Supplier Side
Mega Pumps Debuts Dual-Chambered Airless Dispenser
Dispenser supplier Mega Pumps (Eatontown, NJ) has introduced Mega Duo, an all-plastic, dual-chambered airless dispenser. It is designed for products with active ingredients that must remain separate until the moment of use.
According to Mega Pumps, the dispenser was built with fewer parts and less packaging material than other similar units. Its airless properties, good for products that are oxygen-sensitive, are the result of a piston-pump system. The dispenser is suited for thick creams, lotions, gels, and pastes. Sizes include 30 ml (15 ml per chamber) and 50 ml (25 ml per chamber).
As an airless container, the dispenser allows most of a product to be evacuated. “Thick gels, creams, and pastes have a tendency to stick to the sides of traditional containers, such as [those with] dip-tube pumps, because these dispensers require that the product settle to the bottom in order to pump effectively,” adds Terence Sweeney, director of sales for Mega Pumps. “When this happens, the consumer feels shortchanged and frustrated. Mega Pumps’ airless dispensers are specifically designed to offer superior product evacuation of high-viscosity products.”
Mega Pumps has also introduced the Mega Airless Tube. Produced with tube supplier Hoffmann Neopac (Switzerland), the high-barrier tube features an airless pump and offers oxygen and moisture protection.
PET Jars
Fusion Packaging (Dallas) has introduced new 8-oz PET jars in three styles: Ava, Stella, and Reue. Custom colors are available for the jars, as well as silk-screening, labeling, and hot stamping. The jars are suited for products such as body scrub, pomade, gel, bath salts, exfoliating items, hair masks, and lotions.
Fusion Packaging can provide custom-molded jars in 90 days, from concept to production, for a minimum order of 100,000 units per year.
Continental Launches Bottle, Jar
Continental Packaging Solutions (Chicago) has added two new packages to its line, the Oblong Romanesque bottle and the Pumpkin Jar.
The Oblong Romanesque bottle is suited for hand lotions. It is available in 12- and 20-oz capacities and can be customized in various colors. Its 24/415 neck finish is suited to a variety of closures and dispensers.
The Pumpkin Jar is a double-walled design suited for heavy creams and lotions. It is available in sizes of 2 and 8 oz.
Packaging Concepts Launches M-Pak Mini Version
Packaging Concepts Assoc. (Boynton Beach, FL) has introduced travel sizes of its popular M-Pak sprayer.
The portable M-Pak3 sprayers feature a reclosable hinged door that eliminates clogging and leaking, keeps liquid contents from drying out, and prevents accidental product discharge.
The sprayers are nonaerosol and are available in sizes ranging from 0.5 to 2 oz. They deliver up to 150 sprays. The package is a one-piece construction that eliminates the need for a cap, thus reducing costs.
TricorBraun Puts Twist in Tottle
TricorBraun (St. Louis) has introduced a slender, oval tottle with a unique, twisted shape that is meant to be easy to grasp in wet environments such as the shower. The tottle is available in sizes of 4 and 8 oz. It features a snap-on neck finish that suits an oval flip-top closure.
In other news, TricorBraun has launched a multinational, multilingual Web site. In addition to improved navigation features, the Web site can lead viewers directly to a TricorBraun Web site featured in a specific language.
Color Printing Now Available for Ampules
James Alexander Corp. (Blairstown, NJ) now offers color printing on its plastic ampules. Standard printing or hot-stamp foil printing can be done in any Pantone Matching System color.
“The new printing options allow logos, unique marketing messages, and enhanced product branding to appear on our patented, single-use dispenser for the very first time,” says Francesca Fazzolari, the firm’s president.
Alpha Packaging Adds Bottles
Alpha Packaging (St. Louis) has introduced two new PET bottles. Both bottles feature a versatile 20-mm neck finish that accommodates both 20/400 and 20/410 closures.
“When companies can source a single closure to fit multiple products in their line, it’s more convenient for them,” says Marny Bielefeldt, Alpha’s marketing manager. “And by switching from a 24-mm closure to a 20-mm closure, companies can experience cost savings as well.”
The new 4-oz Squat Boston Round has the same neck finish as Alpha’s 1-, 1.5-, and 2-oz traditional Boston Rounds so that the same closure can be used on all four bottles.
The new 4-oz Cylinder bottle features the same neck finish as Alpha’s 2-oz Travel Cylinder, also making it possible for customers to mix and match closures.
Amcor Expands Production to North America
Amcor Flexibles (Mundelein, IL), a supplier of printed films and foil laminates for sample and retail personal care packaging, has announced this it is now producing personal care packaging at its Madison, WI, facility.
Most of the company’s personal care manufacturing had been done at its facilities in Europe. “By building on the success and reputation of these European plants, we are able to provide the same level of quality and service from our Madison facility,” says Teri Meadow, director of personal care for Amcor Flexibles.
Amcor Flexibles recently invested $13 million in the Madison facility, resulting in new equipment such as a 10-color rotogravure press, an adhesive laminator, and a cleanroom finishing area.
New Sealant Bonds Polypropylene Parts
In order to manufacture a dual-chambered bottle for its client, supplier Risdon International (Watertown, CT) asked Tangent Industries (Winsted, CT) to formulate a UV-curable sealant that would allow a polypropylene lid, on which dispensers were later fitted, to adhere to the bottle’s polypropylene body.
According to Tangent Industries, the proprietary sealant was put through rigorous testing to ensure that the formulation would cure quickly and completely when it was exposed to the UV-sealing pulsed-light technology from Xenon Corp. (Wilmington, MA). All companies involved also experimented with sealants of various viscosities before deciding on a viscosity that dispensed perfectly on the manufacturing line.
Tangent Industries develops and manufactures UV-curable adhesives, sealants, and coatings that are used to bond glass, metal, and plastic packaging components.
Kaufman Revamps Web Site
Kaufman Container (Cleveland), a Midwest package sourcing and decorating firm, has relaunched its Web site, www.kaufmancontainer.com.
New elements include an e-newsletter and a “Featured Products” section where the company will display its latest innovations.
Risdon Acquires China-Based Plastics Facility
Risdon International (Watertown, CT) has acquired Inmagine Plastics, a manufacturer located in China’s Taicang City. The newly acquired facility will offer a full range of manufacturing capabilities, including injection molding, assembly, hot stamping, and silk-screening. It adheres to ISO 9001 standards.
“With this acquisition, Risdon has solidified its full-service capabilities in China,” says Steve Pearlman, Risdon’s president. “This new plastic and assembly facility will complement our metal packaging plant that was recently acquired in Suzhou.”
Inmagine has been renamed Risdon International China Ltd.
Rexam, Degussa Create First Foaming Lotion
In collaboration with formulator Degussa GmbH, Rexam Dispensing Systems (Alkmaar, The Netherlands) has introduced the beauty industry’s first foaming lotion, which is suited for the supplier’s foam dispensers. The formula was Degussa’s winning entry in Rexam Dispensing Systems’ 2005 Airspray Formulation Challenge.
The foaming lotion uses cationic surfactants, which make the product easy to spread and absorb. The companies say that the formula is especially appealing for leave-on products such as facial or body moisturizers, sun care products, and shaving and depilatory products.
Surefil Enhances Compounding Facility
Contract manufacturer Surefil LLC (Grand Rapids, MI) has added 12,000 gallons of production capacity to its compounding facility for personal care products.
Surefil has also custom developed a new control system for the expanded facility. Each mixing vessel features full load cell capability, controlled addition of selected raw materials, automated additions of USP 29 purified water, and automated clean-in-place capability. The new facility also offers increased product-batch repeatability and consistency, reducing both batch production times and scrap.
The addition of two raw-material tanks has also increased Surefil’s storage capabilities. A new handling system for raw materials provides significantly reduced raw material costs and processing times.
“In essence, we’ve designed our expanded compounding facility for highly controlled manufacturing of all products, from mouthwash to shampoos, conditioners, and sunscreen,” says Bill Hunt, Surefil’s CEO.