Conveying & accumulation

Portland nixes reshippers

Portland Brewing cuts costs and gains flexibility by moving away from reshippers and into bulk glass. It now forms its own six-pack carriers and corrugated shippers.

July 31, 2000

Filling, Capping & Closing: Page 57

Cartoning

Suiza dairy 'milks' squishy bottle

Country Fresh, a Suiza Foods dairy, debuts single-serve Milk-It! in injection blow-molded bottles designed for children. The bottles will also be used for other milks, and possibly for juice and water.

June 30, 2000

Labels

Soft drink crystals

Kraft Foods, Glenview, IL, has developed a new powdered soft drink called Health Quenchers. With additional ingredients meant to enhance a healthful lifestyle, Health Quenchers drink crystals hit retail shelves in April in a package designed by Lipson Alport Glass & Associates, (Northbrook, IL).

June 30, 2000

Conveying & accumulation

Beauty in the 'mouse' of the beholder

San Francisco-based reflect.com allows cyber shoppers to select closures and container graphics for custom beauty products sold exclusively on its Web site. The unusual concept requires a packaging and shipping strategy to handle individual orders.

June 30, 2000

Additives, coatings & inks

Cremora's switch to PET

Eagle Family Foods Inc.’s switch in packaging materials in its 1-kg size of Cremora powdered non-dairy creamer was the first move in an across-the-board transition.

May 31, 2000

Feeding/inserting/unscrambling

Ilapak, Inc: Vf/f/s system

Ilapak’s (Newtown, PA) Vegatronic® 1000 vf/f/s system operates at speeds to 99 bags/min, making it suitable for use in medium-sized and small plants.

May 31, 2000

Feeding/inserting/unscrambling

New technology spurs Cremora launch in PET

An injection-molder occupies minimal floor space yet maximizes preform output, while a first-of-its-kind blow molder orients preforms in the mold.

May 31, 2000

Converting equipment

A measure of success

Hydro Agri North America gains a foothold in the holding-tank treatment market, thanks to a redesigned package that includes built-in product measurement.

April 30, 2000

Filling/capping, liquid & viscous

Sleeved bottles have character

As seen at the Food Marketing Institute show held May 7-9, Scooby-Doo!™ Belly Washers™ from In Zone Brands have closures and a look with a lot of kid-appealing character. The 12-oz bottle is topped by a 2 1/2’’-tall push/pull closure injection molded of high-density polyethylene in Scooby-Doo's likeness. PVC shrink sleeve is gravure-printed in eight colors. Pinched middle fits kids' hands.

April 30, 2000

Closures

Heinz 'caps' squeeze ketchup

Complex new cap/liner on plastic bottles offers new consumer features, most prominently by ending the watery discharge caused by product settling.

April 30, 2000

Filling/capping, dry

Appointments, promotions

Sonoco (Hartsville, SC): Harris E. DeLoach, Jr., COO.

April 30, 2000

Conveying & accumulation

Versatile line for aseptics or CSD

Swiss bottler installs a PET line capable of filling either microbiologically sensitive beverages under aseptic conditions or carbonated soft drinks that don’t require asepsis. In its aseptic mode, the line fully immerses bottles and caps in the sterilant.

April 30, 2000

Labels

Sleeve label dresses exotic Chai teas

Celestial Seasonings’ stunning full-body sleeve label provides marketing advantages for tapered, square bottles of hot-filled Mountain Chai tea lattes.

April 30, 2000