Flexible packaging

Clever packages take flexibles to a new level

Sleeves for propane cylinders win Flexible Packaging Assn.'s President's award. Other FPA winners include pouches of grease for fifth wheels, recyclable ream paper wraps and protective air cushion packs.

February 29, 2000

Machinery: Page 979

Flexible packaging

Flexibles feed on innovation

Keebler’s contour pouch for cookies doubles as a hand puppet, while a wrap for frozen, microwavable sandwiches provides source reduction, and an all-plastic bag offers oxygen and moisture barrier for dry pet foods.

February 29, 2000

Converting equipment

French brewers say oui to plastic

Web exclusive: Brasseries Heineken puts another brand in 1/2-L plastic and introduces a 1-L plastic beer bottle, consisting of three materials in five layers and coinjection stretch/blow-molded by Continental PET Technologies (Florence, KY). Separately, Strasbourg, France-based Kronenbourg commits not only to the unusal step of self-manufacturing its own PET bottles, but to Actis (Amorphous Carbon Treatment on Internal Surface) coating process from Sidel (Norcross, GA).

February 29, 2000

Feeding/inserting/unscrambling

International agreements

Pro Mach, Inc. (Atlanta, GA) has acquired Belcor Industries Inc. (Richmond, British Columbia, Canada).—Honeywell Engineered Applications & Solutions (Freeport, IL) has acquired the assets of Kohap Engineering Plastics Ltd.

February 29, 2000

Controls & Machine Components

Relocations, expansions

Mitsubishi Polyester Film (Greer, SC) will increase its capacity by more than 20ꯠ tons at the Greer facility by 2003.—Pester USA (Allendale, NJ) has doubled the size of its facility and staff by relocating to 7 Pearl Ct., Allendale, NJ 07401; phone: 201/327-7009, fax: 201/327-7824.—Spear Inc.

February 29, 2000

Converting equipment

Welch Foods launches coated PET bottle

Coated monolayer PET bottles are replacing glass for 16-juice drinks, juice cocktails and 100% juices. FDA-approved coating is said to cost less than multilayer barrier bottles. The heat-set PET bottles will be sold in vending and C-store channels nationwide.

February 29, 2000

Labels

Perrier gets a grip

Better ergonomics and lighter weight are benefits of Perrier’s new 5-gal water bottle with integral handle. Plus, a new rack system for transport reduces bottle breakage.

February 29, 2000

Flexible packaging

Dairy coop decides on dual bag

California Dairies Inc. reportedly will be the first commercial user of a dual film bag system. CDI plans to offer the plastic bag as an alternative to multiwall paper bags for milk powders sold to confectioners, bakeries and cheese manufacturers.

February 29, 2000

Coding, Printing & Labeling

FDA packaging guidance gets bad 'wrap' (sidebar)

Safer institutional drug packaging?

February 29, 2000

Blisters/clamshells/skin packaging

FDA packaging guidance gets bad 'wrap'

Brand-name pharmaceutical manufacturers and OTC companies want more freedom to make packaging changes without major petitioning.

February 29, 2000

Conveying & accumulation

Controls push speed limit

U.S. Sugar fills two 5-lb bags/sec with better than ±0.1% accuracy thanks to a state-of-the-art sugar-filling line powered by the latest in servo drive, PLC and networking technology.

February 29, 2000

Controls & Machine Components

Networks on the rise, packagers say

Nearly half of survey respondents have few or no networked packaging lines. Yet more than half anticipate specifying them in the next two years, say packagers in an exclusive PW survey.

February 29, 2000

Controls & Machine Components

Packaging controls standards group formed

The movement toward standardizing motion controls for packaging machinery took a small but critical step forward in early February. An official working group for standardizing on motion controls in packaging machinery was created at the recent Open Modular Architecture Controls (OMAC) end user meeting held in Orlando, FL.

February 29, 2000