Closures

Final score for '96: Productivity gains 41, productivity losses 6

Of 516 responses to the 1997 Packaging Productivity Trends Indicator Survey, more than four in ten (41%) report productivity improvements in 1996, compared to just 6% who say their companies experienced losses in productivity.

February 28, 1997

Materials: Page 812

Flexibles

The Web: still searching for relevancy

For many packaging professionals, today's Internet experience is both irritating and irrelevant. In our view, that's because packagers have been deluded into wasting time searching for data that's not there rather than focusing on finding what is likely to be "enWebbed." Packagers who log on to the Web to find a piece of market data, for instance, "how much aluminum foil was sold in the U.S.

February 28, 1997

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

Value-added packaging goes to sea

Seattle fish processor vacuum packs salmon right on board its two ships for sale to Japanese markets. Now there's no need to thaw and refreeze, so quality is improved.

February 28, 1997

Tamper-evident machinery

Sara Lee puts its brand on take-home foods

Look out Boston Market!

February 28, 1997

Coding, Printing & Labeling

Ciba slashes costs with flexible pack

Ciba Crop Protection, Greensboro, NC, reduced its packaging costs by more than half after switching to a custom 25-lb premade bag for its granular ant bait product used by farmers.

February 28, 1997

Additives, coatings & inks

Supplier news: Relocations, expansions

EVAL Co. of America (Lisle, IL) opened its third EVOH copolymer resin line at its Pasadena, TX, plant. The increase brings the annual EVAL® resin capacity to 46 million lb.

February 28, 1997

Additives, coatings & inks

AquaPenn's 8-oz PET breaks the size barrier

AquaPenn Spring Water Co. has what it believes is the smallest polyethylene terephthalate bottle for a nonalcoholic beverage in the country. Holding just 8 oz of spring water, the Quick Quench bottle was launched in mid-January, targeted primarily at foodservice institutions.

February 28, 1997

Blisters/clamshells/skin packaging

Bristol-Myers recalls birth control packages

In mid-January, New York-based Bristol-Myers Squibb voluntarily recalled about 150ꯠ packages of its Ovcon® 35 birth control tablets due to a packaging snafu that might increase the risk of an unwanted pregnancy.

February 28, 1997

Flexibles

Graphics suit Santa's Best coffee bag

In a two-month period ending in mid-January, Seattle's Best Coffee produced about 100ꯠ units of Santa's Best Blend(TM) 8-oz whole bean coffee.

February 28, 1997

Additives, coatings & inks

Dual-pump pack minimizes waste

Introduced in Mexico last September, Colgate's dual-pumping toothpaste dispenser is unique for several reasons, says Bob Mack, associate director of technology at Colgate Palmolive's Global Packaging Group.

February 28, 1997

Blisters/clamshells/thermoforming materials

Thermoformable anti-static sheet

Mustang MRC-11 is an economical, clear, anti-static PVC-based sheet from Ex-Tech Plastics (Richmond, IL). It's designed for packaging connectors and other ESD-sensitive devices to be transported and used within static-sensitive environments.

January 31, 1997

Protective/transport packaging

Void-fill maker

The CorruGuard(TM) Former is an innovative machine from Appleton Mfg. Div. (Neenah, WI) that converts waste corrugated material into patented forms of void-fill.

January 31, 1997

Closures

Tube closure

The patent-pending TE Eye Tip Fez Cap from Teledyne Packaging (Chester, PA) is a new tube closure for use on loose opthalmic ointment tubes. Its larger size and improved shape al-lows easier handling, while its ridged surface makes it easier to grip.

January 31, 1997