Containers

Ergonomic package design

A package designer of award-winning containers suggests that ergonomic considerations could help lift your packaging above the competition.

December 31, 2004

Leaders (UNIVERSAL TAXONOMY PW): Page 1448

Coding, Printing & Labeling

Understanding and increasing packaging line productivity

Michael Mailutha of Pfizer Global Manufacturing and Ignacio Munoz-Guerra, AutoPak Engineering Corp. co-delivered the presentation Ways to Increase Packaging Productivity and Reduce Bottlenecks, at the 2004 International Pack Expo in Chicago in November.

December 31, 2004

Flexibles

CPGs and military ask 'Does this make scents?'

A number of companies, and the United States military, are reportedly evaluating a technology that enhances the aroma of foods and beverages through packaging.

December 31, 2004

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

Controls & Machine Components

'Innovation is indispensable'

Securing the role of low-cost provider can fuel growth for a while, but manufacturers today are better off relying on innovation as their path to sustained growth.

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