Conveying & accumulation

Robotic palletization protects Sandvik

Automated lifting and stacking of heavy boxes onto pallets helps this maker of mining products avoid worker injuries and $120ꯠ of additional labor costs.

January 31, 1998

Materials: Page 781

Flexibles

Paper pulp molders share successes, shortcomings

New molded pulp producers group meets to assess status and learn new technologies. Packagers report on applications, identify areas that need help.

January 31, 1998

Flexible packaging

DOJ kills Reynolds/Alcoa deal; will it chill Reynolds/Ball talks?

In late December the U.S. Department of Justice moved to prevent Reynolds Metals Co. (Richmond, VA) from selling its Muscle Shoals, AL, aluminum can stock rolling mill to Alcoa (Pittsburgh, PA).

January 31, 1998

Converting equipment

Label livens line of indoor tanning products

Redesigned packaging played a key role in taking the Black Gold line of indoor tanning products from limited distribution in the Midwest to national and even international distribution.

January 31, 1998

Protective/transport packaging

Honeycomb secures paper for Pactiv's rail shipments

Four Pactiv mills switch from wood to a honeycomb paper roll securement system for railcar shipments of brown paper used by corrugating plants. The system helps reduce damage and mill worker injuries.

January 31, 1998

Cartoning

Eclectic 'sticks' with sealers

A brand new blister packager tied into an automatic collating and case packing system lets this adhesives manufacturer keep up with fast-growing sales.

January 31, 1998

Additives, coatings & inks

FTC to keep domestic content high for 'Made in the USA' label claim

To use the legend "Made in the USA" on a label, companies will have to perform final assembly in the U.S., and an "extremely high" percentage of manufacturing content will have to be American.

January 31, 1998

Flexible packaging

Breadings stand up

For 25 years, Dutch-American Foods of Dolton, IL, has sold its breading mixes to foodservice and institutional accounts. But last year the firm decided to market at retail, and management felt an unusual package would be a key to success.

January 31, 1998

Coding, Printing & Labeling

Smirnoff 1.75 L relaunched in proprietary PET

Hoping to boost sales, United Distillers and Vintners, Hartford, CT, has relaunched its Smirnoff premium vodka in a proprietary 1.75-L polyethylene terephthalate package whose rollout was to be completed this month.

January 31, 1998

Additives, coatings & inks

Supplier news: Relocations, expansions

BASF Plastics (Mt. Olive, NJ) has doubled its production of Nylon 6 engineering resins at its Freeport, TX, plant by expanding by 70 million lb/yr.

January 31, 1998

Additives, coatings & inks

Supplier news: Relocations, expansions

Wellman, Inc. (Shrewsbury NJ) plans to expand its PET packaging resin production by 250 million lb/yr, in two phases, by 2001.

January 31, 1998

Containers

Supplier news: Domestic acquisitions, agreements

Greif Bros. Corp. (Delaware, OH) has signed an agreement to acquire KMI Continental Fibre Drum, Inc., Fibro Tambor, and Sonoco Plastic Drum, Inc., all wholly owned subsidiaries of Sonoco Products Co.

January 31, 1998

Flexibles

Clarification

In describing the new Spiderwire flexible pouch packages last month (see PW, January '98, p. 4), we inadvertently credited the wrong vendor.

January 31, 1998