Automation Shines at Heinz

At the Heinz Pocatello, ID, plant, Smart Ones frozen meals are run through a highly automated line that includes automatic depositing of a vegetable/rice mixture (www.multi-fill.com), weighing of protein chunks (chicken, pork, etc.) on a pair of combination scales (www.yamatocorp.com), sauce depositing (www.raque.com), heat sealing of film to filled trays (www.raque.com), metal detecting (www.mt.com), lane dividing, tray infeed to cartoner (www.rajones.oystar-group.com), laser coding of cartons (www.domino-printing.com), vision inspection of cartons (www.cognex.com), metal detection (www.mt.com), case packing (www.douglas-machine.com), case coding (www.markem-imaje.com), and case code inspection (www.cognex.com).

May 12th, 2008
Direct digital print on glass includes tactile elements.
Bacardi Personalizes Bottles with Direct Digital Print
BACARDÍ rum, the number one rum in Europe, has launched a limited-editionglass bottle that uses direct digital printing to bring an Augmented Reality experience to consumers.
Jul 2nd, 2020
Regular Compact Cotton Icecream Gj Copy
Tampons in an Ice Cream Pint Make a Whimsical Statement
Feminine care company Rael launches a unique recyclable carton in stores and online.
Jul 1st, 2020
Bio Tone Tomato Tone Group
Lawn & Garden Brand Practices what it Preaches with Bio-based Pouch
Espoma Organic showcases its continued commitment to the environment with more sustainable flexible packaging alternatives.
Jun 30th, 2020
Conventionally antithetical to one another, sustainability and profit are starting to become a necessary pairing in the business world.
Drive Profit Through Sustainability
Learn what attributes consumers value in sustainable packaging and their willingness to pay for those attributes to develop a strategy that results in profits.
Jun 30th, 2020
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Recycling Takes Another Hit During Pandemic, Part II
The Coronavirus pandemic is creating a growing waste crisis even as we see images of the earth’s environment clearing from less pollution. A few months into the crisis, and the numbers are staggering.
Jun 29th, 2020
Op X Horizontal
Virtual FAT Guidelines from OpX
The OpX Leadership Network releases best practices and leadership guidelines for executing virtual factory acceptance tests (vFATs), to address the changing operational landscape brought on by COVID-19.
Jun 29th, 2020
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OMAC To Develop Remote Interface Guidelines
OMAC, The Organization for Machine Automation and Control, has formed a Workgroup to be comprised of end users and service providers to create a comprehensive best-practices handbook for remote monitoring services.
Jun 29th, 2020
Albacher Can Lid Label
Beer Cans' Premium Foil Lidding Adds Billboard Space While Appealing to Post-COVID Consumer
Romanian lager Albacher doesn't mention the pandemic specifically, but the timing of its new foil lidding, which adds billboard space and ensures a clean beer can surface, is fortuitous considering an increasingly safety-conscious consumer base.
Jun 29th, 2020
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Q&A: MIT Operations Researcher Talks COVID-19 Vaccination Hurdles
An expert discusses some of the environmental, research, and packaging concerns in supplying populations with a COVID-19 vaccine.
Jun 25th, 2020
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Hershey's Unwraps their COVID-19 strategy with employees and suppliers
Hershey’s Josh Becker sat down with PMMI’s Sean Riley to talk about a customer’s perspective on how Hershey is handling visits from suppliers, training and service issues.
Jun 25th, 2020
The custom bottle presents a dark, spooky feel through its sharp lines and well-defined shoulders that playfully resemble the Devil’s horns.
The Devil is in the Details of a New Brandy Bottle
Chilean wine brand Casillero del Diablo enters the spirits category, with a custom brandy bottle with shoulders shaped to resemble a Devil's horns and graphics.
Jun 24th, 2020
Customized bottles from Heineken just for the Grand Prix.
Heineken Customizes for Grand Prix
Dutch brewing company Heineken, which has a global partnership with Formula 1 racing, wanted to do something special for the return of the Grand Prix to the Zandvoort circuit in the Netherlands.
Jun 24th, 2020
Matt Reynolds, Editor
Packaging No Spectator to This Social Moment
Jun 23rd, 2020
Day one of go live with the upgraded ERP system at Avery’s manufacturing site in Northampton, UK.
ERP Upgrade Enables Direct-to-Consumer Model for Avery
QAD’s latest cloud-based enterprise resource planning system has helped Avery better integrate its operations to provide the flexibility needed to depart from its traditional big box pallet model.
Jun 23rd, 2020
Photo 1 Webinar
Despite COVID-19 global packaging market expected to grow.
Euromonitor International analysts anticipated growth in 2020 for most key goods categories that use packaging, despite the impact of COVID-19, at Webinar organized by EXPO PACK México and Mundo PMMI.
Jun 23rd, 2020
The MyKirei by Kao line debuted in April, with the first phase offering three products: Nourishing Shampoo, Conditioner, and Hand Wash.
AIR Bottle for Personal Care Line Reduces Plastic by 50%
New personal care line, MyKirei by Kao, reflects the company’s Kirei, or ‘beautiful,’ Lifestyle Plan, with sustainable packaging that uses two pouches to create a ‘revolutionary’ rigid bottle.
Jun 22nd, 2020
Sm Graphic Becker
Hershey's Expectations for Suppliers during COVID-19
Hershey's Josh Becker explains how the chocolate giant has adapted and what it expects from visitors to its facilities.
Jun 19th, 2020
Nakuna Helsinki's fragrance packaging delivers a memorable opening experience with thoughtful and detailed packaging components, with each piece of packaging contributing to the journey to the product itself.
Perfume Carton the Result of Sustainable Thinking
New Finnish luxury fragrance brand selects a lightweight, durable paperboard for its new line of products that mirrors its brand concept and values.
Jun 19th, 2020
Today, Reps. Haley Stevens (MI-11), the Chairwoman of the House Science Subcommittee on Research and Technology, and Anthony Gonzalez (OH-16) introduced bipartisan legislation to reduce plastic waste and improve the global competitiveness of the U.S. plastics recycling industry.
Proposed U.S. Legislation Puts Focus on Plastic Waste Reduction, Recycling
Key components include improving the global competitiveness of the U.S. plastics recycling industry, U.S. leadership in waste reduction and recycling research and in standards development, and an investment of $85M in 2021.
Jun 17th, 2020
Original
Aunt Jemima to be Retired by PepsiCo, Mars and Conagra Follow Suit
The company is retiring the brand imagery and its logo, acknowledging a racial stereotype associated with its origin. The brand will be re-named.
Jun 17th, 2020
More in Home
Bickford's Group
New Line Features Two Blow/fill Systems
To maximize the ability to change over from one neck diameter to another and to fill either aseptic, CSD, or still products, Bickford’s doubled down on blow/fill technology.
Jun 16th, 2020
The new illustration includes a portal of escapism on the front label, with a shining light beam representing a beacon of hope and positivity in dark times.
Limited-Edition Jägermeister Bottle Created to #SAVETHENIGHT During COVID-19
A reinterpreted label for Jägermeister celebrates nightlife, while also highlighting the company’s commitment to help those artists, creatives, bartenders, and club owners affected by the lockdown.
Jun 16th, 2020
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CPC Releases a New Set of High Pressure Certified Guidelines
The newest guideline is Wet Salads, also known as deli salads. This addition is one in a continuing series of CPC initiatives to raise the awareness and use of HPP and be the voice within the industry.
Jun 15th, 2020
One of the four turnkey KHS lines at Reginald Lee is an Innopack Kisters shrink packer. (Source: KHS Group)
New PET Line for Coca-Cola Bottler Produces 26,000+ bottles/hr
Argentinian Coca-Cola bottler Reginald Lee works with same supplier for four bottling lines, the most recent of which handles hot-fill and carbonated drinks with efficiency and a high degree of automation.
Jun 12th, 2020
Nespresso has launched what it says is the first coffee capsule on the market made using 80% recycled aluminum.
Nespresso Coffee Capsule Made from 80% Recycled Content
Made of a thinner aluminum foil, each new, recycled-content Nespresso capsule is produced using 9.2% less aluminum material, making it 8% lighter as well.
Jun 15th, 2020
UnPACKed with PMMI Update on PACK EXPO International & Healthcare Packaging EXPO,
OEM COVID-19 #14 - Update on PACK EXPO International and Healthcare Packaging EXPO
PMMI's Laura Thompson shares the latest and greatest on planning for November's event, including variables like virtual and hybrid options.
Jun 15th, 2020
Diageo makes strides in sustainable packaging.
100% Recycled PET for Diageo’s Whiskey
Diageo North America has announced that its iconic bottles for Seagram’s 7 Crown blended American whiskey will be made from 100% recycled plastic (rPET), a move that is a first for the brand and for Diageo.
Jun 14th, 2020
PMMI President & CEO Featured on CBS Chicago
PMMI Takes to CBS Airways Seeking Govt. Clarity on PACK EXPO
Trade show industry coming together for status report on future McCormick Place conventions in the wake of COVID-19
Jun 11th, 2020
Pmmi Logo Rebrand 4c Vertical Transparent
PMMI Prevails In Lawsuit Fighting Fraudulent Use of PACK EXPO Logo and Phony List Sales
Court decision sends clear message to all unauthorized vendors
Jun 10th, 2020
Nancy Cobb, Owner, Organizational Development Consultant, Partners in Possibilities
OEM COVID-19 #13 - Adapting Industry Training During COVID-19
Typical industry training will be anything but typical as companies pivot to fit new safety guidelines.
Jun 9th, 2020
Aqua Libra AFTER the redesign
Sparkling-Water Fountain Symbol Represents ‘Freedom to Enjoy’
A redesign for Britvic’s infused sparkling water packaging makes existing iconography of a fountain of water the heart of the new design, along with a pastel color palette and fresh design cues.
Jun 9th, 2020
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Recyclable Mono-material Pouch Uses One-Way Valve to Keep Soft Pet Chews Fresh
Pet food maker Mera is the first to use pre-made, mono-material, recyclable plastic FlexiBags for its semi-moist dog treats.
Jun 9th, 2020