The largest event for packaging and food processing in Mexico, Expo Pack Mexico, co-located with Processa 2003, is expecting attendance to grow by 2 percent to 30,000 visitors, which would be a record for the show. The Mexico City event takes place June 3 to 6.

Show producer Packaging Machinery Manufacturers Institute again sponsors a North American Pavilion, which was 70-percent sold at presstime. According to PMMI, which co-produces the show with Oprex, its Mexican partner, the Latin American packaging market stands at about $20 billion. Packaging machinery imports make up $800 million in sales for the region. The largest markets are located in Mexico, Brazil and Argentina.

"Latin America continues to be an area of immense possibilities in terms of packaging machinery sales," says Charles Yuska, PMMI president. For '03, a consistent gross domestic product (GDP) growth is forecast for all countries in Latin America, except Venezuela.

Expo Pack Mexico will showcase all packaging technologies, including machinery, materials, containers and components. Show hours are 1 to 8 p.m., June 3 through 5, and 1 to 7 p.m., June 6. For information, visit packexpo.com or contact Laura Bender by e-mail at [email protected].
Circle No. 237.

A preview of North American exhibitors follows.

Accutek Packaging Equipment-1504

ADCO Mfg.-1406: The 15DZ hand-load cartoner features a compact, stainless-steel frame, a rotary feeder and a Nordson glue system.

Alcoa Closure Systems Intl.-1112: High-performance capping equipment, including the Series 200E capper, new Series 125, Magna Torque 2000 headsets.

AMI Equipment Div., Zip-Pak-1508: Transverse-direction zipper applicators for overwrap machines complement many OEM horizontal flowrappers.

Angelus Sanitary Can Machine-1704

ARPAC-1203

Associated Packaging Equipment-1612: Roll-fed labeling machines.

Axon, Styrotech-1512: EZ-Sleever is capable of applying labels at 300 cpm; I-Band is an economical tamper-evident band applicator that works at up to 80 cpm.

B&H Labeling Systems-1700: Hot-melt roll-fed labeling machines for most container sizes and label substrates.

Belvac Production Machinery-1735

BluePrint Automation-1506: MultiAxis SCARA robot is a tabletop case packer that operates at up to 300 ppm.

Bradman-Lake-544: HS2/60 double-head lock former case/tray erector.

Cloud-1108

Columbia Machine-1106: Floor-level to high-level palletizers, even compact robotics.

Domino Amjet-1208

E-PAK Machinery-1300: Air and water rinsers, low- to high-viscosity liquid fillers, cappers.

Econocorp-1100: Semi-automatic case packer and ECM continuous-motion cartoner.

Elmar Industries-1706

EPI-1202

Filler Specialties-1000: Model GWES9-3 continuous-motion rotary liquid filling and capping.

Flexicon-1505

Heat and Control-2500: Ishida multihead weighers and checkweighers to reduce giveaway; Fastback® product conveyors with patented new Revolution™ proportional gates.

Heat Seal-1712

ITW Auto-Sleeve-1303: Stretch-sleeve and shrink-sleeve labels in full-body, tamper-evident.

ITW Packaging Brands North America-902

Kliklok-Woodman-1200: Cyclone® high-speed vf/f/s bagmaker; also JR carton-forming machine.

Klöckner Pentaplast-1526: New Pentapharm® ACLAR® S03 and Pentapharm ACLAR G03 laminated barrier films; FDA-compliant Pentapharm vinyl and PETG shrink films for pharmaceutical applications; Pentaprint® M282/41 super-high-impact PVC TDO film for full-body shrink sleeves and tamper-evident bands for cylindrical bottles. Circle No. 238.

Kwik Lok-1309

Lako Tool & Mfg.-1209: S12 heat sealer is digitally controlled and designed to duplicate heated crimp seals; fly-thru and circular knives for vf/f/s.

Lantech/Schroeder-125: Q300XT stretch wrapper automatically attaches and cuts film after the load is wrapped; C300 case erector and ST 700 "soft convection" shrink tunnel.

Magnum Systems-1005: Bulk material handling and packaging systems for process plants.

MARKEM-1408: Marking/coding equipment. Circle No. 239.

MARQ Packaging Systems-1304

McBrady Engineering-803: ORBIT bottle rinser/cleaner does multiple rinses at 10 to 400 bpm; gripper rinser, bottle duster, vial washer.

Nalbach Engineering-1108

NJM/CLI Packaging-1915: Turnkey line integration and full validation support; showing Cremer tablet counter, Model Uni 300V labeler, Uni Cap 150 and FLX Solo gear pump. Circle No. 240.

Norwood Marking Systems-1527

Osgood Industries-1603: Indexing or continuous-motion equipment for filling, sealing, lidding for preformed containers up to 600 cpm.

Pace Packaging-900

Packaging Technologies-1403

Pearson Packaging Systems-736

Per-Fil Industries-805: In-line, rotary fillers. Circle No. 241.

PIAB-906: C-Series of industrial vacuum conveyors and components can cope with the most demanding circumstances.

Portola Packaging-1312: Tamper-evident plastic closures for dairy, bottled water and food.

PPi Technologies-1206: Stand-up pouches with press-to-close zippers, slider zippers, spout fitments, beverage straw-in-pouches and retort shelf-stable pouches.

PTI Packaging Technologies & Inspection-1405

Quadrel Labeling Systems-802: EconoLine p-s labeler can be configured for front/back or wraparound applications up to 100 ppm. Circle No. 242.

Rovema Packaging Machines-1108: Intermittent-motion VPI-260 E heat-seals pillow-bags and uses Allen-Bradley Control Logix and Ultra 3000 servo drives.

Safeline Metal Detection-918

Septimatech Group-1404

Serac-1106

SIG Doboy-701

Solus Industrial Innovations-1308

Span Tech-1412: Designer System™ family of conveyors are continuous curving, including adjustable-wedge units, inclines and declines.

Squid Ink Mfg.-1703

Start Intl.-1212: TDH205 electric gummed-tape dispenser automatically feeds, moistens and cuts; 14 preset length settings.

SWF Companies-1708: BF 400V Bliss former at up to 1,800 case/hr, and TL 100 pick-and-place case/tray packer. Circle No. 243.

Terco-1710: Aerosol filling equipment includes filling, crimping and gassing equipment, test baths, tippers and cappers.

Triangle Package Machinery-2513

Unique Solutions-1306: US622 PouchPlus™ dual servo-driven caustic washdown inserter.

Weiler Engineering-1108: Customized ASEP-TECH® blow/fill/seal machinery.