PACK EXPO draws near

PACK EXPO Intl. will focus on the latest developments in packaging technology and will showcase the exhibitors' state-of-the-art advances in packaging machinery, converting machinery, materials, packages and containers and components.

Attendees include decision makers from tens of thousands of companies from the U.S. and more than 75 other countries representing multibillion-dollar industries. Corporate managers, engineers, manufacturers, quality controllers, purchasers, production supervisors, research/development and sales and marketing represent 85 percent of the PACK EXPO Intl. attendees in a broad range of industries: food and beverage; dairy/meat/poultry/seafood; pharmaceutical/medical; chemical/household; computers and electronics; components; converting; volume printing; toys and games; aerospace; entertainment; private label; furniture/fixtures; wineries; confectionery; bakery; and snackfood.

A conference program and three keynote addresses complement the show activities. A complete description of the conference sessions and registration information appears in our September issue; view it at www.packagingdigest.com/info/06conference.

Two additional shows will co-locate: PROCESS EXPO and CPP Expo. PROCESS EXPO will feature 350-plus exhibiting companies and will be located on the Upper and Lobby Levels of Lakeside Center at McCormick Place. PROCESS EXPO will focus on the newest developments in processing technology to meet the challenges faced by food and beverage manufacturers. PROCESS EXPO exhibitors will present equipment in the fruit and vegetable, beverage, canning/freezing, environmental, instrumentation, prepared foods, canmaking, meat, dairy and snackfood industries.

PROCESS EXPO is designed to attract qualified buyers representing virtually every market segment of the food industry, from across the U.S. and more than 75 countries. Visitors will see and purchase packaging, the latest in food processing equipment, air and liquid handling and engineering/architectural, design services, cooling/freezing and instrumentation/controls. PROCESS EXPO is sponsored and produced by the Food Processing Suppliers Assn. (FPSA).

CPP EXPO will be co-located for the first time with PACK EXPO Intl. on the Lobby Level of Lakeside Center at McCormick Place. Reflecting the new market synergies of the package printing, converting, finishing machinery and supplies industries, CPP EXPO showcases the latest in printing, coating, slitting and other state-of-the-art finishing processes. More than 2,800 converting professionals and nearly 250 exhibiting companies attended CPP EXPO in 2005 in search of equipment, materials and services for streamlining operations and improving quality.

Pre-registration for the show is available for $25 until Oct. 10; after that date and onsite at the show, registration is $50. Show registration is required to attend keynote addresses and the conference program. For information on registration, contact PMMI at 703/243-8555 or visit www.packexpo.com.

While our preview of PACK EXPO Intl. in the September issue covered most of the exhibitors, the following is an addendum of exhibitors who have a marketing message in this issue.

Air-Bag Packing—E-9142: The co. uses material from a small amount of synthetic plastic film and an air buffer concept to create a protective packaging material that can replace PS, EPE, corrugated paper and molded pulp. See p. 77.

Alcan Packaging—E-8605: A worldwide provider of flexible packaging solutions for the food, beauty and pharmaceutical industries and a supplier to the tobacco market. See p. 18-19.

Altech—Booth E-7310: Engineers, manufactures and distributes self-adhesive labeling and material-identification systems, including labeling heads, in-line systems suitable for front/back and wraparound labeling, real-time print-and-apply units and automatic shrink-sleeve label applicators. See p. 24d.

Bortolin Kemo—Booth E-7721: Designs and manufactures complete systems for packaging and bottling, as well as machinery for producing plastic and metal closures. The packaging division's products include case erectors, partition inserters, packers, case sealers, palletizers and depalletizers. The closure division offers pressing plants, and rolling, slitting and assembly machines. See p. 24f.

B-Pack®—Booth E-8939: Specializes in flexible barrier films with five and seven layers, produced in pressurized controlled atmosphere facilities with cast and blown-film production technologies. Applications include food, medical and cosmetic products. See p. 24e.

Colimatic—Booth E-7421: The co. offers packaging and thermoforming machines with patented functions, such as a model that allows molds to be changed with the pressing of a button, and a cutting system that can cut virtually any kind of previously thermoformed shape. See p. 24g.

Concetti—Booth N-3343: Manufactures turnkey bagging lines that feature electronic gross and net weighers; premade, large-bag fillers; small bag fillers; bagging carousels; high- and low-level bag palletizers; robotic palletizers; and big bag fillers. See p. 24h-i.

Delkor Systems—S-2289: Manufactures a range of end-of-line packaging machines, including flat-pad packers, combination tray and flat-pad packers, case packers, top-load case packers, shrink bundlers, tray and carton formers, robotic palletizers and packing systems, conveying systems, and more. See p. 117.

Euroimpianti—Booth E-7810: Offers turnkey systems for the end of the line, including a SCARA palletizing robot that can be customized with a pickup tool for a virtually unlimited range of applications, a Cartesian palletizing robot that occupies limited floor space and can be adapted to low-speed lines, and a laser-guided vehicle that can handle products and pallets coming from various production lines. See p. 24j.

Flexicon—E-7603: Flexible screw conveyors, pneumatic conveying systems, volumetric feeding conveyors, multiple delivery systems, bulk bag dischargers and fillers, weigh batching systems, bag dump stations, drum dumpers and automated, plant-wide systems for moving free- and non-free-flowing powder and bulk solid materials. See p. 10.

Flex-Line Automation—N-5245: Custom, modular packaging solutions with system design, parts sales, service and installation of adjustable product guiderails on straight or corner conveyors, tabletop aluminum and stainless conveyors, air conveyors, roller and belt conveyors, centrifugal feeders and integrated controls. See p. 88.

Huhtamaki—N-4429: The Consumer Goods Div. provides consumer and food packaging to a range of markets, including frozen desserts and foods, dry foods and pet foods. Products include round and nonround paperboard containers, injection-molded and thermoformed plastic containers, molded fiber trays, and multilayer bags and lamination materials. See p. 119.

ICA—Booth N-3343: Manufactures packaging lines that can create retail packs from heat-sealable laminates or kraft paper, or from premade bags, in normal or modified atmosphere, or vacuum-packed. Applications range from fine powders to granulars, with the machines able to produce sachets, side-gusseted or square-bottom bags, flat-top bags with sealed corners, standup pouches and more. See p. 24m.

IMA—Booth S-1248: A processing and packaging machinery manufacturer for the pharmaceutical, nutraceuticals, cosmetic, tea, coffee and food industries. Equipment includes tea, coffee and beverage packaging machines; capsule fillers; weight-checking machines; blister-packaging machines; tablet counting machines; vial washers; aseptic and nonaseptic liquid filling and closing machines; and more. See p. 24n.

Imeta—Booth E-7425: A designer and manufacturer of chucks, rolls, changeparts and upgrade kits for seamers and canmaking machines. Among its products are seaming rolls and chucks for virtually every seamer, canmaking tools, end-making tools and a manual seamer for low-production and laboratory tests. See p. 24o.

Italian Trade Commission—Booth C-67: The government agency entrusted with promoting trade, business opportunities and industrial cooperation between Italian and foreign companies. See p. 24b, 25.

Pearson Packaging Systems—S-2200: The co.'s robotic case/tray loader uses a mechanical gripping, end-of-arm tool, line tracking and a custom product conveyor for up to a 30-percent-higher throughput versus a vacuum-based system. The system, integrated with the co.'s case erector, tray former and case sealer, provides a modern-day end-of-line case-packing solution. See p. 96-97.

Placon—E-7706: Designs and manufactures thermoformed packaging for retail, food and medical products. The co. offers more than 150 standard-size clamshells, the majority of which are available in RPET. In-house printing includes 8-color, dry-offset printing capabilities for containers ranging in size from 3 to 44 oz, with the ability to print color on round lids. See p. 67.

Polymer Packaging—E-9229: A producer of pre-zippered film bags, as well as a developer and producer of engineered packaging ranging from film bags to complex structures for a variety of technical applications. Also offers protective packaging made from PE foam, bubble and nonwoven PP fabric. See p. 112.

Schmucker—Booth E-7715: Packaging machines for sachets sealed on four sides; machines for stick-pack-type sachets; vertical four-side-seal machines with one lane for pillow-pack sachets, with or without a flat bottom; and automatic cartoning machines for the insertion of sachets, stick-packs, tubes, small blisters and other packs into cartons. See p. 24r.

SMC Corp. of America—N-3217: The manufacturer of pneumatic components will exhibit new products for washdown applications, multiposition pneumatic activators, high-pressure blow molding, Serial networking for pneumatic valves, pressure-control equipment, flow and pressure sensing, electric, motor-driven actuators and more. See p. 83.

SMI—Booth N-4066: Food and beverage packaging machines, including medium- and high-speed shrink wrappers, tray packers, paperboard- sleeve multipackers, wraparound case packers, conveyors and rotary stretch/blow molders for PET and PP containers. See p. 24s.

SWF Companies—S-2530: Provides innovative packaging automation solutions worldwide and offers an array of products, including tray and bliss-case formers; modular and integrated case and tray packers; case erectors and sealers; vertical and horizontal cartoners; and robotic packaging solutions. See p. 126.

Tecnomeccanica—Booth E-7710: Manufactures carton-packing equipment for the healthcare industry, as well as machines for teabag packaging. Its new teabag machine produces double-chamber filter teabags, for black, herbal and other infusion teas, overwrapped in heat-sealed pouches. See p. 24t.

UCIMA—Booth C-67: The association represents the major Italian manufacturers of packaging machinery, including those producing machines and systems for the food, confectionery, tobacco, pharmaceutical, chemical, cosmetics and paper industries. See p. 24c.

Valco Cincinnati—S-3085: Offers a selection of cold-glue and hot-melt dispensing equipment and high-speed electronic monitoring systems for quality assurance. Components range from simple, hand-operated gluers to sophisticated, multiprocessor-controlled systems with product inspection capabilities. A new compact adhesive pattern control unit will be featured. See p. 36.

Vansco—S-3083: Cold-glue adhesive dispensing equipment, including a selection of dispensing valves and applicators, microprocessor-based glue-system pattern controls, tanks, pumping systems, mounting brackets and a range of gluing system support equipment and options. See p. 122.

Z Automation—S-2317: A manufacturer of automated packaging equipment, including vertical and horizontal cartoners and sleeving systems. Equipment features include servo-controlled feeders, quick, tool-less changeovers, high-speed sleeving and multistack blister cartoners. See p. 108.

Zambelli—Booth E-7525: High-speed shrink-wrapping and tray-packing equipment, including wraparound case packers, end- and bottom-loading case packers and overwrapping equipment. Applications include the food, beverage, canning, bakery and cosmetics industries, among others. See p. 24u.