Canadian Packaging Magazine October 2014

OCTOBER 2014 | $10

www.canadianpackaging.com

Kevin Van Groningen, Co-owner, VG Meats

LOVE MEAT TENDER Full product traceability gives small-town meat packer a competitive cutting edge

Publication mail agreement #40069240.

Story on page 12

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CHICAGO ROCKS!

YOUR PEEK PREVIEW OF PACK EXPO INTERNATIONAL 2014 PAGES 41-53

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X-ray Image

MDX Technology

MDX Image

Lett-uce Improve Your Food’s Safety with Dual Energy What does this bag of salad have in common with snacks, confectionery foods, other raw frozen fruits and vegetables?

Physical contaminants in these packages can easily pass through traditional x-ray inspection systems completely unnoticed, leaving manufacturers wondering if their products are safe. Eagle takes the guesswork out of product inspection with MDX dual energy technology. This enhanced imaging for products with complex densities assures you the highest quality safety standards.

Eagle is sold and supported in Canada by Plan Automation. www.planautomation.com • ph. (416) 720-7875

www.eaglepi.com/mdx

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With its breakthrough design, the 9550 applies labels directly onto packs without the need for an applicator, while self-adjusting label placement accommodates varying line speeds, throughput and package sizes. Revolutionary Intelligent Motion™ technology targets zero unscheduled downtime as it precisely and automatically controls the entire system.

See the Videojet 9550 in action at PackExpo 2014 in Chicago.

Intelligent MotionTM

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Watch it!

= Retail Innovation

+

Conair and Add Ink teamed up to develop a virtual video display printed right onto an in-store display. Now customers can use their smart phones to directly engage with Conair’s new Even Cut display and watch the grooming tool in action.

AR technology activates virtual video on the display or on the front panel of the product package.

Virtual Video Display

Try it and see for yourself

1. Download the Conair for Men App 2. Launch the 3D Product AR 3. Select the ‘display’ option 4. Hover your camera over this Virtual Video Player and watch the Video

Virtual Video Display (VVD) Benefits: • Replaces costly display-mounted LCD screens • Easy set-up - no power cords or batteries required • VVD is printed onto the display and/or product packaging; activated using AR technology • Measurable ROI via real-time reporting - track downloads • Works with iPhone and Android devices • Enhanced customer experience • Perfect for new product launches

To learn more about virtual video display technology, contact us. We’d love to hear from you. n display

desig Custom

Innovative Packaging and Retail Displays

(416) 298.8101 • (800) 268.5620 • www.addink.ca www.conaircanada.ca

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Add Ink is a division of Atlantic Packaging Products Ltd.

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UPFRONT

SENIOR PUBLISHER Stephen Dean • (416) 510-5198 SDean@canadianpackaging.com EDITOR George Guidoni • (416) 510-5227 GGuidoni@canadianpackaging.com FEATURES EDITOR Andrew Joseph • (416) 510-5228 AJoseph@canadianpackaging.com ART DIRECTOR Sheila Wilson • (416) 442-5600 x3593 shwilson@bizinfogroup.ca PRODUCTION MANAGER Barb Vowles • (416) 510-5103 BVowles@bizinfogroup.ca CIRCULATION MANAGER Anita Madden • 442-5600 x3596 AMadden@bizinfogroup.ca EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Lisa Wichmann • (416) 442-5600 x5101 LWichmann@canadianmanufacturing.com EXECUTIVE PUBLISHER Tim Dimopoulos • (416) 510-5100 TDimopoulos@bizinfogroup.ca

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Canadian Packaging receives unsolicited materials, (including letters to the editor, press releases, promotional items and images) from time to time. Canadian Packaging, its affiliates and assignees may use, reproduce, publish, republish, distribute, store and archive such unsolicited submissions in whole or in part in any form or medium whatsoever, without compensation of any sort.

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to Russia—providing another opportunity for organized criminals to profit from human misery in that part of the world.

There is no shortage of volunteers to do so.

According to Europol, there are over 3,600 known organized crime groups operating in the EU, and while drug trafficking remains their favorite pastime of choice, “counterfeit goods with an impact on health and safety are numbered in Europol’s top seven priorities,” the NSF report points out.

While the anecdotal evidence of food fraud has always been out there, it was the infamous ‘horsemeat scandal’ of 2013 that has brought the issue under intense public and legislative scrutiny in Europe and North America, with Western governments belatedly acknowledging the existence of the problem and introducing steps to combat it.

Not that it will be easy by any stretch, given the criminals’ inherent inventiveness and a seemingly bottomless bag of dirty tricks that includes mixing expired red meat with fresh meat; mixing chicken skin with breast meat; putting out-of-datemeat back in the freezers; extending expiration dates; concealing suspect stock from quality control inspectors; keeping dual sets of records; mislabeling the product packaging, and so on.

But being difficult does not make the task impossible or not worth pursuing.

“The problem of food fraud requires a new and more radical approach to fraud identification and prevention than is the case currently,” NSF states.

“Companies that do not address this issue as a matter of priority are leaving their customers and their brands seriously exposed.

“The situation has caused a paradigm shift from detection and mitigation to prediction and prevention,” the NSF report concludes.

“Transparency, traceability and data sharing among governments, industry, and third-party organizations worldwide will become major themes in addressing global food fraud threats.”

Better late than never.

COVER STORY

OCTOBER 2014

| $10 www.canadianpa ckaging.com

12 MEAT OF THE MATTER By George Guidoni

Kevin Van Groningen, Co-owner, VG Meats

Rural Ontario meat processor makes savvy use of track-and-trace technologies to relate its unique story to the new Big City consumer segment looking for authentic, locally-sourced, premium quality meat products.

Cover photography by Kazuyoshi Ehard

LOVE MEAT TENDER Full product traceabi small-town meat lity gives packer a competitive cutting edge Story on page 12

agreement #40069240.

VOLUME 67, NO. 10

he ability of the criminal underworld to stay just a step or few ahead of the law is its biggest asset and core competency. Whatever the industry, legit or not, there is always room to undercut and underprice the competition by resorting to dubious means and ends unburdened of any sense of morality or ethics.

And while such conduct is often tolerated, if not outright encouraged, in some of the more corruption-prone countries of the emerging world, the thought that such practices are more commonplace in the Western World than we like to think is highly discomforting.

Not that we should be surprised, according to a new report from global food safety standards certifying authority NSF International.

“Criminal fraud has been around for thousands of years in the form of adulteration, substitution, tampering or misrepresentation, wherever the opportunity and incentive for profit has arisen,” proclaims the recently published NSF study carrying the disconcerting title of The ‘New’ Phenomenon of Criminal Fraud in the Food Supply Chain.

Conservatively estimated as a US$49-billion “and growing” global business, food fraud presents a bigger challenge to the global food supply chain than food safety, according to NSF. Citing a recent study by the University of Min­ nesota’s National Center for Food Pro­tection and Defense (NCFPD) that estimates about 10 per cent of U.S. food could be adulterated, the NSF rightly points out that “Fraud is a crossborder issue which exists globally and cannot be dealt with inside national borders, so international cooperation and concerted action is required.”

Which is much easier said than done, with the ongoing trade war between Russia and the West over chaos in Ukraine now blocking the import of billions of dollars worth of western-made foods

CHICAGO ROCK S!

YOUR PEEK PREVIEW OF PACK EXPO INTERNATION AL 2014 PAGES 39-51

Publication mail

OCTOBER 2014

T

BY HOOK OR CROOK

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DEPARTMENTS & COLUMNS UPFRONT By George Guidoni

4-6 NEWSPACK

Packaging news roundup.

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NOTES & QUOTES Noteworthy industry briefs.

FEATURES 20 POWDER TO THE PEOPLE! By Andrew Joseph Prominent Ontario powder products copacker leaving nothing to chance with high-accuracy X-Ray product inspection technology.

9 ECO-PACK NOW

All about packaging sustainability.

30 A BETTER BONDING EXPERIENCE

By Andrew Joseph

Global adhesives powerhouse makes a big investment to serve its loyal Canadian customer base.

10 imPACt A monthly insight from PAC, Packaging Consortium.

36 THE BIG SUM OF ALL PARTS

A packaging industry mega-merger goes to market with new value propositions.

54 EVENTS

Upcoming industry functions.

55 PEOPLE

Career moves in the packaging world.

56 CHECKOUT By Megan Moffat Joe Public speaks out on packaging hits and misses.

39 RUNNING HIGH AND DRY

PRE-SHOW REPORT Your full lowdown on next month’s PACK EXPO International packaging technologies showcase in Chicago includes: 41 NEW AND IMPROVED! 42 COMMON GOALS AND VISION 44-53 EXHIBITOR HIGHLIGHTS

OCTOBER 2014 • CANADIAN PACKAGING WWW.CANADIANPACKAGING.COM • 3

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NEWSPACK

INDUSTRY VETERAN TO RECEIVE GLOBAL ACCLAIM The packaging business is hardly a natural playground for fame-seekers, but as in any global business, it often takes exceptional individuals to achieve exceptional results for its diverse stake-holders.

To honor such efforts, the Packaging Hall of Fame of the leading packaging industry group PMMI-The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies provides a prestigious destination for packaging pros whose individual commitment to the industry’s collective enrichment goes well beyond the average call of duty.

Fittingly, the year’s Packaging Hall of Fame induction ceremony—to be held during PMMI’s upcoming PACK EXPO International 2014 packaging exhibition in Chicago, Nov. 2-5, 2014— will honor Canada’s own Jim Downham, president and chief executive of the Toronto-headquartered

PAC, Packaging Consortium, for his invaluable impact on the country’s leading packaging industry group and its nationwide membership.

To be officially inducted at a gala evening ceremony on November 4 at the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place Hotel, Downham will join an elite group of prominent packaging professionals that includes Mel Bahr of MGS Machine; Joseph Hotchkiss of Michigan State University; Toru Ichikawa of Hosokawa Yoko Co., Ltd.; and Boh Tsai of Amerasia Technologies, Inc. “This group of inductees has demonstrated extreme dedication to the packaging industry and has had a lasting impact on manufacturing,” says Maria Ferrante, vice-president of education at the Reston, Va.-headquartered PMMI. “These packaging professionals have contributed

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PAC, Packaging Consortium president Jim Downham welcoming more than 250 delegates to the recently-held A Day in the Life PAC Symposium in Toronto.

to the packaging community as an advisor, industry pioneer, visionary, educator, technology and an inventor.”

For Downham, this recognition is a fitting tribute to a lengthy packaging career at the helm of leading packaging companies and, for the last eight years, as the well-recognized leader of Canada’s leading national association for packaging manufacturers, designers and their CPG (consumer packaged good) industry customers.

“To date, just over 160 people have been inducted into the U.S.-based Packaging Hall of Fame in over 40 years, and I may well be the first Canadian to have reached that pinnacle,” Downham says. “It was 47 years ago that I sort of ‘fell’ into the industry, and as I ref lect back on my career I am humbled and honored to be recognized in this way.”

When Downham originally stepped up as new head of the former Packaging Association of Canada (PAC) in 2006, the struggling not-for-profit organization was on the edge of bankruptcy, with an eroding membership base.

By utilizing the extensive leadership skills acquired during his senior management roles with the Continental Can Company– start­ing out as a summer replacement student in 1968—Downham steered PAC out of its financial dire straits to build a fiscally strong organization involved in a diverse range of bold initiatives in skills training, food safety and sustainability, including formation of PAC NEXT group in 2011, recruiting 31 of the largest North American retailers and brandowners in a joint initiative to eliminate packaging waste; launch of the PACsecure, HACCP-based packaging-for-food-safety standards for packaging converters; and formation of the PAC FOOD WASTE working group to seek practical solutions for reducing global food waste.

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OCTOBER 2014

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NEWSPACK

NEW SOUP POUCHES PACK SEASONAL HEART-WARMING COMFORT

Few foods area as comforting to Canadian stomachs and psyches in the cold autumn and winter months as a bowl of piping hot fresh soup, and Vancouver-based company Happy Planet is more than happy to bring that moment of happiness into their lives with a growing range of fresh soup recipes retailed in resealable stand-up plastic pouches that have enabled it to boast the country’s top-selling fresh soup brand.

And with last month’s launch of two new chicken-soup recipes already making its mark at the fresh meals and refrigerated deli sections at grocery and health-food stores across Canada, consumers demanding convenient meal solutions made from natural, locally-sourced products without artificial additives will be well-served by the new Thai Chicken and Kawartha Chicken Noodle soups formulated to add some genuine warmth to their winter-time eating regimen.

Packed with all-natural ingredients and made without any preservatives, these new soups are the first retail fresh soups in Canada to be made with 100-percent organic chicken, says Happy Planet co-founder Randal Ius. “As soup consumption and the demand for healthy, natural and ‘real’ food increases, we wanted to add some more satiating options to our line of fresh soups,” Ius says. “Both the Thai Chicken and Kawartha Chicken Noodle are made with the highestquality organic white chicken meat from farms located in the Kawartha Lakes region of Ontario.”

With Asian-inspired soups continuing to gain in popularity, according to Ius, the glutenfree Thai Chicken soup captures the bold, fragrant and rich Thai Cuisine f lavors with a generous blend of organic chicken, green curry, Thai basil, galangal and lemongrass in a coconut cream base.

For its part, the Kawartha Chicken Noodle soup is made with tender organic chicken meat, delicious orzo, parsley and a pinch of thyme.

According to Ius, the two new f lavors are worthy additions to steadily-growing Happy Planet soup brand family that comprises a mix of globally- and locally-inspired recipes.

Made with premium, all-natural ingredients and without preservatives or artificial f lavors, the company’s gluten-free Thai Coconut recipe is currently the bestselling brand of fresh soup in Canada, with the all-organic Tuscan Tomato holding the third spot.

“All our ‘proudly Canadian’ all-natural soups are kettle-cooked in small

OCTOBER 2014

batches and packaged in B.C. and Ontario, literally going from the kettle directly to the pouches and then straight to grocery stores,” explains brand manage Ursula Klein.

According to Klein, packaging Happy Planet soups in resealable 650- and 500-gram stand-up plastic pouches—made by Flexstar Packaging and featuring eye-catching graphics developed

by Apropos—offers consumers significant practical benefits of product resealability, enabled with zipper-type closures near the top, 40-day product shelf-life, and plenty of transparent space to see and appreciate the packaged contents.

“Being a fresh product requiring refrigeration, we needed packaging that could maintain both the f lavor and freshness of our authentic recipes, and this packaging was the best one available to maintain the integrity of the product,” Klein told

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the Canadian Packaging magazine. “By choosing an innovative clear pouch, consumers can see the richness of the product full of the key ingredients—plump vegetables, beans, herbs, chicken, etc.—and exactly what will be in their bowl.”

“We have a saying at Happy Planet that the first bite is taken with the eye,” Klein explains.

“With that in mind, and knowing that the consumers’ first interaction with our brand is mainly through our packaging at store level, it is critical that our brand essence—fresh, natural, organic, healthy and environmentally aware—be communicated on a visceral level in that moment,” Klein points out.

“Packaging is a key medium for us to convey that we are a premium-quality brand that produces amazing-tasting products, and that for us it’s all about the f lavor and taste.”

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PERSONAL SAFETY

NEWSPACK

E EN GI HY

TO OF TAL OW CO NE ST RS HIP

WLX

MEAT PROCESSOR HITS THE HEALTHY SWEET SPOT WITH ALLERGEN-FREE SAUSAGE PACKS

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Faithfully replicating popular authentic European meat f lavors and recipes in the mainstream Canadian marketplace has done wonders over the years for the Waterloo, Ont.-based Piller’s Fine Foods, which has evolved into one of Canada’s leading manufacturers of specialty European-style deli meats.

Nowadays employing over 600 people at Ontario-based meat processing plants in Waterloo, Brantford, Arthur and Toronto—the company has also become an expert at processing a growing variety of gluten- and allergen-free sausage meats to meet the dietary needs of Canadian consumers stricken with Celiac disease, a medical condition whereby the small intestine is damaged by eating foods that contain gluten.

With an estimated 300,000 Canadians possibly aff licted by Celiac disease, which often goes undiagnosed until it harms the immune system, Piller’s is actively addressing their nutritional needs by continuously expanding the company’s Simply Free range of processed luncheon meats, which are expertly made from pork and natural ingredients to deliver the good old-fashioned wholesome taste without using common allergens such as gluten, milk, peanuts, tree nuts, mustard, sesame, egg, fish, soy and sulphites.

Last month, the company expanded its Simply Free range with the addition of new gluten-free Kolbassa chubs, developed to help consumers with various food allergies to enjoy the sausage’s hearty taste and f lavor profile without worrying about ill side-effects.

“Our latest Kolbassa products cater to the 2.5 mil-

lion Canadians that are aff licted with various types of food allergies,” says director of marketing Rita Weigel, “providing them with a low-calorie meat products with high protein content.”

Vacuum-sealed in skin-tight, high-barrier film supplied by Sealed Air Corporation and Winpak Ltd., the 300- and 350-gram Simply Free Kolbassa chubs are made from extra-lean ham and turkey to provide a variety of tasty lunch and snacking options, also offered in pepperoni-style sticks containing only 50 calories and a hearty seven grams of protein, according to Weigel.

Using large-sized text and graphics to convey the products’ allergen-free formulation right on the packaging—designed by the Cambridge, Ont.based branding studio Milestone Integrated Marketing—the Simply Free Kolbassa packs are readily available at all the major grocery chains across Canada, according to the company.

“We are happy to make four varieties—including Kolbassa, Turkey Kolbassa, Extra Lean Ham Kolbassa and Simply Free Kolbassa—available in snack sticks, slices and pieces,” Weigel says. “Piller’s is definitely the Kolbassa expert in Canada.”

Also known as ‘Kielbasa,’ Kolbassa sausage has deep roots in Poland and other nearby central and eastern European countries, where it has been made for centuries from pork, beef and pork, chicken and pork, and even turkey.

According to the authoritative book Sausage: A Country-By-Country Photographic Guide with Recipes, “Polish cuisine is a mixture of hearty Slavic cooking with Italian and French inf luences dating back to medieval times.”

PRESS RELEASE

Mark McGlogan joins WeighPack Systems as Territory Manager for new Toronto facility.

WeighPack Systems Inc., a leading provider of high performance packaging solutions, is pleased to announce the appointment of Mark McGlogan as Territory Manager.

McGlogan brings with him nearly 25 years of professional sales experience in the packaging industry, most recently at Domino Printing.

Based in Ontario, his responsibilities include account management and assisting customers to obtain quality packaging solutions in Western Ontario, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin.

“Acquiring an individual of Mark’s talent level and industry experience is a great accomplishment for our company, we are excited to have him join our team as we look forward to continued growth and market share” says Nicholas Taraborelli, Vice President of Sales for the Paxiom Group.

About WeighPack Systems: WeighPack a Paxiom Group company is a manufacturer and systems provider of state of the art quality packaging solutions that include filling, bagging, conveying, case erecting and robotic palletizing.

For over twenty years WeighPack Systems has delivered thousands of packaging systems throughout the world for varied and diverse applications. From line layout design, manufacturing, installation and after sales technical support, WeighPack provides its customers complete system responsibility and accountability.

For more information, visit us at www.weighpack.com or call 1.888.934.4472

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NOTES & QUOTES  Industrial sensors supplier Balluff, Inc., North American subsidiary of German industrial automation products group Balluff GmbH, has officially opened up its new 48,000-square-foot Customer Support Center facility at the company’s U.S. headquarters in Florence, Ky., to support its growing U.S. business. “We have seen tremendous growth over our 30 years in the U.S., and this new facility demonstrates our commitment to customer service excellence and will free up space in our existing building for increased production and logistics to continue our growth in North America,” says Balluff ’s president Kent Howard, citing the new building’s many ‘green concepts’ and worker-friendly features, such 100-percent employee access to daylight from their workspaces. “The building was ecologically designed around the current terrain of the land, with most of the trees remaining, which also provides a relaxing and scenic view for employees,” adds Balluff ’s managing director Florian Hermle, noting that the three-storey building features a white exterior with long windows surrounding the front and back. “Our company’s values of people, environment and customer orientation strongly inf luenced the architecture of the new building in Florence,” Hermle states.

Kentucky governor Steve Beshear (third from left) joins Balluff’s management team at the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the company’s new Customer Support Center facility.

At Sealed Air Food Care, we deliver measurable business results to our partners by focusing on four drivers for purposeful innovation so that together we can share in the value created.

DISCOVER EFFORTLESS SAFETY. As a processor, you know how important food and worker safety are to your operation. That’s why Sealed Air’s Food Care Division offers packaging solutions like Cryovac Grip & Tear® vacuum bags that boost Food Safety.

This easy-open package requires no knives and helps prevent worker injuries, and reduce product damage and cross-contamination. See how this packaging innovation - and others - can deliver measurable results to your business.

 Pro-Mach, Inc., Cincinnati, Ohioheadquartered manufacturer of a diversified range of packaging machinery, systems and equipment, has completed two more strategic acquisitions in recent weeks aimed at broadening the company’s equipment portfolio, while also becoming an acquisition target itself for a major U.S.-based private equity group AEA Investors LP, whose proposed deal to purchase Pro Mach assets from their current owner The Jordan Company is expected to be concluded in the fourth quarter of 2014. Pro Mach’s most recent acquisitions include: • Atlanta, Ga.-based Benchmark Automation, a well-established manufacturer of conveyors, infeeds, loading, stacking and other material handling and packaging equipment aimed primarily for applications in the food and bakery industries. Says Pro Mach president Mark Anderson: “Benchmark fits well with our focus on being a single-source provider and the leader in integrated packaging systems, and Benchmark’s leadership in bakery provides opportunities to better serve that market and strengthen our ‘complete solution’ set for existing customers.”

•P ace Packaging, Fairfield, N.J.-based manufacturer of automated bottle unscramblers and orientors for beverage, food, pharmaceutical and industrial bottling and capping applications. To operate as part of Pro-Mach’s Bottling & Capping Group business, “Pace systems fit well with our existing bottling, capping and primary packaging lines, providing us with opportunities to increase our system product offerings,” states Anderson.

As for the pending change of ownership, “AEA understands our business, shares our vision, and will provide significant support for Pro Mach and its management team as we continue to grow our company,” says Anderson, stressing that Pro Mach’s current management team will remain intact after the proposed takeover receives regulatory approval, which is still subject to customary closing conditions.

Find out more by visiting gripandtear.com today.

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® Reg. U.S. Pat. & Tm. Off. © Sealed Air Corporation (US) 2014. All rights reserved.

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Live: 7 in (w) x 10 in (h) Trim: 7.875 in (w) x 10.75 in (h) Bleed: 8.125 in (w) x 11 in (h)

Color: 4C Process Built @: 100% Printed @: 100%

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ECO-PACK NOW

A LITTLE MAGIC MUSHROOM PACKAGING INNOVATION THAT CAN GO A LONG WAY

With Canadian mushroom growers estimated to produce about 95,000 pounds of edible mushroom species per year, generating annual revenues of about $250 million to $300 million, a few strategic cost-savings here and there in the value chain can add up to a princely sum at the end of the day—especially when combined with a lighter overall en­v iron­mental footprint.

And thanks to some cutting-edge research and innovation from Canada’s premier forest products group Cascades Inc., the country’s mushroom producers and packers can start reaping those savings as soon as they begin using the company’s new Ultratill mushroom containers to take their product to market.

Made of low-density PETE (LDPETE)1 material with 80-percent recycled post-consumer content, the Ultratill trays are not only considerably lighter than the traditional plastic trays and boxes found across North American supermarkets, but have demonstrated a 62-percent reduction in the amount GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions during the company-conducted LCA (Life-Cycle Analysis) study.

According to the Kingsey Falls, Que.-head­quar­tered com­pany, “This new Ultratill line is the result of

“We are proud to offer the innovative Ultratill mushroom container to allow our clients to re­duce their environmental footprint,” Langevin states.

According to Cascades, the LCA study on carbon footprint of its eight-ounce Ultratill trays—compared to same-sized trays made from HIPS or rPET

plastic—covered several detailed analyses, including: • Impact of the modeling method; • Tray delivery distance to the retailers; • Allocation method used for recycling; • Manufacturing location of styrene ethyl benzene (HIPS monomer); • Transportation distance between the consumer and the recycling facility.

“For all the trays included in the study, climate change contributes between 72 and 92 per cent of hazards towards human health and ecosystems,” according to explanatory note accompanying the company’s LCA study results, “with non-renewable resources used largely dominated by fossil fuel usage (95 to 99 per cent).

“Because the use of fossil fuels has a big impact on climate change and dominates the impacts relative to the environment, we can establish that the results of this study are conclusive.”

Cascades’ investment in im­proved manufacturing processes that require less raw materials, therefore diminishing the environmental footprint of the end product throughout its life-cycle.

“The use of recycled material is another major factor in Ultratill’s great environmental performance because PETE, more commonly referred to as ‘Number 1’ plastic, is recycled across Canada and primarily used in the production of single-use water bottles.”

Despite being lighter than the common­ly-used HIPS 2 (high-impact poly­styrene) plastic, Ultratills are just as strong and durable to ensure optimal protection for the transported mushrooms during transit, according to Cascades.

“Developing a container made with LDPETE, which is light and includes recycled material, is proof of Cascades’ leadership position when it comes to caring for the environment, innovating and paying attention to our clients’ concerns regarding the economic and environmental viability of our products,” proclaims Luc Langevin, president and chief operating officer of Cascades Specialty Products Group.

OCTOBER 2014

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COVER STORY

GOOD TO THE BONE

Small-town butcher shop sets its sights on mainstream meat market success with authentic locavore product offerings and tech-savvy packaging strategy

Kevin Van Groningen, the youngest of four brothers who jointly co-own the VG Meats meat-packing business, shows off freshly-made twin-packs of premium ground beef vacuum-sealed on Reiser’s Repak RE20 horizontal form/fill/seal thermoforming machine and labeled on Bizerba’s GLM checkweigher/labeler on the back of each pack to provide extensive product traceability information for each retail pack shipped from the company’s lively processing facility in Simcoe, Ont., which turns out a diverse range of raw and cooked meat products.

BY GEORGE GUIDONI, EDITOR PHOTOS BY KAZUYOSHI EHARA

C

ooking a prime tender steak to juicy f lavorful perfection is a feat of culinary art that most professional chefs and home kitchen warriors strive for at every opportunity.

And while hitting that tenderness jackpot is still a far cry from being an exact science, a small rural Ontario butcher shop is boldly aiming to make it so with an innovative, farm-to-fork traceabil-

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ity program that actually grades the tenderness of the freshly-trimmed beef carcasses and shares that information right though the value chain—straight up the restaurant dinner plate or retail shelf.

Launched earlier this year by VG Meats at the family-owned company’s 20,000-square-foot meat packing plant in Simcoe. Ont.—also housing an on-site slaughter room and a front-end retail store—the VG Tenderness-Tested product grading and coding initiative is already paying off for the family-owned business started up by the Van Groningen family in the 1970s.

Having recently secured a contract to supply a variety of its tested steaks and other cuts of locallyraised, naturally-harvested, and preservative-free red meat products to prominent Toronto-area grocery chain Longo’s, VG Meats is deftly carving itself a bigger slice of the market by removing all doubt about the product’s origin, quality and freshness out of the public’s mind with an industry-first app that any smart phone user can run just by scanning the QR (quick-response) code on the packaging or, in some cases, the product itself.

Largely a brainchild of the company’s forth-born

CANADIAN PACKAGING • OCTOBER 2014

14-10-07 1:50 PM

COVER STORY

Installed earlier this year to beef up production and speed up line throughputs at the VG Meats meat processing operation in Simcoe, the high-performance Repak RE20 horizontal form/fill/seal (HFFS) rollstock thermoforming machine from Reiser has enabled the company to accommodate the required higher production volumes for its fast-growing retail business.

Kevin Van Groningen, a 30-year-old graduate of the Food Science program at the University of Guelph, the in-house grading system utilizes the meat WBSF (Warner-Bratzler shear force) test for meat toughness to relate precisely how tender its meat should taste when properly cooked and handled.

Being an industry-first grading system of its type, according to Van Groningen, the VG TenderTested tool gives VG Meats an important ‘authenticity’ marketing edge in its quest to move ahead of the herd in Ontario’s highly competitive market for red meat products—especially in the fast-growing ‘locally-sourced, all-natural’ segments.

ity—coupled with commitment to supporting local farming businesses and community—has enabled it to build up an exceptionally loyal customer base in the Norfolk County region on the north shore of Lake Erie in Southwestern Ontario.

A popular fixture among the area’s many fine dining establishments, such as Jacob’s Steak House—with a ‘Van Groningen Steak’ entrée a notable menu feature at various restaurants—the company also does brisk business at its second retail store in Stoney Creek, whose short proximity to Hamilton has helped the company to establish a solid market presence for the VG Meats brand.

While breaking into a much larger Toronto gro-

cery market is a vastly more ambitious undertaking, Van Groningen assets that VG Meats is more than ready to rise to the challenge of bigger production volumes, having recently invested in new high-performance packaging and labeling systems that work in perfect harmony with its traceability program.

As Van Groningen relates, it was that program’s robust track-and-trace performance, that played a crucial role in securing the Longo’s deal in the first place, which in turn prompted further capital investment in new thermoforming equipment from Reiser and checkweigher/labeler combination system from Bizerba.

FRONT OF PACK With Longo’s being at the forefront of the ‘buy local’ movement currently sweeping the Ontario’s market for meat and other everyday food staples, Van Groningen is naturally very upbeat on having found a strong retail partner that shares many of his company’s own core values and business mindset.

“Longo’s markets itself as a leader in product freshness, which fits just right with our own business culture here,” Van Groningen told Canadian Packaging on a recent visit to the company’s hometown Simcoe operation.

“Longo’s is obviously a very important customer for us, with its 27 supermarkets in the Toronto area, giving us an unprecedented market reach,” Van Groningen acknowledges, “but it’s even more gratifying to work with a progressive customer that is on the same wavelength as we are, in regards to valuing the things that really matter to consumers.”

Over the years, VG Meats’ unwavering focus on customer satisfaction and premium product qual-

Vacuum-packed on a Repak RE20 thermoformer in rollstock high-barrier film supplied by packaging film manufacturer Winpak and co-extruded laminated film from Packall Packaging, the high-grade VG Meats brand steaks go through close visual inspection right after sealing to ensure optimal product quality for the premium-priced product.

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COVER STORY

The VLG weigher/labeler from Bizerba plays a central role in implementation of the VG Meats product traceablility system, storing hundreds of bits of scannable information on all of the company’s products and generating and applying unique barcoded labels with QR codes onto each vacuum-sealed pack coming off the nearby Repak RE20 machine.

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“Longo’s retails its three main meat product categories classified as good, better and best, and our product falls in their ‘best category,” Van Groningen enthuses.

“That basically says that ours performs best where it really matters—on the plate—that the product is local, and that the product is good for you.”

“We are very proud to hit all three markers,” he states, “and we are excited to use our product traceability to add value to the Ontario consumers.”

Van Groningen says VG Meats intends to use its traceability prowess as a brand-building tool, to point out the product’s authentic charms and small-town goodness, to urban consumers looking for a healthy alternative to mass-produced meat products of debatable origins and hefty environmental footprint.

Being a closed-loop vertically-integrated business—its nearby VG Farms operation tending to an 800to 900-head cattle herd throughout the year—the company’s rural authenticity is a big part of its overall brand equity, according to Van Groningen.

“We are always looking for achieving value more than line speed and efficiency,” he states.

“While those things are undoubtedly important, for us it’s still primarily about things that consumers see as valuable, like supporting local farmers.

“With traceability, consumers can see it for themselves just how authentic we are, so that they can have full confidence in our product by being able to check up on us and to really trust us,” Van Groningen remarks.

“That’s our measure for true product authenticity.”

HONEST TRUTH This authenticity also provides another important benefit of being a fairly effective anti-counterfeiting validation tool to combat the prevalence of low-priced meat dumping into the Ontario market from outside the province.

According to Van Groningen’s VG Meats colleague Sherri Griffin, it’s a bigger problem than many consumers may realize, with few regulatory safeguards in place to eliminate the dubious practice that, while not illegal per se, systemically undermines consumer confidence and brand loyalty.

“It’s intolerable for us and it’s intolerable for Longo’s because ultimately it’s the consumer and customer who get cheated,” Griffin asserts.

“If there’s a piece of meat out there being marketed under our brand name, but actually comes from the U.S. or some other outside place, this damages our brand by lying to our customers.

“We’re all about serving our customers and our partner farmers the best we can, so we cannot tolerate any inauthenticity whatsoever.

“So being able to supply Longo’s

Contact us: sales.packaging.us@thermofisher.com

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OCTOBER 2014

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COVER STORY and having them proudly display the product under our brand name with full trust and confidence is what it’s about for us with this traceability process,” Griffin states.

“If we didn’t have this traceability in place, it would have taken us a lot longer to go to market with Longo’s.”

Van Groningen concurs: “The amount of meat dumping coming into our province from outside is a real issue in our industry.

“Even if a given product may be slightly processed and packaged in a licensed Ontario facility, there is no guarantee that all of that product was necessarily born and raised in Ontario.

“Because we can’t really compete with such a product on price, we need to make sure all our customers know that our products are authentically local.

“We do that by putting it into a unique package that clearly identifies and validates our product as such, by using pre-printed back-film to tell the story of all the different attributes of our product, along with a unique QR-coded traceability label,” Van Groningen explains.

“There is a unique code on every package that is linked back to our software, which then links it to a specific carcass—basically taking the consumer right back to the farm for every carcass that comes through the plant.

“Our packaging strategy is primarily focused on authenticity,” Van Groningen reiterates, “so it’s really important for us that we can’t be counter feited.

“Unlike in the wholesale business, where you don’t often have to face the end customer, it’s important that consumers know there is someone accountable behind it all,” he states, stressing it’s no less than consumers deserve in the premium-price segment of the industry.

“We have a different operational mindset compared to the bigger companies who can process a lot more meat faster, but that often means leaving

The Seydelmann industrial meat grinding machine is used to process the finely-minced ground beef products made and packaged at the VG Meats facility in Simcoe.

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The freshly-trimmed beef carcasses hanging off the hooks in the VG Meats plant’s chilling rooms are constantly tested and graded for optimal meat tenderness, whereby all the final scores are entered into the company’s VG Tenderness-Tested system database to provide all customers and consumers with full product traceability data for each individual carcass.

certain steps out that we think are valuable to the consumers,” he ref lects.

“When we have a carcass to sell, we need to sell all of it,” says Van Groningen, noting other nearby cattle and pig farmers whose own livelihood and fortunes are closely tied to those of VG Meats.

“With Longo’s we are able to work on a fullcarcass strategy of selling carcasses one at a time instead of selling sirloins one at a time.”

With the Longo’s business suddenly accounting for about one-third of VG Meats’ production output, the company had to act quickly to find a more automated, higher-speed packaging system to deliver the higher output volumes.

After a diligent search of available machinery, VG Meats ultimately settled on the compact-design Repak RE20 horizontal form/fill/seal machine supplied by Burlington, Ontario-based Reiser Canada after being impressed with the system’s compact design, sanitary stainless-steel construction, user-friendly operation, ability to work with both f lexible and semi-rigid materials, and a high degree of operation f lexibility.

“We chose this machine because of its robust design and for all the different possibilities for us to use the whole carcass by packaging the multitude of different cuts of product that a carcass yields,” Van Groningen explains.

“The machine offers enough draw depth to even accommodate some of the roast products we process here, so this versatility was a big draw for us.”

Installed at the plant about five months ago, alongside a Reiser Vemag portioning machine with a built-in meat grinder, the new Repak is

so far doing everything expected and asked of it, according to Van Groningen.

“Switching over to Reiser equipment has really helped us to increase our line speeds, which in turn enabled us to focus more effort on the labeling of the package required to create the added value of the packaged product being fully traceable,” Van Groningen relates.

FINE GRIND Extensively used to produce one-kilogram vacuum-sealed packages of ground beef, the Repak RE20 machine currently makes about 360 packs hourly on average, each boasting 12-day shelf-life.

“Our retail customers are also very happy with the fact that we are now using far less material to package our product compared to when we were using trays,” Van Groningen points out.

After the sealed packs of ground beef and other product run through their phases on the Repak to achieve an optimal skin-tight seal, the packages are transferred onto a nearby conveyor line moving the product to the Bizerba GLM weigher-labeler, which generates a product-specific barcoded trackand-trace label that goes underneath the pack, while simultaneously applying the generic brand label onto the top of the pack at speeds of over 100 packs per minute.

“All the before-dates and other key product information is stored in the Bizerba labeler’s memory for quick and accurate generation of the unique QR code and the traceability barcode that lets consumers in a store simply scan the codes with

CANADIAN PACKAGING • OCTOBER 2014

14-10-07 5:34 PM

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Compliance.M.Series.pdf

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COVER STORY

Reiser’s high-precision Vemag portioning machine is used extensively to process and shape VG Meats’ high-quality ground beef brick-packs and hamburger patties.

their smart phone to find out whatever they want to know about the history of the product, what farm it came from, how the animal was fed, the tenderness of the product, and a multitude of other data that we populate into the system,” he says.

“What we’re doing in terms of grading the beef and sharing that information is a very unique and groundbreaking development in the industry,” reiterates the second-born son Chad Van Groningen.

“When you go to a typical butcher shop, the quality and tenderness of a given meat product often depends on the luck of the draw—how the animal was raised, fed, how healthy it was, etc.

“With our meat, our unique testing method and

point is simply removed from production so that it never reaches the consumer. “It is a huge loss for us,” Kevin Van Groningen admits, “be it’s more important for us that the customer never pays a premium price for our product and then has a subpar experience with it.

“We believe that tenderness is the consumers’ most important attribute when it comes to performance on the plate,” he says, “and using our traceability system to guarantee that tenderness right at the store level is what really sets us apart from the hundreds of other similar-size, familyowned meat processors operating in Ontario.

“It took us about 10 years to develop this capability, but it’s important for us that the consumer can rest assured that our beef is tender, that it was born and raised in Ontario, that it was never fed any antibiotics, steroids or hormones, and that it was treated according to the most stringent and humane standards for animal welfare,” Van Groningen concludes.

“That’s the heart of our packaging strategy that we expect to help VG Meats to keep growing all aspects of our business—retail, foodservice and contract—well into the future.”

our aging process ensures that the product goes on the shelf only after we achieve the tenderness target score that we set for ourselves,” says Chad. “Only when we get that standard we want does the product go on the shelf, so the consumer is guaranteed to get optimal tender beef, with no ifs or buts about it.

“We collect a lot of data, right after the animal is slaughtered and on through every stage of the For More Information: process afterwards, collecting data on every stage of the process,” says Chad, explaining that each Reiser (Canada) Limited 401 freshly-butchered carcass is aged for at least four Bizerba Canada Inc. 402 days in the plant’s chilling room to obtain the Winpak Ltd. 403 required tenderness levels, and for another five days for those failing to meet them.

Packall Packaging 40407/14 Buyer›s Guide Canadian Packaging, 133Inc. x 203 mm, CC-en46-AZ203 Any carcass that can’t make the grade at that Maschinenfabrik Seydelmann KG 405

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FOOD SAFETY

POWDER TO THE PEOPLE!

Blended powders manufacturer uses advanced product inspection to formulate a winning packaging strategy for its growing co-packing business

Dure Foods president Hunter Malcolm says his company provides valuable third-party services offering Flavoured Cappuccino, sugar and more, for a growing number of major national and multinational retail chains by developing and packaging unique dry powder blends for the food and beverage industry.

ANDREW JOSEPH, FEATURES EDITOR PHOTOS BY COLE GARSIDE

W

hen people tend to think of the food and beverage industry, images of prime cuts of meat, bottled beverages and ready-to-eat meals immediately come to mind.

But despite a lack of instant recognition on behalf of Joe Public, one Ontario manufacturer and its niche market products aims to be the creamer in your coffee or that cup of hot chocolately perfection on a chilly evening.

Situated in Brantford, Ont, an approximate 90-minute drive west of Toronto, the familyowned Dure Foods Ltd. performs what can only be described as an efficiency solution for food and beverage suppliers across North America, offering various dry blending services for a multitude of major national and international grocery retail and fast-food chains.

The company describes itself as ‘large enough to count on, small enough to care’, for over 30 years providing the food services industry with qual-

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ity powdered goods such as chai tea, cappuccinos, cappuccino foamers, hot chocolate, vending and reliquifying creamers and sugar, as well as a recent foray into the production of hydrators and whey proteins—all of which are available under the Dure Foods label as well as under private-label programs.

Founded with humble beginnings in 1978 by Scott Malcolm, he and one other employee—Chrissy Humphery, who is still with the company—worked out of a small rented space filling orders for its initial product, a liquid dish soap, which certainly doesn’t sound like a dry powdered product.

In fact, it was another five years before Dure Foods began manufacturing and packaging dry blends, co-packing coffee whiteners and bulk sugar, then done with a total of five employees.

“It was in the mid-1990s when the whole specialty coffee trend opened up. We saw an opportunity for the company to expand our talents and began developing products for this niche market,” company president Hunter Malcolm told Canadian Packaging magazine during recent visit to the company’s 53,000-square-foot facility.

Hunter is the son of the company founder, though Scott continues to be involved in the business on a daily basis. “The timing was great for us—just as the whiteners market began to decrease, the f lavored cappuccino segment rose sharply.”

To create f lavored coffees such as the cappuccino, the cappuccino powders would be added by coffee roasting companies to blend the taste sensation.

With success came the necessity for growth, Malcolm notes, “so we constructed a new 35,000-square-foot facility in 2002, later adding an additional 20,000 square feet in 2006 featuring more loading docks as well as blending and packaging rooms and a total of 36 employees.”

In 2005 the company set-up an additional facility down in Columbus, OH, a 12 employee, 48,000-square-foot facility that also blends and packs dry powder products.

Nowadays, Dure Foods produces dry powder blended product for some 150 SKUs (stock keeping units), including devising custom formulizations, annually producing over four-million kilograms of powders.

CANADIAN PACKAGING • OCTOBER 2014

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FOOD SAFETY

Located in its own dedicated packaging room, Dure Foods’ newest production line includes the recently delivered Eagle Product Inspection Pack 240 Pro X-Ray unit supplied by PLAN Automation, and a model DS011E vertical bagging system manufactured by Viking Masek Global Packaging Technologies.

“We put out some 20 million one-kilogram packages a years,” notes Malcolm.

“And that’s just at the Brantford site.”

Still despite the success, the lessons learned from watching the popularity of whiteners shrink while cappuccinos rose have not been lost on Dure Foods, as it has recently begun manufacturing and offering what it calls a Lifestyle line of powders for those people with more than just a passing fancy for fitness and physical health, featuring meal and protein supplements for every stage of life.

“Although we are still focusing on our core strengths of dry blending, by diversifying our portfolio it provides a buffer in case one of the core markets we cater to begins to follow any type of downward trend,” explains Malcolm. “And if none ever do, then we’ve also strengthened and increased our production.

“It’s win-win.”

According to Malcolm, the number one product manufactured and packaged at Dure Foods is its hot chocolate powder.

He also noted that because the coffee, tea and hot chocolate powder business is seasonal—fewer people look for piping hot drinks in the summer, “the addition of the lifestyles products will hopefully help us bridge the gap.”

Making A Powder Packaging options available at Dure Foods include: Super Sacs; 50-lb bags; 25-lb bulk boxes; two-pound pillow pouches; 500-gram pouches; 28-gram sachets; four-inch diameter composite tins; and plastic jars.

“For us, it’s all about the blending,” states Malcolm explaining the company blends its products according to the highest food safety standards, as specified by the HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points) and the GFSI (Global Food Safety Initiatives) of the BRC (British Retail Council) protocols. “We also have an in-house quality assurance laboratory that ensures we maintain strict quality control, while also providing us with product research and new product development capabilities.”

The manufacturing process of dry powder blending is a two-pronged attack for Dure Foods, according to plant manager Tim Laberge, a 20-year veteran with the company.

Laberge notes that while manufacturing certainly involves carefully following the developed formulas, it is even more dependent upon receiving highquality ingredients such as sugar, instant cocoa and coffee creamers—most of which arrives at the facility contained within bulk 900-kilogram tote bags.

The Eagle Pro 240 X-Ray inspection system’s multiple inspection capabilities allow it to detect foreign objects at speeds of up to 1,000 packages per minute.

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FOOD SAFETY These tote bags are designed as food-grade, with replaceable liners to ensure no cross-contamination of ingredients can occur, as well as providing a recycled life for the bag itself.

“Every ingredient that arrives at Dure Foods comes with a Certificate of Analysis that ensures that we are only receiving products of the best quality manufactured under the highest food safety standards,” relates Laberge.

These tote bags of ingredients are moved via forklift from the warehouse to the blending room. The forklifts never enter the room, instead lifting the palletized load up to an opening in the blending room wall where it is then moved by workers using hoists before being precisely weighed and added to the blend.

At this time lot codes are documented and blender personnel sign-off on every product ingredient added.

The dry powders are passed through one of the six Kason vibratory sifters to remove clumps before it moves into the blending stage.

“Our 100-cubic-foot double-ribbon blenders in both Canada and the U.S, provide us with the capacity to mix 70-million pounds of product each year,” mentions Laberge.

CANPACK-PiggyAug-14.pdf 1 8/5/2014 1:27:23 PM

Having worked at Dure Foods for over 20 years, plant manager Tim Laberge says he’s very impressed with the food safety and quality assurance capabilities provided by the Eagle Product Inspection Pack 320 Pro X-Ray system.

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Installed in Dure Foods’ ultra-cleanroom packaging area, the Eagle Pack 320 Pro X-Ray system not only conducts high-accuracy product inspection, but can also checkweigh packages, measure fill levels, and verify package component presence or absence.

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FOOD SAFETY The blending times are all electronically-controlled, which ensures a consistent mix every time and then, says Laberge “every blend receives microbiological testing by a third-party laboratory.”

The Brantford facility has six production lines, including what Laberge calls a an ultra-cleanroom created specifically for a customer that wanted its products packed in such a manner.

With each of the rooms set up in a similar manner to the other, each also contains the same equipment—with a couple of notable exceptions, of course.

The lines utilize an Arty 80V vertical formfill-and-seal machine manufactured by Artypac Automation Inc. of Laval, Que., to create pillow-pack applications.

The bagger also utilizes an Artypac Tornado 600

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A pair of Markem-Imaje model 5800 case-coders, equipped with two printheads each, applies logo graphics and all the required variable product information on two sides of each passing packed corrugated carton.

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FOOD SAFETY

Manufactured by Markem-Imaje, the SmartDate 5 thermal inkjet coder (above) is attached to each of the Arty 80V VFFS at Dure Foods, to apply product identification and lot code data to the film immediately prior to it being formed into a bag.

Many of the filling lines at Dure Foods utilize Arty Tornado 600 scales (left) to smoothly feed dry powder product into the Arty 80V vertical form/fill/seal bagger, with both manufactured by Artypac Automation.

able in purchasing the second unit, Laberge states packaging system integrators PLAN Automation, with a Vectormotion variable speed drive system to simply that, “it’s good equipment—sturdy and it but manufactured by the Tampa, Fla.-based Eagle feed the product to the bagger. works. We love the capabilities of the machines.”

Product Inspection.

Attached to the Arty 80V is a Markem-Imaje Laberge says that he has known PLAN Delivered to Dure Foods at the end of this past SmartDate 5 coder, that Dure Foods utilizes to Automation for quite a while, mentioning that the summer, it is the second X-Ray unit it purchased apply lot code data with and without expiry date agent also works with Fortress Technology, and from PLAN Automation, joining the existing Pack information depending on the particular prodthat they had purchased more than a few metal 320 Pro unit acquired back in 2009. uct being packed to the film—before the film is detection units, starting first in 1999.

“Although we continue to be quite satisfied with unwound to form the pack on the bagger.

According to PLAN Automation food safety and the performance of our metal detection units, For product safety, the lines utilize a Fortress product inspection specialist Mat Bédard, working because we have a client that utilizes a metallic Technology Phantom metal detection system to alongside Laberge and the rest of Dure Foods has foil package for its dry goods, we needed to get check for possible foreign substances in the packed been great. an X-Ray machine—and for us, that was an Eagle product.

“Laberge is a great guy, and Dure Foods despite X-Ray system,” says Laberge.

The dry powder packs are then hand-packed in the success it has achieved still has, in my opinion, Agreeing that Dure Foods was very comfortcorrugated boxes supplied by Atlantic Packaging Products and run through a 3M-Matic top and bottom tape sealer from 3M. Additional equipment used on the lines at Dure Foods include: • a n Alpha Checkweigher from ALLFILL Inc.; • a n auger filling system supplied by AMS Filling Systems; •D uff Packaging Machine plastic capper; •E BS inkjet coder; We continue to provide complete support for our existing systems • t wo Markem-Imaje 5800 coders with with readily available parts and a global service team. two printheads apiece that can apply four different colors; 40% INCREASE IN PERFORMANCE WITH • a model DS011E VFFS bagging sysOUR NEW FM SOFTWARE! tem, from Viking Masek Global Our latest technology, FM Software, can quickly and Packaging Tech­nolo­g ies, featuring a economically be field installed in a detector built over 17 years Siemens Simantic Panel interface, and ago. Our customers stay up to date without having to purchase a Siemens Logo! TD touchscreen; a new detector. Learn more and pick-up our FREE training video: • c onveyor systems supplied by Artypac, Booth featuring Nord motors for line speed; S-1749 • d ust collection systems, made by N.R. Murphy Ltd.; OPTIMAL METAL DETECTION • s tackable plastic pallets supplied by We custom design and manufacture our equipment to suit your Orbis Corporation. needs, specifications and product, for optimal detection sensitivities.

A new addition to the Dure Foods packNot sure if you’re getting the most out of your metal detection system? aging line, is a Pack 240 Pro X-Ray food WWW.FORTRESSTECHNOLOGY.COM Speak with us at 1-888-220-8737 or sales@fortresstechnology.com. inspection unit supplied via Canadian C

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FOOD SAFETY

One of several model Phantom metal detection systems manufactured by Fortress Technology and used by Dure Foods at its Brantford facility to provide quality assurance for all of its packed blended products.

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a small company feel, meaning that there isn’t a bureaucratic-feeling,” notes Bédard.

“Perhaps because of the success they enjoyed with the first X-Ray unit we sold them and the fact that we were able to deliver on our promise of food safety, that it was easy to sell them the second unit.”

The Eagle 240 Pro series has been designed for high-speed f lowwrap lines, blister packs and small packaged items.

According to Eagle, the 240 Pro system provides 240-millimeters of detection coverage at the belt, capable of high-speed imaging at a rate of 120 meters per minute. It has multiple inspection capabilities that can detect up to 1,000 PPM (packages per minute).

Other features of the 240 Pro include: • t he SimulTask 4 proprietary image processing software provides onscreen self-diagnostics, full multilane and multiview capability, and dynamic belt speed adjustments; •H ACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points)-ready with full event and contaminant logging; • t op-center, directed down single-energy X-ray beam; • t hroughput, reject, weight and system validation statistics available in the database; • IP65-environmental rated glass-beaded 304 stainless steel construction with a seamless impregnated, polyester fiber underside conveyor and a white urethane top-face coating.

“While we appreciate the great after-sales support we have received from PLAN Automation per the Pack 320 Pro unit we purchased a few years earlier, what is even more important is all the pre-deliv-

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FOOD SAFETY it’s that and more—ensuring we take the time and effort to create a product that is manufactured safely and in strict accordance with the highest food safety standards—plus there’s also the way we work with our customers.

“In my opinion, customers are people, not accounts—it’s the way we’ve been doing business since the beginning and the way we’ll continue to do business in the future—success hasn’t spoiled us yet.”

For More Information:

The product and employee entrances to a ‘cleanroom’ at Dure Foods both have special seals installed all around the frame in order to limit risk of accidental exposure to contamination.

differences in the Eagle 240 Pro and the Eagle Pro 340 X-Ray units, operation is essentially the same—as is the safety requirements.

“We sell it; help register it; train operators; help integrate it as part of the HACCP program, and everyone is happy,” exclaims Bédard.

Being Green

Dure Foods receives its raw ingredients in multi-use bulk tote bags with a replaceable liner to prevent product cross-contamination.

ery preparation they performed for us,” expresses Laberge.

When it comes to radiation-emitting equipment such as X-Ray systems, provincial and federal governments require a lot of paperwork to be completed before the machine can even be turned on at a facility.

“After the machine is purchased, for PLAN Automation, that’s when the real work starts,” mentions Bédard. “When it comes to operation of cabinet X-Ray systems, the Ontario Ministry of Labour has a lot of regulations for the safe operation of such a system, not to mention what the Canadian government’s Health Canada needs us to conform to—all good things, of course.”

After filling out all the requisite paperwork, Bédard says PLAN Automation then ensures that at least one X-Ray system operator receives indepth radiation safety training—reaching the level of RSO (Radiological safety Officer).

As well, Bédard says they also train the lower-level technical operators—anyone who might be inclined to work alongside the X-Ray system, ensuring they, too, are provided with basic safety guidance.

“Despite all the warnings, we actually spend more time explaining how with proper usage and maintenance the equipment is safe—we provide both educational and safety training,” he relates.

Bédard adds that anyone can sell anyone a piece of equipment, “but ensuring safe operation is the key.”

He admits that with Dure Food’s second X-Ray machine purchase, the training of operators was actually quite easy because other than a few key

PLAN Automation Eagle Product Inspection Kason Corporation Artypac Automation Inc. Markem-Imaje Fortress Technology Inc. Atlantic Packaging Products 3M Canada Company ALL-FILL Inc. AMS Filling Systems Duff Packaging Machine EBS Ink-Jet Systems USA, Inc. Viking Masek Global Packaging Technologies Siemens Canada Limited Nord Gear Corporation N.R. Murphy Ltd. Orbis Corporation Waste Solutions Canada

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Malcolm says that Dure Foods takes its role in being environmentally responsible very seriously.

“We continually look for new ways to reduce our environmental impact, to do our part for the environment and the world,” relates Malcolm.

PREMIUM PACKAGE Recently both the Canadian and U.S. warehouses replaced its lighting to a more efficient system allowing hydro-electric usage to decrease by 18 per cent, which is not only good for the environment but also for the pocketbook.

In an effort to lessen the packaging waste going to Visit VC999 landfills, Dure Foods has, at Pack Expo since 2007, worked on a proChicago #7239 gram with Waste Solutions PackEX Canada, increasing its diverMontreal #1707 sion rate from less than 15 per cent to over 50 per cent, according to Laberge, adding that all corrugated waste and used super sac totes are separately baled and picked up for recycling.

RS420c Compact Rollstock “We have also developed Thermoformer an entirely recyclable canister which our customers can utilize instead of the composite can which is not Guaranteed to: recyclable due to its tin end • Lower Labor Costs cap and foil lining,” adds • Increase Production Laberge. “This new design • Produce Quality Packages also enhances food safety because this canister may pass through a metal detector system, whereas a comFind Out How VC999 Vacuum Packaging Machines posite canister can not.”

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TRANS M Rail based Transmodules are the central element of a Schubert packaging system.

These transport robots autonomously guide your products through all areas of the

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S MODUL packaging system – ensuring positive control through the entire process. Thus they open up new dimensions: for flexibility and safety, for operating comfort and efficiency.

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The Transmodul in action

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ADHESIVES

A BETTER BONDING EXPERIENCE Global adhesives manufacturer launches a new testing lab and demo center to provide better solutions for meeting the needs of its Canadian customers

For packaging industry applications Henkel provides a broad range of products in pellet and chub formulations to deliver best melting properties.

1876, co-founder Fritz Henkel and his two partners debuted a laundry detergent that was sold in unique, convenient packages that became the foundation for building the company.

From there, Henkel continued building a portfolio of consumer products, including a bleaching soda that helped make the company an international success.

During those early years, the threat of an interruption of needed adhesives for its consumer product labels caused Henkel to cut out the middleman and create its own packaging adhesives to enhance the supply chain.

The company became very good at it, and was soon designing and manufacturing adhesives not only for industrial applications, but also for home consumer use.

Since entering the adhesives markets, Henkel has made astute business decisions and built its adhesive segment through innovations and acquisitions. Major acquisitions include Loctite which had started out selling a liquid adhesive locknut to solve the issue of loose bolts in machinery; LePage, one of the most recognized brands in Canada for home use and consumer adhesives and National Starch

Patricia Liverance, left, AI Lab and Customer Experience Manager, Henkel Canada; Ingrid Gagné, Sales Manager, Eastern Canada

ANDREW JOSEPH, FEATURES EDITOR PHOTOS BY COLE GARSIDE

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lthough perhaps better known as LePage, Loctite or Pritt, Henkel, a global leader in adhesives technologies, is also wellrespected in the laundry, home care, and beauty care segments, manufacturing well-known brands such as Schwarzkopf and göt2B hair care supplies, Purex laundry and Dial soaps products that have nothing to do with stickiness, except perhaps how to remove it and to make things look prettier.

When it comes to its adhesives division, Henkel takes great pride in offering solutions that will meet its customer’s needs, ensure package integrity and help customers protect their brands.

With 137 years of brand success, along with a

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global force of approximately 47,000 employees outputting some €16.4 billion in sales, the Düsseldorf, Germany-headquartered Henkel has 164 manufacturing and 17 major R&D (research and development) sites to its credit.

In 2013, almost 50 percent of the company’s business came from the Adhesive Technologies business, making Henkel one of the largest suppliers in both volume and sales of adhesives in the world.

“Our global size and scale within the adhesives markets has allowed us to invest heavily in new innovations to both maintain and grow our leadership position,” Hen­kel Canada Cor ­poration business and sales director for Adhesive Technologies Steve Rice told Canadian Packaging magazine recently.

When the company first opened its doors in

Along with Pritt, Henkel is the brand-owner and manu­ facturer of the LePage and Loctite lines of consumer adhesives.

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ADHESIVES & Chemical, which included the acquisition of NACAN, National Starch’s Canadian subsidiary.

From its inception, Henkel kept the core values of a family company—and that commitment continues to this day in every region where Henkel operates around the world. This commitment to a set of visions and values differentiates Henkel in a very fragmented adhesive market.

“Our ‘vision and values’ gives everyone at Henkel a clear understanding of what is important to us, including commitments to our customers, our people, our financials, our sustainability initiatives, and our family business foundation,” says Rice.

In North America, Henkel has approximately 5,000 employees based in 45 facilities. In Canada, the company’s Mississauga, Ont. headquarters and 417,000-square-foot warehouse—both located about a 30-minute drive west of Toronto—employ 200 people combined.

The Henkel Canada headquarters is a state-ofthe-art LEED-certified site that is a bastion of energy and environmental sustainability.

The three-year-old facility is home to three adhesive laboratories where, in addition to various R&D projects, the labs serve as an adhesive experience center where customers can learn about the world of adhesives and see how their own products and packaging can be enhanced or improved using a wide variety of adhesive solutions.

“The Henkel Adhesive Technologies entity is subdivided into six strategic business units,” Henkel sales manager for Eastern Canada Ingrid Gagné P.Eng explains.

“Each of those six business units follows its own business model, targeting different markets and customers.”

The six business units are: • Packaging, Consumer Goods, and Construction Adhesives (known as Industrial Adhesives or AI); •G eneral Industry; • Craftsman, Consumers and Building Adhesives; • Transport and Metal; • Electronics; • Aerospace.

Under its AI division, Henkel is known for its Loctite, Technomelt and Aquence brands—though it’s not simply a case of just a few brands or products, but rather hundreds of adhesive variations available under each brand that create unique adhesive technology platforms that fit any type of application,

The Freedom hot-melt adhesive delivery system manufactured by Nordson Corporation is used at Henkel’s Mississauga lab not only to test beading patterns on various customer substrates, but also to evaluate their overall adhesive effectiveness.

substrate, or equipment used in the company’s various business segments.

Henkel Industrial Adhesives sells products for multi-segments such as: packaging and labeling for the food and beverage industries, consumer goods such as tissue paper, paper towels and other hygienic products; construction, such as the engineered wood business, paper converting, such as folding carton, glued lap and lamination, and pressure sensitive adhesives for tapes and labels.

“Over the past few years Henkel has been investing its resources in both emerging markets for growth and mature markets to sustain our leadership position,” says Gagné. “Canada was designated by Henkel as one of the highlighted regions for strategic investment because our leadership teams see outstanding opportunities to grow in several business segments—including packaging.”

To demonstrate its continued commitment in Canada following the acquisition of NACAN, Henkel opened a new state-of-the-art Canadian

Henkel Canada AI Lab and customer experience manager Patricia Liverance monitors an adhesive formulation’s performance on a Kanebo hot-melt tester at the Mississauga-facility.

AI Lab and Customer Experience Centre in its Mississauga headquarters this past May. “The investment in Canada was to show our commitment to our customer base, to increase our response time to customer technical support and to enhance our entire North American technical footprint,” says Patricia Liverance, the facility’s lab and customer experience manager.

Both Gagné and Liverance are quite proud of the Henkel experience regarding adhesives.

Customers who choose to work with Henkel will gain tremendous advantages such as security of supply, the latest adhesive innovations developed from R&D teams around the world, and a global supplier whose size and scale can meet, deliver and surpass the needs of their local customers.

The newest innovations from Henkel include adhesives for sealing corrugated cases and cartons, such as Technomelt 8991 and the 8990, that comes from a new technology platform of packaging adhesives which uses the company’s pro-

The Henkel Mississauga AI Lab also boasts video-conferencing equipment to communicate between labs or even for customers to view real-time product testing.

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ADHESIVES prietary polymers to deliver high performance in adhesion across a wide range of substrates, application systems, and operating windows—it is also very aggressively priced says Gagné. She adds that Henkel is constantly researching and monitoring key industry megatrends to help customers protect and to grow their brands, and food-safe packaging is one of them.

Mega Trends

CPKG Oct CL3793 IPL.pdf

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Home to the new AI lab, the Mississauga facility demonstrates Henkel’s commitment to Canada.

Along with recent government legislation through the Safe Food for Canadians Act and the U.S. Food Safety Modernization Act, customers are seeking ways to limit—or, if possible, eliminate—product recalls, fully aware that even one occurrence could potentially damage consumer confidence in a product.

“We might think that adhesives have little impact on customer brand protection and growth, but that would be incorrect,” Gagné says.

“Adhesives are found in some way, shape, or form in almost any type of package we might see. Adhesives are an important component in delivering package integrity to our customers,” she continues. “For example, take a walk through the grocery store aisles. You will realize adhesives are everywhere in packaging. We live in a glued world.”

“We realize that Henkel is a market leader within the adhesives segment, and that we have a responsibility to ensure that the products we provide for our customers must maintain a consistency and quality to provide assurance to our customers in fields such as food and beverage,” says Liverance.

Despite the best intentions of brand owners, product recalls have occurred in the past because of a packaging issue known as migration, whereby residuals from package materials have unintentionally transferred into the actual food or beverage causing potential safety or quality (off-taste or odor) concerns.

Designed by Henkel, the Kanebo system is widely used at test labs to simulate customer application processes on a smaller scale.

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ADHESIVES

A Nordson automatic feed bin used to hold the adhesive pellets prior to use by an adhesive hot-melt applicator.

Henkel’s Patricia Liverance creating adhesive bonds to test different bead patterns using the Nordson Freedom system with an Eclipse pattern control, via a miniature robot that moves the glue head in proper position to place beads on the substrate.

The most desirable solution is to make positive Some of the equipment used at Henkel’s new Misapply hot melt to customer substrates to evaluate changes in the packaging materials used, including sissauga testing lab and demo center includes: various adhesives; • a Kanebo hot-melt tester that simulates adhesive • Nordson DuraBlue, a portable adhesive applithe adhesive—something Henkel’s labs can help performance on customer substrates to note optication system that is capable of producing justify. mum operating parameters such as set speed, open spray applications of hot melt. Can be used in“Carton sealing effectiveness also depends on the time, bond strength and hot tack. The Kanebo house or transported to a customer’s locale for actual box forming process, the carton equipment’s was designed by Henkel and is used to simulate demonstrations. peculiarities, as well as the customer’s require• TA-XTPlus texture analyzer manufactured customer application lines on a small scale; ments—all things Henkel’s QA (quality assurance) •N ordson Problue 7 dispensing system, used in

by Texture Technologies Corp. which the personnel take into account in testing how adhesthe lab to provide recirculation stability testing, Henkel labs utilize to measure the wet tack of ives interact with the package,” says Liverance. pot stability, extrusion testing, and applying hot adhesives, as well as tensile and peel testing; and “We are all aware that a product recall can dam• an Instron 5584 manufactured by Instron—an melt beads to customer substrates; age our customers brand, so our labs help provide • Nordson Freedom system, used to test various electromechanical ma­terials testing machine used that level of positive security for our customers and to perform compression and tensile testing. bead patterns on customer substrates, as well as to their customers alike.”

Gagné concurs, “Companies need to think not just about the safety of the ingredients used in their food, but also about everything that goes into the package, including the adhesives. All areas of the supply chain that connect to the end food product will need to be fully understood.”

Buckhorn offers an She says that Henkel has developed an unmatched selection of reusable packaging extensive global food safety strategy to prosolutions designed to vide customers with education and assurance protect your products and and demonstrate the company’s leadership increase your profitability. position to the packaging industry.

Buckhorn’s new Intrepid Adds Liverance: “We provide support 48” x 40” specialty bulk box is the perfect addition to all our Canadian customers that, with to our extensive offering respect to the adhesives used in their packfor food and distribution.

NEW! 48” x 40” x 46” Intrepid Made of FDA approved aging, Henkel understand their needs and material, Intrepid is designed for a variety of industries are prepared to protect the customer’s brand. including meat, poultry, liquid, semi-liquid, powder and granular applications. It offers a smooth interior and exterior “That is one of the things we do at the for easy cleaning, and its heavy duty design can handle loads labs here in Mississauga,” she continues. up to 2,500 lbs.

“We help to ensure our customers’ packStop by Pack Expo Booth # 6816 to learn more about age integrity, including eliminating popIntrepid, or visit buckhorncanada.com for more information. opens and security of the package by testing adhesives that work exceptionally well with the customer’s material in US: 1.800.543.4454 environments of moisture, heat, cold, Canada: 1.800.461.7579 stress and more.” ©2014 Buckhorn / Myers Industries, Inc. #012414 www.buckhorncanada.com Responding to Henkel’s customer base BULK BOXES | HAND-HELD CONTAINERS | IBCs | PALLETS | SPECIALTY BOXES is the focus of their new technical center.

YOU PERFECT IT. WE’LL PROTECT IT.

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Please visit us at booth #S-2785

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ADHESIVES “We also have a Henkel Virtual Lab using stateof-the-art video conferencing equipment that includes a live feed to our Bridgewater, NJ facility,” adds Liverance. “It can be used to bring versatility via multiple Melt-On-Demand styles of tanks and systems, communicate between labs to perform testing that requires larger application equipment, while allowing our lab technicians, or even our customers to observe the actual test in real time.”

Gagné notes that Henkel has and continues to invest in key market alliances with packaging equipment and substrates manufacturers so that it can take advantage of respective strengths to provide a more powerful value proposition to its customers.

Mentioning alliances with leading adhesives system’s application manufacturer Nordson and Tetra Pak, Gagné says the design of the alliances allows both companies to use their respective strengths to bring innovation and stronger value to our mutual customers.

Also, a long-standing Canadian alliance with Quadra Chemicals helps Henkel enhance both speed to market and security of supply across the vast region of Canada from east to west. Likewise, Gagné says that its alliance with Adhesive Systems, Inc., has helped many North American Fortune 500 companies deliver on corporate diversity goals to increase diverse supplier engagement in materials purchasing.

Rice advises: “Stay tuned for several other announcements in the coming months that we believe will further highlight our commitment to Canada and the opportunity we see to grow our overall North American business. While we have a long and proud history of serving our Canadian customers, we like to think with this new strategy, we are poised to take our customers to the next level.”

For More Information:

Testing effects of cold temperature on adhesive bonding on packages with a Helmer refrigeration unit.

Henkel Canada Corporation Nordson Canada Corporation Texture Technologies Corp.

Instron, An ITW Company Tetra Pak Canada Inc. Quadra Chemicals Ltd. Adhesive Systems, Inc.

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Canadian Market Always looking to provide additional customer satisfaction, “Henkel has more exciting things on the way specifically for Canada,” says Rice, and is actively pursuing its goal of maintaining its posi­tion of market share leader in every adhesive business segment in Canada.

He notes that Henkel is dedicated to the Canadian market, saying it understands the cultural differences not only between Canada and the U.S, but throughout Canada itself, and works accordingly.

“We are constantly seeking to understand our markets at a customer level to get at the real needs and requirements. We may be a global company but we know that value is created at a local level, one customer at a time,” says Rice.

He continues “During 2014, we have added new sales personnel, enhanced our technical personnel on the ground in Canada, opened the new AI lab, and increased our product stock availability across Canada, reducing lead times and bringing product closer to our customers to increase speed and service to the market.”

The formula seems to be working, as Henkel Canada’s results in the AI business segment includes double-digit growth in adhesive sales and production volume, and an impressive array of new products launched into the pipeline of Canada’s packaging, consumer goods, and construction businesses.

it’s what’s

inside that counts

the canadian corrugated industry develops creative packaging solutions that are cost effective, versatile, environmentally sound and food safe. our boxes are designed with high-impact graphics that communicate your brand. we focus on what matters: what’s inside the box.

Visit us at www.cccabox.org to learn more.

Proud supporter of the Paper & Paperboard Packaging Environmental Council (PPEC)

OCTOBER 2014

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PACKAGING FOR DISTRIBUTION

THE BIG SUM OF ALL PARTS New packaging industry heavyweight ready to test its combined market might

receive the same great service they receive today.

So, for the meantime the Unisource name will remain in Canada, but we will eventually make a transition to the Veritiv brand over time.

Describe the importance of the Canadian market to Veritiv and the level of senior management commitment to continue serving this market?

The Canadian market is very important to Veritiv.

Our senior management, led by Chairman and chief executive officer Mary Laschinger, is committed to continue serving and growing the company’s business in Canada.

Veritiv is a North American leader in businessto-business distribution solutions, and we serve customers across a wide range of industries, providing print, packaging, facility and logistics solutions that help shape our customers’ success.

Please provide a profile of the company’s asset base in Canada – number of facilities, employees, revenues, equipment and product offerings, service offerings, any specialty services, etc.?

Veritiv employs ap­­proxi­­mately 9,500 team members across more than 170 distribution centers through­ out the U.S., Mexico and Canada. Specifically in Canada, Veritiv has approximately 1,000 em­ployees across 17 distribution centers located from St. John’s, Newfoundland, right across the country to Victoria, British Columbia.

Darin W. Tang Senior Vice-President, Packaging, Veritiv Corporation.

A

s senior vice-president of packaging for the newly-formed industrial packaging systems and services giant Veritiv Corporation, Darin Tang has a big job on his hands to ensure that the recent multibillion-dollar merger of xpedx and Unisource Worldwide, Inc. is well-received across the new entity’s vast and loyal customer base across North America, Canada very much included.

It’s a challenge that the former president of the Packaging Solutions Group for Unisource Worldwide, Inc., clearly relishes, as he related in a recent interview with the Canadian Packaging magazine.

A proud holder of a bachelor’s degree from Spring Hill College in Mobile, Ala., Tang’s extensive packaging and management experience with other industry leaders such as Intertape Polymer Group and Scott Paper Company/

Kimberly Clark will be put to good use in his new role as one of key decision-makers in the North American industrial packaging business.

What does the name and logo change (to Veritiv) mean for existing Unisource Canada operations, personnel and day-today business activities in the Canadian market?

For the most part, it will be business as usual for customers in Canada who will continue to do business with Unisource Canada. However, Unisource Canada is now a Veritiv company.

Will you still operate under Unisource banner in Canada?

We always put the well-being of our customers first, and we want to ensure that they continue to

Describe and put into context the importance of the North American packaging business to Veritiv’s overall business and bottom line.

The packaging segment is an important part of Veritiv’s overall business, and it is considered an area with strong growth opportunities.

Approximately 28 percent of our revenue is currently generated from the packaging business. All three of our packaging verticals – manufacturing, food and fulfillment – have significant growth opportunities.

What was the main business case/rationale for merging xpedx and Unisource operations?

The rationale for the merger of xpedx and Unisource to form Veritiv was to unite two complementary businesses to create a North American market leader with a broader footprint and to

S ©

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CANADIAN PACKAGING • OCTOBER 2014

14-10-15 12:26 PM

What

Happens

When We Don’t Conserve The Earth’s Resources?

Reducing water usage is an important goal for the Beverage Industry around the world. Eliminating water and lubrication from conveyor systems is a proven method of achieving this goal!

Contact System Plast at 866-765-8744 PowerTransmissionSolutions.com/Beverage Visit us at Pack Expo 2014 in Chicago Booth #N6132

System Plast is a trademark of Emerson Electric Co. or one of its affiliated companies. ©2014 Emerson Power Transmission Corp., All Rights Reserved. MCAD14001E | Form 9873E

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PACKAGING FOR DISTRIBUTION

strengthen relationships with customers and suppliers by enhancing our overall supply chain capabilities. We also brought together two teams of experienced and diverse employees.

Please explain the choice of the new corporate name (Veritiv) and how the company plans to market this name in Canada to the current customer base?

The name Veritiv ref lects the core strength of the company, which is our commitment to deliver with excellence. With the root word being “verity,” meaning “truthful,” our employees are true to

their word, true to the needs of our customers, and true to our values.

Our customers put their trust in Veritiv, and in return, our employees help solve their most complex problems.

The “tiv” in the Veritiv name stems from “active” and “connective” – our employees connect to our customers in a real and lasting way, and actively implement creative ideas and solutions.

What is the value proposition that Veritiv brings to customers in the Canadian packaging and allied industries?

Veritiv customers view us as a trusted industry resource. Veritiv has the capability to deliver the right packaging solutions that are most valued by our customers, whether they are core products, such as stretch film and carton sealing tape, custom-designed fabricated foam, or specialty films for food. We provide access to best-in-class materials for their specific applications and needs.

What are the company’s chief competitive strengths, please elaborate.

Veritiv is a total packaging partner — a worldclass organization of professionals who apply unequalled knowledge and insight to deliver customized, integrated solutions to our customers’ packaging supply chain architecture and logistics.

By tapping into the packaging expertise of Veritiv, our customers develop a streamlined packaging process that reduces steps, promotes sustainability and improves speed to market.

Our customers benefit from our innovative creative design, optimized materials, best-inclass equipment and software, proven workf low automation, and cost-effective distribution strategies.

For More Information: Veritiv Corporation

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CANADIAN PACKAGING • OCTOBER 2014

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CONVEYING

RUNNING HIGH AND DRY

West Coast craft brewer hits the sustainablity jackpot with dry-running conveyors energy management, use of solar energy, use of lighter-weight glass bottles, recycling and diverting 99.4 per cent of waste from its Portland brewery and recycling 100 per cent of the plastic from Redhook’s Portsmouth plant in New Hampshire CBA today uses just 4.73 gallons of water per gallon of beer, and its Portland brewery is already an industry leader at just 4.07 gallons of water per gallon of beer. “In 2013 alone, we cut water use 3.7 per cent company-wide for each gallon of beer produced,” says Julia Person, CBA Sustainability Manager.

“Sustainability goals are key performance indicators for our business and we keep a close eye on them.”

RAPID CHANGE

“As a brewer, we have a special interest in water sustainability, which certainly drove this project, but the dry conveyor stands on its own merit by reducing slip hazards, energy, maintenance, water, soap and chemicals to treat discharge water,” says Schmidt. “Even with a partial installation, we have cut water use 60 per cent and eliminated cleaning the conveyor after every shift.”

The switch to a dry bottling conveyor at Red­ hook is part of a larger set of five-year sustainability goals that Craft Brew Alliance (CBA) established in 2009.

According to the company’s latest sustainability report, CBA saved US$600,000 in 2013 through water re-use/reclamation, advanced lighting and

Photos courtesy of CraftBrew Alliance

C

raft Brew Alliance, a leading independent craft brewing company based in Seattle, Wash., is enjoying more than water savings with its new dry-run bottling conveyors from Emerson Power Transmission Solutions.

By recntly converting its Redhook Brewery bottling line to a dry-running System Plast New Generation (NG) conveyor chain and Nolu-S wear track, the operation has eliminated 111,000 gallons of water and 675 gallons of soap for lubricating stainless steel chain.

The lightweight, low-friction chain and dry operation yield savings on energy, maintenance, damage to bearings, sensors and concrete floors, too, according to Redhook’s maintenance manger Kurt Schmidt.

The changeover to a dry-running conveyor at Redhook is part of a bottling line overhaul that started with resurfacing the f loor in the area with an epoxy/aggregate material in December 2013.

“Our f loor had been badly damaged from years of water puddling and cleaning; it was eroded an inch into the concrete in some places,” Schmidt explains.

“Our Krones bottling line had stainless steel chain on it that was about 12 years old. It needed soap-and-water lubrication spray, which damaged bearings, reducers and sensors, not just the f loor.

“The steel chain builds up slime, then spreads it around and requires daily washing with an antimicrobial, all of which add to cost.”

The bottling line runs 20 hours per day, four days per week, typically at 425 bottles per minute. At its fastest single-lane throughput, it runs at about 150 feet per minute.

The bottles enter the line from an uncaser, while the empty cases follow the bottles on a parallel conveyor to the case-packer at the end. They are then mass-conveyed about 200 feet, through several 90-degree turns, across a static transfer plate and into a combiner, where they are single-filed at higher speed through the filler.

They are mass conveyed afterward about 100 feet, nesting four-to-five wide, until a combiner again single-files the bottles for the labeler. The bottles are then mass conveyed 100 feet further to the case-packer.

“Our goal from the start was to increase our overall efficiency,” Schmidt says. “We knew there were better options than going with new stainless chain.

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CONVEYING

“I had used standard LF acetal chain for dry operation at another brewery, but the application involved large plastic trays, not bottles, so it was quite different.

“We were leaning toward LF, but then learned about the System Plast chain and Nolu-S wear strips. These are different, slicker materials, developed specifically to allow dry-running, highspeed operation.”

The System Plast New Generation (NG) chain is made of a proprietary high-performance PBT thermoplastic with a low coefficient of friction.

The f lat conveyor chain lowers power consumption and noise, and increases chain life up to 50 per cent in some applications, acording to Emerson.

Because roduction imperatives at Redhook prevent a prolonged shutdown, so the change to the new plastic chain has been done in phases.

“We tear out everything down to the frame and modify it if we think necessary,” explains Schmidt, explaining that all the key drive components such as bearings, sensors, sprockets and gear drives are all being replaced.

“We use System Plast magnetic tracking chain into and out of the labeler,” says Schmidt. “The radii allow lifting the chain out of the track for easy cleaning underneath.

“Typically, there’s a tab that locks the chain down

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so you can’t clean under it. The radii are also designed with a one-piece supply and return, so there’s no gap where debris can collect, as we had with the stainless -teel chain.

“The lift-out design and lightweight plastic chain win fans from both installers and operators.

Light weight and low friction also mean it takes less energy to pull this chain.

The overall smoother conveying motion of this chain has reduced downed bottles and jams, too, another plus for operators.”

The revamped line also utilizes System Plast mounted bearings with backside seals, end caps, and stainless-steel inserts designed to withstand brewery chemicals and cleaning solutions.

HOME & DRY As of spring 2014, the Redhook bottling line is 100 per cent dry from the uncaser to the rinser, even with some sections of old chain still to be replaced.

“This line was originally designed to run wetlubricated stainless steel chain, so converting to dry plastic chain inevitably involves fine tuning each new section as we go dry, and we’re in that phase now, using water without soap in specific areas until we can tweak the line in those spots.

“There are cultural changes for the operators

to work through, too, because they need to be weaned off dependence on water/soap lube.

“Nevertheless, there are a lot of smiles about smoother line operation, vastly reduced washdown requirements, the end to weekly greasing of bearings, slip hazards and overall drier workplace, Schmidt realtes.

“We eliminated 30 per cent of our washdown on day one, and we’re building on this. We no longer need chemicals to adjust the pH of our discharge water either.”

Moreover the bottling line’s previous sound level of 95 decibels has been reduced to 91, Schmidt points out.

“When we’re running bottles, there’s the inevitable clinking, but the underlying noise from metal conveyor chain and water-damaged bearings is gone,” he says.

According to Schmidt, the cost for the new conveyor components is about the same as needed for an overhaul using stainless-steel chain.

“Few in the industry think about the hidden cost of a wet line with its soap, water, pumps, tubing; chasing down leaks in the plumbing; slip hazards; daily washdowns or the drip pans obstructing the underside of the conveyor for service work.

“Water sustainability is just the tip of the iceberg when you convert to dry conveyor. The real payoff comes when you stop soaking your equipment and plant with water all day long.”

The changeover won’t be complete, he adds, until the pumps, plumbing and nozzles for the water spray system are removed, along with the drip pans.

“This is what we’ll appreciate most at our end of the business.”

For More Information: Emerson Power Transmission Solutions

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SHOW PREVIEW

NEW AND IMPROVED!

New and exciting show features await at PACK EXPO International 2014

W

hether they are contending with changing regulatory environments or striving to meet growing customer demands for greater sustainability improvements, the way that North American consumer and industrial goods manufacturers address their packaging needs and challenges today will have a far-reaching impact on their future business prospects.

Which is why they practically owe it to themselves not to miss out on the broad array of innovative packaging and processing technologies, equipment, materials, services, and automation and software solutions to be displayed at Chicago’s famed lakeside McCormick Center fairgrounds during the upcoming PACK EXPO International 2014 exhibition, November 2-5, 2014.

With over 1,800 confirmed exhibitors occupying over 1.1 million square feet of exhibit space, the four-day packaging technologies extravaganza is expected to draw well over 50,000 visitors, according to the show’s owner and producer PMMI, The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies.

Already ranking as North America’s largest processing and packaging event, the biennial exhibition will be bolstered to new heights this year with the debut of the co-located Pharma EXPO exposition—a joint venture of PMMI and the ISPE (International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering)—to help pharmaceutical manufacturers discover the solutions they need to significantly raise printing speeds, increase efficiency, decrease downtime and reduce operating costs.

Located in the West Building, Pharma EXPO will display next-generation marking, coding and package printing technologies to meet changing production demands and implement advanced anti-counterfeiting measures: including inkless UV marking systems, laser coders, and innovative new labeling solutions to provide pharmaceutical manufacturers with the f lexibility they need to meet the challenges of short-batch label runs, high-mix label requirements and variable printing demands.

“Pharmaceutical manufacturers are subject to some of the most rigorous standards for package printing and labeling,” says Jim Pittas, PMMI’s vice-president of trade shows. “Maintaining high print integrity, including the necessary counterfeit prevention and security features, while accommodating the industry trend for short batch label runs and keeping up with today’s ever-changing regulations, means brand-owners must keep themselves informed in order to succeed.”

With over 200 exhibitors already confirmed, Pharma EXPO will also connect biotechnology professionals with solutions to meet the needs of complex operations requiring f lexible manufacturing and adaptable process technologies.

“The biotechnology segment of the pharmaceutical industry is growing very quickly,” says Pittas, citing 11-percent average annual growth since 2008 in the global biotech industry, which posted an estimated US$262 billion in revenues last year.

“Pharma EXPO will be an excellent opportunity for industry professionals to find the solutions they

The upcoming PACK EXPO International is expected to draw over 50,000 visitors to McCormick Place in Chicago next month to see more than 1,800 exhibitors display their latest innovations in packaging and processing technologies.

need, while benefiting from ideas cross-pollinating from other life science sectors and even the PACK EXPO exhibits,” says Pittas.

Strategically located right next to the Pharma EXPO entrance, the show’s Innovation Stage area will offer visitors a series of 30-minute educational presentations on breakthrough technologies, package design, packaging plant failures and resolutions, authentication technology, quality management systems and other top-of-mind issues.

EASY GOING To help brand-owners, processors and manufacturers easily navigate the 1.15 million net square feet of exhibit space to locate the packaging solutions and suppliers they need, the PACK EXPO International management team has organized several industry-specific pavilions, including: • The Reusable Packaging Pavilion. Hosted by the Reusable Packaging Association (RPA) and located in the Lakeside Upper Hall, this pavilion will highlight the advantages of reusable packaging, such as reducing waste, cutting shipping costs, protecting goods and increasing productivity. Whether you want to invest in reusable packaging or get more out of assets you already own, this pavilion is an excellent place to start.

• Brand Zone. Located in upper North Hall, this exciting display will showcase a wide range of packaging innovations for enabling brand-owners to break the mold with innovative containers and materials to interrupt the retail landscape, broaden the product’s appeal, enhance its shelf presence and extend its shelf-life. In addition, the 11th annual Showcase of Packaging Innovations—sponsored

by Dow Chemical Company—will display an inspiring array of award-winning package designs from all over the world.

• The Processing Zone. Located in the Upper Lakeside Hall, this pavilion is a hub for spotlighting the latest in processing technology for food manufacturing industries—including baking and snack, beverage, dairy, meat and confectionery—

as well as non-food sectors such as cosmetics and home and lawn care.

“Since its first appearance at PACK EXPO International 2010, the Processing Zone has continued to offer solutions for automation, plant safety, efficiency and technologies for all steps in the manufacturing process,” says Pittas.

• The Confectionery Pavilion, located in the South Hall and sponsored by the National Confectioners Association (NCA), will connect show attendees with the right equipment solutions and materials for helping maximize line f lexibility and protecting product freshness.

• Contract Packaging Association Sourcing Center of the Contract Packaging Association (CPA) can be found on the Grand Concourse adjacent to the Associations Pavilion, which will have representatives of national packaging associations from nine different countries—including Canada’s own PAC, Packaging Consortium— providing information on the latest packaging industry trends in their respective markets.

Once again, PACK EXPO International will offer a wealth of free educational opportunities right on the show-f loor with live seminars on breakthrough technologies and techniques being successfully applied across a wide variety of industries, including : • The Food Safety Summit Resource Center (Booth S-2962). Organized by Food Safety Summit and co-sponsored by GE Intelligent Platforms, the center will present experts on critical food safety matters like the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) and compliance with the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA).

• Center for Trends & Technology (Booth S-3907), featuring expert advice on the latest technologies and emerging trends in the areas of machine safety, online communications, serialization and line optimization.

For more information on PACK EXPO Inter­national, please go to: www.pack­expo.com

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SHOW PREVIEW

COMMON GOALS AND VISION New show aims to raise the bar on speed and quality in biopharm production

T

hroughout the entire supply chain of drug discovery and production, pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device manufacturers continually seek out more effective solutions to speed their products’ time-to-market, while ensuring product consistency and safety.

New technologies are driving efficiencies in drug processing, while packaging and labeling operations are becoming increasingly f lexible to enable quick product changeover with minimal downtime.

In a market as highly-regulated as this one, rigorous quality control and precision are extremely critical core competencies, which are in large part acquired through the use of the most advanced technologies and processes available in the marketplace.

And there will be plenty of both in display next month at Chicago’s McCormick Place fairgrounds during the upcoming PACK EXPO International 2014 exhibition, produced by the leading North American packaging industry group PMMI, The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies.

Held in Chicago every two years, this year’s show promises to deliver an exceptional wealth of technological innovation taking place in the global biopharmaceutical markets—thanks to PMMI joining forces with the International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering (ISPE) to debut the Pharma EXPO exhibition to run alongside PACK EXPO International, November 2-5, 2014.

Under this partnership, the four-day event will provide a single destination for manufacturers in the pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, medical device and biotech industries to find the right solutions for all phases of the supply chain.

To get a little advance insight on the current state of biopharmaceutical and medical device production and processing, we asked PMMI president and chief executive officer, Charles Yuska, and his ISPE counterpart, Nancy Berg, to offer their expert opinions.

What are some of the key technological innovations you’re noticing in the biopharmaceutical market?

Yuska: Technologies that shorten the time from drug discovery to production, and to achieve higher throughput, have been highly sought-after for years. However, we are now seeing a shift in focus towards manufacturing f lexibility. This trend is driven by the rise of personalized medicines, which has led to smaller batch sizes and greater product diversity coming off the same lines.

While there is still a large market for high-volume drug processing—particularly for vaccine production—the rise in small-volume processing for niche medications is forcing manufacturers to seek out more f lexible equipment that allows for fast changeovers between batches.

Berg: Innovations in the market are seen throughout the life-cycle, including technology transfer between drug development and commercialization. We are seeing new technologies in sterile

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Chuck Yuska, president & chief executive officer, PMMI.

Nancy Berg, president & chief executive officer, ISPE.

processing and vaccine manufacturing, as well as innovations in ‘lean’ and continuous manufacturing. Biopharmaceutical facilities are true bellwethers for innovation across all industries.

One example of innovation from the biopharmaceutical industry stems from the continued growth of single-use processing systems, which are replacing many fixed, hard-piped systems.

Recent advances have also made cell harvesting more efficient. Today, an end-to-end processing system—from bioreactor to filtration technologies—can be fully disposable, and production can be set up in a matter of weeks rather than years.

This makes manufacturing more mobile and cost-effective. According to some estimates, companies can save up to 40 per cent in capital costs by designing a facility based on single-use systems, as opposed to a conventional facility.

Yuska: Companies are also focused on evolving comprehensive track-and-trace technologies to help ensure that counterfeit or substandard products do not enter the supply chain.

The security of the global drug supply is one of the industry’s primary objectives. Earlier this year, the Institute of Medicine issued a report on the public health threat of falsified or substandard drugs, particularly in the developing world.

To guard against this threat, many of the rack-andtrace technologies currently in use include serialization software systems and line upgrades that enable manufacturers to precisely locate a product anywhere within the complex and global distribution chain. Other options include serialization-ready coding systems that help ensure legible, clear and consistent marking on product units and cartons.

Companies look for more of these solutions to comply with increasingly strict regulations, which include California’s e-pedigree laws and the recentlyenacted FDA Safety and Innovation Act (FDASIA).

A big part of staying competitive in the pharmaceutical industry is based on producing high quantities of a specific product without sacrificing quality. How can manufacturers achieve and maintain the absolute best results?

Berg: Fundamentally, a company’s success is based on having a robust quality system. To stay current, companies need to look externally and keep their fingers on the pulse of the latest technologies.

Being involved in industry associations and listening to key thought leaders and regulators is also critical.

To help ensure consistent quality and safety, companies are leveraging high-speed inspection technologies, such as optical scanners that provide 360-degree inspection of pills, tablets and capsules.

Other systems offer X-Ray detection to ensure compliance with cGMP (current Good Manufacturing Practice) standards, and particularly the 21 CFR Part 11 protocols enforced by both the FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) and EMEA (European Medicines Agency).

How do these technologies help manufacturers and contract packagers meet the stringent demands of the industry?

Yuska: The one common theme we see emerging from some of the new technologies is system integration. Manufacturers have realized that in such a highly-regulated environment it’s not enough to ensure an individual piece of equipment is fully operational, but rather that the entire line needs to be integrated for maximum efficiency.

Some examples include new packaging technologies that integrate syringe filling equipment with integrated capping, and vision systems that communicate with programmable logic controllers for running batch labels.

Berg: Some of the new processes also enable better data collection and quality control. Contract manufacturing companies are providing critical

CANADIAN PACKAGING • OCTOBER 2014

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SHOW PREVIEW expertise in research, manufacturing and packaging operations, which is enhancing product development and, ultimately, delivery to patients.

New production lines are also becoming more compact and mobile, as today’s equipment and technologies typically have smaller footprints.

On the whole, this trend increases f lexibility on production lines and reduces capital costs, while also helping to enable drug production in more diverse geographies. This can be critical in situations where drug production needs to be ramped up quickly in response to the needs of specific regions: for example, producing emergency vaccines in response to a local outbreak.

How can production lines remain agile to adapt for changeover activities, increase output and reduce downtime?

and technologies from industries like the food, automotive and aerospace arenas. These industries have expertise in managing complex quality systems and diverse supply chains, which are critical to achieving success in the biopharmaceutical market.

Where can pharmaceutical industry executives and engineers find these new innovations?

Yuska: The PMMI and ISPE are very proud to introduce Pharma EXPO, which is a brand new industry event developed to showcase the latest innovations in track-and-trace systems, supply chain management, new technologies to increase line efficiency, and much more.

The show will bring together processors and packagers from the pharmaceutical, medical device, nutraceutical and biotech industries to offer solutions for the entire supply chain.

Additionally, the event’s co-location with PACK EXPO International affords a unique opportunity for a cross-pollination of ideas between these industries and others, such as the beverage, baking and snack, confectionery, chemical, cosmetic and meat sectors.

Berg: In addition to a packed show-f loor, the expected 50,000 show attendees can also benefit from a series of conferences presented by ISPE. These sessions will include topics such as sterile processing, automation trends and new anticounterfeiting technologies.

The ISPE will also be hosting a conference program for pharmaceutical/nutraceutical manufacturers and contractors, which will be dedicated to the new and upcoming regulatory issues in the industry.

Yuska: New processing and packaging technologies are helping to reduce downtime by enabling faster changeovers. This is critical, particularly for contract packagers that run multiple, small batches.

Drug manufacturers have a growing range of technologies to choose from in terms of streamlining their changeover process.

We see this shift in the increasing amount of equipment that is more modular and f lexible, and optimized machine designs that are more open for streamlined troubleshooting.

Worker training is another major factor in productivity. New technologies are accelerating the learning curve and reducing downtime, as we continue to witness new breakthroughs in HMI (humanmachine interface) technologies that use icons rather than words to make real-time process displays more intuitive and less dependent on specific language skills.

This latter development is of particular importance to the industry, as the workforce continues to become more global.

Berg: There are a many challenges in integrating new equipment due to the complex regulatory oversight in this industry. Having multiple regulatory agencies with unique guidelines and expectations makes regulatory harmonization a major goal—a necessity to creating effective and more streamlined processes.

Associations like ISPE are working hard to promote more relevant dialogue between the industry and global health authorities with the goal of streamlining approval processes, accelerating the pace of production and, ultimately, improving the delivery of medicines to patients.

Another way biopharm is becoming more agile is by adopting technologies from other sectors. This industry once had a reputation for being quite introspective, but in recent years it has leveraged ideas, practices

OCTOBER 2014

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CHICAGO SHOW-STOPPERS

New packaging technologies to take center stage at PACK EXPO International 2014 TIME TO STAND UP AND DELIVER!

Prominent Canadian packaging machinery manufacturer WeighPack Systems, Inc. will showcase the company’s impressive range of machinery designed for efficient precision filling of stand-up flexible pouches in a multitude of different sizes and styles, including the intricate carry-handle, zippered and die-cut

cycles per minute and offered in two model to suit different pouch size requirements; • The Swifty Bagger system for filling pre-made stand-up pouches at mid-range to high-speed production rates. Available in three different models— the economical Swifty Junior for small and medium

• A complete custom-built, fully-automated packaging solution—jointly developed with Eagle Packaging Machinery—to fill and seal stand-up pouches; erect, load and seal cases; and palletize them into ship-ready containers. The system combines WeighPack’s auger filler and

designs. The Montreal-based company’s exhibit will feature: • The high-performance, servo-driven model R2B HFS horizontal form/fill/seal (HFFS) bagging system for laminated rollstock film applications, capable of reaching mechanical rates of 100

requirements and the Swifty 1200 and Swifty 3600 series for high-performance applications—the Swifty bagger is designed to allow for full visibility and accessibility of parts, with large removable access panels in both the front and back of the machines making them easy to set up, service and clean.

horizontal bagger with Eagle’s Boxxer T12 case erector—capable of erecting and taping 12 cases per minute—an automatic drop packer, EZ-Tape case-sealer, and Z.Zag palletizer.

Booth S-1548

and labor savings, reduced waste, a machine-cut front face, and wrapped corners to ensure superior shelf appearance, according to Delkor.

Booth S-3834

CASE IN POINT

TAKING SIDES

The exhibit of Delkor Systems will debut several important innovations for case-packing of stand-up f lexible pouching, including the new high-speed HSP-400 case-packer incorporating Rockwell Automation’s state-of-the-art iTRAK linear servo technology that enables it to achieve throughput rates of 300 pouches and 60 cases per minute in a broad variety of SRP (shelfready packaging) formats and standard interleaved shippers. Other Delkor-built packaging machinery to be unveiled at the show will include: • Mid-speed model MSP-200 case-packer combining a vision-based delta robot with a high-payload, long-stroke Fanuc M-710iC robotic arm in an innovative design configuration that eliminates the need for traditional collation, according to the company, while achieving throughput rates of up to 150 pouches and 30 cases per minute; • The new patents-pending Cabrio Case line of sturdy shippers that convert to attractive shelf displays with one simple motion. Launching nationally at major North American retailers this fall, the Cabrio Case shippers were designed to offer increased shelf-space

The Power Transmission Solutions business of Emerson Industrial Automation will unveil its new System Plast 2257 Series side-f lexing modular plastic belt for unit handling, featuring a patentpending universal design that allows both left and right turns, as well as S-curves—enhanced with low noise levels, low energy re­ quire­ ments, and optimal design f lexibility. The belting’s thermoplastic construction makes it highly resistant to thermal changes, corrosive chemicals and abrasion, according to Emerson, while its low coefficient of friction and low moisture absorption enable efficient conveyance of heavy loads with minimal horsepower requirements. Available in a one-inch (25.4-mm) pitch in standard widths of nine to 24 inches—with four different clip styles to meet specific retention requirements of the application— the belt’s maximum working load of 450 pounds (990 kilograms) makes it exceptionally well-suited for unit handling applications required to maintain product orientation through turns, as well as for compact system layouts or spiral conveyors.

Machine vision specialists Cognex Corporation will demonstrate the company’s extensive range of machine vision and product identification technologies, including the new DS1000 series 3D displacement sensor designed to ensure optimal product quality by providing full threedimensional inspection of the packaged pro­ducts.

Unlike the traditional two-dimensional ma­­chine vision, the DS1000 series sensor extracts 3D information from the objects it inspects using laser triangulation­—thereby providing a topographical representation of the item from which the user can measure 3D features such as length, width, height, tilt or volume relative to any surface. According to Cognex, the 3D sensor also helps to simplify challenging OCR (optical character recognition) or presence/absence applications by creating contrast from the product’s detected height changes, regardless of color.

Booth N-613

Booth S-2770

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A BETTER VISION

CANADIAN PACKAGING • OCTOBER 2014

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SHOW PREVIEW • Below-the-f lange skin packages; • Protruding and super-protruding skin packages; • Stretch seal packages; • M AP packages, with high and/or low oxygen content; • Die-cut lid packages; • Aluminum trays; • Crimped aluminum pans; • Double-decker packages; • Rigid and semi-rigid packages.

ac­ celeration perfor­ mance for decreased cycle time and higher productivity, according to the company, with plenty of flexibility built in to simplify the handling of multiple SKUs (stock-keeping units), often without the need for mechanical changeover.

Available with product labeling and barcode reading options for product tracking applications, as well as with semi- and fully-automatic pallet exchange, the unit is especially well-suited for pharmaceutical and food industry applications.

Booth S-3752

Booth S-2520

THE PERFECT MIX Intelligrated is planning to unveil its next generation of robotic mixed-load palletizing systems designed to deliver increased speed and product handling f lexibility by employing high-precision end-of-arm tooling capable of handling multiple case sizes in a single pick. Developed to enable direct-to-retail manufacturers to satisfy demand for less-than-full, mixed-product pallets for retail display, the company’s mixed-load robotic palletizing cell is integrated with a stack-and-wrap system to ensures stable pallet loads, while employing an autonomous mobile robot to transport the load to a vision-guided robotic mixed-load depalletizing station to complete the loop. Powered by the high-performance Alvey suite of robotic mixedload order fulfillment solutions utilizing the latest advancements in robotic integration, configurable end-of-arm tooling, advanced software, controls and vision technology to automate virtually any mixed case requirement, the systems offer the benefits of increased throughput, enhanced product-handling f lexibility, and seamless integration with other Intelligrated automation components, including conveyor, software, sortation and order picking systems.

THE NEXT LEVEL

DUAL DUTY Propack Processing and Packaging Systems Inc. will showcase the robust performance capabilities of the company’s LJ-TRT robotic product collator and robotic carton loader—designed to provide users with optimal high-speed automation f lexibility with an efficient carton loading machine well-suited to handle the output from mediumto high-speed f lowwrappers. Capable of reaching throughput speeds of up to 1,000 products per minute, the LJ-TRT Dual is designed to ensure highly accurate collating of a diverse range of cartons, and loading them into cartons in continuous, fully-automated operation.

The exhibit of Thermo Fisher Scientific will show off the enhanced inspection capability and improved detection performance of the company’s NextGuard X-Ray platform that allows food manufacturers to inspect products for missing pieces and under/over fills in addition to the common contaminants. Also designed to inspect packaged products for missing pieces or components using the company’s new easy-to-customize software, the NextGuard system employs robust verification software to allow the use of a pulldown menu to quickly select and sequence a range of image processing and analysis algorithms for performing a wide range of size-, shape-, angle-, count- and position-based inspections in mere minutes, according to the company.

Booth S-2514

Booth S-2273

Booth N-3536

SKIN-DEEP BEAUTY

BAGGING TO DIFFER

Harpak-ULMA Packaging will introduce the highly innovative Darfresh on Tray system— developed jointly with Sealed Air Cor­por­a­tion— designed to use the entire 100-percent of the skin film to seal the packages, thereby generating zero scrap loss, eliminating the need for scrap wind-ups, cutting costs and increasing speed. According to the company, this performance is enabled by the innovative, patented Mondini Platform Technology that allows a single tray-sealing machine to produce a variety of packaging formats with minimal changeover time. Interchangeable packaging capabilities of the high-speed Mondini Tray allow packagers to handle a highly diverse range of final packages with a single machine, including

The exhibit of Mondi in North America, part of leading global pulp-and-paper producer Mondi plc, will exhibit the company’s newly-expanded line of industrial bags—added to the company’s portfolio through recent acquisition of Graphic Packaging International’s industrial bag business—including the Peel Pak bag-in-bag concept for dairy and food products; PinchPro single-ply bag constructed of WPP/paper or all-poly heatsealed to preserve product freshness; reclosable Slider Bag EZ open bags; hybrid high-strength paper/poly bags; and a wide selection of multiwall and consumer-style bags to meet a broad variety of product needs and requirements.

ARMED & READY Schneider Packaging Equipment Co., Inc. will showcase the company’s newest small-footprint robotic palletizer featuring the Fanuc M-20ia/35 model light-payload handling robot with a cableintegrated arm to provide a simple, economical and portable robotic end-of-line palletizing solution for fluctuating production demands. Capable of picking, packing, assembling, and loading, the robotic palletizer’s long arm can pack pallets up to 70-inches in size, while easily fitting into most small hand palletizing spaces. The system’s highly rigid arm and advanced servo technology enable increased

Booth 7914

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SHOW PREVIEW ProdX connectivity software program that allows for centralized moni­toring, control and data documentation for its check­ weighers, metal detectors and X-ray systems—whether operating in one location or in multiple facilities—to help users achieve higher levels of productivity, product quality, security, clarity and production uptime.

Booth S1706 Booth W776 (Pharma Expo)

THE FINE PRINT FULL INSPECTION The Product Inspection Group unit of Mettler Toledo will display the full range of its Safeline X-Ray inspection systems, CI-Vision machine vision systems, and PCE pharmaceutical serialization and aggregation systems. It will also demonstrate the powerful capabilities of the advanced

Markem-Imaje will showcase significant performance benefits of the company’s new model 9028 inkjet printer, designed for continuous plug-andplay operation in smaller industrial environments.

Equipped with a new-generation printhead cleaning system to ensure instant daily startups and troublefree restarts, even after several weeks of downtime, the printer features a stainless-steel stand and an

IP55 protection rating to withstand harsh industrial environments, as well as a completely new ink circuit that can run non-stop for over two years—based on annual operating time of 3,000 hours—and then be easily replaced by operators themselves in less than six minutes.

Compatible for use with a broad range of quick-drying inks, the 9028 printer can print up to four lines of data at a speed of 4.4 meters per second on most common packaging substrates such as cardboard, plastic, metal, etc., while its easy-to-handle sealed ink cartridges have been specially designed to reduce ink consumption levels by 15 per cent compared to previous models, according to the company.

Markem-Imaje; Booth S-2814

GET A GRIP! The Food Care Division of Sealed Air Corporation will display the many safety advantages of its Cryovac Grip & Tear vacuum bags, designed as an easy-to-open packaging solution requiring no knives or scissors to open, while providing effective protection against product damage and cross-contamination, according to the company. Available in both barrier and non-barrier options, the Grip & Tear film bags provide a skin-tight shrink to ensure optimal freshness and shelf-life performance for the bagged fresh red meats, poultry, smoked and processed meats, and cheeses, while also allowing for effective branding possibilities with application of 360-degree, distortion-free graphics onto the outside surface.

S-2939

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SHOW PREVIEW range of pillow, gusset, and f lat-bottom bags at speeds of up to 150 bags per minute, Offering quick changeover of forming tubes, film rolls and sealing jaws to allow users to change from supported to unsupported film in less than 15 minutes, the machine boasts superior sanitation features and corrosion resistance, a streamlined film cage, a large control enclosure, and an optional adjustable HMI (human-machine-interface) terminal.

Booth S-2014

IN FINE FORM

CLOSING THE LOOP

RockTenn Company will showcase its innovative Columbia Machine, Inc. will conduct live Meta Corrugated Pack­ aging Systems box-forming demonstrations of a high-performance, closedequipment and packaging options—including caseloop inline palletizing system with a robotic former, tray-former, wrap or knock-down boxes—to depalletizer—featuring Columbia’s HL7200 highoffer produce packers a highly versatile, graphic-rich packaging plat­form for retail environments, well1 level inline palletizer and Columbia/Okura’s RepakSealMeatAd12_Oyster_Steak_CP_J_Reiser 10/6/14 10:50 AMasPage model A1800 robotic palletizer/depalletizer. First unveiled at last year’s Pack Expo show, the HL7200 palletizer provides optimal operational f lexibility by incorporating Columbia’s new programmable laner technology with its well-tested soft-turn and configurable layer table to provide accurate and stable layer forming to handle a broad assortment of package types and sizes at palletizing speeds of 72 to 120 cases per minute (depending on pattern). For its part, the model A1800 high-speed robotic palletizer will be integrated next to the HL7200 discharge conveyor, where it will use a venturi-style vacuum end effector to enable the robot to depalletize the complete pallet stack and return the cases to the system’s infeed.

as extensive benefits of vastly in­ creased flexibility, re­duced labor and waste, increased stacking strength, potential materials savings, effective product differentiation, and many user-friendly handling features.

Booth S-2122

Booth N-6106

Good seal.

BAGGING RIGHTS Triangle Package Machinery Co. will display its new model XYS08 vertical form/fill/seal (VFFS) bagging machine designed for packaging nuts, rice, powders, small fresh-cut produce, and confectionery products and other such small items. Designed with constant film motion for consistent web tracking and superior back seals, the new bagger offers the f lexibility to seal bags with either heat-sealing or ultrasonic welding on bag width as small as 2.75-inch, while running a diverse

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Perfect seal.

Repak horizontal form-fill-seal packaging machines from Reiser offer the best sealing integrity in the industry. Only Repak machines are constructed with two 4-point lifting stations, generating up to five metric tons of closing pressure for uniform forming and reliable sealing. No matter how complicated your package, Repak will produce it perfectly.

For more information, contact Reiser today.

www.reiser.com Reiser Canada Burlington, ON • (905) 631-6611 Reiser Canton, MA • (781) 821-1290 2014

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SHOW PREVIEW carton and crate applications; an inline fat analysis solution for packaged meat products; and a newlyupgraded dual-energy technology.

Booth S-1640

pany. Featuring built-in conveyors to deliver trays to the tooling/sealing area to produce packages with high-quality seals that virtually eliminate ‘leakers,’ the stainless-steel sanitary machines are easily operated via an HMI touchscreen controller, with their inline design allowing for 360-degree access to all the machine components and tooling.

Booth S-4134

FULL MARKS Matthews Marking Systems will display the company’s MPERIA universal print platform that allows users to control multiple print technologies—including high-resolution inkjet, thermal inkjet, and dropon-demand valve jet­—from a single interface, while enabling full integration with order processing or populating of production data without entry errors, interfacing with new or existing databases. The scalable platform seamless integrates with existing ERP (enterprise resource planning) or WMC (warehouse management system) software and can efficiently coordinate multiple printers simultaneously, as well as provide independent control of printheads, triggers and encoders to ensure optimal management of all the product coding and marking functions.

Booth S-2151; Booth W-531 (Pharma Expo)

RIGHT WAY TO CONVEY Dorner Manufacturing will demonstrate its new-generation 3200 Series conveyors (see picture), designed to provide more options and f lexibility for end-users in the packaging, assembly and industrial markets with three models, including f lat-belt, modular-belt, and precision-move design configurations. In addition, the exhibit will feature the 2200 SmartFlex f lexible-chain conveyor platform for custom-fit layout designs; the 1100 Series conveyor platform for handling lightweight and/or small items; and the AquaPruf and AquaGard brands of sanitary conveyors for food packaging applications.

Booth N-5336

SOFT AND SUITE Yaskawa Motoman will display the dynamic capabilities and functionalities of its new PalletSolver suite of palletizing software for use with Motoman robots. Designed to execute quick changeovers, without stopping production, and to enable faster palletizing system integration, PalletSolver makes it easy to configure, set up, and customize pallet patterns and robot motion on a PC via a powerful, off-line pallet pattern generation tool that supports multiple robotic palletizing workcells, dynamic gripper zone management, and accommodates handling, and a virtually unlimited number of different SKUs (stock-keeping units).

Easily customized for complex robotic palletizing applications, the software has an intuitive graphical interface for configuring cell parameters and a guided, step-by-step process for developing optimal palletizing patterns.

Booth 1733

EAGLE VISION

SEAL THE DEAL

FIT TO PRINT

Eagle Product Inspection will display the company’s new range of high-performance product inspection systems (available in Canada through PLAN Automation) designed to ensure optimal food safety at high-throughput speeds, including new X-Ray systems with superior contaminant detection and sanitary construction for bulk meat,

Food packaging machinery specialists Reiser will demonstrate robust capabilities of the company’s new line of Ross IN Series inline tray sealers, showcasing the fully-automatic models IN450 and IN850 for high-speed production of MAP (modifiedatmosphere packaging) packs from preformed trays of virtually any size or shape, according to the com-

Squid Ink will showcase the company’s new CoPilot high-resolution inkjet printing system, designed as an affordable solution for printing high-resolution characters, razor-sharp text, scanable barcodes, and great-looking logos directly on porous or nonporous pro­ducts—including glass, plastics, stretchwrap and metal—at speeds of up to 135 feet per minute.

SMARTER PACKAGING SOLUTIONS

The system’s full-color 4.3-inch touchscreen interface provides easy access to the system’s internal print functions and internal messages, which are created and edited using Squid Ink’s Orion PC software and transferred via an Ethernet or USB device. Capable of running both oil-based and solventbased inks, the CoPilot features rugged printhead construction and design to withstand harsh industrial environments, along with extra large ink volume and ability to upgrade the system with a second printhead.

Samuel Strapping Systems offers packaging solutions for any application in every industry. From standard applications to unique and custom engineered, Samuel will help ensure your package remains intact to your destination. Contact us today to find out how we can improve your packaging line.

Booth S-2875

Samuel Strapping Systems Packaging and Unitizing Solutions

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www.samuelstrapping.com www.youtube.com/samuelstrapping information@samuelstrapping.com

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SHOW PREVIEW BAGGING RIGHTS Integrated packaging and processing solutions provider tna will display the company’s new robag FXIS 3ci model highspeed VFFS (vertical form/fill/seal) bagging machine outfitted with groundbreaking, easyto-clean im­pulse sealing system for polyethylene (PE) packaging that delivers speeds of up to 150-bpm (bags per minute) for fresh and frozen vegetables, salads, ready-to-eat fruit and pre-wrapped candy, while ensuring precise temperature control, minimal downtime and extended product life-span, according to the company.

level of operational f lexibility by incorporating the latest servo and safety technology at reduced cost.

With a large choice of infeed systems, formats and closure options, the CUT 1405 cartoner is designed to facilitate safe and gentle handling of many different carton sizes and packages, while replacing a wide variety of primary packaging such as bottles, vials, syringes, ampules, tubes, blisters, bags, stick packs and sachets into folding cartons.

Booth W-603 (Pharma Expo)

SLIDE IT IN Slideways, Inc. will display a comprehensive range of custom and engineered plastic components for conveyors and packaging equipment, including guide rails, roller chain guides and sprockets, extrusions for traditional and high-temperature applications, rollers, pulleys and bushings for harsh environments and basic and easy clean level-

ers, while also highlighting the MOVEX brand of modular conveyor components including conveyor chain, bearings, basic and easy clean levelers, brackets and positioning components.

C-5416

Booth S-2882

FOLLOW THE LINX Diagraph’s exhibit will feature the new Linx SL102 10-Watt laser coders— manufactured by Linx Printing Technologies Ltd—which can be easily fine-tuned and customized to suit individual materials, line speeds and code requirements, ensure quality coding across a wide range of customer applications. The system’s modular design and multiple beam delivery options facilitate easy integration into busy production lines. While it’s user-friendly operation via the LinxVision color touchscreen incorporates a large WYSIWYG display for user-friendly operation. The Linx SL102 can be operated alternately via a PC or the network, while providing extended laser tube life of over 45,000 hours, according to the company.

Booth S-3300

CUT TO THE CHASE Bosch Packaging Technology will display the company’s extensive range of processing and packaging equipment solutions for the pharmaceutical industry, including the new intermittent horizontal CUT 1405 cartoning machine. Designed to deliver a high

OCTOBER 2014

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SHOW PREVIEW to their absolute minimum, while maintaining optimal material distribution to ensure consistent strength and package integrity, with minimal variation in top load and volume, Booth S-3392

can connect the valve systems electrically using multipole or fieldbus connections with integrated I/O modules, depending on their configuration, for direct connection of sensor to the valve electronics. The simplified engineering of the AV03 valves is also said to provide space saving of up to 45 per cent, while enabling users to implement different pressure zones by allowing for up to 10 supply plates.

Boot E-2014

NO LEAKS ALLOWED

EVEN SPLIT

JLS Automation will unveil the company’s new PIVT (Package Integrity Validation Technologies) leak detection system, which combines advanced vacuum, vision and other sensor technologies to detect seal contamination, leaks and pinholes that can compromise package integrity. Capable of identifying leaky packages at line speed of up to 160 packages per minute, the PVIT system implements the best suitable technology or technologies as determined by the type of package, according to the company, which will display PIVT on its Osprey robotic case-packer to test food packages that often contain a brine or juice—such as hot dogs, sliced luncheon meats and sausages—with future applications including cheese and bacon packages.

Spee-Dee Packaging Machinery, Inc. will launch the company’s new 20-gallon Split Hopper —a high-performance powder filler that can perform a broad range of powder filling application—including VFFS (vertical from/fill, seal) systems—in the food, beverage, pharmaceutical and chemical industries. Also available in a 16-gallon version, the new Split Hopper provides a highly efficient access for cleaning and performing tool change with its operator-friendly design, whereby each half of the split hopper—machined from stainless steel and then hinged—enables the hopper to split and swing open.

Booth N-4912

TAKE A LOAD OFF Haver Filling Systems Inc. will demonstrate the fully-automatic Series 1800 palletizers—manufactured by Newtec Bag Palletizing—for precise, compact and stable stacking of a broad assortment of bags filled with food and pet products, building materials, chemical compounds, etc., at rates of 1,500 to 2,000 bags per hour, depending on the bag material. Easily handling an extensive range of paper, polyethylene and polypropylene valve, open-mouth and form/fill/seal bags in weight capacities ranging from 11 to 100 pounds, the 1800 Series palletizers feature a fully-automatic pallet infeed system; a turning flap powered by a brushless motor for directing the bags in the proper directions based on the desired pattern; and a user-friendly HMI (humanmachine interface) terminal for intuitive operation to perform a product changeover with just a few settings adjustments.

Booth N-6145

PILOT PROJECTS Agr International, Inc. will display the powerful functionalities of the company’s Process Pilot automated blowmolder management system—an innovative software tool that interfaces with the blowmolder to provide precise material thickness distribution management and defect detection for PET (polyethylene terephthalate) bottles. The system’s offering ‘hands-off ’ blowmolder control—makes it very well-suited for the lightweighting of bottles

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CARRY YOUR WEIGHT MULTIPOND America Inc. will showcase the new J-Generation line of multihead weighers.

The weighers boast a superior hygienic structural design from the frame to the monitor holder to the hopper with no double surfaces, gaps, dead space or cavities—to ensure quick and simple cleaning.

The new ‘intelligent’ weigher employ a patented Argus-01 three-dimensional camera to ensure precise recording of product distribution on both the distribution cone and the feed trays for enabling controlled pre-distribution to the feed hoppers, while detecting any product build-ups or gaps as soon as they occur—thereby effectively preventing overfilling and the need for frequent additional dosing.

Booth S-2792

Booth N-5441

TOP OF MIND Gerhard Schubert GmbH will be presenting prototypes of a new-generation TLM (top-loading machine) packaging equipment with no electrical cabinets, while employing an integrated 3D (threedimensional) scanner to depict the height profile and the three-dimensional form of the product to be packaged. According to the company, this innovation opens up a multitude of new product quality control possibilities, while also reducing the life-cycle costs of robot-based packaging machines offered by Schubert.

Booth S–3783

THE LIGHTER SIDE The new AV03 range of light and compact pneumatic valves from AVENTICS Corporation feature an energy-efficient design—achieved with the use resistant high-performance polymers and reduce number of parts—that can enable users to reduced compressed air consumption by up to 20 per cent.

According to the company, users

CENTER OF ATTENTION The exhibit of Uhlmann Packaging Systems LP will host the North American debut of the Case Packaging Center 10 (CPC 10) system, which combines the company’s top-loading E-4010t casepacker with its model P 5020 palletizer to offer pharmaceutical companies a high-performance solution for handling single or bundled bottles and cartons. With each machine capable of running up to 10 pallet cycles per minute, the CPC 10 system can achieve maximum output rates of 265 bottles or 300 cartons per minute­— dispatched in 10 cases at a maximum weight of 25 grams each. The model E 4010t case-packer utilizes a top-loading principle to allow for reliable and gentle placement of bundles, single cartons or single bottles into the packaging cases, according to the company, while the highly versatile P 5020 palletizer incorporates special adapter head that takes filled dispatch cases, bundles, open trays, display packs or shrink-wrapped bottle bundles from the feed conveyor and places them onto empty pallets in pre-programmed patterns.

Booth W-651 (Pharma Pack)

CANADIAN PACKAGING • OCTOBER 2014

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Products Improve As They Evolve.

Nordson melters are no exception.

Industry-leading Freedom® and ProBlue Liberty™ tankless hot melt systems, provide a revolutionary technology that gives you the maximum prevention against char buildup.

Freedom® System ■ Tankless melter with MiniBlue® II SureBead® applicator minimizes char throughout the system and reduces downtime due to nozzle clogs ProBlue Liberty™ ■ Tankless melter designed with a ProBlue® footprint melts only what you need, when you need it Go tankless and see your packaging line evolve.

Contact your Nordson representative, or call (800) 463-3200 to go tankless.

Nordson.com/HotMelt © 2014 Nordson Corporation All rights reserved.

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Booth #S-1930

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SHOW PREVIEW Visit Booth #2770

to see DataMan barcode readers in action!

SHIFTING GEARS The Brother Gearmotors division of Brother International Corporation will display its comprehensive range of highly reliable, sub-fractional AC gearmotors and reducers for the packaging, food-and-beverage and unit handling industries, with each model boasting a long-lasting protective paint coating whose electrostatic application ensures a consistently tough, chemically-resistant surface designed to withstand harsh production environments. Fully-sealed and lubricated with high-grade grease for the life of the product, the energy-efficient gearmotos are available in a broad selection of gear ratios and voltage options.

ing large bags, by at least 40 per cent. Part of the company’s Never Obsolete Commitment guarantee, the new software can be easily installed on all the existing Fortress metal detector installations.

Booth 1749

Booth 7020

FINDING CLOSURE

MOST RELIABLE 1-D, 2-D AND DPM CODE READING INDUSTRY-LEADING IMAGE FORMATION TECHNOLOGY EASY INTEGRATION WITH ETHERNET INDUSTRIAL PROTOCOLS DataMan® fixed-mount barcode readers are powered by industry-leading algorithms and provide the world’s most advanced barcode reading technology for decoding the most challenging Direct Part Mark (DPM), 2-D and 1-D codes. Patented imaging systems and exclusive modular industrial communications enable these flexible barcode readers to handle codes of varying sizes, quality or marking methods in the harshest environments.

Call 844-BARCODE (844-227-2633)

Presto Products Company is planning to launch two new innovative closure technologies, including a brand new child-resistant Slide-Rite slider technology and a new sensory zipper designed to deliver audible and tactile cues when consumers close and reclose the package. Well used across a broad range of food, pet-food, pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, chemical, lawn-andgarden and household products, both new closure will be running throughout the Pack Expo exhibition—two days for each—on the Totani model CT-60 pouchmaking machine, being applied to pouches made from Sonoco film at speeds of 170 pouches per minute, according to Presto.

Booth S-2837

ELECTRIC AVENUE Atlas Vac Machine, LLC plans to unveil the industry’s first medical tray sealer with an all-electric press—available with single- or dual-shuttle configurations—featuring a servo drive system to apply, measure and control direct force output far more accurately, and with greater repeatability, than the standard pneumatic versions which control air pressure and attempt to equate it to downward force. According to the company, the system down-force “signature curve” quickly reaches full down-force application and is held extremely constant throughout the entire dwell time setting— allowing packaging engineers to match dwell time and temperature controls with unrivaled accuracy.

Booth W-805 (Pharma Pack)

METAL METTLE

www.cognex.com/readers

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In addition to distributing free metal detection systems training videos to its booth visitors, Fortress Technology Inc. will also demonstrate the powerful metal detection sensitivities of the company’s newly-developed FM software—claimed to increase sensitivities in most applications, includ-

SINGLE LIFE Sarong (North America) Inc. will display the company’s extensive range of thermoforming filland-seal packaging machines, materials and solutions for single-dose packaging applications across a diverse range of food, pharmaceutical, household care products, and contract packaging industries.

Booth-W1022 (Pharma Expo)

BIG BAMBINO Capmatic Ltd. will showcase the company’s Bambino FPC ( fill/plug/cap) monoblock filling system—designed and built to meet the FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) and cGMP (current good manufacturing practices) regulations for sterile or injectable products for the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. Featuring throughput speeds of up to 40 bottles per minute, the high-performance Bambino system features high-precision SteelHeart peristaltic pumps to provide optimal protection against cross-contamination during the filling process.

Booth S-4126

GO WITH THE FLOW Campbell Wrapper Corporation will introduce its new high-speed Revolution horizontal f lowwrapper, featuring a multitude of customizable options—such as adjustable web widths and a slack web detector—to facilitate quick product changeovers. Equipped with Rockwell Automation’s Allen-Bradley series servo drives and PanelView Plus 6 1000 color touchscreen controls, the user-friendly system can process up to 600 packages per minute, according to the company, with its stainless-steel body enabling quick and easy washdowns.

Booth S-2001

CANADIAN PACKAGING • OCTOBER 2014

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SHOW PREVIEW KEEP IT TIGHT Branson Ultrasonics will showcase its new line-up of compact DCX ultrasonic welding power supplies, designed to offer a high degree of operational control and high-speed efficiency in tight spaces on the production f loor.

Booth N-6129

MATRIX RELOAD Matrix Packaging Machinery, part of the Flexible Packaging Group unit of Pro Mach, Inc., will introduce the company’s new versatile Toyo Jidoki automated pre-made pouch packaging system (available in Canada through PLAN Automation), deigned for high-throughput dry, frozen, liquid and retort packaging applications in the food industry, offering capabilities to handle a broad range of pre-made pouches at high speeds throughput speeds with quick changeover capabilities.

Booth N-5321

POWER DRIVE

technology, the 8610 printer’s rugged industrial printhead—featuring the innovative Cartridge Readiness System and a disposable inkjet cartridge—is claimed to achieve near-letter quality printing with excellent edge acuity, with its on-board Code Assurance technology allowing the 8610 controller to simplify job selection and data entry to ensure optimal, repeatable code accuracy on every marked product.

Booth S-2647/Booth W-646 (Pharma EXPO)

GOING TO XTREMES Eriez will demonstrate the enhanced features, improved sensitivity, intuitive operation and exceptional reliability of the company’s Xtreme metal detector, distinguished with an ultra-sleek design that blends simplicity and sophistication with its easy-to-navigate control with extra-large color interface. Wellsuited for a diverse range of applications in the food processing, packaging, textiles, chemical, pharmaceuticals, plastics and rubber industries, the Xtreme metal detector was designed to provide superior sensitivity with its multiple frequency range and vibration immunity, as well as new levels of user-friendliness with features such as full QWERTY keyboard, robust auto set-up, dedicated reject log, and vivid display capabilities.

Parker Hannifin Corporation will display its new range of AC10 micro drives, designed to deliver simple, reliable and economical AC motor speed control for 0.25-HP 30-HP (horsepower) applications.

With compact size Booth N-5009 and features normally only OPEN AND SHUT CASE associated with Douglas Machine Inc. (represented in Canada by higher specificaPLAN Automation) will unveil the new TriVex tion drives—including sensorless vector mode, outRLi top load case-packer, designed to offer fullyput frequency up to 650 Hz, and a full 150-pecenrt XtremeAd_Layout 1 6/5/14 integrated 3:47 PM Page 1 combinations of case erecting, loading, overload at 0.5 Hz for one minute, the AC10 drives provide an optimized solution for machine-builders looking for a compact, costeffective, UL-listed drive for running either AC induction or permanent magnet AC motors, according to the company.

and sealing with glue or tape to meet specific customer applications, and the growing market demand for unique product configurations and orientations, such as horizontal f lat packs and vertical retail-ready displays that are becoming an integral element for sustainability and cost reduction initiatives in secondary packaging.

S-2820

PULL YOUR WEIGHT Yamoto Corporation will be exhibiting a full range of the company’s innovative rotary combination weighers and checkweighers (distributed in Canada by PLAN Automation), along with a number of specialty weighing and counting technologies for the food processing and packaging industry.

Booth #3182

SHAKE AND BAKE Cavanna Packaging USA, Inc. will demonstrate a comprehensive range of f lowwrapping machinery and specialty material handling solutions (distributed in Canada by PLAN Auto­ma­tion) for the bakery and confectionary industries, including some high-performance equipment designed to wrap bar-style products—including chocolate bars, candy, biscuits, crackers, cookies, rice cakes, breadstick, etc.—at speeds of up to 1,200 pieces per minute.

Booth S-3487

Best-in-Class Performance

Booth 5739

CRACKING THE CODES Videojet Technologies Inc. will demonstrate the performance advantages of the company’s new Videojet 8610 thermal inkjet printer, which utilizes fast-drying inks—including MEK solvent-based f luids—to create high-resolution print on nonporous packaging materials such as films, foils, plastics, and coated stocks across a broad range of food packaging, pharmaceutical, and cosmetics industry applications. Boasting print resolutions of up to four times greater than that offered by continuous inkjet

Combine the Xtreme’s benchmark-setting sensitivities with its feature packed controls in a high-pressure wash down design... all at the price of a mid-range detector, and you’ve got the best dollar-for-dollar value on the market today.

Download Brochures and Market Guides

Visit

Purity.Eriez.com Call 888-300-3743

OCTOBER 2014 • CANADIAN PACKAGING WWW.CANADIANPACKAGING.COM • 53

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EVENTS Nov. 2-5 Chicago: PACK EXPO International 2014, packaging technologies and materials exhibition and conference by PMMI-The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies. Concurrently with Pharma Expo processing and packaging conference and trade show and the AIPA World Congress by the Active and Intelligent Packaging Industry Association. All at the McCormick Place fairgrounds. To register, go to: www.packexpo.com

Nov. 4-6 Cologne, Germany: Polymer Foam 2014, international conference on thermoplastic, thermoset and physical foam processing technology

by Applied Market Information Ltd. (AMI) At Maritim Hotel. To register, go to: www.amiplastics.com/events/

Nov. 10-14 Jacksonville, Fla.: AME International Excellence Inside, annual conference by the Association for Manufacturing Excellence (AME). At Hyatt Regency Jacksonville. Contact Jodi Talley at (224) 387-3367; via email jtalley@ame.org; or go to: www.ame.org

Nov. 12 Brampton, Ont.: Paper Fact & Fiction, conference by PPEC (Paper and Paperboard Packaging

Environmental Council). Contact Catherine Ashworth of PPEC at (905) 458-0087, via email cashworth@ppec-paper.com, or go to: www.ppec-paper.com

Nov. 14-17 Shanghai, China: All in Print China 2014, printing technology and equipment exhibition by Messe Düsseldorf (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. At Shanghai New International Expo Center. Contact Messe Düsseldorf (Canada) at (416) 598-1524, or go to: www.allinprint.com

Nov. 17-20 Paris, France: Emballage, international packaging exhibition by Comexposium. Concurrently with the Manutention material handling exhibition.

Both at Paris Nord Villepinte. To register, go to: www.all4pack.com

Nov. 19-20 Montreal: PACKEX Montreal, packaging technologies exhibition by UBM Canon.

Concurrently with Expoplast, Design & Manufacturing Montreal, Automation Technology Expo (ATX) Montreal, and Powders & Bulk Solids conference and exhibition. All at Palais des congrès de Montréal. To register, go to: wwwe.UBMCanonEvents.com/Montreal

Nov. 19-20 Anaheim, Ca.: Automation Fair 2014, industrial automation technologies exhibition and conference by Rockwell Automation. At Anaheim Convention Center. To register, go to: www.automationfair.com

2015 Jan. 27-30 Moscow, Russia: Upakovaka/Upak Italia 2015, inter­ na­­ tion­ al processing, pack­ aging and printing tech­ nologies ex­hibition by Messe Düs­sel­dorf GmbH and Centrexpo. Concurrently with Inter­plastica 2015 inter­national trade fair for plastics and rubber industries.

All at Krasnaya Presnya Expocentre. To regi­ster, go to: www.upakovka.messe-duesseldorf.de

Feb. 2-4 Atlanta, Ga.: The Packaging Conference, by Plastic Technologies, Inc. At The Ritz Carlton Buckhead.

Contact Ron Puvak at (419) 725-5613.

Feb. 5-10 New Delhi, India: PlastIndia 2015, international plastics processing exhibition and conference by Plastindia Foundation. Concurrently with the ASEAN Plastics Forum and the Proplast 2015 finished goods exposition. All at Pragati Maidan. To register, go to: www.plastindia.org

MPERIA™, Matthews’ universal print platform, complete with our VIAjet™ print technologies, allows customers to control multiple print technologies across multiple production lines, integrate with order processing, populate data fields without human entry errors, and interface with new or existing databases – all from a single controller.

- Seamless integration with ERP/WMS systems and databases - Scalable: control one printer or several on multiple production lines - VPN Interface allows for remote connectivity and support

VIAjet™ print technologies include: VIAjet™ L-Series THERMAL INK JET VIAjet™ T-Series HIGH RESOLUTION PIEZO INK JET VIAjet™ V-Series DROP-ON-DEMAND VALVE INK JET

Booth #S-2151

888-622-7183 www.matthewsmarking.com

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Booth #W-531

CANADIAN PACKAGING • OCTOBER 2014

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PEOPLE  The board of directors of the Reston, Va.headquartered PMMI, The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, has elected three new board member to serve four-year terms, including Wayne Goldberg, president of Econocorp, Inc., of Randolph, Ma.; Emmanuel Cerf, vice-president of sales at Polypack, Inc. of Pinellas Park, Fla; and Jonathon Titterton, director of sales and marketing for Bosch Packaging Technology, Inc. in New Richmond, Wis.  Harpak-ULMA Packaging, quar­ LLC, Taunton, Ma.-head­ tered manufacturer of automated primary and secondary packaging machinery and weigh/price labeling systems for the food industry, has appointed Terry Bush Bush as product support specialist for the company’s DIGI Industrial business, supplier of weigh/price labeling systems based in Ball Ground, Ga.

 Milwaukee, Wis.-based Label Traxx, designer of print management software systems for label Marx and package con- Raby verting applications, has appointed Debbie Marx as sales manager for the Latin American region, and Chris Raby as sales director for the U.K. and Europe.  Industrial electrical connection components and technologies supplier WAGO Corporation of Germantown, Wis., has appointed Jesse Cox as field applications engineer for the U.S. Pacific Northwest region.

Cox

 Stratasys Ltd., Minneapolis, Minn.-head­ quartered manufacturer of 3D printing systems and materials for rapid prototyping and production applications, has appointed Gilad Gans as president of its North American operations.

Optimize Your Packaging

Columbia Machine Inc., Van­ cou­ver, Wash.-based manufacturer of automated palletizing systems, has appointed Chris Ramsey as regional sales manager for the midwestRamsey ern U.S., to be based in Chicago.



EXPOSITION: November

 Pharmaceutical packaging products supplier and co-packing services provider Uhlmann Packaging Systems, L.P. of Towaco, N.J., Span has appointed Andy Span as regional sales manager for western Canada and western U.S.

Kertesz

 Sayville, N.Y.-headquartered Sustainable Green Printing Partnership (SGP), a nonprofit group providing sustainability certification in the graphic communications industry, has added five new members to its board of directors, including Lori Ashford, director of quality and continuous improvement at Robbie Fantastic Plastics; Marshall Atkinson, chief operating officer of Visual Impressions, Inc.; Tim Bolton, director of business development at Hexacomb Corporation; Dave Gens, executive vice-president at RPI; and Jonathan Graham, worldwide business development manager at Hewlett-Packard Co.

19–20, 2014

Palais des congrès de Montréal | Montreal, Canada

Just a Few Reasons to Attend: Explore an exhibit hall filled with top suppliers, advanced technologies, and new products and services

 York, Pa.-bas­ed auto­­mated pack­ag­ ing systems designer and integrator JLS Automation has appointed John Kertesz as regional sales manager for eastern Canada

Engage in educational sessions tackling critical concepts Hear from industry insiders, watch live product teardowns, and more at the NEW Tech Theater Trigger fresh ideas, identify new options, and expand your network

and eastern U.S.  Industrial controls and electronics supplier HARTING North Amer­ica of Elgin, Ill., has appointed Claude Langlois as sales director for Canada at the Langlois company’s Harting Ca­nada Inc. subsidiary in St-Laurent, Que.

“I was able to make unexpected discoveries, find new suppliers, get inspired, make networking connections and learn many things to apply back at the office.”

 Spee-Dee Pack­ aging Machinery, Inc., Sturtevant, Wis.based manufacturer of dry product filling systems, has appointed Stefanelli Tony Stefanelli as vice-president of business development.

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OCTOBER 2014

—Jean Francois Durette, President, Oculo-Plastik Inc.

CONNECT WITH OUR COMMUNITY:

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PACKEXmontreal.com/cp

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TRAVEL-FRIENDLY PACKAGING HITS THE OPEN ROAD

W

ith warm summer nights giving way to the cool days of autumn, keeping one’s spirits up and sprightly can be a bit of a challenge, but it’s no reason to fall into despair. With my fall calendar already filling up with planned holidays, family visits, special events and other social occasions scattered all over the map, it’s actually a good time of the year to make sure that I can hit the road at a moment’s notice in decent style and comfort, which is where travel-friendly packaging plays a crucial facilitating role. No longer just about functionality, travel packs have really come into their own in recent years to engage the traveling public with clever slogans, catchy graphics and logos, reusability and—in some cases—a refreshing sense of humor.

Marketed by the Guelph, Ont.-based Cupanion Company, the reusable Outgoing Cupanion Glass Water Bottle lets travelers to enjoy the ‘class of glass’ on the road with no fuss by offering an eco-friendly, BPA (Bisphenol A)-free, fully-recyclable, dishwasher-safe beverage container that admirably lives up to the ‘your eco drinking buddy’ product tagline prominently displayed underneath the brand logo on the wraparound, peel-off sticker that also provides links to all of the company’s social media postings on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest. Once there, the consumer is treated to a wealth of informative facts and figures about the importance of responsible water use and consumption, along with the benefits of reusability, recyclability and other socially and environmentally responsible virtues

inherently intertwined with the use of this type of beverage container. With generous 532-ml volume capacity and a wide-mouth top design to enable easy placement of ice-cubes into the bottle making it a welcome accessory on hiking trails, road trips and many other outdoor adventures, the Outgoing Cupanion is offered in a diverse choice of color options for the die-cut wraparound silicone sleeve pressed tightly against the bottle’s contours, which ensures a firm holding grip and a clear look at the bottle’s contents. A perfect drinking buddy, any way you look at it, it also lets you to share the joy with others by snapping and posting a selfie or two on the company’s Instagram profile.

Because air travel can be a stressful experience on so many levels, the F1 To Go Bottles kit from travel accessories distributor Flight 001 is a perfect solution for avoiding unnecessary hassles at the airport security gates and for ensuring that all your toiletry needs are well looked after on your journey. Packing eight different transparent travel-size plastic containers falling well in line with the strict carryon regulations for liquids—including a spray and a dropper bottle—the zippered clear plastic pouch is a great little organizational tool for frequent travelers packing their essentials the night before takeoff. Also containing a handy toiletry checklist and a sheet of peel-off labels for easy marking and identification of products such as shampoo, mouthwash, hand lotion, etc., the F1 To Go Bottles ensemble is a fairly chic and highly practical means of providing savvy travelers with the peace of mind they need to make

ADVERTISERS’ INDEX

For more information on Classified Advertising please contact: 416-510-5198

BEYOND THE CUTTING EDGE · POUCHES · SHRINK BAGS · THERMOFORMING FILM · TRAY LIDDING FILM · SKIN FILM ·

Print IT Bag IT Form IT Wrap IT Seal IT Shrink IT Preserve IT Sell IT XtraPlast.com Sales.Canada@XtraPlast.com • 877-435-4555

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ADVERTISERS’ INDEX Page Atlantic Packaging 2 Buckhorn 33 CCCA 35 CHEP 26 Cognex 52 Domino 18 Emerson 37 Eriez 53 Flexlink 6 Fortress 25 Harlund 19 Harpack 43 Henkel 24 Hewlett Packard 17 Intelligrated 5 IPL 32 Krones 19 Matthews 54 Mettler Toledo 11 Motoman 49 Multivac 4 Nordson 51 Plan Automation IFC Propack IBC Resier 47 RockTenn 15 Samuel Strapping 48 Sarong 46 Schneider 9 Schubert 28, 29 Sealed Air 8 SEW Eurodrive 22, 23, 54 Squid Ink 34 Thermo Fisher 14 UBM Canon 55 Unisource OBC VC999 27 Videojet 1 Weighpack 6, 7

their trip more enjoyable by taking care of all the little details that are often too easily overlooked for one reason or another.

Photos by Megan Moffat

CHECKOUT MEGAN MOFFAT

While no one in their right mind would recommend their use on formal business trips, it’s amazing how much fun one could have with a set of Tattly temporary design tattoos when fun and pleasure are the order of the day. Marketed by the Brooklyn, N.Y.-based design studio Miss Swiss Shop LLC, these off beat bits of body art offer a perfectly safe way for people who would never even think about getting a permanent tattoo etched onto their skin to display their uninhibited inner ‘wild side’ with great artistic aplomb. Designed by professional tattoo artists and printed with vegetable-based inks, the eye-catching Tattly tattoo sets come in a variety of different themes to suit different occasions and choice of self-expression. For example, the Tattly Camping Set pictured here enabled me to receive a multitude of f lattering compliments from my traveling companions and passersby over the course of my recent Labour Day weekend getaway into the great outdoors. Boasting beautiful detail that reveals skillful craftsmanship, these eight-piece sets of non-toxic, easy-to-remove tats do real justice to the brand’s humorously self-deprecating tagline of ‘Like A Real Tattoo, But Fake.’

Megan Moffat is a Toronto-based freelance writer working in film promotion and marketing.

FREE

PRODUCT INFORMATION

OCTOBER 2014

CIRCLE THE R.S. NO. THAT MATCHES THE NUMBER ON THE ADVERTISEMENT OR ARTICLE OF INTEREST. FAX THIS BACK TO US AT (416) 510-5140 Name Title Company Name Address City Prov. P/Code Telephone Fax Email Address

CANADIAN PACKAGING • OCTOBER 2014

14-10-09 11:57 AM

WORLD CLASS

RObOTIC

PACkAgIng SOLuTIOnS

PROPACk IS An InDuSTRy SPECIALIST In RObOTICS InCLuDIng OuR SIgnATuRE LInE OF SuPERIOR EngInEERED LJ-SERIES hIgh-SPEED, PRODuCT COLLATIOn AnD LOADIng SySTEmS.

Propack Solutions Deliver: n Easy operation via simple operator interface n Increased uptime n Quick, repeatable size changeovers n Customized integration for your production environment n Flexible design accommodates various package sizes n Turnkey packaging solutions from one supplier “Our systems are built to a quality standard, second to none, incorporating flexibility and ease of changeover. At Propack, we listen intently to our customers needs to ensure the solutions we provide address their present and future requirements.”

Propack will provide a proven system with unmatched results!

- Chris Follows, President, Propack Processing and Packaging Systems Inc.

Canadian owned Canadian engineered Canadian Built

ComPlete SyStemS ProviDer “the Power of PerformanCe”

Propack Processing & Packaging Systems Inc. 4902 Union Road, Beamsville, Ontario L0R 1B4

1-877-924-3337

www.propack.ca Automation Partner

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A Canadian Company

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Delivering End-to-End Packaging Solutions Unisource and xpedx recently merged to form Veritiv – a new distribution company leading the way in packaging.

Whether you’re in need of more cost-effective packaging options, better speed-to-market capabilities or new innovative package designs, Veritiv will help shape success for your business.

veritivcorp.com © 2014 Veritiv Corporation. All rights reserved. Veritiv and the Veritiv logo are trademarks of Veritiv Corporation or its affiliates.

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