Safeline has launched the Powerphase series of metal detectors,
which are said to provide crucial quality control for bakeries
producing a wide variety of products.
Bekum, the global manufacturer of blow moulding equipment, is to
preview the BM-506D double-station blow moulding machine at the NPE
2003 show, held in the US at the end of June.
Suominen Corporation is to expand the Poland plant operated byits
Flexible Packaging business area. The investment, which amounts to
€7 million, will double the plant's present capacity.
The flexible packaging industry is paying close attention to
consumer packaging needs and responding with exceptional packaging
solutions, as evidenced by the winners of the 2003 Flexible
Packaging Achievement Awards competition.
Buhler has supplied Japan's biggest flour miller with a number of
safety and hygiene systems that aim to increase product safety and
drive down production costs.
Wire Belt has officially relaunched its conveyor division under the
name of ConveyorTec. The UK-based company says the move has been
made for purposes of worldwide branding.
As automation becomes more and more of a focus for packaging
manufacturers, we take a look at some of the technologies that are
driving the industry towards greater efficiency.
The newly launched PF 129-B 3-PieceBliss Former from Moen
Industries assembles high strength corrugatedBliss boxes which, the
company claims, saves time and costs.
Researchers from the Fishery Research Institute in Norway have
developed machines which can automatically remove all bones from
fish fillets, a move which could change the face of boned fish
processing.
Haas-Mondomix, the global manufacturer and supplier of continuous
aeration systems and related process equipment, is to preview a
number of technologies at Anuga FoodTec held in Cologne, Germany
next month.
Crown Holdings has announced that the European Patent Office has
upheld Crown's European SuperEnd beverage end patent, with slight
modification, against an opposition lodged by a competitor.
Rexnord, the Netherlands-based supplier of conveyor belts for the
food industry, is to participate at the Anuga FoodTec fair, from
April 8-11 in Cologne, Germany.
KHS Maschinen- und Anlagenbau, a technological leader in the field
of filling and packaging technology in the international beverage
trade, has announced that it is to expand its sphere of activities
into palletising solutions.
German-based Windmöller & Hölscher, a leader in the
manufacture, design and distribution of machinery and equipment for
flexible packaging, is presenting a number of new technologies at
the ACHEMA show - to be held in Frankfurt,...
In the UK the Institute of Packaging has acquired Qualifications
and Curriculum Authority status from the Government as a full
educational qualifications awarding body.
A European Commission survey has indicated that while most
Europeans are in favour of medical applications of biotechnology,
they are still sceptical about agricultural and food-related
biotech.
China is readying to draft a long-term development plan which aims
to build up the country's existing packaging industry into one of
the most dominant players in the world.
Ulma Packaging, one of the UK's leading manufacturers of wrapping
machines, will be among the top exhibitors at a showcase designed
to promote all that is best in the fast-growing sandwich and snack
market.
In an effort to save crops currently quarantined in northern San
Diego County, California, due to a Mexican fruit fly infestation,
growers are turning to a Surebeam irradiation technology, recently
approved by the USDA for use on...
Pliant Corporation has won a Gold award at the US Flexible
Packaging Associations Annual Achievement awards in the Printing
Excellence category for the Ore Ida potato wedges packaging.
Kappa Packaging has acquired the Norwegian corrugated board
manufacturer, Grenland Papp. The company will be merged with the
Norwegian sales arm, Kappa Förenade Well, to form a new group,
Kappa Grenland.
Appleton has reached a long-term license agreement with Scitex
Vision that allows Appleton to use Scitex Vision's proprietary
coating technology to produce a unique digital linerboard product
for the packaging industry.
In the US, Women in Packaging and Canon Communications have teamed
up to produce a seminar aimed at providing professional guidance,
leadership tactics and packaging know-how for industry
professionals.
Huhtamaki, the Finnish-based consumer packaging specialist with
worldwide operations, will build a moulded fibre egg packaging unit
adjacent to its existing packaging facility in the greater Moscow
area.
Grundfos, the Danish-based manufacturer of water pumps widely used
in the food and beverage industry, has reported growth in turnover
of 5 per cent for the 2002 financial year.
General Plastics, the European specialists in tying ribbons for
bag-closing, has just unveiled its Tiefix-2Ki paper twist-tie at
the recent IPACK-IMA 2003.
Huhtamaki and Karkkikatu, a subsidiary of Leaf concentrating on
pick-and-mix candy, have together developed a new concept for
selling sweets that is said to make candy-on-the-go more
convenient.
An innovative range of convenience microwavable rice and vegetable
dishes has been successfully launched in France in multi-layer
thermoformed trays supplied by UK packaging manufacturer, RPC
Containers Corby.
Accraply has launched a new line of AccraSleeve Shrink Sleeve
Applicators that are designed to provide fast, accurate and
efficient operation in a compact footprint.
SWF Companies has launched a new tray former, the TF 600H, which is
a fully automatic forming solution for a host of food packaging
tray designs, including common footprint trays, and is capable of
producing up to 2700 trays per hour.
The organisers of Propak China 2003 have said that
"unprecedented levels of support" from Chinese and
international trade bodies, together with space expansion from key
international players, indicate that this year's...
A top packaging design and manufacturing company has launched its
latest state-of-the-art system onto the British market, hard on the
heels of its new selling direct campaign.
North America's leading oriented polystyrene plastic packaging
producer Wilkinson Manufacturing has followed European example by
starting up the first US production line to produce thermoformed
containers made from NatureWorks'...
Körber Paperlink, the German-based paper group, has formed a new
packaging division through its merger with Italian companies
Casmatic, Wrapmatic and Innopack, all of which are based in
Bologna.
The latest launches in materials testing equipment from Lloyd
Instruments are now available to companies and universities in
India through a buy-back scheme arranged with its official
distributor.
During a symposium on Advanced Bioplastics held in Nuremberg,
Germany last month it became clear that biodegradable plasticshave
finally left the research stage. Supermarkets in Great Britain,
Franceand Italy are now using bioplastics...
Oxoid has launched the DuPont Qualicon RiboPrinter microbial
characterisation system for the European and Australian food
processing markets - a system which is claimed to provide an
automated genetic fingerprint of any bacterium...
Tecnomeccanica, the Italian processing equipment supplier, has
launched the T2 PRIMA tea bagging machine, designed to produce
string and tag filter bags for tea, herbal teas, coffee and other
infusion products, overwrapped in heatsealed...
Systech Instruments, a leading designer and manufacturer of gas
analysis instrumentation, has recently launched the Series 8000
analyser, a modular system for the precise measurement of oxygen
permeation of packaging film up to 1.27...
UK gas supplier BOC Sureflow has announced a three-year deal worth
more than £4 million (€5.87m) to supply the Whitbread Group with
dispense and balloon gas.
US plastic packaging company Graham Packaging has reported a
welcome increase in net income for 2002, despite a drop in sales
over the period, a result of low resin prices and restructuring in
Europe.
The problem of how to pack 400g packs of smoked salmon without
losing 12 per cent of output through breaking and creasing has been
solved by a new vacuum packer from Reiser, claims Scottish company
Farne.
A new computerised system created by Thinkage, part of the BOC
Group, should help eliminate human error when it comes to quality
assurance, the company claims.
White Wave, the US-based soyfood producer, is to power all its US
production facilities using renewable energy - wind power. The
company claims to be the biggest US group committed to 100 per cent
green energy.
