PACKAGING BRIEFS Thursday, Mar. 29

Amcor announces major expansion of multilayer PP bottle capacity in U.S. and Canada
Amcor Rigid Plastics has announced a major expansion of extrusion blow molded polypropylene (PP) bottle capacity in the Midwest, Southwest and Canada in response to strong market demand for packaging for food and nutritional supplements. The multi-million-dollar expansion at production facilities in Batavia, IL, Fort Worth, TX, and Brampton, ONT, also enables Amcor to shift its manufacturing footprint closer to key customers to deliver key sustainability advantages including improved logistics and reduced transportation costs. The new capacity is primarily for production of multilayer PP containers, along with HDPE containers with PCR content for personal care and household uses.

Automated Packaging Systems expands its Six Sigma initiatives
Automated Packaging Systems, the world leader in high-reliability packaging systems, is expanding its Six Sigma quality program to provide advanced quality initiatives in its plastics manufacturing business. Twenty two employees—including quality managers, engineers, production supervisors and materials development managers—from four different U.S. manufacturing facilities were selected for Six Sigma training. The Six Sigma program is designed to solve problems and reduce variations in manufacturing and business processes using statistical data to Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve and Control (DMAIC). Automated Packaging's new, expanded Six Sigma team will be analyzing opportunities to improve the quality of bag films and manufacturing processes focusing on defect prevention.

Ardagh Group buys Leone Industries
Luxembourg-based Ardagh Group—a global leader in rigid packaging for many of the world's leading food, beverage and consumer care brands—has acquired Leone Industries, a manufacturer of glass containers serving the U.S. food and beverage markets. The acquisition will increase the size of Ardagh's glass division by approximately 10 percent.

Lenze receives Product Line Strategy of the Year award from Frost & Sullivan

Lenze Americas—a leading global manufacturer of electrical and mechanical drives, motion control and automation technology—has been presented with the 2011 North American Product Line Strategy of the Year Award for Electric Drives in the packaging equipment market. The criteria used by Frost & Sullivan to benchmark Lenze's performance against key competitors, included breadth of product line, impact on customer value, impact on market share and breadth of applications/markets served.

New 'Packaging for Sustainability' handbook now available
The Sustainable Packaging Alliance (SPA) has announced the release of a new book, "Packaging for Sustainability," authored by Dr. Karli Verghese, Dr. Helen Lewis and Dr. Leanne Fitzpatrick. A concise and readable handbook for practitioners who are trying to implement sustainability strategies for packaging, it uses industry case studies throughout the book to illustrate possible applications and scenarios. "Packaging for Sustainability" draws on the expertise of researchers and industry practitioners to provide information on business benefits, environmental issues and priorities, environmental evaluation tools, design for environment, marketing strategies and challenges for the future. 

xpedx awarded Energy Star at three sites
xpedx, one of the largest and premier distribution companies in North America, has been awarded the Energy Star at its locations in Hayward, CA; Reno, NV; and Pittsburgh, PA. xpedx is also an "Energy Star partner." These acknowledgements reflect xpedx's commitment to protect the environment through continuous improvement of its energy performance.

Plastic Suppliers names new president/CEO
Packaging film converter Plastic Suppliers Inc. has named George Thomas, a 40 year veteran of the packaging industry, president/CEO. Thomas' experience in the flexible packaging industry spans from the executive level to shop floor disciplines, with a strong commitment to continuous improvement. He will focus efforts on continuing to build Plastic Suppliers as a market leader in manufacturing and distribution.

UPM Raflatac receives chain-of-custody certifications for labelstock
UPM Raflatac has been granted chain of custody certificates from the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification Schemes (PEFC) for its labelstock operations in Australia and New Zealand. The chain of custody certifications guarantee that the wood used in UPM Raflatac's label materials originates from sustainably managed forests.

Adept Technology earns 'Green' manufacturing award in Shanghai
Adept Technology Inc., a leading provider of intelligent robots and autonomous mobile solutions, has been recognized by the Shanghai Food Assn. for its contribution towards the advancement of food safety with zero emissions and pollutants for manufacturers. Adept received the award at the Food and Beverage Green Manufacturing Asia 2012 (FBGMA 2012). Adept was presented a Food & Beverage Green Tech Contribution Award after being nominated by the event organizer and selected by an expert panel of the Shanghai Food Assn. (SFA).

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