Consumer packaged goods: Page 92

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

Confection/Candy

Self-lube bearings bring smooth motion to vf/f/s machines

A special polymer injection-molded with dry lubricants blended in is at the heart of the self-lubricating bearings used on these machines.

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

Sustainable Packaging

Cereal manufacturers should switch from two inner bags to one for club store packaging

Sustainable packaging is an incremental pursuit, quickened when adoptions are made by an entire category. For example, club-store-size cereals with twin bags inside a carton could be switched by cereal manufacturers to one large bag.

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

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

Closures

Household cleaners prove less is more

Just add water: Empty bottle's cavity holds blistered tablets for dilution.

October 22, 2007

Contract Packaging

Video: 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.

October 22, 2007

Labels

Lawsuit settled, TerraCycle changes graphics

TerraCycle settles with rival The Scotts Co.

October 22, 2007