PACKAGING BRIEFS: April 5, 2011

WeighPack moves to larger facility in Las Vegas
WeighPack has relocated to a newly purchased facility in Las Vegas. The new facility will allow WeighPack to expand its existing showroom of completed inventory and provide more packaging solutions while also increasing its service department with spare parts and telephone support, field service, and in-house repairs. Conveniently located minutes from Mandalay Bay, WeighPack's Las Vegas Systems Center also provides customers the opportunity to test their products on any of the more than $2 million worth of finished inventory.

UPI celebrates 20 years and the co.'s growth in the healthcare contract packaging business
Unicep Packaging Inc. (UPI) , a privately held company that provides non-sterile contract packaging and mixing for gels, liquids, lotions, and emulsions for oral healthcare, IVD, OTC, cosmetic, veterinary and nutraceutical markets, celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. When Dr. John Snedden founded UPI, which was previously named ADH and Mountain Dental, the co. exclusively focused on filling oral health care products. Today, it assists customers with formulation, mixing, filling and packaging of liquids, gels and creams in a vast array of product segments.

Klöckner Pentaplast acquires Waytek Corp.
The Klöckner Pentaplast Group has acquired Waytek Corporation (Franklin,OH), a coating and converting company specializing in coated overlay films for the card market. Klöckner Pentaplast has purchased the company, including its manufacturing equipment, proprietary technology, formulations, and trade names, for anundisclosed sum. Klöckner Pentaplast will continue to operate the Franklin, OH, facility and retain all current Waytek employees.

Technipaq receives ISO 9001 and ISO 13485 certifications
Technipaq Inc., a manufacturer of flexible sterilizable packaging materials for the medical device, diagnostic, healthcare , food and pharmaceutical industries, announces their ISO 9001 certification of compliance with the Intl Organization for Standardization for quality management and quality assurance and ISO 13485 medical device certification for production in their Crystal Lake, IL, facility.

Phoenix Challenge Foundation announces 2011 College Competition Program
The Phoenix College Challenge, an all-day program and intensive graphic arts competition designed to expose students to a high-level of execution and presentation, announces 2011 College Competition Program. The event will be held on April 30, 2011, where nine teams comprised of two- and four-year college students located throughout the U.S. and Canada will compete by participating and solving a 'real-life' business, flexo printing situation. . The top awards will be announced during the Awards Banquet Sunday, May 1 at the FFTA Forum.

CCL Industries acquires Thunder Press
CCL Industries Inc. has acquired Thunder Press Inc., a privately owned label company near Chicago, for approximately $10 million in cash and assumed debt. The acquired company produces patient instructional leaflets for pharmaceutical customers in the United States. CCL Toronto-based CCL Industries employs 5,900 people in 62 plants around the world making labels, aerosol cans, bottles and plastic tubes for customers in the consumer packaging, healthcare, automotive and consumer durable industries.

University of Wisconsin-Stout to host National Student Packaging Jamboree
The University of Wisconsin-Stout will host the National Student Packaging Jamboree on Friday, April 8, 2011. The event, which will include opening and closing activities Thursday, April 7, and Saturday, April 9, is expected to draw about 250 packaging students and professionals from around the country. UW-Stout last held the jamboree five years ago; last year it was hosted by Virginia Tech.
Friday's schedule includes speakers, activities, and tours of the packaging lab in the Applied Arts Building and of campus. All eight event speakers are professionals, including Tyler Pease, IoPP national president and national account manager at Great Lakes Packaging in Milwaukee.

.