Photoelectric sensor

Q14 opposed-mode photoelectric sensors from Banner (Minneapolis, MN) measure less than 1/3" W and can sense at a 70" range. They can detect for either object presence or absence, with either sinking (NPN) or sourcing (PNP) outputs, with an operating range from 5°F to 131°F.

Aug 31st, 1997

Pw 23069 Q14oppphosen 40

Getty Images 1220078124

Top Three Operational Priorities of Execs in Packaging and Processing

Issues that were prominent prior to 2020 became even more elevated during the pandemic.

Rob Reinders, CPA President and President of Performance Packaging of Nevada

‘ENGAGE’ in CPA in 2022

In this CPA President's letter, Rob Reinders announces association’s newly formatted event, ENGAGE, and shares news on group’s successful attendance at recent industry shows.

P&G and Herbal Essences' PET Bottles Move to 50% Chemically Recycled PCR

Herbal Essences will be the first P&G brand to use Eastman Renew molecular-recycled plastic in its packaging.

VUE Vitamin Tea is hot-fill processed and is packaged in a 59-dia, 20-oz Pacific Round aluminum bottle topped by Silgan’s 38 TZS aluminum ROPP closure.

Two Brands Awarded 0.5 Million Closures Each

Functional beverage PRO.J and VUE Vitamin Tea are announced as the winners of Silgan’s annual Free Closures for a Year Contest.

P&G is creating scalable initiatives for waste management infrastructure, and changing up plastic usage, material, and product formats.

15 Minutes of Sustainability Talk with P&G

Invisible watermarks with imprinted recycling data, scalable initiatives for waste management infrastructure, and changing up plastic usage, material, and product formats are all currently in the works at P&G.

The G40 X-ray machine part of a small-pack line that handles bag sizes from 1 to 4 kg.

X-ray System for Pet Food Handles 25-kg Bags

U.K. private-label manufacturer GA Pet Food Partners meets its core value of quality through the use of high-speed inspection systems, including its latest purchase, a 20-ft-long X-ray/checkweighing machine.

Heinz Ketchup’s New Dispensing Valve | Materials Shortages Rankle Bev Industry

Iconic Heinz Ketchup switched to a new dispensing valve and closure that will make the pack more sustainable. Meanwhile, beverage producers struggle with materials shortages.

Sm Graphic Matt

unPACKed Podcast: A 1st Look At PACK EXPO 2022

Listen to editors from PMMI Media Group lay out the top trends and innovations attendees can expect to see at PACK EXPO East 2022.

CPA’s annual event is now called “ENGAGE” – The Contract Packaging and Manufacturing Experience

Contract Packaging Industry Enjoys In-Person Events

CPA, The Association for Contract Packagers and Manufacturers, gets back to in-person events, including its upcoming annual meeting and participation at industry trade shows.

Anora Bag-in-Box Irish Coffee Cocktail

Material Packaging Innovations Include Bag-in-Box Cocktail

Other innovations from November's Innovation Zone report include carton board beverage lids and paper butter packaging.

Nuti Milk Eco Lean

Nutifood Differentiates Its Dairy with Packaging

When launching a series of child- and teen-targeted drinking milk products that aim to boost nutrition and catch the modern consumer’s eye, locally famous Vietnamese food company Nutifood chose Ecolean aseptic packs.

IQ4 Metal Detection Combination solution from LOMA SYSTEMS®.

Poultry Producer Combines Checkweighing, Metal Detection Operations

Forresters, a leading food production company, invested in eight IQ4 Metal Detection Combination solutions from Loma Systems to boost production.

The line achieves speeds of 48,000 bottles/hour (bph).

Iraqi Beverage Producer Efficiently Quenches Baghdad's Thirst with High-Speed PET Water Line

From Baghdad, Iraq, where keeping hydrated in an arid, sunny climate is essential, comes an interesting high-speed, high-efficiency water-bottling project. With a speed of 48,000 bottles/hour (bph), the line, installed by Sidel, achieves 96% OEE.

Robby Martin, Engineering Specialist, Bush Brothers & Company

Got Capacity? Need Some?

In light of current supply chain disruptions, both CP/CMs and their clients must be more realistic than ever about estimating capacity for new business opportunities.

Heinz Ketchup 3

Kraft Heinz Ketchup Packaging Adopts New Dispensing Valve Tech

Iconic Heinz Ketchup recently received a valve closure makeover. An award-winning valve system, the recyclable SimpliCycle from Aptar Food and Beverage, will be found in several Kraft Heinz brands by the end of the year.

Pulpoloco Sangria is packaged in a 250-mL, smooth-finish, aseptic paper can, the CartoCan®, that’s decorated in colorful, mosaic-like graphics.

Paper Can for Sangria is the Full Package

Imported from Spain, Pulpoloco Sangria not only has beautiful branding, but its aseptic paper can is shaped like a traditional beverage can, while using 30% less material than aluminum or PET.

unPacked with OEM podcast

unPACKed with OEM Podcast: Packaging and Processing's Gender & Race Wealth Gap

Listen to OEM Editor-in-Chief Stephanie Neil's discussion with Below the Line President Jill Miller about Miller's goal to level the playing field for women and people of color in packaging and processing.

Hybernya, and Festo for Danone Mexico has warranted greater stability t

Automation Drives Danone Variety Multi-packs in Mexico

Festo and Hybernya Industrial develop an end-of-line automated packaging solution for multi-packs for Danone and Danup yogurts in Mexico.

Matt Tudball, Senior Editor, Recycling, ICIS

Retailers, Brands Ride the Wave of Ocean-Bound Plastic

Ocean-bound plastic is gaining small but significant traction within the packaging sector, particularly from those in the rPET market.

These paperboard carriers are shipped to grower facilities where operators erect and fill them.

Paperboard Fruit Carriers

Canada’s Niagara Orchard & Vineyard Corp., located in Virgil, Ontario, just completed its first season-long trial of paperboard carriers in place of thermoformed PET containers for fresh fruit.

More in Home

Pat Reynolds 2016 Official Less Red

A Farewell Lead Off

This column was my responsibility each month for many years.

Image by Gousto Recipe Box

Viable Edible Packaging Applications: Rare but Real (and Thought-Provoking)

Edible packaging may never be truly mainstream, but there are niche situations where it can be viable and effective. Recently, applications have leapt off the conceptual drawing board and into commercialized projects for beta testing.

Crisp/Avojoy sustainable pack for avocados

Avocado Cartons and Pet Food SIOC Among New Formats for E-Comm Packaging

See new trends in e-commerce packaging from ThePackHub’s November Packaging Innovation Briefing Report.

Henry Lopez (left) and Michaela Gibson (right), seniors at Clemson University, received distinguished scholarships related to their study of packaging.

Clemson Announces Fall 2021 Outstanding Packaging Science Senior Award Winners

From Clemson University comes news about two 2021 awards. Henry Lopez won the Robert Testin Outstanding Packaging Science Senior Award for Fall 2021, and Michaela Gibson received the Packaging World Outstanding Senior Award for Fall 2021.

Head of Curiosity, Brent Lindberg of Fuseneo

Future-Proof: Design Your Packaging with Robotic Automation in Mind

As robot usage increases, package design should take into mind ease-of-use for this technology, in all points of a product’s life cycle.

Nicky Kitchen Towel 3 Rolls Ambient

Own Brand Proves Paper-Pack Concept for Store Brands

Built on selling into retail private label, Sofidel recently launched a consumer brand of its own, Nicky, to serve as a proof of concept and market testing brand for a unique paper-pack solution for bath tissue and paper towel packs.

Mars Petcare UK's Chappie canned dog food is one of the brands that is now being sold in paperboard cartons rather than shrink film.

New Packaging from Mars Petcare UK Cuts Plastic by 15M Pieces

Keeping its comparisons aptly within the animal realm, Mars Petcare UK claims its switch from shrink film to paperboard for mixed-can pet food multipacks will eliminate 30 elephants’ worth of plastic.

Bringing ABB's robotic automation to the process of making Zume's compostable packaging is poised to bring the benefits of this sustainable packaging technology to manufacturing plants around the world.

Big Boost for Compostable Molded Pulp?

Transitioning away from single-use plastic packaging is now widely accepted as a global imperative, and that transition may have gotten a big boost thanks to a recently announced collaboration.

L’Oréal has produced a prototype cosmetics bottle that is made from a drop-in polyethylene created from the recycling of carbon emissions.

L’Oréal Pioneers Bottle Made from Industrial Emissions

The prototype HDPE package is the result of a partnership with LanzaTech and TotalEnergies that converts carbon waste from emissions from a steel mill into recycled polyethylene with the same properties as virgin plastic.

In September, Absolut Vodka was restaged on shelf with new packaging graphics, representing the biggest design refresh since 1979.

New Absolut Bottle Design Pays Tribute to Brand’s Credentials

In the biggest design refresh since 1979, Absolut Vodka’s new bottle graphics emphasize the brand’s Swedish provenance and showcase the community and culture driving the brand forward.

A Loop Drop Off Point

Packaging as a Business Asset: Loop Case Study

Loop’s prefill reuse model of sustainability has evolved since its development in 2017, and it’s growing as more retailers sign on to owning their own refillable packaging.

Reduced “Friction” & Pandemic Nudge Pave Way for Smart Packaging

Gone are the clunky apps and poor content experiences that hampered consumer engagement with Intelligent Packaging. As friction abated, the pandemic demonstrated the value of contactless communication, ushering in an Intelligent Packaging renaissance.