Show Coverage: Pack Expo International
More than 200 new exhibitors have signed on for the 2006 edition of Pack Expo International. The trade show, to be held October 29 to November 2 at Chicago’s McCormick Place, will feature more than 1900 exhibitors showcasing the latest in packaging machinery, materials, containers, components, and converting and processing services.
The show’s Containers & Materials Pavilion will feature bottles, caps, cartons, shrink sleeves, plastic pigments, blisters, clamshells, and more. Other pavilions include the Brand Protection Center, the RFID Pavilion, and the Contract Packaging Pavilion.
Another highlight is Pack Expo’s Showcase of Packaging Innovations. This special pavilion will display the winners of various global packaging competitions. This year, Pack Expo will debut a new program called Pack Expo Selects that invites show attendees to vote for what they think is the best of all the packages displayed in the Showcase of Packaging Innovations.
Pack Expo will also host numerous educational conferences, including Brand Protection Through Marking and Coding, Enhancing Brand Identity and Value Through Shrink Labeling, Global Quest for Sustainable Packages: What’s Out There?, and Thinking the Unthinkable: Outsourcing Your Packaging Department.
Show organizers also announced that executives from Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club will deliver a joint keynote speech that will cover some of the packaging innovations being implemented by the two retailers. Other industry leaders will also present keynote speeches, including one called Creating a Sustainable Future: Growing the Bio-Resin Market in a Greening Economy.
“Before we attended the Pack Expo show, we were only able to produce 5000 bottles of product in one month,” says Nadia Gross, president of Herbal Works Inc., a producer of all-natural bath and body aromatherapy products. Gross says that she will return to Pack Expo this year because at the last show, she purchased automatic filling equipment from Kaps-All Packaging Systems Inc. and rotary equipment from Accutek Packaging Equipment Company, Inc. that allowed Herbal Works to increase production and double its total business. “With the Kaps-All and Accutek machinery, we now produce more than 100,000 bottles per month,” says Gross.
For more information on Pack Expo, visit www.packexpo.com.
EXHIBITOR PRODUCTS
Transparent Packaging
In addition to clear tubes and boxes, a company now offers thermo-formed packaging, including clamshells, blister packs, and trays. Packaging can be decorated with printing, labels, and header cards. Round and square tubes can be provided with both ends open or with a PermaSeal option that features one tube end that is permanently sealed. VisiPak, Arnold, MO.
Booth #E-7206
Corner Labeling
A firm’s new Model 5200 Corner Wrap label printer-applicator combines high-quality label printing with an applicator that affixes a single label to the corner of a carton. The system is available with various engines, including an optional RFID print-encode engine. Standard thermal/thermal-transfer print engines produce text, bar codes, and graphic images at 203 or 300 dpi. The firm also offers a range of pressure-sensitive label materials, including variable imprint custom labels, point-of-sale prime labels, and RFID smart labels. Weber Marking Systems Inc., Arlington Heights, IL.
Booth #S-2360
Clear Cartons
Clear plastic cartons can be used to show off cosmetic and fragrance products. Plastic materials include PVC, PET, and polypropylene. These materials can be decorated using offset printing, silk-screening, and hot stamping. The firm’s E-Z Crease boxes are easy to fold and quick to assemble. Cartons can also be custom designed. HLP Clear Packaging Products USA Inc., Torrance, CA.
Booth #N-5344
Pigments for Plastics
A special-effects pigments supplier has expanded its Rightfit organic pigment and Synergy color pigment lines to include pigments Rightfit Yellow 1220, Synergy Scarlet 6012, and Synergy Yellow 6261. The firm offers color matching and reformulating to meet marketers’ color standards. Engelhard Corp., Iselin, NJ.
Booth #S-1476
Thermoform-Fill-Seal Equipment
Thermoform-fill-seal, vacuum chamber, and tray-sealing equipment are suited for a range of applications. The company’s FormShrink machine eliminates the need to use preformed pouches in shrink-packaging operations. Instead, it performs the entire process inline with roll-fed shrinkable film. FormShrink is suited for packaging gift sets and promotional items for the cosmetics market. Multivac Inc., Kansas City, MO.
Booth #E-7428
Laser Coder
The SmartLase 110 and 130 laser coders are designed for use on primary packaging. The coders can be used on cartons, labels, glass, and PET bottles. The SmartLase 110 coder provides enhanced motor control of print quality. The SmartLase 130 coder includes a compact, air-cooled 30-watt laser for brands that need a small-sized yet powerful system. Markem Corp., Keene, NH.
Booth #S-2212
Tube Fillers
Tube-filling equipment is suited for low- or high-viscosity products. The MTS tube filler was designed for short, low-production runs. The RT 40 is an economical system for automated filling and closing of squeezable tubes. The ProSys RT 70 and 140 systems are designed to provide high output, ease of cleanup, and simple changeover. ProSys Innovative Packaging Equipment, Webb City, MO.
Booth #S-771
Labelers
A range of pressure-sensitive labelers is offered to the cosmetic and personal care industry. Equipment offerings range from simple tabletop units to sophisticated systems that are capable of speeds exceeding 400 products per minute. The firm’s Premier system (pictured) was designed for demanding 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week operations. It applies labels to a wide variety of oval, rectangular, and cylindrical containers at speeds up to 400 products per minute. Quadrel Labeling Systems, Mentor, OH.
Booth #S-851
Heat-Shrinkable Designs
Heat-shrinkable films are suited for package decorating, tamper-evident packaging, and wrapping multiple products together. The firm offers full-body shrink labels, tamper-evident bands, preforms, seamed film, and extruded tubing. Films can be printed using 10-color rotogravure and modified flexographic printing. Materials include PVC, PETG, OPS, and Earthfirst PLA corn-based films. The company also manufactures heat tunnels. Seal-It Inc., Farmingdale, NY.
Booth #N-4017
Marking and Coding
A company’s Videojet and Marsh products can apply large, small, micro, and high-resolution characters to virtually any surface, including those that are porous, smooth, curved, textured, or ribbed. The Videojet IPro digital inkjet imaging system offers Web-enabled communications and systems integration capability. It provides high-speed, high-resolution printing for a wide variety of applications. Printing features include one to four lines of print, custom logos, standard bar codes, and 2D Marconi Snowflake codes. Videojet Technologies Inc., Wood Dale, IL.
Booth #N-2266