PACKAGING BRIEFS Tuesday, July 3

Purdue Calumet names mechatronics laboratory for PMMI members
PMMI partner school Purdue University Calumet has named the most recent addition to its campus the Nick and Nancy Wilson Mechatronics Engineering Technology Laboratory, for PMMI chairman Nick Wilson, president of Morrison Container Handling Solutions, and Morrison's director of customer relations, Nancy Wilson. "Without Nick and Nancy's efforts, our mechatronics engineering technology program would not be what it is today," says Niaz Latif, Purdue Calumet Dean of the School of Technology. "Nick was instrumental forming the partnership among Purdue Calumet, packaging industry leaders and PMMI."

Rexam to sell personal-care business for $709 million
Consumer packaging firm Rexam is aiming to sell its personal care business for $709. The transaction is proposed in two parts: The Cosmetics, Toiletries and Household care products business, and the High-Barrier Food packaging business. An affiliate of Sun Capital Partners Inc, a private equity firm, has made a binding offer for CTH for $459 million in cash. A subsidiary of packaging company Silgan Holdings Inc. has agreed to acquire HBF for $250 million in cash.

Ampac wins IFT Food Expo Innovation Award for No.2 Pouch

Flexible packaging company Ampac has won an award for the recyclable No.2 Pouch from the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) for Innovations in packaging. The 2012 IFT Food Expo Innovation Awards program is designed to honor innovation in products, ingredients, applications, instruments, equipment, technology and services. The No.2 Pouch is made from a coextruded HDPE blend that reportedly yields a pouch with excellent stiffness and strength, and can be produced with a clear, opaque or matte finish. It is also approved for post-consumer recycling with plastic retail shopping bags, and is resealable. 

Portola Packaging shuts down cosmetics closure, container manufacturing unit
PlasticsToday is reporting that Portola Packaging will shut down its Portola Tech International cosmetics closure and container manufacturing unit to focus on its beverage closure and bottle business. CFO Glenn Fish told PlasticsToday the cosmetics closure and container unit represented less than 10 percent of sales for the company. "When we looked at our cosmetics packaging unit it hasn't provided sufficient return on capital," he said. "We don't have a competitive advantage with cosmetics like we do with the main portion of our business." Production at Portola Tech's Cumberland, RI and Nanhai, China manufacturing locations is expected to cease by the end of August. The business assets, manufacturing equipment, molds, etc., are expected to be liquidated by the end of the year.
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