Controls & Machine Components

Unlocking plant-floor packaging data at Unilever

Accurate, timely information on which to make business decisions is already on the packaging floor, according to Unilever’s Andrew McDonald (left), global automation and control manager.

March 31, 2003

Industries: Page 642

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Shaped aluminum bottle energizes Snapple's Elements

Aluminum containers continue to boost the energy drink category. Elements Beverage division of the Snapple Beverage Group, White Plains, NY, is using marketing alchemy to switch bottles of its Elements energy drinks from glass to aluminum.

March 31, 2003

Sustainability

Coca-Cola wins recycling award

Coca-Cola Co., Atlanta, received an award for outstanding corporate responsibility for its leadership in using recycled PET resin. The award, from the Plastic Redesign Project, Madison, WI, was presented at a luncheon Feb. 26, at the Take It Back! 2003 conference in Alexandria, VA, sponsored by Raymond Communications (Columbia, MD).

March 31, 2003

Beverage

DUNWOODY STUDENTS AWARDED

The Dunwoody College of Technology, Minneapolis, announced that five of its printing students won top honors in Package Printing magazine’s 2002 Excellence Awards in the secondary school category.

March 31, 2003

Secondary Packaging

Q&A: Club store trends

Mike Bilder, president of contract packager Peacock Engineering in Itasca, IL, talks about the interplay among major food manufacturers, club stores, and contract packagers.

March 31, 2003

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Award-winning design

Nantze Springs won the International Bottled Water Assn.’s Aqua Award for the Best Package Design in the medium company category for its 8.5-oz water bottle design.

March 31, 2003

Detergents/cleaners

Retail product release

Roto-Rooter launched what is reported to be its first consumer product, a liquid drain cleaner for home use, with package design and development assistance from One80 Design (New York, NY).

March 31, 2003

Bakery/Snack

Web Plus: Web-based tool cuts packaging costs

In a 1999 study of its own internal packaging processes, Minneapolis-based 3M (www.3M.com/packaging) discovered that tighter control of packaging information worldwide could save millions of dollars annually.

March 31, 2003

Meat/Poultry/Seafood

Fee or tax?

Like the budgets of other administrations before it, the Bush 2004 budget contains “user fees” on food processing facilities regulated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

March 31, 2003

Flexibles

Need more information sharing

One of the easiest ways for journalists to keep up-to-date on technical and marketing advances is to participate in the judging process for the competitions in their chosen fields.

March 31, 2003

Beverage

Sometimes low tech is tech enough

To salvage existing equipment, winery finds unique solution to capsule wrinkles—by turning a conveyor on end.

March 31, 2003

Closures

Color-shifting tottles make a splash

A colorant used in two-layer HDPE tottles and other containers of Fiji Blend tanning products produces an attention-getting color shift...just like a tan.

March 31, 2003

Beverage

Start spreading the glues

Miller Brewing efficiently delivers hot-melt glue pellets to multiple glue-dispensing units thanks to an overhead air conveying system.

March 31, 2003