David NewcornDairySupplier Web sites: The pain and the promiseOne of the most astonishing findings of a survey we conducted earlier this year is that packaging buyers are still slogging through general Web search engines to source packaging suppliers.July 31, 2000Controls & Machine ComponentsPCs penetrating packaging linesIn an exclusive PW survey, nearly half of packagers now report using PC-controlled packaging equipment, with more growth projected. However, commitment to PLCs remains strong.May 31, 2000Bag/pouch fill/seal (pre-made bags)Progress on standardsOn a gray day in mid-March, engineers from eight packaging end users, 21 machinery builders and 12 controls suppliers filed into a conference room in a downtown Chicago skyscraper.April 30, 2000HomePackager survey: details & prices, yes; e-commerce, noBuying machinery or materials over the Internet is among the least important things packaging end users seek on packaging vendors’ Web sites, an exclusive Packaging World survey says.April 30, 2000Tamper-evident machineryVideos demo equipment onlineVideo on the Web is nothing new. However, only recently has video begun to be a useful tool for business.March 31, 2000BeveragePackaging PortalmaniaInternet “portalmania” for vertical markets has become the rage, and packaging is no exception. (A vertical “portal” is a site that’s designed to be an independent information source with information on multiple suppliers in a given field or industry.) At last count, there were no less than three big contenders for the packaging portal throne: the Packexpo.com (www.packexpo.March 31, 2000FlexiblesSimmons saves $400,000 in 3 hoursReverse auction for polyethylene film yields instant savings. Other materials are next.March 31, 2000HomeNet Buying 101While business-to-business e-commerce dominates today’s media headlines, no one is talking about this startling fact: Purchasing agents and buyers aren’t using such sites in any volume.March 31, 2000Bag/pouch fill/seal (pre-made bags)OMAC group tackles packaging motion standardsOMAC (Open Modular Architecture Controls) Motion for Packaging Working Group hammers out a specific mission and four key areas to simplify motion controls for packaging machinery. Areas include: defining business benefits of open controls; standardize on programming languages; standardize on network protocols; foster education in motion control technologies in tech schools and colleges.February 29, 2000Conveying & accumulationControls push speed limitU.S. Sugar fills two 5-lb bags/sec with better than ±0.1% accuracy thanks to a state-of-the-art sugar-filling line powered by the latest in servo drive, PLC and networking technology.February 29, 2000Previous PagePage 10 of 26Next Page
