Sustainability

Brewers pouring into plastic

Brewers around the world have been on the fence about plastic bottles. Suddenly they're commercializing a variety of plastic barrier structures.

November 30, 1998

Containers: Page 236

Closures

Miller's plastic beer bottle solves first of three marketplace puzzles

Those of us who thought Anheuser-Busch would be the first American brewer to market beer in plastic bottles at retail were surprised when, in early November, A-B turned out to be no more than a very interested observer as Miller Brewing Co., Milwaukee, WI, commercially introduced three beers in unique, five-layer, oxygen-scavenging plastic bottles from Owens-Illinois' Continental PET Technologies, Inc.

November 30, 1998

Conveying & accumulation

Equipment brews benefits for Anheuser-Busch

From depalletizing to shipping, nearly identical packaging equipment on two new lines boosts efficiency at the brewer's Houston, TX, plant.

November 30, 1998

Filling/capping, liquid & viscous

Creative compensation keeps packaging people

To attract good packaging people, companies must pay top wages without leaving behind existing packaging employees. Alternative compensation practices can also help.by David Newcorn, Senior Editor

November 30, 1998

Containers

Supplier news: Appointments, promotions

CCL Container (Rosemont, IL): James E. Cooper, vp, sales and marketing, tube div.

November 30, 1998

Feeding/inserting/unscrambling

Silver cleaner polishes its look

Silver Blue's complete overhaul eliminates leakage and breakage while improving esthetics.

November 30, 1998

Containers

Composite canister ousts steel can for nuts

Gone are 603 x 408 steel cans for foodservice nut products at Azar Nuts of El Paso, TX. Foodservice vice president Gary Stewart couldn't be happier.

November 30, 1998

Coding, Printing & Labeling

B&H Labeling Systems: Roll-fed labeler

The Model 2600 roll-fed labeler from B&H (Ceres, CA) labels containers measuring 2" to 5" in dia and 6 oz to 3 L in volume at speeds to 500 cpm.

October 31, 1998

Controls & Machine Components

T & S Equipment Co.: Drum gripper

T&S Equipment (Angola, IN) introduces the Drum Gripper, attachable to forklifts via a safety chain that's included. Once secured to the forklift, the Gripper's curved arms fit tightly under the drum rib, ready to lift either 30- or 55-gal steel drums weighing up to 1귔 lb.

October 31, 1998

Controls & Machine Components

Powell Systems Inc: Net weight scale

Designed with bulk produce packagers in mind, Powell Systems' (Youngstown, OH) AWC-HD linear automatic net- weight scale can make weighments as large as 60 lb, operating at a rate of 17 weighments/min or faster for loads of 20 lb or less.

October 31, 1998

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

Teamwork pays off for everyone

Wise and its film suppliers work together to develop a new metallized oriented polypropylene film that can handle the demands of potato chip packaging.

October 31, 1998

Containers

Sam's Club product labels turn private

Long known for presenting national-brand merchandise, Wal-Mart's Sam's Club introduces new private-label Member's Mark line, in everything from soup to jeans.

October 31, 1998

Converting equipment

Welch's 'concentrates' on plastic can

Under development for nearly eight years, an all-plastic, easy-open, microwavable canister is now appearing in East Coast freezer cases holding several varieties of frozen juice concentrates for Welch's, Concord, MA.

October 31, 1998