Sustainable Packaging

Sustainable practices go mainstream

With 60,000 suppliers seeking high marks on the Wal-Mart scorecard, can anyone doubt that sustainable packaging is here to stay?

February 9, 2007

Beverage: Page 218

Flexibles

Coping with coffee demand

Auger fillers above a vf/f/s machine was just the beginning. A checkweigher with electronic feedback to the filler saves $25,000 in just eight months.

February 9, 2007

Beverage

Funky or functional! Or both?

FDA examines label claims for foods with novel ingredients as new category of foods continues to grow.

February 9, 2007

Controls & Machine Components

Tips on minimizing unplanned downtime

Christian von Olshausen, process engineer packing at Procter & Gamble Pharmaceuticals Germany, will be a featured speaker at the Packaging Automation Forum May 23 in Chicago. His presentation will focus on how controls and automation technologies, properly implemented on today’s packaging lines, can minimize unplanned downtime by contributing to Total Quality Management (TQM) and Total Productivity Management (TPM).

February 9, 2007

Flexibles

Lewis and Clark discovers paperless multipacks

Lewis and Clark Brewery, Helena, MT, debuted in summer 2006 a new kind of environmentally friendly six-pack.The brewery has adopted ITW’s BrandPak™, a packaging collaboration from ITW Hi-Cone (www.hi-cone.com) and ITW Auto-Sleeve (www.itw-autosleeve.com) as the multipack of choice for its 12-oz bottles. A sleeving system from PDC Europe (www.pdceurope.com) applies the bands.

February 9, 2007

Closures

Aluminum bottle for stimulation beverage excites Fever

In January, Fever Beverage USA introduced 14-oz Fever Original and Fever Low Calorie stimulation beverages in aluminum bottles supplied by distributor Zuckerman Honickman (www.zh-inc.com). CCL Container (www.cclind.com) manufactures the bottles and uses lithography as the decorating process. Silgan (www.silganclosures.com) makes the 38-mm metal screw cap that tops the bottle.

February 9, 2007

Controls & Machine Components

Make2Pack Demonstrates Interoperability

The Make2Pack committee, also known as the ISA SP-88 Part 5 committee, demonstrated the benefits of adopting a standard approach to machine and control design for packaging machines at the Procter & Gamble Co. Central Engineering Technology Labs in Cincinnati on December 7.

February 6, 2007

Beverage

Water bottles infused with smooth labels

Panel-free PET bottle for O Beverages provides smooth labeling for infused water.

February 2, 2007

Sustainable Packaging

Seven packaging resolutions for 2007

Yes, I’m sick of hearing about (and breaking) the typical resolutions, but it’s worth pondering these packaging resolutions from JoAnn Hines, self-proclaimed “packaging diva.”

January 31, 2007

Beverage

Coors debuts Hispanic Super Bowl packaging

Official beer sponsor of NFL caters to Latino football fans with bilingual Super Bowl packaging.

January 25, 2007

Beverage

Aluminum bottle excites Fever

Fever Beverage USA debuts this month in aluminum bottles 14-oz Fever Original and Fever Low Calorie stimulation beverages for men and women.

January 22, 2007

Bag/pouch fill/seal (pre-made bags)

Compact servo vf/f/s

The compact and simple Vertek Jr. vf/f/s machine from WeighPack stands just 4’ tall but may be interfaced with any type of filling equipment to run at speeds to 50 cycles/min.

January 11, 2007

Dairy

Terra cotta food containers

Arbresa has introduced terra cotta containers for food packaging, offering a warm and elegant appearance that evokes nature and tradition.

January 11, 2007