Conveying & accumulation

Lassonde innovates with Italian aseptic filler

Squared off in shape like its 2-L predecessor, Lassonde’s 420-mL PET bottle is aseptically filled at 400/min. It’s sold in a three-pack format that’s new to North America.

March 31, 2000

Beverage: Page 346

Beverage

Engineers express growing dissatisfaction

In PW's latest salary survey, overall job satisfaction among engineers is dropping. Greater responsibilities with little added pay rankles, as do packaging-related budget and staff cuts.

March 31, 2000

Flexibles

Soft graphics provide a hard sell

Since introducing its yo baby™ organic whole milk yogurt last September, Stonyfield Farm has enjoyed incredible sales success.

March 31, 2000

Closures

Cap ordering goes electronic

With the proliferation of Web sites devoted to purchasing complex packaging machinery, it seems only natural that buying closures online would be the next step.

March 31, 2000

Flexibles

Prisma-powered drinks are aimed at adults

An acknowledged leader in aseptic filling of PET bottles, Lassonde Industries is among the first to install a Prisma aseptic packaging system from Tetra Pak. It is used for 236-mL packages.

March 31, 2000

Coding, Printing & Labeling

Milk questions soy labeling

The National Milk Producers Federation filed a complaint with the Food and Drug Administration in February seeking to prohibit soy beverages from being labeled as “milk.” Soy drinks are popping up in dairy cases in packaging that closely resembles milk cartons, and NMPF is trying to protect the distinct identity of its product.

March 31, 2000

Dairy

Frost-bitten graphics

As the official ice cream of the St. Paul, MN, Winter Carnival, Kemps’ Below Zero ice cream needed packaging that would exude chilliness. Compass Design (Minneapolis, MN) used frosty colors like shades of blue, gray and white throughout the packaging.

March 31, 2000

Converting equipment

Competition touts top tubes

A shave gel tube that doubles as a razor was named the most innovative among the winners of the 1999 Tube of the Year competition sponsored by the Tube Council of North America (New York, NY).

March 31, 2000

Sustainable Packaging

Texas Instruments saves $8 million going 'green'

Through a combination of source reduction, recycling and converting to reusable containers, Texas Instruments has saved $8 million/year in its transport packaging.

March 31, 2000

Closures

Pints sprout spouts

Pleased with consumer response to threaded, recloseable pour spouts on its 1/2-gal gabletop packages, Johanna Foods has extended its use of the spout to pint-sized cartons for six juice products.

March 31, 2000

Sustainability

Miller launches, Bud in test

Citing “growing consumer and retailer demand” as its motivation, Milwaukee-based Miller Brewing Co. has announced the nationwide rollout of its plastic barrier bottles for Miller Genuine Draft, Miller Lite and Icehouse brands in both 16- and 20-oz sizes.

March 31, 2000

Beverage

Packaging Portalmania

Internet “portalmania” for vertical markets has become the rage, and packaging is no exception. (A vertical “portal” is a site that’s designed to be an independent information source with information on multiple suppliers in a given field or industry.) At last count, there were no less than three big contenders for the packaging portal throne: the Packexpo.com (www.packexpo.

March 31, 2000

Flexibles

Net Purchasing: Not Ready for Prime Time

An exclusive survey of Packaging World purchasing readers indicates enthusiasm for buying via the Internet but little actual experience in packaging purchases thus far.

March 31, 2000