Finalists of the inaugural Technology Excellence Awards unveiled

Show producer PMMI, The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, announced the finalists in the Technology Excellence Awards, a brand-new awards initiative that recognizes exhibitors’ innovative new technologies never previously shown at a PACK EXPO show.

Twenty-one Technology Excellence Awards finalists in seven categories will be highlighted during PACK EXPO International and Healthcare Packaging EXPO 2018 (Oct. 14–17; McCormick Place, Chicago) with show attendees serving as the ultimate final judge.

“PMMI believes these awards are another way to drive the industry to keep innovating and meet the ever-growing needs of consumer packaged goods companies,” says Laura Thompson, senior director of expositions, PMMI.  “We are amazed at the response and quality of submissions that we received for this exciting new program.”

The finalists for the inaugural Technology Excellence Awards are:

BAKING & SNACK

Automatic Changeover Wizard – Triangle Package Machinery Co. – Booth S-2014

Chamber Pouches – Sun Centre USA Inc. – Booth S-10650

Leather Print Packaging for Slim Jim Premium Smoked Sticks – Bemis Co., Inc. – Booth S-3705

BEVERAGE & DAIRY

LEWA Triplex Homogenizer – LEWA-Nikkiso America, Inc. – Booth E-9217

Sealed Rotary Drive Mechanism – R.A JONES –  Booth S-2501b

STANDCAP Pouch – Volpak – Booth S-2501

GENERAL PACKAGING

ACOPOStrak Adaptive Track Technology – B&R Industrial Automation Corp. – Booth N-5625

Evolabel QuickTamp – Fast and Friendly Logistics Labeling System – Evolabel – Booth E-10507

OUTDOOR ZONE no-bite Mosquito Repellent Pouches – PPi Technologies Group – Booth S-3819

MEAT/POULTRY/SEAFOOD

Active Packaging for Vacuum Packed Poultry Meat – Bemis Company Inc. – Booth S-3705

Contura S400 Leak Detector – INFICON – Booth E-8563

Mammoth Rollstock Packaging Machine – UltraSource LLC – Booth S-2875

PERSONAL CARE/COSMETICS

Biopelle Trusts in 10 mm Polyfoil® Single Dose Tube – Neopac The Tube – Booth W-875

StandOut™ Premade Inverted Pouch – Cheer Pack North America – Booth N-5885

Vetraco Modular Digital Printing Machines – VPack Technologies Corp. – Booth W-743

PHARMACEUTICALS/MEDICAL DEVICES

CO2 Snow Jet Cleaning Process – Bausch+Stroebel Machine Company, Inc. – Booth W-651b

LYO-CHECK – Antares Vision – Booth S-3760

SP Thermoformer – SP Thermoforming – Booth W-994

PREPARED FOODS

FTNON CoreTakr – FTNON – Booth E-10540

Robotic Horizontal & Vertical Pack System – Pearson Packaging Systems – Booth S-3506

Specright Cloud-Based Software Platform – Specright – Booth E-10814

Finalists were selected by the following Technology Excellence Awards Panelists:

• Stephanie Neil, Editor-In-Chief, OEM Magazine
• Ronald Puvak, Managing Director, Contract Packaging Association
• Matt Reynolds, Editor, Packaging World
• Dr. Bruce Welt, Professor (Packaging Engineering) – Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, University of Florida
• Carlos Diaz, Associate Professor (Packaging Science) – College of Applied Science & Technology, Rochester Institute of Technology
• Jane Chase, Executive Director, Institute of Packaging Professionals
• Pat Reynolds, VP Editor Emeritus, Packaging World

“With such a great response from exhibitors it was no small task for our panel of top industry professionals to narrow them down to just three finalists in each category. We encourage show attendees to stop by these exhibitors to see these innovations first-hand and cast their vote,” Thompson says.

Voting opens at 9 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 14 through noon on Tuesday, Oct. 16 to all PACK EXPO International and Healthcare Packaging EXPO 2018 attendees. Voters will pick their favorites online, on-site at the My Show Planner kiosks and via the show app, with the winner announcement taking place immediately after polls close.

This year’s PACK EXPO International and the co-located Healthcare Packaging EXPO will bring together 2,500 exhibitors showcasing their packaging innovations with 50,000 attendees in over 1.2 million net square feet of exhibit space. To register or for more information, visit packexpointernational.com or hcpechicago.com.