PACKAGING RESOURCE CENTER: SHOW COVERAGE
Chicago’s name is thought to derive from Native American words meaning strong and great, like the Mississippi River. And with more than 1600 packaging professionals expected to attend this year’s trade show and conference, Pack Expo International promises to be a thunderous flow of ideas among members of the industry. The show will run from October 29 to November 2 at McCormick Place.
The Packaging Machinery Manufacturers Institute (PMMI), the producer of the event, is launching a new awards program called Pack Expo Selects. During the week of the conference, attendees will be invited to view and vote on commercial packages designed, developed, and produced by exhibitors at the show. The program is PMMI’s version of a people’s choice award for packaging innovation. It will be located in the Showcase of Packaging Innovations pavilion. The results of the voting will be published after the close of the show. Nominations were submitted earlier this summer and were open to all exhibitors whose package debuted in the marketplace after January 1, 2005.
In addition to innovation, another key theme of the show will be sustainable packaging. No one at the show will be pushing up daisies, but Dennis McGrew, president and CEO of NatureWorks LLC, will deliver his keynote presentation, titled “Creating a Sustainable Future: Growing the Bio-Resin Market in a Greening Economy” on Tuesday, October 31, at 8:30 a.m. He will highlight what it takes to bring a bioresin to market engaging brand owners and retailers to what technical expertise is required in understanding fit-for-use applications of a new material.
Also on Tuesday, the Class of 2006 will be inducted into the Packaging Hall of Fame during an awards reception to recognize the inductees for their contributions to the industry and packaging education efforts.
Two other keynote sessions promise to scare package designers into action. Harris DeLoach, chairman, president, and CEO of Sonoco Products Co. will discuss how the packaging industry can change how it is viewed—from simply a supplier of product going to market to a partner capable of meeting rapidly changing customer demands. He will present “Packaging: A Change Agent in Change” on Monday, October 30, at 10:30 a.m. On Wednesday, November 1, at 10:30 a.m., the conference will start the new month off with “The Wal-Mart/Sam’s Club Packaging Vision.” Amy Zettlemoyer, director of packaging at Sam’s Club, and Matt Kistler, vice president, package and product innovations at Sam’s Club, will offer insights into some of the company’s packaging developments and how they relate to consumer and environmental trends.
Product-Recovery Machine
A machine is designed to recover solid-dose product from finished pharmaceutical bottles. The Bottle-Recoverx is designed to automatically recover product from containers of various shapes and sizes in small, medium, and large batches. It can reach speeds of up to 40 bottles per minute. Only one operator is required. The machine is designed to reduce costs associated with product recovery, rework, and waste disposal, as well as to prevent damage to or contamination of recovered product. BellatRx Inc., Pointe-Claire, QC, Canada; 514/630-0939; www.bellatrx.com.
Booth #E-7515
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Conveyor Systems
A line of modular conveyor systems is designed to assume any required position. The DynaCon conveyor line includes split-belt and ergonomic- tilt conveyors. The split belt is designed to accommodate products for both top and bottom exposure to be used for viewing, labeling, printing, or bar code reading as the product moves along the conveyor. The ergonomic tilt is designed to reduce production-line fatigue and repetitive-motion injuries. The adjustable side rails can be used on both sides of the conveyors. Dynamic Conveyor Corp., Muskegon, MI; 231/798-1483; www.dynamicconveyor.com.
Booth #E-7940
Flexographic Printer
A flexographic printing system features a traversing Hewlett-Packard ink-jet cartridge for high-quality printing in up to four colors. The Micromax/HP (MMP/HP) printer is designed to be retrofitted on intermittent-motion form-fill-seal machines. The MMP/HP combination can simplify the process of printing variable information. It does not require the operator to insert slugs into a plate for each new date and lot number like previous flexographic systems did. Greydon Inc., York, PA; 717/848-3875; www.greydon.com.
Booth #S-635
Blister Machine
A company offers a blister machine designed to output up to 500 packages per minute. The Blister Express Center (BEC) 500 combines the company’s B 1550 blister machine with its C 2504 cartoner to offer improved flexibility and high-speed performance. The single-lane unit is designed for continuous running. It is also designed to provide full compensation for shrinkage and to only allow good-quality blisters and correctly filled cartons to be processed. Uhlmann Packaging Systems Inc., Towaco, NJ; 973-402-8855; www.uhlmann-usa.com.
Booth #N-5102
Band Sealers
A series of validatable Teflon band sealers features a data-acquisition-and-recording system. The Emplex MPS 6300 series uses a data-acquisition system to monitor the speed, pressure, and temperature of the sealers. The system is housed in a small electrical control box that can be attached anywhere on the sealer. It uses flash cards instead of a standalone computer. The sealers are designed to handle Tyvek, foil, and poly bags. Plexpack Corp., Toronto, ON, Canada; 416/291-8085; www.plexpack.com.
Booths #S-1774, S-1782
Data Recorder
A portable, self-powered recording instrument is designed to continuously measure up to 30 days of shock (caused by impact or drop), vibration, and temperature data in a transportation environment. The Saver 9X30 also measures humidity and atmospheric pressure conditions. The instrument is designed to be used to establish product design specifications, assist in damage-prevention efforts, and reduce packaging material costs. Lansmont Corp., Monterey, CA; 831/655-6600; www.lansmont.com.
Booth #N-3122
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Blister Machinery
A company offers two lines of packaging machines. The Alloyd line consists of sealing and blister packaging machines. The Aergo machine line is designed to increase operator comfort, safety, and productivity. The company’s High-Vis Packaging is a line of custom-thermoformed packages such as blisters and clamshells designed to provide product visibility and product security. SCA Consumer Packaging North America, New Brighton, PA; 724/843-8200; www.scapackagingna.com.
Booth #S-1466
Induction Sealer
A hand-held, waterless induction sealer weighs 8.7 lb and measures 13 × 10 × 4 in. The portable sealer’s coil design enables the device to seal almost any cap style and diameter. The sealer is designed for applying a foil barrier or protective seal to provide tamper evidence, leak prevention, product protection, and shelf-life extension. Pillar Technologies, Hartland, WI; 262/912-7200; www.pillartech.com.
Booth #S-1208
Tabletop Prin ter
A manufacturer of preopened poly bags on rolls offers a tabletop unit designed to provide the printing capabilities of an industrial bagger. The T-375 is an automatic bagger and thermal-transfer printer designed for short runs. It that prints directly onto poly bags with 203 dpi. It also has a “next bag out” feature designed to accommodate fast, easy, and accurate print changes on each bag. Advanced Poly-Packaging Inc., Akron, OH; 330/785-4000; www.advancedpoly.com.
Booth #N-4710
Wallet Packaging
A wallet packaging system produces wallets that are tamper evident and reclosable. The CUT130SW system has a small footprint and produces SmartWallets at a rate of up to 100 wallets per minute. The outer sleeve of each wallet is preglued and then erected and loaded with a blister pack. Leaflets or booklets can be preconfigured in the outer sleeve, inserted into the wallet during packing, or be integrated into the outer packaging. Bosch Packaging Technology, Minneapolis, MN; 761/493-6133; www.boschpackaging.com.
Booth #S-712
