Materials: Page 591

Blisters/clamshells/thermoforming materials

Time indicator for perishables

Based on diffusion, Timestrip expiration date indicators show very clearly the remaining shelf life of refrigerated or frozen products.

December 31, 2004

Labels

Emphasizing product benefits to the 'bring-it- to-me' consumer

The label can act a versatile communications tool to keep a brand contemporary. Greg Metzger, director of marketing at Red Gold Inc., Elwood, IN, believes the label is a good place to begin in a package review when the goal is extending a longtime brand to a new generation of potential product users.

December 31, 2004

Coding, Printing & Labeling

ARC study: ROI for RFID is lacking

For a study released in November, the ARC Advisory Group talked to 24 companies that were actively investing in EPC (Electronic Product Code) RFID. The study includes best practices.

December 31, 2004

Labels

Conductive Inks: RFID's silver lining?

If RFID is going to make it to the item level, package printers are likely to play a leading role.

December 31, 2004

Secondary Packaging

UF project meshes bar code and RFID technology

Research at the University of Florida on a productivity-tracking system for manual case packing is receiving an RFID-enabled boost using a multifunctional device.

December 31, 2004

Coding, Printing & Labeling

MIT's economical RFID field probe

The Auto-ID Labs have developed an inexpensive field probe that emulates an RFID tag, but yields much more robust information than simple trial-and-error, pass or fail testing.

December 31, 2004

Coding, Printing & Labeling

The Packaging Pushback Club

Who knows what excuses slow RFID acceptance and implementation? RFID authority John Greaves of Deloitte Consulting does, and identifies these maligned scapegoats.

December 31, 2004

Coding, Printing & Labeling

RFID one-on-one with Kevin Ashton Part 1

RFID Antenna exclusive: RFID authority Kevin Ashton, co-founder of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Auto-ID Center and now vice president of marketing with RFID reader vendor ThingMagic, provides insights and observations in this exclusive interview conducted in December. Part 2 concludes next month.

December 31, 2004

Coding, Printing & Labeling

EPCglobal ratifies Generation 2 standard

Standards organization EPCglobal announced the ratification of the royalty-free EPCglobal UHF Generation 2 candidate specification in mid-December.

December 31, 2004

Secondary Packaging

Semi-automatic stretchwrapping

Wulftec offers its new Smart Series of low- and high-profile stretchwrap turntables. Company says that customers benefit from all the advantages of a custom-built semi-automatic stretchwrapper, but without the high costs and long waiting times.

December 31, 2004

Coding, Printing & Labeling

SATO America, Inc. Unveils New Class of Powerful and Intelligent Barcode Printers

Fast, intelligent Web-enabled GTe Series sets the standard for industrial barcode printers

December 31, 2004

Containers

Tubes of the year awards

The Tube Council is making a call for entries for the annual Tubes of the Year Awards.

December 31, 2004