Conveying & accumulation

Foam dunnage computes for GT's software

Minnesota is no stranger to snow. But at GT Interactive's Plymouth plant, located in suburban Minneapolis, a far different kind of blizzard was hampering operations.

January 31, 1998

Spirits/liquors: Page 100

Conveying & accumulation

Robotic palletization protects Sandvik

Automated lifting and stacking of heavy boxes onto pallets helps this maker of mining products avoid worker injuries and $120ꯠ of additional labor costs.

January 31, 1998

Coding, Printing & Labeling

Smirnoff 1.75 L relaunched in proprietary PET

Hoping to boost sales, United Distillers and Vintners, Hartford, CT, has relaunched its Smirnoff premium vodka in a proprietary 1.75-L polyethylene terephthalate package whose rollout was to be completed this month.

January 31, 1998

Containers

Supplier news: Domestic acquisitions, agreements

Greif Bros. Corp. (Delaware, OH) has signed an agreement to acquire KMI Continental Fibre Drum, Inc., Fibro Tambor, and Sonoco Plastic Drum, Inc., all wholly owned subsidiaries of Sonoco Products Co.

January 31, 1998

Flexibles

Orville Redenbacher, Frito-Lay debut zippered, resealable packs

Orville Redenbacher has entered the ready-to-eat market segment with two flavors of Orville's Gourmet® Popcorn Clusters that stand tall in a stand-up reclosable zipper pouch.

January 31, 1998

Beverage

'Message on the bottle'

"The perfume bottles which grace a dressing table and the beverage bottles which languish in the cupboard speak volumes about their owners," writes Mary Lewis of London-based design consultancy Lewis Moberly.

December 31, 1997

Blisters/clamshells/thermoforming materials

Combo checkweigher/metal detectors save space for Keebler

Compact and highly accurate, combo checkweighers and metal detectors at Keebler's Macon, GA, bakery are meeting special needs.

December 31, 1997

Beverage

Packages 'understand' people, says Hine

The relationships people have with packages are more complex than they realize. They're both intimate and emotional, says author and noted design critic Thomas Hine in the foreword of his book The Total Package: The Secret History and Hidden Meanings of Boxes, Bottles, Cans, and Other Persuasive Containers (Back Bay Books).

December 31, 1997

Beverage

Outsourcing benefits point to continuing trend

The outsourcing of packaging functions has been yielding benefits, Packaging World readers report. Cost savings and satisfaction are the upside, while only half of respondents report increases in plant efficiency.

December 31, 1997

Blisters/clamshells/skin packaging

A Star coding system

Dental tool maker Star Dental switches from manual label application to preprinting with a thermal-transfer system to comply with industry bar-code guidelines. Savings are the major benefit.

December 31, 1997

Flexibles

Matte finish creates newsprint look

While glossy film is the norm for snack foods, a fish & chips snack bag from Burton's Biscuits in England features an alluring matte finish that stands out in the snack aisle.

December 31, 1997

Containers

Supplier news: International agreements

Russell-Stanley Holdings, Inc. (Red Bank, NJ) has merged with Hunter Drums Ltd. (Burlington, Ontario, Canada).

December 31, 1997

Coding, Printing & Labeling

Clear-film labels rev rum bottle intro

Late this summer, New York-based Seagram Americas introduced Captain Morgan's Parrot Bay Puerto Rican rum flavored with coconut in clear rectangular glass bottles in 750-mL and 1-L sizes.

December 31, 1997