Blisters/clamshells/thermoforming materials

Triangle Package Machinery Co.: Tray weigher/filler

The servo-driven X-Y Depositech scale/filler from Triangle (Chicago, IL) weighs and deposits up to 140 discharges/min into thermoformed trays. Used largely in packing food products, the machine combines weighments of up to 8 ingredients, and 250 recipes can be stored in memory.

March 31, 2000

Leaders (UNIVERSAL TAXONOMY PW): Page 1757

Controls & Machine Components

National Plastics, Inc: National Plastics, Inc: Plastics museum

The National Plastics Center and Museum (Leominster, MA) describes its numerous changes, upgrades and offerings in a new brochure. Brochure illustrates the newest attractions and programs, including a new interactive Discovery Corner, Plastics in Medicine exhibit and environmental gallery.

March 31, 2000

Controls & Machine Components

Smurfit-Stone: Paper canister

Smurfit-Stone (Chicago, IL) has developed PaperCan™, which uses a paperboard body with an integrated easy-to-open-and-close paperboard lid. Made of laminated or barrier-coated paperboard that can be linear or blank-formed.

March 31, 2000

Controls & Machine Components

Liberty Paper, Inc: Moisture barrier linerboard

M-Guard® Moisture Barrier from Liberty Paper (Becker, MN) is a repulpable linerboard that repels moisture yet looks, feels, corrugates and prints like regular linerboard.

March 31, 2000

Conveying & accumulation

Rockwell Automation: Photoelectric sensor

The ColorSight Series 9000 photoelectric sensor from Rockwell Automation (Milwaukee, WI) can identify colors and sort packages accordingly as they pass on a conveyor.

March 31, 2000

Coding, Printing & Labeling

Labels on crab

Some people in Maryland don’t want consumers to think they are eating Maryland crab when they’re not. The Maryland legislature is considering a bill that would require country-of-origin labeling of any container of crab meat packed or processed outside the U.S.

March 31, 2000

Coding, Printing & Labeling

Biotech labeling bill introduced

The food industry reacted negatively to the introduction of a bill by Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) requiring mandatory labeling of all biotech, or genetically modified, food, food ingredients, dietary supplements, feed and products from animals fed biotech commodities.

March 31, 2000

Coding, Printing & Labeling

Milk questions soy labeling

The National Milk Producers Federation filed a complaint with the Food and Drug Administration in February seeking to prohibit soy beverages from being labeled as “milk.” Soy drinks are popping up in dairy cases in packaging that closely resembles milk cartons, and NMPF is trying to protect the distinct identity of its product.

March 31, 2000

Flexibles

Appointments, promotions

Robert’s Packaging Corp. (Battle Creek, MI): Robert G. Koppe, chairman of the board, CEO; Christopher R. Burrows, president, CEO.

March 31, 2000

Sustainable Packaging

Achievements

Petroleum Packaging Council (Chicago, IL) will fund university scholarships to junior and senior packaging science students at Clemson University, Michigan State University and California Polytechnic State University.

March 31, 2000

Flexibles

International agreements

UPM-Kymmene Corp. (Helsinki, Finland) and Champion Intl. Corp. (Stamford, CT) have approved a definitive merger agreement that would create a global paper and forest products co.

March 31, 2000

Additives, coatings & inks

Domestic acquisitions, agreements

Chevron Chemical Co. (Houston, TX) and Phillips Chemical Co. (Houston, TX) have merged to form a new joint venture co.

March 31, 2000

Converting equipment

Relocations, expansions

Matrix (Saukville, WI) has moved into its new 18ꯠ sq’ building at 700 N. Progress Dr., Saukville, WI 53080; phone: 262/268-8300, fax: 262/268-8301.

March 31, 2000