Coding, Printing & Labeling

Battle brewing over child-resistant caps

The Consumer Product Safety Commission is considering mandating child-resistant closures for cosmetics, cleaning solvents and auto products, among others.

August 31, 2000

Consumer packaged goods: Page 167

Blisters/clamshells/skin packaging

Blister pack is clearly 'key' to adapter visibility

New thermoformed clear vinyl package improves shelf presence, while it lowers costs for Keyspan adapters.

August 31, 2000

Controls & Machine Components

PPG paints precise picture of production (sidebar)

PI: Benchmarking a World Class line

August 31, 2000

Conveying & accumulation

PPG paints precise picture of production

From depalletizing to palletizing, powerful graphics-laden software analyzes the performance of PPG Industries’ packaging lines. Analysis results in changes that increase output efficiency 12%.

August 31, 2000

Flexibles

Growth accelerates in flexible materials

Volume of flexible packaging materials continues to outpace growth in both the overall economy and for all of packaging. FPA report does identify some potential problems, however.

August 31, 2000

Blisters/clamshells/thermoforming materials

PVC clamshells open up markets for hitching mirrors

Moving out of the box and into marketable, protective clear PVC clamshells gets results for ‘The Backup Buddy,’ a mirror assembly for hitching trailers.

July 31, 2000

Case erect/seal

PEF Hall of Fame inductees

Announced in mid-August, three career professionals will be inducted into the PEF Hall of Fame on November 11: Robert S. Forsyth; William C. Heller, Jr; and John M. Johnston.

July 31, 2000

Protective/transport packaging

HP cushions for B2C sales

Hewlett-Packard Corp., Palo Alto, CA, is using a new grade of Arcel® moldable foam from Nova Chemicals (Pittsburgh, PA) for protective cushioning for LaserJet™ Model 4050 printers distributed worldwide.

July 31, 2000

Labels

Heinz' EZ Squirt has more than cool curves

Come October, innovative packaging will help the H.J. Heinz Co. launch Heinz EZ Squirt, the first ketchup designed especially for kids. The Pittsburgh-based ketchup king designed the package with cool curves and pliable sidewalls that are easily squeezed.

July 31, 2000

Household/Automotive

Pennzoil's futuristic packaging

When Pennzoil® launched its Synthetic line of automotive products, marketers there were looking for a package that conveyed the advanced technology of the product.

July 31, 2000

Consumer packaged goods

Domestic acquisitions, agreements

SWF Companies (Sanger, CA) has acquired Salwasser Mfg. Co., Inc. (Reedley, CA).

July 31, 2000

Flexibles

Relocations, expansions

DT Industries Packaging Group (Springfield, MO) has created DT Eng. Services, a service that enables its customers to tap the resources of engineers from the 18 global mfg.

July 31, 2000

Dairy

Supplier Web sites: The pain and the promise

One of the most astonishing findings of a survey we conducted earlier this year is that packaging buyers are still slogging through general Web search engines to source packaging suppliers.

July 31, 2000