Containers

New bagger brings sweet rewards

Constant breakdowns and an increase in production prompt Windy Acres to invest in a new vf/f/s machine.

April 4, 2008

Industries: Page 434

Flexibles

Braille 'signed' on sleeved bottles

Italy’s Brescia Milk Depot debuts Braille via hot-melt adhesive dots applied to shrink-sleeved milk bottles.

April 4, 2008

Petfood/Pet Care

'Best in breed' for cap packaging

Stull Technologies borrows a few ideas from the high-speed CD jewel case manufacturing scene when it brings sophisticated robotics to its packaging operations.

April 4, 2008

Blisters/clamshells/thermoforming materials

New adhesive applicator puts Carmex in club stores

Lip-balm manufacturer Carma Labs installs a fully automatic applicator for removable adhesive to enable repeatable and fast assembly of variety packs for Sam’s Club.

April 4, 2008

Controls & Machine Components

Incremental encoders

SICK STEGMANN’s DFS 60 Incremental Encoders are now available in blind hollow shaft versions.

April 3, 2008

Sustainability

What kind of packaging would we give up for Mother Earth?

According to a Nielsen Global Food Packaging Survey, nearly one in two global consumers would give up all forms of packaging designed for convenience purposes if it would benefit the environment, including packaging designed for easy stacking/storing at home (49%); packaging that can be used for cooking, or doubles as a resealable container (48%); and packaging designed for easy transport (47%)

April 3, 2008

Coding, Printing & Labeling

RFID drivers 2008

An uptick in RFID suggests that the market is moving beyond traditional closed-loop applications toward pilots and deployments driven by value propositions.

April 3, 2008

Meat/Poultry/Seafood

Thermoformed shrink packs

The CFS ShrinkPak System combines the benefits of a thermoformer (automation, easy handling, continuous packaging process) with the advantages of the company’s shrink-film material (40% shrinkage, attractive product presentation, good barrier properties) to yield a system said to deliver cost savings of 30% over traditional shrink-bag handling.

April 3, 2008

Feeding/inserting/unscrambling

Neckhanger applicator

Designed with POP marketing of wine in mind, Fusion’s BNA feeder efficiently applies neckhangers to bottles without slowing down most filling lines.

April 3, 2008

Flexibles

Packaging trends in healthcare packaging

The pulse of pharmaceutical, medical device, and biological markets beats ever faster as the pace of packaging chance accelerates worldwide.

April 3, 2008

Dairy

1-lb carton set to churn bigger butter sales

Land O'Lakes' larger box is more appealing to consumers and big retailers.

April 3, 2008

Flexibles

Stand-up pouch debuts Celestial Seasonings coffee

Known for its high-quality, specialty tea, Celestial Seasonings is perking up the coffee aisle with a debut line of organic, whole-bean coffees in richly illustrated, stand-up pouches.

April 2, 2008

Meat/Poultry/Seafood

Western Europe ready meals remain dynamic

Ready meals, consisting of frozen, chilled, dried and canned/preserved formats, have carved a place for themselves in many markets, especially in Western Europe. According to Euromonitor International's research, retail value sales of ready meals in Western Europe hit US$26.4 billion in 2007. The region accounted for 37% of global retail value sales, the largest share in the world.

April 2, 2008