Dairy

Weight-loss shake embodies the 'new natural'

Valerie Jacobs makes her living by helping consumer product companies identify and capitalize on consumer trends, and the director of trend analysis at LPK notes a rise in the number of “natural” products. Not in the sense of natural versus organic, but natural as a barometer of aesthetic enjoyment.

November 7, 2007

Beverage: Page 202

Bio-based

Industry Watch

November 7, 2007

Containers

Paint by the numbers: New line cuts costs, speeds filling

Brought in-house to save the costs of copacking, a new, fully automated packaging line for Ace Paint fills paint-sample containers at 50/min with minimal operator intervention.

November 7, 2007

Beverage

The other half of the battle--getting to shelf

There’s another often-overlooked step in the innovation process. Relatively few brand owners consider innovating how they get their products to shelf.

November 7, 2007

Sustainability

Cooking up a recipe for innovation? Serve it up in manageable steps

Start by defining innovation within your company culture. Then organize it, approach it strategically, and source it properly. If you fail, resolve to try again.

November 7, 2007

Flexibles

New product from old packaging

TerraCycle is churning out new products and new product ideas at an incredible rate. Following is a sampling of some of its new products and initiatives in 2007:

November 7, 2007

Flexibles

TerraCycle: Packaging with a repurpose

TerraCycle, the company built on worm poop, gives used containers new life as plant-food packaging.

November 7, 2007

Recycling

Social responsibility leads the way at Green Mountain Coffee Roasters

With all the talk about the Wal-Mart Sustainability Scorecard changing the industry, it is easy to overlook the fact that numerous organizations have engaged in sustainable efforts for many years. At these companies, the push for corporate social responsibility and greater sustainability comes directly from senior management as well as from employees themselves. Sustainable packaging is the extension of corporate values at these companies.

November 7, 2007

Closures

U.S. closure market shows steady growth

Continuous technological advancements in end-user industries, and an ongoing conversion from metal to plastic closures, are driving growth in the U.S. plastic closures market.

November 7, 2007

Beverage

Multipacker a flexible mid-range packaging solution

On R.A. Jones' new Beverage Meridian Multipack Cartoner, mechanical and electrical components have been carefully selected to provide years of worry-free operation with minimal cost for maintenance and repairs.

November 6, 2007

Coding, Printing & Labeling

Soliciting packaging ideas and innovation

NineSigma openly solicits interested parties to respond to some of the thorniest technical challenges.

October 30, 2007

Reusable/Returnable

On packaging, patents, and protection

Packaging personnel need knowledge and readiness to maximize their contributions in corporate battles over patents.

October 30, 2007

Feeding/inserting/unscrambling

Turning around 'das boot'

What began as a sad look at the skills gap between U.S. and European packaging automation curricula concluded with a pleasant surprise announcement by Purdue University Calumet.

October 26, 2007