PACKAGING BRIEFS Tuesday, March 01

Packaging Solutions Holdings acquires Excel Pac
Packaging Solutions Holdings has acquired Excel Pac, a flexible packaging manufacturer in the food, dairy and pet food markets from Vincent Musacchio. The team, assets and know-how of Excel Pac join Jen-Coat and a new greenfield plant and team in Wisconsin to supply packaging to the food, dairy and medical markets. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Packaging Solutions Holdings now will have the manufacturing footprint and personnel to serve the industry from three plant locations in Canada and the U.S. with an asset base of 10 laminators and 11 printing presses. Additionally, the R&D team of the new larger entity now has over 20 people developing next generation packaging solutions.

Crown Holdings elects Josef M. Mueller to its board of directors
Crown Holdings, Inc. has elected Josef M. Mueller to the company's board of directors. The board now has 12 members. Mueller spent his entire 35 year career with Nestle for which he most recently served as chairman and CEO of the company's greater China region until his retirement in 2007. Previously, Mueller was head of Nestle Korea from 1995 to 1998 and Nestle Pakistan from 1992 to 1995. Earlier in his career, he held management positions in Switzerland and the Far East.

Discovery Foils buys Novelis' confectionery foil packaging business at Bridgnorth, UK
Discovery Foils has purchased Novelis' printed confectionery foil packaging business at Bridgnorth, UK. Approximately 105 employees will transfer to Discovery Foils along with the assets of the business. Novelis will provide aluminum foil to the operation under a supply agreement.

National Center for Pulp and Paper Technology Training partners with Northeast Wisconsin Technical College
The National Center for Pulp and Paper Technology Training announced that Northeast Wisconsin Technical College (NWTC), Green Bay, WI, joined The National Network for Pulp and Paper Technology Training (NPT2). The Network is a national partnership of community colleges and industry representatives that arms students with the training and experience necessary to meet the increasing demand for advanced technology workers in the pulp and paper industry. The Network is part of the Technologically Advanced Workforce (TAW) platform supported by TAPPI and the American Forest and Paper Association's (AF&PA) special project group, Agenda 2020.
 

Rexam Personal Care Appoints Nathalie Nowak global marketing and innovation director
Rexam Plastic Packaging's personal care division announced the appointment of Nathalie Nowak to the position of global marketing and innovation director. In this role, Nowak will lead worldwide initiatives to develop and support the division's market-facing strategy, driving growth in Personal Care's core markets-cosmetics, toiletries and household care. She will report directly to Misha Riveros-Jacobson, the division's managing director, and will be based in Suresnes, France.

Agfa Graphics to hold open house at Agfa Technology Center in Branchburg, NJ
Agfa Graphics announced that technology experts will be at the company's Branchburg, NJ, manufacturing facility for a free Open House to demonstrate various wide-format UV inkjet printing systems, inks, software and more. The open house is being held on Wednesday, March 2 and Thursday, March 3, 2011, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

CapSnap equipment sees increased interest in equipment upgrades
CapSnap Equipment, the Jackson, MI-based manufacturer of customizable water bottling equipment has seen increased interest in upgrades for sensors and controls on existing bottling equipment. Along with PLC and HMI upgrades, CapSnap supplies a range of new sensors that are designed to reduce downtime and maintenance costs.

GMG UK acquires Complete Workflow Solutions
GMG UK, a leading developer and supplier of high-end color management software solutions, has acquired Complete Workflow Solutions (CWS). CWS is an independent subsidiary company of the GMG Group.

CTI celebrates record growth
Chromatic Technologies Inc. (CTI), the specialized inks company that makes the Rockies turn blue on cold cans of Coors products, recently celebrated a record year in which the 18-year-old co. acquired new customers, expanded into new markets, experienced a double-digit increase in staff, and moved to larger facilities. In the year 2010, CTI signed multi-year contracts with new customers, including brewing giants Anheuser-Busch, MillerCoors and Molson Coors. Negotiations are currently underway in which a sizeable European brewer could take advantage of CTI's patented thermochromic process, which involves cold temperatures impacting select portions of beverage bottle labels and cans that then turn a distinctive dark blue color, thus assuring the customer of a refreshingly chilled product.

Praxis Packaging quality manager Fran Miller receives SQF practitioner status
Praxis Packaging announces today that Fran Miller, quality manager in Columbus, Ohio, has achieved the status of Safe Quality Food (SQF) Practitioner from the Safety Quality Food Institute, a leading, global certification program and management system. Designed to meet the needs of buyers and suppliers worldwide, the SQF Program enables suppliers to assure their customers that food has been produced, processed, prepared and handled according to the highest possible standards, at all levels of the supply chain. Miller is one of six employees who have achieved SQF status this year.

Eriez introduces Mobile Training and Education Center
Eriez, a supplier of technology for magnetic, vibratory and inspection applications, has introduced Orange University, a mobile training and education center designed for hands-on demonstrations and customer workshops. Orange University features a modular equipment layout that allows the rapid transformation of the interior to accommodate different industry requirements on an annual or semi-annual basis-outfitted according to customer demand. The modular layout allows Orange University to travel the country educating a new group of customers about products tailored to their everyday needs.

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