PACKAGING BRIEFS Tuesday, July 10

ASTM Intl. Packaging Committee recognizes Nolan

The ASTM International Committee D10 on Packaging has presented the Award of Merit to Patrick J. Nolan, president of DDL Inc. in Eden Prairie, MN. The Award of Merit and its accompanying title of fellow are designed to recognize individual contributions to standards activities. Nolan has more than 33 years of experience in the testing and analysis of packaging and products for shock and vibration hazards in the distribution system. He co-founded DDL Inc. in 1990 and assumed the role of president in 2007. Prior to that, he was an applications engineer at MTS Systems in Eden Prairie, Minn., and senior packaging engineer at Ecolab in Eagan, MN.

PARADE magazine to partner on packaged goods award program
Product of the Year USA, a consumer-voted program that recognizes innovation in consumer packaged goods, is teaming with PARADE magazine, to highlight the most innovative products for American consumers. As the exclusive media partner of Product of the Year USA, PARADE will reveal the 2013 Product of the Year winners in a cover story in early 2013. Consumers will have access and be able to read about the most innovative products they voted for nationwide.

Ahern named Executive Director of the Contract Packaging Assn.

The CPA Board of Directors has selected Mary Ahern to become the new Executive Director of the Association, succeeding Edwin Landon, effective July 1. As Executive Director, Ahern will oversee the day-to-day operations of the association. She comes from from custom packaging manufacturer Magenta LLC, where she was Business Development Manager and Director of Sales for 13 years. Prior to that she was Senior Account Manager for Silgan Closures, Sales Account Manager for Alcoa Closure Systems International. She previously worked as a Packaging Engineer at American Home Foods Corporation and a Packaging Intern at Kraft Foods. She is a graduate of Michigan State University with a BS in Packaging Engineering and is a member of the Institute of Packaging Professionals.

MA box manufacturer to double its size
Century Box, a maker of folding cartons, boxes and packaging products, is looking to create more than 100 new jobs and double the size of its Methuen, MA facility. The company currently employs about 110 people at its 55,000-sq-ft manufacturing facility and 15,000-sq-ft offices. A proposed 55,000-sq-ft addition to the manufacturing facility is being considered by city officials; the company hopes to begin construction on the addition in October.

Call for entries in 2012 WorldStar Student Awards
The World Packaging Organisation's WorldStar Student Awards is an international packaging design competition for students from countries around the world to develop projects in the field of packaging design. The Institute of Packaging Professionals will host the awards, which are designed to foster future packaging professionals and encourage creativity. Packages are judged by innovation, aesthetics, sustainability, ease of manufacture, convenience and global relevancy. Entry deadline is Oct. 19, 2012; click here for more information.

Group launches website with info on steel packaging.
The Steel for Packaging community and value chain has access today to a new microsite, steelforpackaging.org. The website delivers and supports facts and features to make the case for steel as an efficient, reliable and sustainable packaging solution. It includes seven key supply chain benefits: Recycling, Performance, Use, Manufacturing, Efficiency, Versatility and Safety.

CROWN Aerosol Packaging attains DOT exemption permit
CROWN Aerosol Packaging North America, a business unit of Crown Holdings Inc., has been issued a special permit exempting the company from Department of Transportation regulations on the transportation of pressurized products. Crown reports it is the only metal packaging supplier to have received this exemption, which is based on technology advances in lightweighting and double seaming, and helps the company's customers enhance their own sustainability platforms thanks to overall resource reduction and weight savings, translating to decreased fuel costs during transportation.
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