PACKAGING BRIEFS Thursday, Aug 4

GMA hires new vp of food safety
To bolster its product safety mission, the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) has appointed George Dunaif, Ph.D., DABT, as vp of food safety and technical services. Dunaif most recently served as vp, global food safety at Campbell Soup Co. In that role, he was responsible for the company's worldwide food safety function, including toxicology, microbiology, process safety and analytical chemistry. He also served as vice-chairman of the Campbell Corporate Crisis Management Team. "Product safety is the number one priority for GMA and its member companies," says GMA president/CEO Pamela Bailey. "GMA has a world-class food safety practice, and I am certain that George Dunaif has the experience and leadership skills necessary to take GMA's food safety and technical services to an even higher level of effectiveness."

Rockwell Automation launches biofuels customer advisory council
Rockwell Automation has launched a Biofuels Customer Advisory Council (CAC) to provide customers with a forum to discuss their needs, challenges and industry opportunities. Rockwell Automation will use the customer feedback to guide and validate future strategies and product roadmaps for its Pavilion8 model predictive control and plantwide optimization solutions. The 2011-2012 CAC is composed of representatives from a diverse group of industry-leading companies, including Cardinal Ethanol LLC, Golden Grain Energy LLC, Kansas Ethanol LLC, Marquis Energy LLC, Trenton Agri Products LLC, Western Plains Energy LLC, Western Wisconsin Energy LLC, White Energy LLC and Zilor Enterprises. As part of their participation, members will have the opportunity to preview new products and take advantage of beta-testing opportunities.

Mod-Pac Corp. adds FSC chain-of-custody certification to its paperboard packaging
Mod-Pac Corp., a manufacturer of custom and stock paper board packaging, has added chain-of-custody (CoC) certification from the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) to the previously earned CoC certifications from both the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) and the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) for its paperboard packaging facility located in Buffalo, NY.

PPC announces speakers for leadership conference
Industry leaders specializing in sustainability, the economy, and education will come together this fall to impart their knowledge, experience and business predictions at the 2011 Paperboard Packaging Council (PPC) Fall Meeting and Leadership Conference, to be held Oct. 12-14, 2011, at Disney World in Orlando, FL. At the conference PPC members will not only celebrate the winners of the 2011 National Paperboard Packaging Competition but will also hear from notable luminaries, including Anne Bedarf, project manager of the Sustainable Packaging Coalition, who will introduce SPC's Labeling for Recovery project, which aims to harmonize recycling labeling so that it can be properly benchmarked and tracked. Registration for the meeting is now available at www.ppcnet.org/fall.

Association to define sustainability in the adhesive and sealants market
The Adhesive and Sealant Council is partnering with the American Standards and Testing Materials (ASTM) to define "sustainability" for this market via consensus-driven industry dialogue beginning in the fall of 2011. ASC will work with ASTM to determine a calendar of events, focusing on terminology development and webinars that will support this effort. Interested industry partners should contact Steve Duren at [email protected] or 301-986-9700, x105 to learn how to play an active role in the Council's next steps.

ITW Muller appoints Rob Payne to industry manager
ITW Muller, a leading manufacturer of stretch-wrap equipment and film, expands its sales team with the appointment of Rob Payne to industry manager. He will be responsible for supporting the team in the Western portion of the U.S. and Canada with a specific focus on building relationships with OEMs/integrators and key distributors. He will also help build relationships with existing and prospective customers throughout the region.

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