Bag/pouch fill/seal (pre-made bags)

Home meal replacements on the move

Increased consumer demand for home meal replacement spurs development of new technologies, new markets. A Packaging World special report.

July 31, 1999

Blisters/clamshells/thermoforming materials: Page 97

Flexibles

Supplier news: Relocations, expansions

Klockner Pentaplast of America (Gordonsville, VA) has opened a new packaging technology center at its headquarters location. The center has two separate sections: one for pharmaceutical applications, the other for food, medical device, static control and general thermoforming applications.

July 31, 1999

Blisters/clamshells/thermoforming materials

Supplier news: Relocations, expansions

Fabri-Kal (Kalamazoo, MI) has expanded its Hazleton, PA, plant with the addition of three new OMV E76 in-line thermoforming machines and five Polytype printers.

July 31, 1999

Flexible packaging

Food, beverage packaging to star at supermarkets

New packages stand out for major brands like Snapple, Mrs. Butterworth's and Sara Lee at this year's FMI show.

June 30, 1999

Cartoning

Buying plans strong for '99

Purchasing plans for packaging machinery will outpace inflation in '99, says a survey conducted for PMMI. Pharmaceutical/medical and beverage businesses see biggest gains, while three industries expect declines.

June 30, 1999

Feeding/inserting/unscrambling

Combining machinery functions while we broaden options

The big show at Dsseldorf, interpack 99, proved to be another education in the worldwide scope of packaging. Coming just seven months after Pack Expo 98, there are some parallels between the shows, though there's also a whole host of differences.

June 30, 1999

Blisters/clamshells/skin packaging

Capsule reviews

Here are a few brief reviews of packaging-related Web sites. Lasertechnics (Albuquerque, NM), located at www.lasertechnics.com, has a site that makes a basic, though well-written, pitch for laser coding.

May 31, 1999

Closures

Trays for audio/visual media 'serve and protect'

For trays that hold cassettes, CDs and video tapes, Vinylweld shifts to new PVC sheet that holds tolerances and protects the media.

May 31, 1999

Closures

Paperboard packs award-winning punch

Award winners in this year's Paperboard Packaging Competition range from digital camera bag sleeves to catheter cards to bagel cartons.

May 31, 1999

Closures

Hormel's pack makes bacon ready-to-eat

For the first time, fully precooked bacon strips are now available virtually anywhere in the supermarket. A new thermoformed MAP flexible package allows Hormel Foods, Austin, MN, to pack oxygen-sensitive cooked bacon slices without refrigeration for up to four months.

April 30, 1999

Cartoning

Glaxo 'Wellcomes' quick-change software

As Glaxo Wellcome's Zebulon, NC, facility packs a wider variety of pharmaceuticals, quick-changeover equipment becomes top priority. Software developed in-house helps the plant reduce changeover times on its solid-dose packaging lines.

April 30, 1999

Blisters/clamshells/skin packaging

Source tags provide measured security improvements

Stanley Tools houses a security label in a patented PVC capsule that clips onto the back of its tape rule package.

April 30, 1999

Conveying & accumulation

Robotic tray loaders speed cookie loading

A state-of-the-art line at Voortman Cookies in Canada uses 10 vision-guided robots to simultaneously pack cookies into five trays at 1걄 cookies/min. Saves C$450ꯠ/yr in labor costs and provides 10-minute tool-less changeover.

April 30, 1999