 2000

Feeding/inserting/unscrambling

Milestones

eWinWin(www.ewinwin.com), an enabler of group buying, achieved its first transaction in the packaging field. In the eWinWin group-buying model, the more buyers that sign up to buy from a given supplier in a specific transaction, the lower the price based on a discount schedule worked out in advance by the seller.

August 31, 2000

Additives, coatings & inks

Used machinery: Offline help drives online purchase

Building a good relationship plays a major role in buying equipment regardless if it is transacted offline or over the Internet. When lubricant manufacturer American Specialty Lubricants decided to invest in a used capper for its Knoxville, TN, facility, it found this to be true.

August 31, 2000

Converting equipment

Materials Purchasing: Grocer buys into online shopping

Grocery retailer H.E. Butt Co. procures packaging materials through the INC2inc Internet marketplace. Now it’s persuading its vendors to climb aboard.

August 31, 2000

Conveying & accumulation

Notable web sites

Materials MarketplacesB2BPKG.com (www.b2bpkg.com) is a packaging materials marketplace that allows users to constuct a private catalog of vendors for online procurement.

August 31, 2000

Converting equipment

Fewer vendors in manufacturers' plans (sidebar)

Internet ordering proves as easy as H-E-B

August 31, 2000