Beverage

No uniformity in changeover demands

Almost any way you measure packaging line changeover, the answers from Packaging World readers vary widely. The major agreement is that more changes are being demanded-and less time is available for doing them. However, the strategies for hastening change

February 28, 1997

Leaders (UNIVERSAL TAXONOMY PFW): Page 537

Beverage

Final score for '96: Productivity gains 41, productivity losses 6

Of 516 responses to the 1997 Packaging Productivity Trends Indicator Survey, more than four in ten (41%) report productivity improvements in 1996, compared to just 6% who say their companies experienced losses in productivity.

February 28, 1997

Beverage

Ciba slashes costs with flexible pack

Ciba Crop Protection, Greensboro, NC, reduced its packaging costs by more than half after switching to a custom 25-lb premade bag for its granular ant bait product used by farmers.

February 28, 1997

Beverage

Supplier news: International agreements

Kollmorgen Instruments Corp.'s (Waltham, MA) Macbeth Div. merged with the Gretag Color Control Systems Div. of Gretag AG (Regensdorf, Switzerland).

February 28, 1997

Beverage

AquaPenn's 8-oz PET breaks the size barrier

AquaPenn Spring Water Co. has what it believes is the smallest polyethylene terephthalate bottle for a nonalcoholic beverage in the country. Holding just 8 oz of spring water, the Quick Quench bottle was launched in mid-January, targeted primarily at foodservice institutions.

February 28, 1997

Beverage

O'Doul's calls phone card label a success

A Christmas holiday promotion involving a special telephone card "label" affixed to the inside of 12-packs of O'Doul's non-alcoholic beer has been called a success by Anheuser-Busch.

February 28, 1997

Beverage

Graphics suit Santa's Best coffee bag

In a two-month period ending in mid-January, Seattle's Best Coffee produced about 100ꯠ units of Santa's Best Blend(TM) 8-oz whole bean coffee.

February 28, 1997

Beverage

Dual-pump pack minimizes waste

Introduced in Mexico last September, Colgate's dual-pumping toothpaste dispenser is unique for several reasons, says Bob Mack, associate director of technology at Colgate Palmolive's Global Packaging Group.

February 28, 1997

Automation & Digital Transformation

Fieldbus interface

The Profibus process fieldbus interface card from Hardy Instruments (San Diego, CA) is designed for the company's HI 2160RC loss-in-weight rate controller.

January 31, 1997

Beverage

Steel drum

Trilla Steel Drum (Chicago, IL) now manufactures a 55-gal steel drum with a reduced diameter, designed to fit more drums more compactly into ISO containers.

January 31, 1997

Beverage

IBC serves up savings for sauce maker

Pepper Source reduces its packaging and distribution costs with a reusable bulk container that saves in both shipping and receiving, says maker of sauces, marinades and glazes.

January 31, 1997

Inspection, Sorting & Weighing

Bang the drum carefully

Open-headed fiber drums can't pass U.S. Dept. of Transportation drop tests. NAS recommendations could result in an exemption.

January 31, 1997

Conveying & Product Handling

United Distillers bulks up on savings

United Distillers saves $400ꯠ in freight and corrugated costs by purchasing bottles in bulk rather than in reshippers, and by shipping outgoing product in a Bliss-style case rather than the reshipper. New depalletizer, case erectors, case taper and inspection systems boost efficiency on 1.75-L spirits line.

January 31, 1997