Contract Packaging: Packing It All In
Packaging professionals looking for the latest innovations in containers, materials, machinery, and technologies will find them at this year's Pack Expo Las Vegas show, to be held October 13–15 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Approximately 17,000 are expected to visit the show, which will feature more than 800 exhibitors showcasing their latest industry advances.
This year's Pack Expo Las Vegas marks the debut of the show's Containers & Materials Pavilion, a 50,000-sq-ft floor space featuring more than 100 companies that offer innovative containers and materials. Components to be exhibited in the pavilion include semirigid containers, closures and caps, glass packages for premium products, tamper-evident packaging, stand-up pouches, and resealable packages. Up-to-date designs for paperboard, glass, metal, plastic, flexible packaging, and package-producing equipment will also be of interest to cosmetic and personal care packagers.
Within the Containers & Materials Pavilion, a display called the Showcase of Packaging Innovations will highlight the winning packages of eleven association competitions. The display will feature some of the award winners for programs such as the DuPont Awards for Innovation in Packaging, the Flexible Packaging Association's Packaging Achievement Awards, The Glass Packaging Institute's The Clear Choice Awards, the Institute of Packaging Professionals' AmeriStar Awards, the Paperboard Packaging Council's National Paperboard Packaging Competition, and The Tube Council's Tubes of the Year Awards.
Pack Expo Las Vegas conferences will also focus on packaging. Conference sessions will be organized in themed tracks including materials, security, operations, closures, cost control, and coding. Within each track, a range of presentation topics will be offered. Some of the sessions planned as of July 9 are New FDA Packaging Regulation Initiatives Under the Bioterrorism Preparedness Act; Lighter, Stronger, More-Appealing Glass Containers; Advances in Value-Added Closures: Hot-Fill Plastic & Composite Closures for Plastic Containers; and The New Revolution in Product Identification: EPC Integration for RFID.
For the first time, Pack Expo Las Vegas exhibitors can register for individual conference sessions, for which the advance registration fee is $55 per session and the on-site registration fee is $70 per session.
For more information about attending Pack Expo Las Vegas, visit www.packexpo.com or contact the show's sponsor and producer, the Packaging Machinery Manufacturers Institute, by phone at 703/243-8555, by fax at 703/243-3038, or by e-mail at expo@pmmi.org.
Current as of September 4, 2003. Advertisers are listed in bold.
| Exhibitor Name | Booth # |
| Alloyd Company, Inc. | C-2030 |
| Ameri-Seal Inc. | S-5714 |
| AMS Filling Systems Inc. | C-2813 |
| Anderson —Packaging Inc. | S-4795 |
| Berry Plastics Corp. | S-5516 |
| Cleartec Packaging | S-5303 |
| Custom Paper Tubes Inc. | S-5811 |
| Display Pack | S-5603 |
| Do-It Corp. | S-5047 |
| DuPont Packaging | SC-8 |
| Eastman —Chemical Co. | S-5840 |
| Finn Industries Inc. | S-5633 |
| Great Lakes LLC | C-933 |
| Ilapak Inc. | S-5256 |
| Institute of Packaging — Professionals —(IOPP) |
S-5620, SC-6 |
| The John Henry Co. | S-5268 |
| Kapak Corp. | S-4856 |
| Label-Aire Inc. | C-1212 |
| Loeb Equipment & —Appraisal Co. | S-5867 |
| Logotech Inc. | S-4991 |
| Markem Corp. | C-2123 |
| MG America Inc. | S-5533 |
| Multivac Inc. | S-5848 |
| Penn-Wheeling Metal —Caps & Closures | S-4994 |
| Pester USA | S-5261 |
| PreciseTechnology Inc. | S-5818 |
| Prosys Innovative —Packaging —Equipment | C-1519 |
| Quadrel Labeling —Systems | C-2055 |
| Robinson Paperboard —Pkg. | S-4896 |
| Rollprint Packaging—Products Inc. | S-5428 |
| Seal-It Inc. | C-450 |
| SleeveCo Inc. | S-5235 |
| Toray Plastics —(America) Inc. | S-5506 |
| Weber Marking Systems Inc. | C-1846 |
EXHIBITOR PRODUCTS
Heat-Shrinkable Labels
Heat-shrinkable labels can add appeal to personal care and cosmetic packages. Label styles include neckbands and full-body sleeves that can be fashioned to be tamper-evident. Materials include PVC, PETG, and OPS. A range of lay-flat and cut-length sizes are offered for heat-shrinkable seals and tubing. Clear and colored film can be rotogravure-printed in up to eight colors. The supplier also offers the services of its full-service design department and contract sleeving division, which can shrink sleeves directly onto a manufacturer's packages. Ameri-Seal Inc., Chatsworth, CA
Copolyester Bottle
Merle Norman Cosmetics chose a container made from a supplier's Eastar AN004 copoylester resin for its Luxiva Timeless Age-Defying Makeup liquid foundation. Even with the bottle's thick walls, the copolyester retains a crystal-like clarity similar to glass. The bottle's walls were blow molded in a range of thicknesses, from 0.50 to 0.150 in. Eastar copolyester is also chemical resistant. Eastman Chemical Co., Kingsport, TN.
Packaging Machinery
This company has specialized in buying and selling used packaging and processing equipment to the cosmetic and personal care industry since 1880. Certified appraisal and asset management services are offered. The 8-Station Alloyd MDL 8SC 1216 automatic blister packaging machine with a third feeder option (pictured) is a sample of the extensive inventory available. Loeb Equipment & Appraisal Co., Chicago, IL.
Specialty Resins
Specialty polyethylene resins are suited for cosmetic and personal care packaging applications. DuPont 20-series resins provide resistance to cracking in various environmental conditions. Design and decorating options are very flexible. DuPont also hosted its 16th packaging awards, which honored packages such as the Sedal shampoo tubes, produced by Graham Packaging. DuPont Packaging, Wilmington, DE.
Laser Coder
A laser coder can create high-quality, permanent marks on materials such as paper, foil, plastic, wood, glass, and coated metal. The e-Solarmark laser coder can produce up to 1000 characters per second, at product delivery speeds of up to 560 ft/min. Text can be printed as small as 0.020 in. in height. Bar codes can also be printed. The system includes its own controller and PC-resident software. Weber Marking Systems, Arlington Heights, IL.
Labeling System
A labeling machine can be configured for various applications. The VersaLine L.C. system can be supplied with a range of options including a vision system, eject stations, a touch screen, and nonproprietary controls. The machine's features include a stainless construction, a high-speed stepper, and servo-driven applicators. Quadrel Labeling Systems, Mentor, OH.
Holographic, Clear Films
For a high-impact look on the shelf, holographic and clear films can be applied to packages. A stand-up two-layer pouch that features the supplier's directly embossable, holographic LumBrite film is offered. Barrialox clear barrier film is also an option for packaging. The metallized film is designed to provide barrier protection against oxygen and moisture. Toray Plastics (America) Inc., North Kingstown, RI.
Sleeve Labels
Shrink- and stretch-sleeve labels can be decorated with a manufacturer's custom-designed graphics. For shrink-sleeve labels, styles such as full-body labels, tamper-evident bands, preforms, and combo bands are available. Offered in PVC, PETG, OPP, and OPS films, the shrink sleeves can be reverse or direct printed 360 degrees with up to 11 colors. The stretch-sleeve labels are produced from a proprietary plastic film and can be flexographically printed in up to eight colors. They can also be laminated in-house and designed to accommodate items like coupons. SleeveCo Inc., Dawsonville, GA.
Cartoner
An intermittent-motion cartoner can produce up to 80 straight- or reverse-tuck cartons per minute. Designed with moving parts that are constantly supplied with oil, the MG2/MAB B15 Intermittent Cartoner offers reliable operation. Also offered are case packers, tray formers, pouchers, overwrappers, and palletizers. MG America Inc., Fairfield, NJ.
Clamshell Technology
When retailers decided to market several Coty fragrances on shelves instead of behind cosmetic counters, Coty decided to place its fragrance cartons in a durable clamshell to add theft resistance. A clear two-piece PVC clamshell was designed to enclose the existing fragrance cartons without blocking visibility of the cartons' graphics. The clamshell includes a foot that allows it to stand upright on a shelf, and a small sensor to add extra theft resistance. Coty also used the supplier's radio-frequency technology to seal the two-piece clamshell. Alloyd Co., DeKalb, IL.
Labeler
An air-blow pressure-sensitive labeling machine can apply labels at rates of up to 1500 in. of web per minute, and up to 2000 in. of web per minute with an optional 16 in. of unwind. The Model 3111 Air Blow Labeler offers advanced features such as an enhanced two-line digital display that allows automatic label setup, an automatic speed-following function, zero-downtime labeling, and a large R3 digital display. Other systems offered are the Model 3114 Dual-Action Tamp Labeler, the Model 3115 and 3135 Wipe-on Labelers, and the Model 3138 Printer Applicator. Label-Aire Inc., Fullerton, CA.