Canadian Packaging October 2022

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COLUMNS

FROM THE EDITOR

George Guidoni

not throw the baby out with the bath water

cannabis legalization review.

CHECKOUT

Myles Shane

Public speaks out on packaging hits and misses.

14 DRAWING THE LINE

Independent Toronto brewery completes a massive new Krones canning line installation to quadruple its output capacity, improve its production flexibility, and further expand its product portfolio.

FEATURES

37 Joint Endeavor

A Top Tier Canadian cannabis producer automates its pre-rolls production with a unique made-in-Canada automation solution.

42 The Raw Deal

A high-performance automatic thermoform packaging solution enables British Columbia producer of raw pet food products to improve production efficiencies and develop more consumerfriendly packaging formats.

47 Showtime In Chicago

A preview of the advanced packaging technologies and solutions to be displayed at the upcoming PACK EXPO International 2022 packaging extravaganza in Chicago.

PAGE 20: SPECIAL REPORT

PAC CONNECTED 2022

Celebrating this year’s PAC Global Awards competition winners.

ON THE COVER

Brunswick Bierworks president Sean Fleming and chief operating officer Christoph Von der Heide strike a cheerful pose from top of the stairs leading to the mezzanine level of the company’s newly built production facility housing a turnkey state-of-theart Krones canning line.

Cover photography by Naomi Hiltz.

Let’s not throw the baby out with the bath water in cannabis biz review

Since legalizing cannabis for rec reational use in October of 2018, Canada has become the world’s testing ground and research lab for cannabis legislation and regulation, with governments around the world keeping a close eye on how the country’s fledgling cannabis sector evolves into a bona fide consumer packaged goods (CPG) sector making s meaningful eco nomic and social contribution to the Canadian society.

According to the federal government’s own figures, Ottawa will be spending, or mostly has spent, some $108.5 billion over six years (2017-2023) on various public education and awareness initiatives that include national advertising and social media awareness campaigns, along with various unspecified “collaboration projects” with provincial governments.

$108.5

The amount spent by Ottawa on cannabis education and awareness efforts since 2017

With many of the world’s leading “rich” countries having already declared their intentions to liberalize their own existing prohibitive laws on cannabis possession and consumption in coming years, the last thing Canada needs is some kind of a regulatory rollback of the considerable progress many of Canada’s LP (licensed producer) companies have made to date in providing Canadians with safe and in novative cannabis products.

No more sketchy nickel and dime baggies filled with sticky skunkweed of dubious quality and efficacy being hustled by even sketchier street dealers hawking their wares at dark street corners or underground grow-ops.

No more fear, anxiety and paranoia of falling afoul of the law for slight transgres sions involving a little marijuana enjoy ment after a stressful day, with punishment usually exceeding the nature of the of fence—a victimless crime if there ever was one—with disproportionately harsh punitive measures.

It’s worth noting that well more than half of Canadian cannabis users who used to get their marijuana from the black market have turned to legal cannabis producers for their needs, which is a highly encouraging trend insofar as driv ing the black market out of existence.

So while a federal review of the Canna bis Act’s impact on the Canadian society is not in itself a step backwards, there is a risk it could well become one if it draws the wrong conclusions or falls for the same old traditional prohibitionist rhetor ic advocating a dramatic policy turn around.

For an industry that was supposed to replenish the governments’ coffers with a whole new tax revenue stream, the amount of money spent by Ottawa to bombard consumers with cautionary advice and information about cannabis is staggering.

In addition, the government has author ized Health Canada to spend yet another $62.5 million over the same time period through its Substance Use and Abuse Pro gram to provide educational resources to vulnerable groups that include youth and young people, indigenous populations, pregnant and breastfeeding women and older adults, along with healthcare profes sionals and Canadians in general.

It’s anyone’s guess how much the new legislative review process, led by the socalled independent Expert Panel, will cost, but another eight-number figure is definite ly not out of the question by any stretch.

For an infant industry that is still trying to reach anything resembling reliable prof itability and return on investment, such fiscal largess would seem a tad inappropri ate at the very least.

Be that as it may, the government is adamant that its review of the Cannabis Act, specifically the seven key objectives speci fied in Section 7, are necessary to help:

• protect the health of youth by restricting their access to cannabis;

• protect youth and others from induce ments to use cannabis;

• provide for the licit production of can nabis to reduce illegal activities in rela tion to cannabis;

• deter illegal activities through appropri ate sanctions and enforcement meas ures;

• reduce the burden on the criminal jus tice system in relation to cannabis;

• provide access to a quality-controlled supply of cannabis;

• enhance public awareness of the health risks associated with cannabis use.

All noble goals, no doubt, but only time, and money, will tell how it all turns out in the end for the industry, the public and the government itself.

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Organic chocolate innovator offers sugar-free indulgence

For Canadian consumers concerned about their sugar intake, a new innovative product from organic chocolate producer Theo broma Chocolat will provide plenty of cheer in coming months following the launch of the company’s new Yummy Zero Sugar brand of plant-based, zero-sugar, organic chocolate.

Said to be two years in development, the nutritious, delicious-tasting chocolate is made with an organic and natural sweetener derived from cassava fibers, making it is rich in vegetable fibers.

According to the company, these fibers significantly differ from the current sug ar-free or sugar-controlled confectionery

products available on the Canadian market, which use synthetic sweeteners that are hard on the digestive system, and also mask the creamy taste of chocolate.

Founded in 2008 by Josée Vigneault and Jean-René Lemire in Saint-Augustin-deDesmaures, Que., the company plans to begin exporting the new product to U.S. markets following its well-received launch last month at the Canadian Health Food Association Natural Organic Wellness (CHFA NOW) exposition in Toronto.

“Yummy Zero Sugar is an indulgent healthy alternative which provides consumers with low to zero-sugar options,” says company co-founder and vice-president Lemire.

“Our delicious alternatives complement our current collections and align with our

Inspect & Reclaim Your Finished Goods

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quest to be a delicious force for change,” says Lemire, citing “social manufacturing” as the cornerstone of the company’s innovation and product development efforts.

“We don’t say no to sugar,” she states, “but we focus our energy on creating healthier indulgences that are fun and care about you, the planet, and your eating habits.”

Available in Coconut and Special Dark flavors, the new treats are individually wrapped in Mini format size inside resealable 90-gram stand-up pouches manufactured by TC Transcontinental Packaging, headquartered in Montreal, and feature high-impact decorative graphic design created by Theobroma’s Vigneault Chocolatier Ltée in-house design team.

According to 2010 market research conducted by Sugarwise, an international certification authority that assesses sugar content in foods and beverages, and branding consultants Strategy, 39 per cent of Canadian consumers cite sugar content was an important criterion when selecting their foods .

By 2017, that number had jumped to 69 per cent, and in 2020 about 72 per cent Canadians said that low sugar content was a priority, with nearly 80 per cent of surveyed participants saying they wanted to reduce their sugar intake.

According to many nutritionists, Canadian consumers are currently taking in 10 times the daily amount of sugar recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO)

“Our Yummy Zero Sugar products won’t fix everything, but they will help consumers meet World Health Organization recommendations,” says company co-founder Josée Vigneault.

“The carefully chosen ingredients have been certified organic, and they deliver on the same promise as all Theobroma products: pleasure first, enjoy!

“Yummy Zero Sugar has a rare flavor profile that matches that of dark chocolate with sugar, while surpassing the traditional ‘no sugar added’ choco late experience,” Vigneault states.

“Theobroma Chocolat has achieved this goal with its range of premium certified organic products.”

New package design oozes freshness and quality with updated logo and graphics

Originally starting out as a part-time sales gig for young business student Eric Frechette, who sold fresh strawberries door-to-door to fund his education, Taste of the North has come a long way in 25 years to become a widely respected distributor of local fresh produce within a 250-mile radius of the company’s fields in Quebec’s famed St. Lawrence Valley.

With the company’s reputation for the freshness of its products and minimal transpor tation carbon footprint starting to take hold in new key U.S. markets within its geographic reach, Taste of the North recently decided to upgrade the look of its products through a comprehensive packaging redesign to com municate the taste, quality and sustainability attributes of its strawberries and other Que bec-grown produce.

To make it happen, Taste of the North teamed up with leading Canadian package design services provider Pigeon Brands, tasking its designers to make its brand position, identity and package design align better with its identity as a punchy, youthful brand looking for the best ways to offer American clients fresh and tasty produce from Québec.

“We developed the brand strategy around the Taste of the North’s brand promise that delivers regionally-sourced produce grown the

right way—resulting in exceptional taste,” explains Pigeon Brands creative director Jean Francois Beliveau.

“This translated into the consumer truth of

experiencing delicious flavorful produce, which was the driving point of differentiation and insight leading us to develop the tagline ‘Joy in every bite.’

“With a stronger emphasis on ‘taste’ in the logo, a more contemporary wordmark, and a saturation of a fresher green on pack, the new look and feel truly speaks to the brand’s delicious offerings and sustainable values,” Beliveau.

Featuring on both the quart-sized paper board punnets and the six-pack corrugated cases used to ship them to market, the new strawberry packaging is expected to help Taste of the North solidify its market share growth south of the border, according to company founder and chief executive officer Eric Frechette.

“We work with specialized local partners in Québec to supply the northeastern region of the U.S. to offer quality food filled with taste and freshness—all thanks to our short-circuit transportation policy.

“As environmental values weigh more and more in consumers’ purchase decisions, our business model enhances the sustainable practices of our Québec partners, with whom

PACKAGING STARTS WITH

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you want SUPERIOR production?

love the speed.

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Top Coca-Cola brands making a clear choice for PET recyclability

Two of The Coca-Cola Company’s biggest brands in North America are taking major steps to support a circular economy for plastic packaging, with DASANI bottled water rolling out bottles made from 100-percent recycled PET (polyethylene terephthalate) plastic—ex cluding caps and labels—and Sprite transi tioning from green to clear plastic to increase the material’s likelihood of being remade into new beverage bottles.

A majority of DASANI bottles in the U.S— from 20-ounce and 1.5-liter singles to 10- and 12-ounce multipacks—have been gradually replaced with 100-percent recycled plastic since mid-summer. In Canada, this innovation spans all DASANI bottles.

The shift supports both DASANI’s pledge to remove the equivalent of two billion virgin plastic bottles from production by 2027, compared to 2021 levels, and its World Without Waste initiative’s goal to use at least 50-percent recycled material in its bottles and cans by 2030.

The brand’s transition to 100-percent recycled plastic is projected to save more than 20 million pounds of new plastic, compared to 2019, and cut more than 25,000 metric tons of GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions in 2023 alone.

“Demand for rPET currently exceeds supply, so the first step to scaling up use of 100-percent rPET across our portfolio is building a sustainable pipeline of high-quality material,” says Chris Vallette, senior vice-president of technical innovation and stewardship at Coca-Cola North America

“We do this by working with communities to boost PET recycling and collection; collaborat ing with recycling partners; and, finally, securing rPET to help ensure the material for our bottles is used again and again,” says Vallette, adding the DASANI brand will continue to drive consumer awareness through the bold, on-pack “100% Recycled Bottle” and “Recycle Me Again” calls-to-action also used on retail signage and other communications.

“We saw how much the 100-percent recycled PET message truly resonates with our custom ers and consumers, particularly DASANI fans whose sustainability expectations are especially high,” says Vallette, noting that DASANI has long been at the forefront of sustainable

innovation.

Over the last decade, America’s leading bottled water brand has unveiled a steady stream of footprint-reducing packaging breakthroughs, including PlantBottle; HybridBottle fusing rPET and virgin PET; aluminum cans and bottles; DASANI PureFill package-less water dispensers; and indus try-first bottle caps made from recycled high-density polyethylene (HDPE) plastic.

For its part, the Sprite soft-drink brand began transitioning all of plastic PET packaging from the original signature green color to clear in early August. Although green PET is recyclable, the recycled material is more often converted into single-use items like clothing and carpeting that cannot be recycled into new PET bottles. Moreover, green and other colored PET must be separated from clear material during the sorting process to avoid discoloration when making new PET bottles.

“Taking colors out of bottles improves the quality of the recycled material,” says Julian Ochoa, chief executive of R3CYCLE, which is working with Coca-Cola Consolidated to enable bottle-to-bottle recycling across the largest U.S. bottler’s 14 state-territory.

“This transition will help increase availability of food-grade rPET,” Ochoa states. ”When recycled, clear PET Sprite bottles can be remade into bottles, helping drive a Circular Economy for plastic.”

LOOKING TO EXPAND YOUR BEER PACKAGING LINE? YOU KNOW BEER,

KNOW CONVEYORS

When expanding your canning or bottling operations, there is much to consider. It can take many months to plan and procure new equipment prior to installation. Plus, it can take several months to get to producing saleable cans after you’ve installed new equipment. You know beer, we know conveyors – we can assist with design, consultation, installation, service and support during and after run-in. From conveying components, guide rail, speed reduces and bearings to Perceptiv™ diagnostic services, we can help you get new conveyors running smoothly and make the complex simple.

NEWSPACK

Package redesign project a testament to partnership

Based in Hamilton, Ont., profes sional cleaning products manufac turer Project Clean provides customers with superior industrial and commercial cleaning products designed for people and the environment. But during the recent COVID-19 pandemic, Project Clean president and chief executive officer Normand Frechette recalls the company encountered a supply chain issue with an existing line and needed an immediate packaging solution.

Acting on advice of one of his industry peers, Frechette emailed Court Carruthers, chief executive officer of St. Louis, Mo.-headquar tered rigid plastic products manufacturer TricorBraun, to see if he could help out.

Highly impressed with Tricor Braun’s swift response and turnaround, Frechette felt compelled to contact TricorBraun again earlier this year to help Project Clean carry out a compre hensive packaging redesign.

Specifically, Project Clean wanted to align its product range with the company’s 30-year mission of to providing more effective and safer environmentally-friendly solutions with a sustainable custom design solution.

“The industrial and commercial cleaning industry is renowned for very little innovation,” Frechette states. “For as long as I can remember, the typical industrial cleaning bottle has always been a round shape.

Says Frechette: “It constantly irritated me to open a shipping case with round bottles and see all the extra space.

“Not utilizing that space means using more cardboard boxes to ship a specific number of bottles,” Frechette points out.

“There had to be a better way.

As Frechette recalls, Project Clean also required a sustainable packaging solution that would reduce its plastic impact at the source and minimize waste leakage by creating a product that was not just single use—ultimately selecting 100-percent PCR (post-consumer recycled) content resin.

“We knew we couldn’t divert from plastic because it is the best option for our industry to protect goods from damage during shipment from point A to point B,” says Siriya Couturier, sustainabil ity, innovation, and marketing director for Project Clean.

“Therefore, we chose 100-per

cent PCR resin as it has the same functionality as regular plastic but reduces our overall environmental footprint.”

After engaging a series of focus groups to obtain consumer insights on the most impactful ergonomic handle placement, the Tricor Braun Design & Engineering team recommended a rectangular gallon bottle with an angled handle for a more comfortable pour.

TricorBraun also recommended an ergonomically-friendly, squaredoff one-liter bottle that would not only maximize the space inside the sipping boxes during transit, but would also make the brand stand out from all the round bottles used in the industrial market.

“We had a pretty tight launch time-frame,” says Frechette, “which was a challenge in itself.

“Yet TricorBraun worked tirelessly to manage our time-line and design a solution that would move our company towards better packaging and a superior user experience,” added Frechette.

And while Project Clean swiftly approved the bottle design, both teams had to immediately address a pandemic-driven obstacle before the design could be produced.

Trigger sprayers often come with cleaning products because they are easy to use and conven iently dispense liquids. However, with the pandemic disrupting the supply chain, it was nearly impossible to source a trigger sprayer supplier.

“TricorBraun quickly pivoted to address this supply chain disrup tion by recommending its Halo Multi-Stream push-pull closure that provides an optimal user experience,” says Rachel Murphy, director of category and consumer insights for TricorBraun Design & Engineering. “Because our team constantly prioritizes product innovation and development, we had this commercially-available solution ready when Project Clean needed it.”

Unlike typical push-pull closures have four different holes that spray outward into a stream that merges into one, the new Halo Multi-Stream closure from TricorBraun provides unique ability to dispense a wider spray pattern.

IN CLOSE PROXIMITY

Designed as a durable solution for daily indoor and outdoor applications, the new IRC40 inductive proximity sensors from CARLO GAVAZZI enable accurate detection of actuating parts, such as skid conveyor positioning, step detection on escalators, and material positioning on conveyor systems. Resistant to extreme operating conditions such as exposure to a wide range of temperatures, frequent high pressure, and washdown cycles, the IRC40 series sensors offer flexible adjust ment and adaptability for any application with their the five-position sensing face, and they can be quickly installed without any tools with the mounting bracket’s push-lock mechanism. Well-suited for a wide range of conveyor system applications on production lines and escalators requiring optimal reliability and flexibility, the IRC40 series inductive proximity sensors are loaded with value-add features such as:

• Four-corner visible LEDs with diagnostic functions;

• Extended sensing distance range from 22-mm to 40-mm;

• Operating temperature range of -25˚C to +80˚C (-13˚F to +176˚F);

• IP68 and IP69K protection against high pressure and high-temperature washing cycles;

• 40x40x66-mm plastic housing with M12-plug;

• Flush or non-flush mounting with antivalent output.

CARLO GAVAZZI (Canada) Inc.

SOMETHING TO THICK ABOUT

The new ThicknessPen measuring device from Agr International Inc. is a highly innovative new portable thickness gauge featuring patent-pending, dual measurement mode technology that makes it ideal for measuring applications in the laboratory or on the plant floor. Developed to address the multiple and diverse thickness measure applica tions of the production environment, the Thickness Pen’s small size, light weight and robust design enable its use just about anywhere to obtain easy, non-destructive and highly accurate thickness measurement of all types of non-ferrous products, regardless of their size, shape or material. Accord ing to the company, the user-friendly ThicknessPen differs from other measurement devices with its patent-pending, dual-mode operation that offers users the option to measure using either a magnetic or capacitance mode, whichever is most appropriate for the application.

HEAVY LIFTING

To suit rugged material handling and product transfer applications that require frequent cycling (lifting and lowering) of heavy-duty lift tables, Southworth Company now offers high-duty cycle packages that increase recommended maintenance intervals from 50,000 cycles to 200,000 cycles by incorporating more rugged and durable wear parts to provide longer service life and better performance in applications that involve oversized or non-uniform loads, which can cause uneven wear in standard lifts, requiring premature replacement and resulting in unplanned production downtime . Often specified for integration with other material handling systems like conveyors and sortation systems, all of the compa ny’s LS Series lifts—including 2,000-, 4,000-, 6,000- and 8,000-pound capacity units—can be configured for high-duty cycles.

Southworth Company

BULK TRANSFER

Designed to automate reliable product transfer conveying of powders, granules and other small particles, the new piFLOW range of batch volume optimization vacuum conveyors from Piab operate by taking bulk solid particles from a pick-up point and releasing them into a receiving vessel or a piece of equipment in pre-determined batches, using an integrated level sensor to ensure optimal wight and volume accuracy. Once the conveyor is filled up by each cycle, the sensor automatically triggers the release process. This way, operators can set the conveyor up quickly and the automatic level sensing adds an extra layer of safety, according to the company, which protects the equipment from unplanned maintenance.

Piab

Inverted flexible pouch pack makes for happy honeymoon

Making honey for a liv ing has been a sweet and joyful ride for Texas-based Nature Nate’s Honey Co., which has grown into the Number One branded honey company in the U.S. only 10 years after launching its flagship Nature Nate’s brand into the retail markets.

Originally started up in 1972 under the North Dallas Honey moniker, the company was acquired by recent college graduate Nathan Sheets in 1997, who started out by filling pure, raw and unfiltered hon ey inside glass containers in his home garage.

By 2013, the fledgling start-up secured enough capital backing to move to a new production facility company in McKinney, Tex., and to acquire 12 acres of prime farmland for beekeeping and harvesting.

Dedicated to offering honey as nature intended—100-percent pure, raw and unfiltered—the Nature Nate’s brand honey arrives in its most natural form—the closest to its original provision from the hive.

Adhering to strict quality-control standards, sourcing honey from trusted beekeepers, and minimally processing it to ensure the honey retains its natural benefits, the com pany is keenly aware of the need to make its packaging as sustainable as

possible.

To achieve this, Nature Nate re cently worked with Glenroy Inc., a leading sustainable flexible pack aging company headquartered in Menomee Falls,Wis., to develop the innovative, squeezable STANDCAP Pouch package offering a wide range of sustainable benefits.

Developed as an alternative to the traditional rigid plastic bottles dom inating the honey category, the pre made STANDCAP Pouch pack

aging provides a gravity-fed, no-drip solution that uses far less materials and energy to produce.

According to a comprehensive LCS (life-cycle analysis) study con ducted by Glenroy, the new STANDCAP Pouch packaging’s sustainability benefits include:

• Using approximately 60 per cent less plastic to make;

• Consuming 71 per cent less water during production;

• Generating 50 per cent less GHG

(greenhouse gas) emissions in the production process;

• Requiring approximately 44 per cent less fossil fuel during trans portation;

As Nature Nate’s founder and chief executive officer Nathan Sheets proclaims, “It’s our role to bring innovation to the honey shelf and kitchens across the country— whether that’s in taste, purity, testing, or packaging.

“Our inverted pouches are unique to the market and allow our custom ers to enjoy our honey with every easy squeeze,” says Sheets, citing a steady increase in online pouch sales on the Amazon network.

According to Sheets, the success of STANDCAP Pouch on amazon has caught the attention of some of the nation’s leading grocery retailers, gaining additional shelf-space at Kroger and Walmart stores nation wide.

As Says Nature’s Nate senior vice-president of marketing Becca May explains,“The pre-made STANDCAP Pouch creates new usage across generations, as people of all ages can interact with the pouch because it is easy to use.

“It’s exciting to see our customers migrate to the new pouch format and introduce our high-quality products to new customers in our more sustainable packaging.”

BEHOLD THE LINE!

Toronto beverage processor completes milestone capital investment project with expert turnkey canning line installation and advanced inline processing capabilities

By George Guidoni, Editor Photos by Naomi Hiltz

hile most people will agree with the endur ing notion that quality is always preferable to quantity, there is really nothing better than having both. And although chasing the best of both worlds can often be a frustratingly elusive pursuit for many, falling short on either count was never an option for hardworking folks at Toronto-based brewer Brunswick Bierworks Inc.

Founded in 2016 and already ranking as one of the country’s leading privately owned brewers, the company has enjoyed stellar growth and success by operating as a partner manufacturing business focused on providing turnkey beverage production and packaging services for a diverse range of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverage brands including beer, cider, pre-mixed

Wcocktails, coolers, seltzers and many other popular and trendy RTD (ready-to-drink) beverages.

“Our sole focus is on our customers,” says company founder and president Sean Fleming, noting that beer produc tion currently accounts for half of its total output.

However, that output is all set to in crease significantly the double in coming weeks and months as the company finetunes a newly commissioned, state-ofthe-art turnkey canning line, along with some processing equipment, supplied to the east-end Toronto brewery earlier this year by leading global beverage process ing and packaging systems manufacturer Krones AG.

Housed inside a newly refurbished 30,000-square-foot building adjacent to Brunswick’s original 47,000-square-foot brewhouse and storefront facility, the new turnkey line has enabled the com pany to ramp up its throughput speeds up to 1,100 cans per minute, according to

Brunswick Bierworks chief operating officer Christoph Von Der Heide (left) with president and chief executive officer Sean Fleming.

Fleming, boosting its annual capacity to about one million hectoliters per year.

“The state-of-the-art functionality and additional extra capacity will certain ly go s long way towards serving our customers’ ambitions and ensuring product integrity,” Fleming told Can adian Packaging on a recent visit to the new building, equipped primarily with high-quality, leading-edge Krones equip ment throughout all stages of the produc tion process—from blending and depal letizing to end-of-line packaging and labeling.

For Fleming, the $30-million expan sion of the company’s manufacturing capacity represents a milestone leap into the elite ranks of the Canadian beverage processing industry—opening up lucra tive new exporting opportunities in the nearby U.S. markets.

“We are looking to expand, not just here in Canada but across North Amer ica,” says Fleming, complimenting the company’s dedicated project team, con tractors and Krones for enabling a rela tively smooth and on-schedule line in stallation and commissioning despite the logistical and other challenges encoun tered during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It was a great team effort all around to get everything in place on time and run ning up to the speeds we wanted,” says Fleming, clearly delighted with the new line’s “solid performance” so far.

“We wanted to get the best equipment possible for this line,” Fleming says, “and that’s why we selected to work with Krones, who are renowned for the high quality of their equipment.

“We also wanted to deal with just one partner instead of multiple suppliers, so that any equipment issues can be readily addressed and resolved quickly and dir ectly,” he continues.

“Krones gives us the ‘one-stop’ solu tion we were looking for with best-inclass equipment and top-notch profes sional service,” Fleming states. “They were absolutely fantastic to work with from Day One.”

While installing high-speed, high-per formance canning lines is nothing new for Krones, one of the world’s elite manufacturers of beverage production machinery and equipment, the Bruns wick Bierworks project carries extra significance because it also involved in stallation of important new processing machinery also made by Krones— namely a state-of-the-art multipurpose blender and a powder dissolving station.

“The integrated powder dissolving station will enable them to produce beverages with almost every possible composition and formulation,” says Mathias Gorlitt, managing director and head of Canadian sales at Krones Machinery Co. Ltd. in Mississauga, Ont.

“For its part, the blender is able to de-aerate the product in up to three

(From Top)

A partial view of the new Krones canning line from the plant’s mezzanine level.

Filled can being transported en masse inside the high-volume Krones Linaflex tunnel pasteurizer.

Filled cans exiting the Krones Linaflex pasteurizer to pass through the Linadry 890 can dryers to remove all moisture off the surface prior to labeling.

The new Krones canning line at Brunswick Bierworks has been optimized to run at speeds of up to 1,100 cans per hour.

(From top)

An overhead view of the Krones Variopac Pro TFS 6 packer, whic is a fully-automatic system that can produce a broad range of secondary packaging formats.

One of many SEW-Eurodrive motors deployed to power various conveyor lines throughout the new Brunswick Bierworks facility.

A close-up view of the Krones Modulpal 2A fully-automatic palletizer building layers of boxed beverages on top of a wooden skid.

Close-up of the Krones Robobox TG-S tripod robot inside the Modulpal 2A palletizer swinging into action.

stages for the highest product quality possible, carbonate it, and mix up to four different components into the main product stream inline,” says Gorlitt, cit ing the line’s flexibility as one of its key attributes.

“It is possibly one of the highest flexible lines in Canada when it comes to the product range which can be produced inline,” says Gorlitt, noting the new pro cessing equipment is perfectly suitable for both batch and inline processing.

According to Brunswick’s chief oper ating officer Christian Von der Heide, the new processing equipment has enabled the brewery to achieve processing speeds of up to 400 hectoliters per hour—a tenfold increase from a year ago—while significantly expanding its product reper toire and portfolio.

“We can now use all kinds of innovative ingredients—powder formats, sugars, non-nutritive sweeteners, flavorings or dry ingredients, and blend them all into stable liquid components is required to produce the exact beverage recipe that our customer partners want,” says Von der Heide, lauding the benefits of having fully integrated processing and packaging capabilities.

“Inline instrumentation enables us to control and adjust all the product speci fications in terms of carbonation, calories, alcohol content, and sugar levels in real time,” he says, “and have the whole pro cess data-logged for later analysis.

“It’s a real leap forward for us in terms of delivering optimal product integrity,” Von der Heide asserts. “We have become the transparent plant for our partner breweries, like their virtual own produc tion facility.”

Adds Gorlitt: “We also integrated our Line Diagnostic System (LDS) technol ogy, which enables Brunswick to monitor and analyze filling line performance in real time and long-term.

“Moreover, our integrated Line Manage ment System (LMS) helps to guide and support the Brunswick equipment oper ators in parameterization during the oper ation of the line, especially during change overs, and makes sure the line efficiency is kept on the highest possible level,” Gorlitt states.

“Brunswick has recognized that digi talization is the way forward and key to securing their success in the market,” says Gorlitt, “and our embedded IT/ digitalization solution will undoubtedly play a role in helping them achieve their ambitious goals going into the future.”

Expertly installed and integrated by Krones technicians and Brunswick’s inhouse technical team, the new Krones canning line comprises:

• Krones Pressant Universal 1A de palletizer. Capable of depalletizing up to 400 layers of cans per minute, the modular seep-off machine is designed to ensure reliable and gentle container

handling at high speeds.

Incorporating high-precision ser vo-controlled drive technology, the flexible system can process pallets with inverted trays, pallets with layer pads and inverted trays, or pallets with layer pads and top frames.

Using sensor for determining each top layer, the fully-automatic depallet izer centers the layers from all four sides before safely transporting them to the container discharge table.

• Krones Cantronic 709 empty can in spection system. Capable of inspecting up to 130,000 cans per hour, the Can tronic 709 features a high-resolution camera to detect and reject damaged, deformed, and dirty cans before they proceed to the filling stages.

• Krones VODM-C volumetric can filler and Krones Modulseam MS8 can seamer for high-speed filling and cap ping of the different-sized cans with carbonated beverages, assisted with integrated Mini Multifeeder-2 auto matic closures dispenser—manufac tured by CSW Machinery B.V. in Holland—automatically feeding the seamer horizontally with the aluminum closures from sleeved stacks.

• Krones Checkmat 707 inspection system for filled cans, used for inline fill level and cap inspection using ad vanced X-Ray inspection technology.

• Krones Linaflex tunnel pasteurizer. Designed to ensure optimal product safety and shelf-life, the high-volume

LinaFlex pasteurizer can process up to 180,000 containers per hour in a double-deck configuration, with its modular design ensuring the most economical use of resources like water and energy.

The tunnel pasteurizer is made up of eight tunnel modules divided into tem perature zones, which allow gentle heat ing and cooling of the containers before and after pasteurization, as specified by their product-specific programs stored in the system’s HMI (human-machine interface) control panel.

The machine’s patented CHESS heating system incorporates an energy-ef ficient method of operation whereby only one heat exchanger is required to supply

the individual zones of the pasteurizer with hot water.

The system’s tank collects the overflow and returns it to the pasteurization zones via the heat exchanger to close the water cycle— thereby slashing the heating-up times for the individual zones and saving vast amounts on energy and water con sumption, according to Krones.

• Krones VarioClean clean-in-place (CIP) system.

• Krones Linadry 890 can dryers for blowing water droplets off the cans, at speed of up to 72,000 cans per hour, to ensure a dry surface for label application.

• Krones Variopac Pro TFS 6 packer. Designed for maximum operational flexibility, the fully-automatic Variopac

(Clockwise from top)

Overhead view of the fully-automatic Modulpal 2A palletizing workcell; the Krones Checkmat 707 X-Ray inspection system used for inline fill level and cap detection; close-up of the Videojet 1880 continuous inkjet printer mounted on the canning line applying codes.

“We have become the transparent plant for our partner breweries, like their virtual own production facility.”

Pro packer combines the main machine, blanks magazine, feeder, the pack for mation unit, the film wrapping module and a shrinking tunnel to produce a broad variety of secondary packaging formats—including trays, shrink wrapped packs, shrinkwrapped packs with pad, shrink-wrapped packs with tray, and wraparound packs—at from 30 to 150 cycles per minute, depending on pack format and dimensions.

The fully-automatic Variopac Pro pack er easily adapts to all packaging trends. Packaging with pads, in trays, or wraparound cartons—with, without or exclu sively in a shrink-wrapped film—the dif ferent models of the Variopac Pro cover a wide range of packaging variations.

• Krones Modulpal 2A fully-automatic

palletizer. Incorporating a high-per formance Robobox T-GS tripod robot, the two-axes system picks up the finished multipacks at the grouping station and places them down again on the pallet position at up to 500 layers per hour, depending on the gripper system, with 700-kilogram load capacity.

As Gorlitt relates, Krones also sup plied container, pack and pallet convey ors used to link all the different Krones machines in the line, which reaches its end at the fully-automatic Lantech ro tary-arm stretchwrapping station to prepare the palletized loads for storage and/or shipment.

Says Gorlitt: “Brunswick’s goal was to not only have world-leading, first-class filling equipment in place, but also a

unique processing solution that flawless ly integrates into their production and packaging process.

“It was a great project on many levels,” he says, “and the fact that it has been done practically in front of our company’s front door makes it extra special.

“We are proud to have been chosen a key supplier to make sure they are per fectly positioned for their ambitious goals,” Gorlitt concludes. “This line provides Brunswick with a highly flexible operation that will enable them to pro vide innovative co-packing solutions in the biggest variety of products and pack aging formats possible.”

SUPPLIERS

Krones Machinery Co. Ltd.

All Krones equipment in the new canning line is controlled by user-friendly Krones iPanel CD HMI terminals to ensure optimal real time process monitoring and on-the-fly adjust ments.

Two of the high-volume stainless-steel blending and holding tanks housed inside the new Brunswick Bierworks facility.

Close-up of the Moduseal MSB seamer applying lids to the filled cans coming out of the VODM-C volumetric can filler.

(Clockwise from top)

PAC Global, Chartingan International Course

We’ve learned so much during the pandemic. We’ve learned that Plastic Pacts, Golden Design Rules, global communication, and purpose-centered enterprises are all key stepstones on the global path toward reducing plastic waste. Runaway inflation and broken supply chains are some of the obstacles on that path.

These new learnings and challenges enabled us to charter a new course post-pandemic, as PAC Global. We wish to bring the packaging world to our members’ doorstep.

The future demands that our industry stay at the cutting edge of opportunity and will allow brands and retailers to showcase their ability to innovate and inspire through package design. The packages of today must be designed by all, for all. Sustainable, accessible, and inclusive packaging is no longer optional. It is the cost of entry.

PAC Global has endeavoured to meet the moment for our members through new initiatives and an international and diverse board of directors. We recently welcomed several global members into our family:

• Anheuser Busch | Belgium Innovation Center

• Indorama, Thailand | The world’s largest PET producer

• Kellogg’s, P&G, Unilever | Three of the U.K.’s largest brands and leaders of the accessible packaging movement

• Pulpac and Paboco | Scandinavia’s Fibre Packaging Leaders

• Aire Global and Pearlfisher |U.K. brand design agencies.

Jim Downham, PAC Global President & CEO with Rebecca Casey, Senior VP Marketing & Strategy at TC Transcontinental.

In March 2021, we launched PAC IOU (Inclusive Opportunities and Universal Design) program—at no cost to our members—that champions inclusivity, equality and accessibility in packaging brand design and innovation. Since launch, we have seen tremendous growth and we are excited about what this group will accomplish for the future of packaging. Sign the PAC IOU charter today at pac.global/charter

In April 2022, we launched the PAC MART, a global packaging marketplace designed to offer members a curated, digital shopping mall experience. We recently made the decision to broaden the reach and power of this program and move the platform to our public website. We seek to offer our members an opportunity to showcase themselves to the entire PAC Global worldwide network. The PAC MARTVersion 2.0 is set to launch in the coming months.

In May 2022, Rebecca Casey was appointed as Chair of the PAC Global Board of Directors. Rebecca is the third female chair in history and is the Senior Vice President of Marketing & Strategy at TC Transcontinental Packaging. Her long history of leadership, coupled with her experience in strategy makes her an ideal person for this role.

Thank you to outgoing Chair Brent Heist of Procter & Gamble for all his leadership and support. Brent recently stepped down but will remain on the Board of Directors after serving as our Chair for the last four years.

In this PAC Connected edition, you will find a round-up of 2022 PAC Global Awards winners. This global competition features the best of brand design and packaging innovation.

We’d like to thank our members for their continued support. If you are not yet a member, we hope you’ll join the growing PAC Global network. Our future growth and our ability to create valuable programs and initiatives for you like PAC IOU and PAC MART depend on your support.

Our PAC Global guiding principles remain: Champion. Collaborate. Innovate. Educate. Celebrate.

2022 PAC GLOBAL BOARD OF DIRECTORS

CHAIR

Rebecca Casey, Senior VP Marketing & Strategy

TC Transcontinental

FIRST VICE-CHAIR

Priya Roberts, Global DirectorInnovation & Technology Maple Leaf Foods Inc.

SECOND VICE CHAIR

Paul Yang, Director - Global Innovation Tim Horton’s

PAST CHAIR

Brent Heist, Global Packaging Sustainability Procter & Gamble

DIRECTORS AT LARGE

Stephen Beauchamp, Regional General Manager: Merchandising Displays, WestRock

Ben Blaber, Senior Vice President, Account Director, Davis

Phillip Crowder, Director, Corporate Sustainability, Winpak Ltd

James D. Downham, President & CEO PAC Global

Emilio Filice, Sr. Sales Manager

National Beer & Wine Accounts O-I Canada Corp.

Nicole Fischer, Head of Sustainability Kraft Heinz Canada

David Gnadt DirectorPackaging and Dispense R&D & Innovation, Molson Coors Brewing

Louis Lemaire, Director of Sales Foodservice Graphic Packaging International Canada

Luc Lortie

Sustainability & Environment Director Costco Wholesale Canada

Pete Matthews

Director, Brand Design & Operations Kelloggs

Paul McCarthy, Country Manager HP Indigo

Rob McCarthy, President, Marks

Stephen Miranda

Vice President, Recycling - Canada GFL Environmental Inc.

Richard Pileski, Senior Vice President, Business Development Jones Healthcare Group

John Shorthouse

STELLA

Mike Richmond, Principal, PTIS

John Wilson, Sustainability Director

Amcor Flexibles North America

JAMES D. DOWNHAM, President & CEO, PAC Global.

THE GOLD STANDARD

Canada Plastics Pact urging major consumer goods companies to take the next step towards plastic circularity with Golden Design Rules for Plastics Packaging

By Paul Shorthouse

What do a single serve cof fee cup, a bag of chips, and a bread tag have in common? At the end of their life-cycle, these plastic items will either be thrown away in a landfill, incinerated, or lost to the environment—contributing to the mil lions of tonnes of plastic pollution gen erated in Canada each year.

Poor packaging design, problematic materials, and excess packaging are disrupting the plastics recycling indus try, but it doesn’t have to be this way.

On a global scale, we’ve identified design interventions and innovative ap proaches that are more in line with Circular Economy principles and evolv ing recycling systems.

The Golden Design Rules (GDR) for Plastics Packaging , launched by the Consumer Goods Forum Coalition of Action on Plastic Waste , were developed collaboratively with 41 global companies in response to the New Plastics Economy Global Commit ment led by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and the UN Environment Programme

Since April 2022, the Canada Plas tics Pact (CPP) with the support of its Redesign Working Group has been leading the consultation and implemen tation of these nine packaging rules in Canada.

Vlad Rebellon, Director of Strategic Initiatives at Loblaw Companies Lim ited , and Jim Downham, CEO at PAC Global , serve as Co-chairs on the Re design Working Group, driving GDR review and acceptance. Dan Lantz, PAC NEXT Director, serves as the committee technical director.

Key actors across the plastics value chain are working collaboratively to drive innovation and scale action to create this visionary new business mod el, in which problematic or unnecessary plastics are eliminated by 2025.

Now those single-serve coffee cups and bag closures are among many types of plastic packaging for which CPP Partners are innovating new, closedloop options.

Canadian Tire Corporation , Club Coffee, and Bimbo Canada are among 20 CPP Partners and 10 consumer goods companies that have adopted the packaging rules in Canada and commit ted to taking effective action for the benefit of consumers and the environ ment.

Club Coffee, one of the largest coffee roasters and sustainable packaging in novators in North America, has set new benchmarks for coffee packaging by implementing a vast majority of the GDRs. Club Coffee’s revolutionary AromaPak system has reduced the weight of its packaging, transitioned from plastic coffee bags to recyclable, paper-based packaging, and innovated its single-serve coffee pod to become fully compostable.

These design changes to its R&G coffee packaging have reduced plastic use by 48 per cent compared to a similar foil quad seal bag, and by 83 per cent compared to a similar plastic canister,

2022 PAC Global Awards winning package, President’s Choice store brand of roast coffee, developed by Club Coffee using the recyclable and renewable Aroma Pak Boardio paperboard packaging de veloped by AR Packaging in Sweden.

while reducing carbon emissions by 78 per cent compared to canisters.

“We’re looking for solutions to cus tomers’ problems and using the Golden Design Rules as guardrails along that journey to make sure we are making the right decisions,” says Claudio Gemmiti, Chief Innovation Officer, Club Coffee.

What many companies have learned from the GDRs is that a small change can have a big impact. Bimbo Canada, the nation’s leading bakery, has transi tioned to compostable cardboard clips on its bread bags to reduce its use of single-use plastic by approximately 200 metric tonnes annually.

Canadian Tire Corporation is also taking effective action to scale change. Last year, the giant retailer completed a pilot with its top 38 vendors to collect more accurate packaging data to meas ure compliance with the GDRs, and introduced new sustainable product packaging standards for its branded products.

This year, Canadian Tire is advancing process change across the enterprise, developing vendor education, scaling successful pilot programs, and gather ing detailed packaging data for its new products.

“This common set of guidelines will not only reduce waste and our impact on the environment, but also make it easier for our customers to recycle and for municipalities to collect and pro

connected

cess,” says Kim Saunders, Vice Presi dent, ESG Strategy & Community Im pact, Canadian Tire Corporation.

“Working with partners like CPP to consider how our business decisions of today will impact our world tomorrow is one of the many ways we are helping to make life in Canada better.”

Choices about materials, colors, labels and adhesives, shape, and size of packaging all affect the circularity of packaging.

They impact whether packaging will be rejected and end up in a landfill, or if it will contaminate recycling systems, hindering the recyclability of even well-designed packaging.

The Golden Design Rules are timely— enabling businesses to take immediate action to address some of the most pressing concerns.

While we still have a long road ahead to address all challenges around pack aging design, such as creating end markets that give value to recycled plastics, the GDRs serve as a tool to

enable innovation and evolution of plastic packaging, while providing com mon design guidelines to simplify and align the market.

As countries around the world imple ment policies and measures to reduce or eliminate plastic waste, the GDRs will be reviewed and iterated to incorporate learning and respond to a changing context.

There is no doubt that plastics serve many practical purposes in our daily lives, but with an unprecedented amount of plastic pollution flowing into our natural environment, the scale of the challenge to ensure plastics are re used, recycled or composted will not only require new ways of thinking, but also require businesses to unite and take bold risks to transform a broken system into one that is able to scale impact.

The Canada Plastics Pact supports member and non-member companies to address and/or amplify their progress in tackling any number of the GDRs.

The CPP encourages companies

GOLDEN DESIGN RULES

adjust their packaging design

more or

on to the Golden Design Rules at any point in time by reaching out to info@plasticspact.ca

Managing Director

PAUL

Claudio Gemmiti, Chief Innovation Officer at Club Coffee with John Pigott, CEO at Club Coffee, receiving their 2022 PAC Global Award in Sustainable Innovation.

connected

STELLAR STELLA

Disruptive package design methodology yields bold new look and feel for the universally beloved global beer brand

First brewed in 1926 by Brouwerij Artois in Leuven, Belgium, the Stella Artois pilsner is a well-traveled and much beloved global beer brand that never seems out of place at any social occasion.

Leveraging illustrious history and a classy, universally recognized brand logo design framed in an oblong car touche shape, the Stella Artois brand is a key strategic asset in the broad product portfolio of AB InBev

Available in 90 countries around the world and generating annual revenues of over US$1.7 billion, the iconic brand enjoys exceptional popularity in North America, U.K, Australia and many other international markets.

“We have a rich history of brewing that goes back 600 years,” says Brad Weaver, Global Vice-President Of Com mercial Innovation for the supply side of Anheuser-Busch InBev business.

As part of his job responsibilities, Weaver serves as the Line Manager, bridging innovations with the needs and requirements of the business through the Commercial Marketing team work ing at the company’s AB InBev Global Innovation & Technology Center in Leuven, Belgium.

Their latest commercialized collabor ation involved a comprehensive package design project for the multipack cartons of the new Stella Artois Unfiltered beer for the U.K market.

As a first major Stella Artois brand expansion in 15 years, the new beer re quired highly effective packaging to mark its arrival to British markets, re sulting in a highly creative and unortho dox package design process unfolding at the Leuven facility.

Earlier this year, key members of that design team shared their experience of

developing the new packaging during the highly informative virtual PAC Global Packaging Disruptors Sum mit , a one-day event broadcast to a worldwide audience from Toronto, where PAC Global is headquartered.

“Instead of classic design thinking, where we try to identify a new need or a new pain-point in the market, we were doing exactly the opposite,” said Benedikt Pröll, Managing Director of IC3 GmbH, a creative collective of “innovation insti gators” and practitioners of the com pany’s ADT (accelerated design thinking) methodology that played a critical part in the successful development of new Stella Artois packaging.

“We’re using existing expert know ledge to help those experts avoid those patterns of thought that can prevent us from getting to new ideas and solutions,” Pröll said, describing the team’s ap proach to the task as creative “decon struction.”

“As a first step, this team made a huge effort trying to deconstruct the entire world of packaging—literally look at each element available for solution de velopment in order to create a really new and innovative solution, “ Pröll related.

“The second step was take all the

(Above)

The new 12-bottle pack of Stella Artois Unfiltered beer developed for the U.K. market.

knowledge that we gathered during the deconstruction phase, and then look at each individual element of a pack and relate that knowledge to specific ele ments and components of the package,” he said.

By focusing on each function of the package, such as carrying the product or opening the case, the team proceeded to develop the required packaging element best-suited for the specific function, such as a built-in carrying handle and wraparound perforated tear strip around the box for opening the carton to reveal the glass bottles inside the pack.

“We are basically using a function transfer approach to develop new pack aging ideas, which eventually really helped to add more value for our con sumer at the other end,” said Pröll.

“We would look at an external func tion like a carrying strap on a woman’s handbag and try to translate that into the world of packaging,” Pröll elaborated.

“We systematically looked at the capabilities of a pack and then trans ferred new or external functions into that product or into that pack.”

For Marina Buzaglo, Global Pack aging Innovation Specialist at the Leu ven innovation center, the disruptive approach to packaging design brought to the table by IC3 clearly paid off with stellar execution of the final package boasting innovative features thoughtful ly incorporated throughout the entire carton structure.

As Buzaglo told the summit audience,

connected

“The role of packaging in the beverage industry is sometimes more important than in other industries.

“The packaging is not only about looking good on the shelf,” she said. “It is also about how we grab the pack from the shelf, how we take it home, how we store it, and how we ac cess the bottles from the packs,” Buzaglo said, stressing the need to consider all the key “interaction points along the consumer jour ney” when developing new packaging concepts.

For Stella Artois , those interaction points include:

• Being easy to navigate and memorable during the shopping stage;

• Communicating value to the consumers;

• Being easy to carry/transport;

• Being easy to open and to carry after opening;

• Being easy to dispose of and to recycle.

“In the case of Stella Artois, it very import ant to make sure that we’re delivering pre miumness when handling, opening and storing the product,” said Buzaglo, drawing to atten tion to innovative features such as rounded and smooth corners of the box; a super sturdy built-in carrying handle on top of the box; and a 360-degree tear-off strip that allows the user to simply lift the top of the box to reveal 12 branded glass bottles of Stella Artois Unfiltered perfectly positioned inside to project the icon ic brand label right into the line of sight in all

directions.

“This level of differentiation wouldn’t be possible with a little bit of disruption to the supply chain and the way we pack the product,” Buzaglo concluded, crediting the AB InBev engineering team for bringing the designers’ wish-list to life in the production environment.

For AB InBev’s global Director of Supply Transformation Wim Dekocker, meeting all of the design team’s requests with the brewery’s existing three continuous lines would also turn out to be a highly disruptive experience that prompted him to look far and wide for the right equipment solutions—not just for this particular 12-pack but for 30 different pack styles to accom modate an expansive new packaging rage.

With help from technology partners Schu bert Consulting and leading German equip ment beverage line equipment manufacturer Krones AG , AB InBev’s engineering team was able to develop a flexible medium-throughput solution to meet the challenge.

“One big element in the disruptive engineer ing solution is the fact that we developed a modular machine with five big modules that allowed us to produce all pack styles we were briefed for,” Dekocker recalled.

“The other big element is robotics, which provide the flexibility we needed,” he said.“We have a total of 19 robots inside that machine doing all kinds of things,” he said, including

Entrance to the AB InBev Global Innovation Technology Center in Leuven, Belgium.

applying the aforementioned carrying handle.

“The machine enables very precise forming of the box around the bottles,” Dekocker noted, “as well as orientation of the bottles inside the box in whatever position we choose.

“We have an amazing platform that we de veloped together with Krones, which gives us infinite possibilities for developing brands with distinctive looks that can really differentiate them on the shelf for consumers,” Dekocker concluded.

“In the end, it’s all about the consumers.”

2022 BEST OF SHOW

2022 BEST OF SHOW

BRAND MARKETING

Brand: Consider Pastures

Owner: Consider Pastures

Entering Company Name: Pearlfisher

Brand Agency/Graphic Designer: Pearlfisher

A revival of the classic egg carton, and a great example of breakthrough disruptive design that is wonderful looking, simple and soothing. This design raises the bar in a historically conservative category. The stunning navy blue boxes are unlike any other egg cartons you’ll find in stores, and the box itself allows each egg to sit in its own flawlessly imperfect little pocket. With packaging that creates a wallpaper impression when stacked on the shelves and the mindset of giving the product outstanding value on the farms and in the kitchen, this brand brings a whole new meaning to golden egg.

PACKAGE INNOVATION

Brand: Tim Hortons

Owner: Tim Hortons

Entering Company Name: Tim Hortons

Package Converter/Printer/Raw Materials: Circular&Co (cup) + Tupperware (Food Container)

Sustainability without compromise. The iconic red cup has been transformed, maintaining a premium package and product experience, with much less waste than the traditional single use solution. The integration of technology with materials that are both reusable and recyclable, along with the reverse supply chain to support collection is impressive. This design blends sustainability and creativity in harmony – from consumer appeal and consideration, to smart technology infrastructure.

2022 IOU WINNERS

In 2022 we introduced a new category, PAC IOU, focusing on Inclusive Opportunities for Universal Design. This category champions inclusivity, equality and accessibility in packaging brand design and innovation. For more information on the PAC IOU initiative, visit www.pac.global/iou

Congratulations to the four winners in this new category!

INCLUSIVE DESIGN

Brand: Bud Light Pride

Owner: Bud Light

Entering Company Name: Marks Brand Agency/Graphic Designer: Marks

Pre-press/Structural Designer: SGS&Co Package Converter/Printer/Raw Materials:Westrock Ajax (boxboard cartons), CCS and MCC (aluminum cans), and Bemis (shrink-wrap)

INCLUSIVE DESIGN

Brand: Shot of Gold

Owner: Shot of Gold Tumeric

Entering Company Name: Jump Branding & Design Inc. Brand Agency/Graphic Designer: Jump Branding & Design Inc.

UNIVERSAL DESIGN

Brand: Victorialand Beauty

Owner: Victorialand Beauty LLC

Entering Company Name: Victorialand Beauty LLC

Brand Agency/Graphic Designer: Victoria Watts – Symbol Design, Base Beauty Creative Agency – Packaging Design Package Converter/Printer/Raw Materials:Toly, USA

UNIVERSAL DESIGN

Brand: Olay

Owner: Procter & Gamble

Entering Company Name: Procter & Gamble

Brand Agency/Graphic Designer: Alexis Schrimpf & Kate Patterson, Olay, Procter & Gamble

Pre-press/Structural Designer: Andrew Dapore, Olay, Procter & Gamble

Brand

Brand:

Brand:

A bespoke shopping experience for the packaging community

Get Inspired - See how we bring brand purpose to life through sustainable and personalized packaging and other digital print solutions.

www.reinventing-creativity.com

With the expertise of retailers, manufacturers, and other experts, IFS develops globally recognised product quality and safety standards and development programs.

www.ifs-certification.com

TC Transcontinental Packaging blends art, science and technology to create the perfect flexible packaging hat accentuates our customers’ brand, protects their products, inspires consumers, and, is sustainable.

tctranscontinental.com Winpak manufactures and distributes high-quality packaging materials and innovative packaging machines, primarily used for the protection of perishable foods, beverages, pharmaceuticals, medical and personal care.

www.winpak.com

Sustainable plastic packaging manufacturer. PET film extrusion and PET or PP trays thermoforming. Recycled and recyclable sustainable food-grade packaging. Customized products; tailor made production.

www.roboplast.com

The PAC MART is currently available through a secure portal to PAC Global members exclusively.

In Fall 2022, the PAC MART will launch to the public at www.pac.global. If you are looking to showcase your available products and innovation to the PAC Global audience, please contact Jim Downham at jdd@leaderlinx.com for details on the opportunity.

products fresh and appetizing with

Automation Solutions for Packaging

Anastasia Reyes, Director, Technical Development & Innovation, The Valens Company

JOINT ENDEAVOR

Western Canadian cannabis producer hits the productivity sweet-spot with automatic preroll system to boost throughput and product quality to new heights of manufacturing excellence

By George Guidoni, Editor Photos by David Buzzard

For a legal industry barely four years in the making, Canadian producers of rec reational cannabis products are quickly finding out that simply getting a license was never going to be a license to print money without lift ing a finger.

And with the industry’s early growing pains further exacerbated by the pro longed outbreak of the COVID-19 pan demic, it’s safe to say that many of the early high expectations of Canada’s can nabis sector becoming an overnight jug gernaut with endless financial windfalls were based on a lot of wishful thinking.

That said, there is no doubt that the industry is now entering a critical stage of its accelerated evolutionary process—re warding serious players committed to helping the market grow to its full poten tial and weeding out wannabe charlatans and opportunists hoping for a quick and easy payday.

Headquartered in the heart of the famed Okanagan Valley in Kelowna, B.C., The Valens Company certainly falls into the ranks of true industry leaders, not only in terms of sales and market share growth, but also in the science and technology of cannabis production—with packaging very much included.

Founded in 2012 , Valens has quickly emerged as an industry leader under the leadership of its founding chief executive officer Tyler Robson. Blessed with a unique skill set and valuable contacts with other industry professionals, Robson has worked tirelessly to assemble a seasoned management team with extensive experi ence in cannabis production.

Operating as a cannabis LP (licensed producer), Valens currently ranks as one of Canada’s top 10 producers of recrea tional cannabis products, with about a 3.5-percent share of the Canadian market.

“The Valens Company is a leading manufacturer of cannabis products with a mission to bring the benefits of cannabis

to the world,” says Valens director of technical development and innovation Anastasia Reyes.

“We provide proprietary cannabis pro cessing services, in addition to best-inclass product development, manufactur ing, and commercialization of cannabis consumer packaged goods,” says Reyes, an Alberta native who moved to Kelowna to join Valens in 2021 after supporting the construction and license submission of an LP in her home province to complete a personal move “from oil-and-gas to oiland-grass,” she quips.

“Like anything new, the cannabis mar ket has seen its challenges,” Reyes says, “but it’s still exciting to be a part of what future generations will call “The Great Green Rush.’

“We are all pioneers of the industry, finding new ways to focus on our execu tive teams’ drive to be ‘fewer, bigger and better’.”

The lion’s share of the company’s flower processing and production takes place at its modern, spanking-clean 100,000-square-foot Agritech manufac turing compound in Kelowna, which employs over 125 people on a three-shift production schedule to manufacture cannabis products for the company’s own brands and for its many “white label” customers, according to Reyes.

“Our state-of-the art facility has al lowed us to master diverse extraction methods, and develop in all categories of the Canadian market, including flower, vapes, extracts, edibles, beverages and topicals,” Reyes explains.

“We can fully support the progression of product from flower to retail shelves,” says Reyes, adding that all of the com pany’s branded products are available across Canada.

According to Reyes, the opening of the Agritech plant in Kelowna has been wel comed with open arms by the local busi ness community and municipal polit icians for its positive local economic impact and job creation in Kelowna, where Valens also has a purpose-built edibles facility, along with Valens Labs Centre of Excellence in Plant-Based Science to offer third-party testing services as re quired by Health Canada

“Rooted in the Okanagan, we pull from the local history of agriculture in the in dustrial era to the modern-day end of prohibition to create cannabis with pur pose, backed by science,” Reyes states.

Also operating a newly commissioned, purpose-built plant to produce canna bis-infused beverages in Bolton, Ont., Valens clearly has its eye on the future with its comprehensive and wide-ranging port folio of high-quality cannabis products spanning most common product types, consumption methods and potency levels.

“Formulated for the recreational, health-and-wellness and medical con sumer segments, our high-quality prod

ucts are offered across all cannabis prod uct categories— with a focus on quality and innovation,” Reyes states.

“Working in partnership with brand houses, CPG (consumer packaged goods) companies and licensed cannabis produ cers around the globe, The Valens Com pany is continuing to grow its diverse product portfolio in alignment with evolving cannabis consumer preferences in key markets,” she relates.

“We hit the market as one the first and best in class extraction facilities and continue to do so in CO2, ethanol, and hydrocarbon facets,” she adds.

“Our portfolio has expanded to allow our facility to house cutting edge-equip

ment to produce consumer package goods in all categories of the market.”

Despite the growth in extraction cat egories, dry flower cannabis remains the dominant product in the Canadian rec reational cannabis markets with about an 86-percent share of all sales, according to Reyes, with sales of pre-rolled cones (joints) accounting for a large majority of that total.

As Reyes relates, Valens has achieved significant success in this market segment with its four core flagship brands that in clude Contraband, Versus, Citizen Stash, Vacay, and the newly launched Bon Jak label for the Quebec market.

“Our Versus God Bud ranked as the

(Above) The 100,000-squarefoot Agritech production facility in Kelowna produces the lion’s share of The Valens Company’s flower cannabis products.

(Left) Machine operator loading up the eight-channel magazine feeder with stacks of pre-rolled filtered cones to feed the pre-roll making process inside the JuanaRoll machine manufactured by WeighPack Systems.

(Above)

A close-up of the JuanaRoll machine placing eight filtered paper cones into their places prior to the filling, compacting and trimming steps.

Number One bestselling SKU (stock-keep ing unit) for four consecutive months in 2022 amongst all product categories in Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia and Saskatchewan,” Reyes confides.

“We also have the ability to support our partners in all formats—providing prod ucts in bulk to complete ‘white label’ solutions.”

As many recreational cannabis startups in Canada have struggled to turn a profit on a regular basis, Reyes says that many industry newcomers had failed to realize the extent to which they would have to automate their existing manual-intensive processes to achieve profitability.

This is especially true in the market for pre-rolls, where many companies still rely on outdated manual techniques or using rudimentary tabletop technologies to produce their pre-rolls.

“One of the main challenges this indus try presents is that the security and quality control of producing compliant products comes with a price,” says Reyes.

“Not only are we subject to excise duty

of approximately $1 per gram of dried flower, but a manufacturer has significant overhead in security equipment and addi tional personnel needs.

“So even as we are actively striving to lower manufacturing costs, we have addi tional fixed levies and labor costs on cannabis products that other CPG (con sumer packaged goods) industries are not constrained with,” says Reyes.

Hence profitability is directly linked to how well manufacturers manage to slash their operating costs, she says, with labor being one of the main culprits.

As Reyes relates, that has not been problem with the Agritech plant’s preroll production ever since the company installed and started up a fully-automatic JuanaRoll pre-roll system in December of 2021—essentially automating the en tire pre-roll production process and vastly expanding its manufacturing throughput, capacity and productivity levels.

Manufactured by renowned Canadian packaging machinery manufacturer

WeighPack Systems in Montreal, the highly innovative JuanaRoll automatic pre-roll machine was developed as an automated solution to replace manual hand-rolling of pre-rolls with a fully-auto matic process delivering high-precision weighing accuracy and consistent prod uct quality and uniformity at breath taking speeds.

Available in four-, six- and eight-chan nel configurations, the high-speed Juan aRoll machine features an easy-to-load cone magazine, an integrated PreCheQ checkweigher, and special stations for compacting, tamping and twisting/trim ming, along with value-added standard features such as no-cone/no-fill detection, cone-open camera vision system, and free online technical support.

Installed in an eight-channel version at the Agritech plant, the JuanaRoll has performed with remarkable reliability and flexibility, according to Reyes, pro ducing up to 65 perfectly made cones per minute—ranging from 0.35-gram to two grams—in continuous operation.

Says Reyes: “I had the privilege of previously working with the WeighPack group before moving to Valens, so when I began facing the challenges of a rapidly growing and evolving industry, I knew exactly who to call on.

“Their knowledge of manufacturing equipment, and focus on manufacturing efficiencies, helps to create specifications

(Above) Reyes and WeighPack Systems sales manager Luis Pilonieta hold up a tray filled with perfectly pre-rolled cones produced by the linear high-speed, eight-channel JuanaRoll system.

“As the legal cannabis industry has evolved, it is clear that key success criteria in this business is based on being a good CPG manufacturer.”

for not just equipment but for supporting an entire process,” says Reyes, compli menting the JuanaRoll machine’s linear modular design that allows it to make pre-rolls simultaneously in up to eight lanes, rather than the one-at-a-time preroll production offered by standard ro tary-design pre-roll systems.

“WeighPack offered us full support throughout the project: from the equip ment specification phase straight through to pre-arrival room requirements, instal lation qualifications, and performance verifications, with onsite support for training and real-time troubleshooting,” Reyes recalls.

“They also provided detailed vendor manuals, checklists and an access portal help to ensure we have support while we’re running through all three shifts: days, nights and weekends.

“It’s been a fantastic investment from Day One,” Reyes extols. “It hasn’t even been a year, but it feels like it’s been here forever. It has taken our pre-roll produc tivity to a whole new level of excellence.

“It’s not just the impressive speed,” Reyes points out, “but also the product weight consistency and quality, which we have to maintain within Health Canada’s strict tolerances.

“So it has been a real game-changer for us.”

Says Reyes: “Since legalization the Canadian consumer has become more discerning—giving LP’s the chance to bring even better products to the market, but still needing to compete with the di versity and pricing of the legacy [black] market.

“As the legal cannabis industry has evolved in Canada, it has become clear

Considered to be the fastest pre-roll system in the world thanks to its linear design and multi-channel configurations, the JuanaRoll system is equipped with leading-edge drives, controls, pneumatics and other automation components to enable it to perform all the key measur ing, filling, compacting and trimming steps inline within a blink of an eye across all channels simultaneously.

that key success criteria in this business is based on being a good CPG manufac turer, which often means investing in automation to reduce operating and labor costs to remain competitive.

“That’s what we have done with our pre-roll production with the JuanaRoll installation,” Reyes says, “and we are not stopping there.

“Our product portfolio has expanded to allow all our facilities to house cut ting-edge consumer packaged goods in all categories of the market,” she sums up,

“and having cracked the Top Ten flower producers list, it is now our intention to become a Top Five producer in all cat egories.

“And as we pursue our goals, we will continue working with Health Canada to uncover new market opportunities and to continue bringing safe, high-quality and consistent cannabis products to Can adian consumers.”

SUPPLIERS

WeighPack Systems Ltd.

Please see a video of the fully-automatic JuanaRoll pre-roll system from WeighPack Systems in action at The Valens Company’s cannabis production facility in Kelowna, B.C. on Canadian Packaging TV at www.canadianpackaging.com

THE RAW DEAL

Raw pet food producer keeping pace with growing

By Andrew Snook

Photos by David Buzzard

Most pet owners will tell you that they feel a deep con nection with their animal friends.

And while many people treat them like another member of the family, others go well above and beyond regular pet care to ensure good health for their animal companions.

In the case of Inna Shekhtman, cofounder and chief executive officer of Red Dog Blue Kat, she created an entire line of raw pet foods for dogs and cats to ensure pet owners have a variety of healthy options to feed their animals.

“For me it started with a dog that I had when I was in university,” Shekhtman recalls. “She was a golden retriever-cross, and she was the love of my life.

“And at nine years old, she passed away. She was fine one day, and then she wasn’t.

“I was so shocked and surprised be cause she was pretty young, and I couldn’t help thinking, ‘What could I have done differently?’

“So, when I got my next adopted dog a few years later in 2003, Adara, an Irish Wolfhound/Great Dane mix, I knew that breed was already predisposed to a lot of health problems and had a very short life-span, so I really wanted to look at what I could do to set her up for longer and healthier life.”

Shekhtman spent a great deal of time researching healthy options for her new dog’s diet. With a background in science, she immersed herself in the study of animal health and nutrition.

At the same time, she met two women at her local dog park, who mentioned they were feeding their dogs raw diets.

“What they explained to me was really

simple,” she recounts. “Just like we thrive on less processed food and more fresh foods, the same thing applies to our pets.

“They should not be eating highly processed food, and exactly the same food, every day,” Shekhtman says.

At that time, with Shekhtman working as a software developer, she decided to discuss the potential for a business opportunity with the women she met.

“I went to Linda and Louise, and I said, ‘What if what if we make this?

“You guys have lots of knowledge about how to formulate, I’m willing to learn how to run a business, and nobody else is going to do it.

“Why don’t we do it?’” she recalls.

And just like that, Red Dog Blue Kat was born.

The business started out being run part-time on weekends and evenings at a small warehouse in Coquitlam, B.C.

(From top)

Red Dog Blue Kat founder Inna Shekhtman and her beloved pooch Molly share a happy moment in the reception ares of the company’s plant in Coquitlam, B.C., which produces high-quality raw dog and cat food retailed through specialty pet shops in high-quality thermoformed packages produced on Reiser Variovac Optimus 45 machine.

“We rented a little warehouse and started doing some testing and recipes,” Shekhtman says.

“We got our first three customers under our belt, and it’s become my pas sion ever since.”

Initially, the warehouse was being shared by six people, but that changed over a relatively short period of time— leaving Shekhtman as the sole owner.

“It was six of us, initially. It was the two ladies, myself, my husband and another couple that was starting a treat business at the same time.

“And so, we were sharing a facility to work together and share some ideas. But after about six months, the couple and my husband dropped out.

“And after about three more years the other two ladies also dropped out, be cause they continued having their fulltime jobs and didn’t really want to be running a business,” Shekhtman explains.

Despite the turnover, the he company has continued to grow and expand, re cently moving into its fifth facility since start-up.

Today, Red Dog Blue Kat operates out of a modern 12,000-square-foot facility, employing 34 people, producing a high-quality line of products for both dogs and cats, which it sells to various pet specialty retail stores.

“We compete in a very specific cat egory,” Shekhtman relates.

“We don’t sell to Big Box stores or mainstream grocery stores just because it’s a very different channel and a very

A lot has changed since our 2022 Food and Beverage Reports earlier this year:

• Inflation and interest rates have risen faster than initially expected

• Global economic growth forecasts have weakened

• Profitability is challenged due to rising input costs

• Workforce talent continues to be an issue Food and beverage manufacturers remain well-positioned amid challenging conditions, and the outlook remains positive.

Food and beverage manufacturing sales projected to grow and remain strong

Food and beverage manufacturing sales have increased 12% during the first half of 2022. Sales growth is expected to slow into Q4 as inflationary pressures ease, global economic growth moderates and Canadian consumer savings dwindle. We project sales to increase 6% in the second half, finishing the year up 9%.

Leading this sales growth is grain and oilseed milling. Despite sales up 22%, volumes are estimated to have declined, primarily the result of lower crop yields in 2021.

The impact of higher prices on consumer demand is evident in some industries. We estimate that sales volumes declined for dairy, seafood and all alcohol manufacturing industries in the first six months of 2022. While inflation in some categories like breweries is below average, we are seeing consumers forced to cut purchases based on inflation in other areas. Of these industries, we are forecasting that seafood, breweries and wineries will see sales slip in 2022. Seafood sales have been weaker due to lower exports to the U.S. and Japan.

Meat manufacturing price inflation slowed to an estimated 3% in the first half of 2022 after rising 8% in 2021. Total meat consumption has risen in 2022 due to strong demand for chicken and pork, while consumers have cut back on beef consumption. Beef exports have remained strong, offsetting weaker domestic demand. In Q3 to-date, we are seeing more positive trends in red meat, and we expect consumption and sales to rise further in 2023.

Other industries with healthy volume trends include sugar/ confection, fruit/vegetable preserving and specialty foods,

soft drinks and bakeries. Sales in these industries are forecasted to finish the year strong.

Food and beverage manufacturing margins softening

With consumers focused on purchasing lower-margin basics in the face of higher retail prices and with input costs remaining elevated relative to selling prices, manufacturing gross margins have been under pressure. FCC Economics’ gross margin index in food manufacturing fell nearly 10% during the first half of 2022. With commodity prices declining, we anticipate margins will start to improve, although projections of weaker economic growth over the next 12 months will continue to be a headwind.

different customer,” says Shekhtman, citing in dependent pet stores as the biggest client base, along with specialty pet chains like Pet-Valu, Tail Blazers and Global Pet Foods.

The Coquitlam production facility has two production lines: one for the pre-made meals and another for processing bones.

Recently, Red Dog Blue Kat found itself looking to enhance its packaging operations and move away from manual vacuum sealing.

After doing the research and evaluating the different options to automate their line, the company ultimately decided to purchase the high-performance Variovac Optimus 45 thermoform packaging machine from Reiser

“The Reiser thermoformer is our first step to really start looking at automation and taking some of the manual steps out of the process,” Shekhtman says.

“Our goal over the next three to four years is to start building off that investment and start

automating the processes that align around it.

“Right now, a lot of the steps are still manual.”

As Shekhtman notes, having to rely on a great deal of manual labour is a risky strategy at a time of labor shortages being commonplace across many industries.

“It has certainly been harder than in the past, but we’ve been very lucky in that we have a very good, dedicated support team that’s been with us for some time,” Shekhtman reflects.

“Many of them stayed and continued with us through COVID and afterwards,” she says.

“Although we had to hire a couple people here and there, for the most part we’ve been pretty lucky in being able find people when we needed them.”

Before purchasing the Reiser Variovac Opti mus thermoformer, Shekhtman spent years re searching the various models and technologies.

“I knew that at some point we would get big enough where the manual packaging and sealing

(Above)

Inna Shekhtman poses for a picture from behind the front end of the high-performance Variovac Optimus 45 machine installed at her Coquitlam production plant by Reiser last year.

(Left)

Having the Variovac Optimus 45 machine has enabled Red Dog Blue Kat to develop new consum er-friendly packaging formats with value-added convenience features such as peel-off lidding.

wasn’t going to be effective for us,” she says.

“We had gone to several trade shows, but be cause the upfront investment in a piece of equipment is pretty high, we had to wait until we got to a certain volume in order to justify that kind of investment.”

In 2019 Shekhtman met up with Alessandro Sestini, industrial sales representative for Rei ser Canada in B.C., which prompted her to accelerate her search for the right equipment solution.

“They flew to visit the PACK EXPO show in 2019 and we showed them all the solutions we had,” Sestini recalls. “We quickly established a friendship and showed them we could really help them solve their problems.”

After completing all the due diligence, Red Dog Blue Kat decided to go opted to go with Reiser’s technology in 2021.

According to Shekhtman, one of the main reasons for choosing Reiser was the company’s strong local presence.

“The maintenance of the mechanics for that machine was always going to be a critical issue,” she recalls. “We were going to need support, so having a supplier that was going to be in another province, or even in another country would be problematic.

“We really wanted somebody local to hold our hand through this process a little bit,” Shekht man says. “Reiser also had experience with packaging pet food in this format, so that was a

really big asset for us to learn from other people’s experiences through them.”

Manufactured in Germany, Reiser’s Variovac Optimus thermoformer is designed to be simple to operate with its three-button operation (Start, Stop, Reset); E-stop; flexible programmability; recipe management storage; full-color 10-inch touchscreen; and optional remote diagnostics.

Constructed with a stainless-steel frame, the self-supported machine is also designed with easy access for cleaning; quick changeover times; a small footprint; and non-proprietary parts, with additional features including:

• Available web widths of 320-mm, 360-mm, 420-mm and 460-mm;

• Up to 400-mm advance and up to 100-mm package depth;

• Available for packaging types with flexible and semi rigid films and MAP, vacuum and skin pack;

• Up to 13 cycles per minute (shallow vacuum packs), 30-per-cent faster than competitors thank to the patented Rapid Air System.

As Shekhtman relates, “Our goal was kind of three-fold.

“We obviously wanted to improve the efficien cies internally and make this a simpler, more automated process.

“But we also made wanted to make the pack aging more convenient to use,” Shekhtman points out.

“With vacuum bags, for example, customers found that they had to cut the bag and shake the product out, and that would often get sticky and messy.

Another issue the company was looking to address was better packaging for smaller dogs.

“It was harder to portion because it was in half-pound portions, so going smaller was more difficult with a vacuum bag.

“We wanted to make it easier to portion and easier to use,” Shekhtman says.

“We also wanted to save time and kind of re vamp the packaging a little bit to give it some marketing hooks, because our boxes are literally just plain brown.”

Red Dog Blue Kat surveyed many of its cus tomers and received some helpful feedback for what they wanted to see, which confirmed the need for a package redesign.

“I think we hit a really good model that we have switched over to. We’re finding it’s really helping us sell the product better and really make it stand out on the shelf,” Shekhtman says.

“We ended up creating a very unique quar ter-pound tray package. It’s a one-pound tray with four quarter-pound portions. It’s individ ually sealed, so it makes the portioning for the smaller pets and for cats way easier.”

Thanks to the Reiser Variovac Optimus thermoformer, the company was also able to add an easy-peel top to its quarter-pound, one pound and two-pound packages.

“That made it really easy to open and get the product out of the package with less mess and

just focused on making it easy to do the whole feeding process,” Shekhtman says.

Hanif Muljani, operations manager for Red Dog Blue Kat, says one of the big advantages of the thermoformer is the ease with which they can switch dies from a one-pound package to a two-pound package, and vice-versa.

“It’s a very customizable and configurable machine,” he says, adding that the film does not need to be changed during the changeover.

“To move from one-pound to two-pound packages, an operator just needs to cut the current tray out and remove the die with four stainless steel plates, forming a deeper tray, and adjust the vacuum setting to support the twopound tray,” Muljani explains.

“So, the process of switching from one pound to two pounds, or two pounds to one pound, is actually very quick. On average, it takes about two to three minutes to make a transition.”The installation of the thermoformer required sig nificant planning, as it was the first automatic piece of equipment to be installed at the facility.

Machine operator applying final decorative touches to the two-pound raw meat blends placed inside the cavities of the Variovac Optimus 45 thermoform packaging machine just prior to application of the lidding film inside the machine.

“Our food philosophy is really focused on the nutritional value of the food. We don’t use any synthetic or added supplements.”

“It was a pretty big change to our pro cess,” Shekhtman says.

“There was a lot of planning of where to put it, how to locate it, how to make the whole line flow … a huge shift from what we were doing,”.

“We literally had to change everything about our process, including how we portion, how we label, and so on,” she recalls. “We encountered a few challen ges that had us go back to Reiser for to get some guidance.”

All in all, it took about three months for Red Dog Blue Kat’s employees to get used to all the nuances of the thermo former and all the changes to procedure that came with its installation, but every thing is running smoothly now.

The automated packaging line couldn’t have been installed at a better time, as the level of competition in this industry has been on the rise in recent years.

“It’s getting more and more competi tive,” Shekhtman says. “When we first started, there was a handful of smaller manufacturers and not a lot of larger players in this industry, because it was still pretty niche,” Shekhtman says.

“In the last five years, we’re starting to see more larger manufacturers that are selling across Canada and even trying to get into the U.S.

“There is also more U.S. brands com ing across the border into Canada and, we’re seeing a lot more consolidation and M&A type of activity, specifically around the ‘raw’ space.”

Shekhtman says the raw pet food market makes up approximately five per cent of the pet food industry these days, compared to 0.5 percent when her com pany was formed.

“It’s grown quite a bit and, of course, the competition has grown,” she says.

“And unfortunately, because it’s un regulated in Canada, there’s very few barriers to start up.

“You can literally start making it in your garage, and there’s nobody to say that that’s not okay, or you need to do X, Y, and Z to get started.

“It’s different in the U.S., where they have the FDA regulating the pet industry, but it’s still kind of Wild West in Canada, where there’s a lot of small players that are constantly popping up.”

According to Shekhtman, one of the biggest challenges for the raw pet food segment today is getting veterinarians comfortable with raw meat diets.

“Because we are feeding raw meat as a ready-to-eat product, and there’s no cooking, there’s a limited amount of things we can do for pathogen control in order to be able to ensure that the prod uct is safe,” she says

“And unfortunately, a lot of manufac turers don’t have the safety programs in place to provide that kind of assurance.”

Despite the increased competition,

(Above) Close-up of the one-pound packages intended for larger-sized dogs and the four-pack of quarter-pound portions also produced on the Variovac Optimus 45 thermoform packaging system.

Red Dog Blue Kat continues to offer a unique brand that stands out for different reasons—with high product quality and HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points) certification chief among them.

“It puts us above everybody else, at least in Canada,” Shekhtman proclaims.

“I would say we have the best quality and safety program in Canada for the raw pet foods,” Shekhtman says. “The other thing that makes us unique is our food philosophy is really focused on the nutri tional value of the food,” she adds.

“We don’t use any synthetic or added supplements.”

Red Dog Blue Kat also relies on a team of experts to help guide the com pany to ensure its meeting the high standards it sets for itself.

“We have a veterinarian on staff, and our QA (quality assurance) manager is a microbiologist.,” she states.

“We even joke that we have a chef on

the team, because one of the people in our team is an actual chef, who is very aware of the safety and the quality issues, and how to inspect food properly.

The company also has a strong focus on sourcing its raw meats and vegetables from reliable suppliers.

“All of our suppliers are aligned with our focus on quality and ethics for how to raise animals and treat them well,”

Shekhtman says, adding she is very proud to operate a successful Can adian-based business.

“We’re very proud of being Canadian,” she concludes, “and even though we’re growing, we always want to have that very personal feel for all of our customers by making ourselves accessible and to help teach pet parents how to have a better, healthier relationship with their children.”

SUPPLIERS

Reiser (Canada) Ltd.

Please see a video of the Reiser Variovac Optimus 45 thermoform packaging machine in action at the Red Dog Blue Kat facility in action on Canadian Packaging TV at www.canadianpackaging.com

A plant employee holding up a tray of tightly sealed one-pound thermoformed packs of raw dog food coming off the Variovac Optimus 45 thermoform packaging machine.

SHOWTIME IN CHICAGO!

checkweigher and metal detector system de signed following industry-leading hygienic principles to provide quicker and easier clean ing.

SUSTAINABLE FLEXIBILITY

Amcor Flexibles North America is planning to present a comprehensive showcase highlight ing the company’s broad range of sustainable flexible packaging solutions, including the Li quiflex pouches and ModaBag vacuum packaging systems.

Developed as an alternative to metal cans, the Liquiflex VFFS liquid pouch system is a versatile flexible packaging technology said to be ideal for products such as soups, sauces, dressings and condiments, offering a 67-percent carbon metal carbon footprint reduction com pared to cans, along with a 30-percent material reduction compared to other common flexible packaging formats.

For its part, the ModaBag system vacuum packages products from rolls of Amcor shrink tubing up to 17-inches-wide, while using a high-resolution thermal transfer printer to de liver crisp brand graphics inline—eliminating the need to keep individual SKUs of printed shrink bags or labels in inventory.

“While some materials have obvious benefits, a single benefit doesn’t necessarily make it the right choice when you consider the sum total of benefits—including a product’s total life-cycle —across the spectrum of choices available today.

“Our flexibles and rigid packaging innova tion scientists, research and development teams can help brand-owners identify the best solu tions for their specific application requirements and environmental commitments,” Wilson states. “This makes it that much more import ant to work with the right packaging partner.”

Booth

JUST IN CASE

Wexxar Bel, a ProMach division specializing in corrugated container packaging machinery, will demonstrate its broad range of case and tray

forming packaging solutions, including the new BEL 5150E semi-automatic case former with Smart Select technology.

Designed primarily for low to mid-speed e-commerce applications, the BEL 5150E is a semi-automatic case forming, packing and sealing solution with auto-adjust able case size changeovers.

Outfitted with integrated servomotors at all three change-points to facilitate quick auto mated size change, the system’s original packcell design has recently been upgraded with inline product delivery and pick-to-light case access to minimize operator motion and in crease throughput.

Wexxar Bel will also be showcasing the BEL 5150E ’s incorporation of Smart Select, a soft ware system designed by MagicLogics, which integrates with the customer’s warehouse management software to automatically calcu late the most optimal case for every order, dis play the optimal pack pattern for the operator, and automatically adjust the BEL 5150E system as the operator begins packing.

According to Wexxar Bel, this takes the case size decision away from the operator—minimiz ing shipping costs and packing material costs, while also reducing packing materials cost and reducing the chance for product damage.

Booth

INSPECT TO DETECT

Leading product inspection specialists Loma Systems will demonstrate its expansive range of advanced its full comprehensive range of X-Ray, metal detection and checkweighing system designed to help manufacturers main tain compliance and improve quality control output.

The display will feature Loma’s CW3 RUNWET Combo System , a fully IP69 rated

According to Loma, the CW3 RUN-WET Combo System and stand-alone checkweigher offer a host of smartly designed features to maximize production efficiencies, including easier to wash frames with quick surface water runoff, minimal welds, and reduced contamin ant traps for optimal deep cleaning. The exhibit will also feature a selection of metal detectors aimed at different applications, including the IQ4 RUN-WET, IQ4 Pipeline, IQ4 Vertical Fall and IQ4 Waferthin metal detectors.

In addition, Loma’s innovative X5 Space Saver X-Ray inspection system will highlight the benefits of a compact design and robust detection levels on a wide range of contamin ants including metals, bone, glass, and dense plastics within most packaging types, including foil trays or metallized film.

Booth #N-5220

PAPER TIGER

Hugo Beck will showcase the features and capabilities of the company’s extensive range of horizontal film, flow-pack and paper packaging machines, as well as reacted automation solu tions combining operational efficiency, sustain ability and product protection across a wide range of industries, such as pharmaceutical and e-commerce. Equipped with the latest drive and control technology from Siemens or Rockwell Automation, Hugo Beck machines fit pack aging applications all over the world, with a special focus on sustainable packaging.

Whether maximizing production efficiencies and replacing plastic films with paper, or mini mizing packaging materials used, the Hugo Beck team will be o- hand to highlight savings which can be effectively achieved in the production of film and paper bags and shrink packs.

Used for both primary and secondary pack aging, the company’s flow-pack X horizontal wrappers has been designed to run paper rather than film, using cold-sealable paper-based pack aging materials that include barrier paper, kraft paper, offset paper, parchment paper and other papers with PE, PLA or dispersion coatings.

BLISTERING PACE

Pharmaworks, a ProMach division specializ ing in pharmaceutical packaging solutions, will introduce the company’s FA1 pick-and-place feeder.

Featuring a new vibratory feed track, this compact system can now feed even diffi cult-to-handle solid-dose pharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals such as fragile, unusually shaped, and orally dissolving products.

The enhanced FA1 feeder is designed to achieve new levels of gentle handling by virtu ally eliminating particulates from reaching the blister web and accurately positioning products within the blister cavities, all while simplifying operations.

Previously, the FA1 relied on gravity to move product on feed tracks set at a 45-degree angle. Now, the enhanced FA1 can convey even chal lenging products more gently with fully-hori zontal vibratory feed tracks.

By leveraging vibratory motion, the new system has also eliminated the chance of ‘shin gling,’ in which one solid dose gets jammed under another and creates a blockage. Once products have been conveyed to the end of the feed track, the servo-driven FA1’s pick-andplace vacuum head positions an array of solid doses, correctly oriented, into their blister cavities.

“When it comes to blister packing, feeding is one of the most important aspects,” says Phar maworks general manager Ben Bower. “If each product isn’t placed perfectly within the pack age, it can cause quality issues, reduce efficiency, and even lead to costly recalls.

“We’re always interested in taking on our customers’ unique packaging challenges,” Bower says. “If we don’t have the right stan dardized solution, we will utilize our deep in dustry expertise to engineer a new one.”

Featuring a cGMP design and running up to 80 cycles per minute, the FA1 can be integrated with small- to medium-format size blister ma chines, including the TF1 and TF2 series from Pharmaworks, as well as blister machines from other suppliers.

Booth #N-5650

BETTER PLASTICS

Global plastic additives manufacturer Milliken & Company will showcase a broad range of innovative technologies for making plastics more reusable, recyclable and efficient through lightweighting, upgrading recycled content, conserving energy, simplifying recycling with monomaterials, and reducing carbon footprint via inter-material replacement of less-sustain

able resins, including:

• Millad NX 8000 ECO, a clarifying agent for PP that enables faster pro duction rates and re duced energy use. This product is certified by Underwriters Labora tories (UL) to provide average energy savings of 10 per cent during the injection molding pro cess.

• NX UltraClear concen trates for PP, which re places the milky appear ance of standard PP with high clarity and gloss for packaging applications. In addition to easy recyclability, NX UltraClear PP is lighter in weight, consumes less energy, and produces lower emissions than other clear packaging alternatives.

• DeltaMax performance modifiers for PP impact copolymers (ICPs), which enable an improved balance of material properties and optimize processing efficiencies.

• Hyperform HPN performance additives for PP, which deliver an improved balance of stiffness, impact resistance and appearance while reducing energy use.

• UltraGuard solutions, which enable downgauging to reduce material usage and part weight while improving barrier proper ties in polyethylene (PE). These enhance ments allow designers to create more prod ucts with mono-materials to facilitate recycling.

“The plastic circularity challenge is solvable, and we’re confident that collaborating with partners and customers will accelerate success faster than anyone would believe,” says Paul Kearns, sustainable development manager for plastic additives at Milliken Chemical.

“We invite all attendees to meet with us at Pack Expo International and learn how Millik en chemistry is advancing sustainability for plastics.”

Booth #LU-8840

POUCH OF CLASS

Effytec USA will display its new HB 20 HFFS intermittent-motion pouch machine designed to meet the challenges of the dynamic horizon tal form-fill-seal pouch market.

Distributed in Canada by Abbey Equip ment Solutions , the versatile HB 20 can be configured for a wide variety of package formats including flat sachets, stand-up pouches, pouches with spouts, pouches with zippers, pouches with straws, and it is suitable for many types of products including powders, granulat ed products, tablets, liquids, pastes and solid formats.

Offering speeds range from 65 to 90 cycles per minute—depending on package size, prod uct and packaging material—the new machine’s features include compact machine design with a sanitary stainless-steel construction, motor ized vertical seal bars, a low-maintenance and high durability cutting device, machine set-up recipe storage, and remote tele-modem assist ance.

Also offering offers automatic film splice and alignment, and servo-driven film pull rolls, the HB 20 pouch machine is available in Simplex and Duplex configurations to handle chemicals, cosmetics, sauces, nutraceuticals, pharmaceut icals and much more.

Booth #S-1602

POUCH AND GO!

Junapack will showcase the company’s new versatile JR-8S1024 rotary pouch packer for high-efficiency filling of a broad variety of prod ucts into many styles of pre-made pouches in cluding flat, stand up, shaped, zipper, caps, side gussets for retail sizes, as well as Club Store and bulk pack sizes.

Distributed in Canada by Abbey Equip ment Solutions , the new machine features Allen-Bradley controls and HMI (human-ma chine interface), a sanitary pouch gripper de sign, and an easy-to-clean stainless-steel chas sis.

Featuring captured cam design with no springs, and a patented feature in its pouch feed system, the machine can achieve speeds up to 50 cycles per minute, while facilitating quick pouch size changeover in five minutes or less.

Handling a wide ranges or pouch sizes at speeds of up to 80 pouches per minute, the JR8S1024 is exceptionally well-suited for product applications such as bakery and snacks, cosmet ics, dried fruits and nuts, frozen food, liquids and sauces, pet food, powders and granules, and much more.

Booth #S-1602

SMART AND SWEET

GEA will be packaging sweet treats on two of its vertical form-fill-seal baggers during the Chicago event. Distributed in Canada by Ab bey Equipment Solutions, the new high-per formance machines include:

• The GEA SmartPacker TwinTube for packaging snack-sized packets of candy, nuts, cookies, and crackers.

Offering production output of up to 500 pillow-bags per minute and proven in installa tions around the world, the machine’s advanced sealing technology provides optimal flexibility in terms of film types and specifications, along with an optional jumbo roll for film reels of up to 100-kg to keep production up and running at all times.

• The GEA SmartPacker CX400 D-Zip continuous-motion machine to creates reclos able stand-up pouches.

Combining fast, high-quality operation with maximum flexibility and uptime, the machine eliminates 15 of zipper material in the crossseal, according to the company, reducing the

cost and environmental impact of bags.

It can produce multiple bag types for optimal flexibility and can be used to package snacks, pet treats and protein products.

Booth #S-3084

FIRST & FORMOST

Formost Fuji Corporation , represented in Canada by Abbey Equipment Solutions, will provide live demonstrations of four different horizontal flow-wrap systems and a state-ofthe-art bagging machine, whereby a pick-andplace robot from JLS Automation will feed product into a Formost Fuji flow-pack wrapper to demonstrate the efficiency of robotics and the simplicity of adding automation to the wrapping line.

In addition, the exhibit will showcase a breakthrough new sustainable solution—de

veloped jointly with Reiser —for packaging ground meat without a tray, providing substan tial savings in materials and overall carbon footprint.

Booth #S-2766

UPLIFTING DESIGN

Represented in Canada by Abbey Equipment Solutions , French conveyor manufacturer

Liftvrac is planning to steal the show with live demonstrations of the company’s advanced new conveyor systems designed specifically for gentle and efficient product transfer of delicate, sticky and/or pasty products that cannot be handled by standard off-the-shelf conveyors.

Available in a broad variety of styles and design configurations, Liftvrac hygienic convey ors incorporate patented technology whereby the product is placed on the completely flat

Liftvrac belt, which gradually closes into a tube and rises vertically.

The product is then released at top of the Liftvrac without any alteration, and the system’s scraper is activated to ensure zero product losses and perfect ongoing cleaning of the conveyor belt.

Booth #LL-9608

BETTER CONNECTIONS

Harpak-ULMA will display the company’s ex pansive range of primary and secondary pack aging machinery embedded with integrated automation architecture and smart connectivity to reduce solution complexity and maintenance costs, while realizing better quality, capacity and throughput.

Equipped with Rockwell Automation ’s drives and control technology, the company’s leading-edge packaging capabilities span robot ics and automation, thermoforming, tray sealing, filling, flow-pack, stretch, blister, skin pack, and

vacuum packaging with high-performance ULMA and G. Mondini machinery integrated with automatic loading and labeling, achieved with the use of collaborative robots.

Booth #S-3448

MATRIX METRICS

Matrix, a ProMach division specializing in VFFS (vertical from-fill-seal) machinery, will showcase the new model MVC-300 continuous box-motion bagger incorporating the latest high-performance servo system technology for superior precision motion control—enabling allows users to run a greater variety of films at faster speeds and with better accuracy.

The MVC-300 uses a continuous-motion, high-speed 300-mm-wide jaw system that is unique from other VFFS machines because the film never stops.

According to Matrix, the jaw system cuts the

film and provides just enough dwell time for the three bag seams to seal properly—allowing users to achieve higher fill rates.

At the show, the MVC-300 will be a key com ponent of a fully-functional packaging line where it will be paired with Yamato Alpha Advance Series combination scale that fills candy into newly created bags made from CL&D film (also a ProMach brand) and packed in a case erector and sealer from Wexxar Bel Booth #N-5334

ROBOTIC PRECISION

Beckhoff Automation will use the show as launching pad for the North American debut of the company’s first-ever modular robot, along with the latest advances in cabinet-less machine design and intelligent mechatronics to provide a blueprint for adaptive automation in pack aging

According to the company, its modular Automation Technology for Robotics (ATRO) solution to make the robot fits the packaging application at hand by providing a fully modular system for robot kinematics, with simplified assembly and path teaching.

By using ATRO, users can select the number and type of axes required for robots with pay loads up to 10-kg and reach of up to 1.3-meter, with infinite rotation for all axes enable by an innovative media feed concept that routes data, power and fluids internally, with no need to

products. better solutions.

VersaFlex

Flexible Flat Top Chain Conveyors

3-Dimensional Product Conveying Straights, Curves & Inclines

Alpine, Wedge & Vertical Configurations

Chain Widths from 63 mm to 295 mm

Lengths up to 40 m & Loads to 440 lbs

Since 1988 we’ve been providing not only a better product, but also a better solution for all types of packaging applications.

unwind cables.

Ideal for countless packaging applications, ATRO enables wide-ranging robot kinematics, according to Beckhoff, including expansive configuration options with as many as eight robotic arms.

The TwinCAT control software simply scans the user-created robot mechanical assembly, and TwinCAT robotics functions then auto matically create the corresponding control ap plication—including a digital twin. Booth #S-3882

monolayer PE laminates are now thinner and more heat-resistant than ever before—offering a wider sealing window than other products in the sector.

Another remarkable feature is the barrier characteristics, which can be adapted to the content. For example, EcoLam offers a water vapor barrier; EcoLamPlus has an additional barrier against oxygen, aromas, and mineral oils; and EcoLamHighPlus provides alum inum-like barrier properties.

For its part, he recyclable EcoPaper family offers many individual paper solutions for ap plications requiring a medium barrier to protect against aromas and grease, such as confection ery, snacks, and household and personal care products.

In addition, the EcoVer monolayer PP solu tions are available in various barrier levels and can be used for various packaging applications, with its high thermal resistance offering new sealing options at lower temperatures.

“Multimaterial packaging poses major chal lenges for the industry, as it is difficult to re cycle,” says Constantia Flexibles chief executive officer Pim Vervaat. “Therefore, we are focusing on safe and equally high-performing mono material solutions to meet the Circular Econ omy and to promote a more sustainable tomor row.”

#S-2696

DUAL IMPROVEMENT

some plastics.

These types of contaminants are traditional ly hard to detect within the ‘cluttered’ or ‘noisy’ X-Ray images generated by overlapping and multi-textured products such as packs of pasta, chicken breasts, sausages, and frozen pota to-based goods.

Such applications are a perfect match for DXD and DXD+ high-quality detector technol ogy, used in conjunction with new METTLER TOLEDO Advanced Material Discrimination software that helps to separate and remove the prominent material of the food product within the X-Ray image, revealing the presence of any lower density contaminants.

As a result of the accuracy and reliability of DXD and DXD+ detection, food manufactur ers can be more confident that their products are safe for consumers, and that they will bene fit from reduced false reject rates and product waste, helping to deliver a fast return on invest ment.

BREAKING DOWN BARRIERS

Global flexible packaging products manufac turer Constantia Flexibles will present the company’s innovative Ecolutions family of high-performance recyclable packaging con sisting of the EcoLam , EcoVer , EcoPaper , and EcoAlu product lines.

According to the company, the EcoLam

METTLER TOLEDO Product Inspection will showcase the company’s most advanced X-Ray technology to date for improved detec tion of low-density contaminants in packaged food products—helping food manufacturers avoid product recalls, reduce unnecessary product waste costs, and enhance product in tegrity and brand protection.

According to the company, the DXD and DXD+ dual energy detector technology is optimized for identifying foreign bodies such as calcified bone, low-mineral glass, rubber and

“This is new technology that meets a real demand in the market for X-ray inspection by detecting low-density contaminants in a wide range of packaged food products,” says Gareth Jones, head of engineering for Mettler-Toledo Product Inspection. “The benefits are both economic and reputational: they can better protect the integrity of their products and their brand, while also reducing costs and waste through improved false reject rates and less product throwaway.”

Booth #S-1714

PITmode fusion

SUPER SOMIC SPEED

SOMIC Packaging will showcase the com pany’s a 424 W3 wraparound case-packer, a high-performance automation solution for re tail-ready packaging applications.

Designed to produce up to 25 cases per minute, the wraparound case-packer can be adapted for any purpose including cartons, open or covered trays and lid inserts, with the compact design allowing users to make the most of their floorspace.

“When you see up close how the engineering and technology work in tandem, it’s a wonderful ly efficient process that can’t be matched in the marketplace,” says SOMIC Packaging’s chief executive officer Peter Fox.

“The fundamental driver to our growth is having the ability to configure our standard 424 machine platform to the unique needs of our customers,” Fox says.

“We’re using standard functional groups to achieve these requirements—not a new, one-off design.

“This gives our customers and us the flexibil ity to change for future needs.”

Booth #LU-8135

CUT TO THE CHASE

Ranpak Holdings Corp. , a leading global supplier of paper-based packaging solutions for e-commerce and industrial supply chains, plans to unveil the next generation Cut’it! EVO solu tion, an automated inline packing machine de signed to meet ever-changing market trends and customer needs.

According to Ranpak, the Cut’it! EVO solu tion can be integrated as part of a typical end-ofline setup in a packing operation to process boxes ranging from 150x230-mm up to 450x650-mm.

Once the products are packed, Cut’it! EVO determines the highest filling point of the carton, cuts excess cardboard, folds it to reduce the height, and automatically applies a glued lid to create a finished box ready for palletizing and shipping.

The result is a highly efficient packaging process, smaller parcel size, and reduced carbon footprint for shippers, as well as strong boxes with a great unboxing experience for end cus tomers.

According to the company, the completely redesigned Cut’it! EVO machine is a highly effi cient automated solution that enables customers to accelerate their packaging output, reduce operating costs, and improve the sustainability profile of their operations.

Additionally, the next generation of the Cut’it! EVO solution utilizes Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT)-enabled technology, to deliver two primary benefits: a robust online and mon itoring environment, providing detailed insights into operations and performance data; and online access for quick remote tech support. Booth #W-2205

plastics while achieving the highest levels of product quality. Co perion’s plastics recyc ling technologies are suitable for a wide range of recycling applica tions, from multilayer film recycling to PET recycling.

The SWB is an ex tremely reliable gravimetric feeder from Coperi on K-Tron that can process large volumes of bulk materials with a wide variety of flow prop erties at very high accuracy. The feeder is ideal for feeding voluminous flakes and fibers effi ciently into the ZSK twin screw extruder.

MOVING THE NEEDLES

NJM, a ProMach product brand specializing in pharmaceutical packaging equipment, will pre sents the Dara NFL/2 aseptic filling and closing machine for ready-to-use syringes.

Ideal for biotech companies and 503B phar macies packaging suspensions, diagnostics, solutions and/or vaccines, the NFL/2 handles nests of pre-sterilized syringes as, well as vials and cartridges, with a fully servo-driven system that simplifies small-scale production to reduce capital costs, minimize floorspace requirements, and speed up changeovers.

MEAT OF THE MATTER

Coperion and Coperion K-Tron will present their application expertise in conveying, feeding and extrusion, focusing on Coperion’s techno logically advanced equipment and smart pro cessing solutions especially developed for emerging markets, such as plant-based meat substitutes and plastics recycling technologies.

The companies’ exhibit will focus primarily on Coperion’s technologically advanced equip ment and smart processing solutions especially developed for emerging markets, such as plantbased meat substitutes and plastics recycling technologies.

Offering complete systems to enable TVP (Textured Vegetable Protein) and HMMA (High Moisture Meat Analogues) processing capabilities on the same machine, the company’s ZSK Food Extruder in Hybrid Design fea tures an innovative adapter solution that makes it possible to retrofit the extruder with minimum effort in a short amount of time.

By turning a few screws, the ZGF Centric Food Pelletizer can the TVP product flow directly at the die plate to allow for the process section can be quickly exchanged with a special cooling nozzle for manufacturing HMMA product.

Furthermore, thanks to the twin screw ex truders’ self-cleaning effect and modular con struction, it is possible to manufacture numer ous other extrudes such as snacks and cereals on the same ZSK Extruder

As a total systems provider, Coperion also offers combined process solutions and technol ogies for the economical recycling of various

“Biopharmaceutical manufacturers who are new to commercial production can rely on the Dara NFL/2 to maximize efficiencies during both the ‘scale up’ phase and small batch com mercial manufacturing,” says NJM’s Dara product manager Thomas Kessler.

“By filling and closing syringes, vials and cartridges that are already sterilized and pre pared for processing, the NFL/2 has eliminat ed the need for a washer and depyrogenation tunnel, which streamlines the packaging operation.”

The NFL/2 fills and seals syringes while they remain in the nest.

A vibratory hopper/circular feeder delivers the plungers to the pick-and-place stations, which places the plungers into the syringes using direct drive, servo-motion control.

Moreover, changeovers to another syringe size can be completed in less than 15 minutes with no tools required.

As a dual station system, the NFL/2 can fill and close up to 4,500 syringes per hour, and it is available with a broad range of optional fea tures to maximize production versatility.

Leading German pack aging and processing equipment manufactur er MULTIVAC Sepp Hag genmüller SE & Co. KG has appointed Christian Traumann as group president and spokes person for the company’s manage ment team, effective Dec. 31, 2022.

The Syntegon Group , globally-operating manufacturer of pro cessing and packaging technologies, has ap pointed Peter Hackel as chief finan cial officer, to be based at the company’s corporate headquarters in Beringen, Switzerland.

Covectra, Westborough, Ma.-based supplier of track-and-trace, serializ ation and authentication solutions for pharmaceutical supply chain applications, has appointed Gary Miloscia as president and chief executive officer.

Cortec Corporation , St. Paul, Minn.-heaquartered supplier of

protective and industrial packaging products and solutions, has appointed Caleb Pheneger as chief operations officer.

HERMA US Inc., Fair field, N.J.-based sub sidiary of the subsidiary of HERMA GmbH, German-based manu facturer of labeling machinery, self-adhesive labels and materials has appointed Michael Harrop as regional sales manager, with pri mary responsibilities for the mid western U.S. region.

ACTEGA, global manu facturer of specialty coatings, inks, adhesives and sealing compounds for the packaging and print industries, has appointed Dennis Siepmann to the newly-cre ated role of global head of sustain ability, responsible for guiding the company’s ESG initiatives to meeting its goal of becoming a carbon-neutral business by 2025.

Electrical connectors and electronic compon ents supplier WAGO of Germantown, Wis., has appointed Robb Perez as new regional sales man ager for the Chicago area, and Jeffrey Govek as senior sales and appli cation engineer, to be based in the Dallas area.

Twin Rivers Paper Company, Madawaska, Me.based manufacturer of specialty paper products, has appointed Robert Harvey a chief oper ations officer, and Tyler Rajeski as vice-president of finance.

Industrial power distri bution systems and components manufac turer Danfoss North America of Loves Park, Ill., has appointed Steven Lakin as director of public and industry af fairs.

Leading digital cutting and finishing solutions manufacturer Kongs berg Precision Cutting Systems (Kongsberg PCS) has appointed Matt Thackray as vice-president and general man ager of the company’s operations in the Americas region at Kongsberg’s U.S. offices in Miamisburg, Ohio.

SOMIC Packaging, Inc., Eagan, Minn.-based manufacturer of car toning, loading and other secondary packaging ma chinery has appointed Philipp Lenz as technical service coordinator.

Spartech, St. Louis, Mo.-based manufacturer of engineered thermo plastics and custom packaging solu tions, has appointed Jessica Sekely as director of environmental health and safety; Mario Columbia as general manager for the company’s Polycast Acrylic Sheet Division; and Larry Baer as plant manager for the com pany’s production facility in Pauld ing, Ohio.

SEALS OF APPROVAL

Abbey Equipment Solutions and Jun apack are always looking for ways to simplify our customers life.

That’s why we have created a pouch design guide for efficient operation for Rotary Bagger Systems!

The relationship between the zipper, header seal, and tear notch should be kept constant across ALL pouch formats.

Pouches are held inside the gripper at zipper height level. If the top seal, zipper, and tear notch dimensions remain constant across all pouches, there will be no need to adjust pouch height in side grippers, saving time and eliminating set-up.

Should there be a hang-hole (preferably not), the suction cups should be set either side of the hang-hole, and the top seal width needs to ex tend at least 3mm below the bottom of the hanghole, and the bottom of the hang-hole needs to be at least 5mm above the tear notch line.

Keeping pouches, the same width, and changing the height or gusset also makes change overs easier, reducing set-up issues.

If all pouches can’t be made to the same width, try to have as few widths as possible and only adjust pouch height or gusset.

The wider the pouch is, the larger the funnel size that can be inserted, and the easier the

product will pass through the funnel. We recom mend that the lower funnel orifice be 1.75x the largest dimension of the product so if the part dimension is 25mm, the minimum funnel orifice should be 25 x 1.75 = 44mm, so the funnel that could be used for this product would be 50mm but that’s assuming a single item passing through the funnel at any one time. If we wish to pass multiples through (as is normally the case), we must factor by another 1.75, so 44 x 1.75=77mm, so the funnel size for this product is 80mm.

The larger the funnel, the easier for the prod uct to pass through, and the faster line speed we can maintain.

The pouch opening is an oval shape, yet we

need to have the opening large enough to accom modate the round funnel, so an 80mm funnel will need to have an opening more than 100mm to guarantee clean entry 100% of the time. To achieve this, the pouch would need to be over 220mm wide. A rule of thumb is that the width of the pouch should be at least 3x the diameter of the lower funnel dimension.

Product fill level in the pouch can affect pouch stretching and sealing. If product fill level is too high in the pouch, it can inhibit the stretching motion to pull closed the pouch before top sealing and can even push product up into the seal area, inhibiting good sealing.

A general guide is to have a maximum fill level never higher that 2” below the bottom of the zipper (or 2.5 - 3” below the seal area, if no zipper fitted).

If the header seal remains constant across all pouches, width changes stay to a minimum, and just make changes on height or gusset, change overs will be quicker and more efficient.

Visit us at www.abbeyequipment.com for more information. Located in Burlington ON, and servicing all of Canada.

EVENTS

OCT. 23-26

Chicago: PACK EXPO International, packaging and processing technologies exhibition by PMMI, The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies. At McCormick Place. To register, go to: www.packexpo.com

OCT. 25-26

Niagara Falls, Ont.: OCBC22: Ontario Craft Brewers Conference & Suppliers Marketplace, annual conference and trade show by Ontario Craft Brewers (OCB). At the Niagara Falls Convention Centre. To register, go to: www.ocbconference.com

NOV. 9-10

Montreal: ADM (Advanced Design & Manufacturing Expo) Montréal Cross-industry exhibition comprising PACKEX , ATX , Design & Manufacturing , Expoplast , and Powder & Bulk Solids. All at the Palais des congrès de Montréal.To register, go to: www.admmontreal.com

NOV. 1-2

Amsterdam, Holland: WBWE (World Bulk Wine Exhibition), at Amsterdam Rai, Halls 2 &3. To register, go to: www.worldbulkwine.com

NOV. 15-18

Milan, Italy: SIMEI , international enological and bottling equipment exhibition by the Unione Italiana Vini (UIV). At Fiera Milano. To register, go to: www.simei.it

2023

FEB. 8-9

London, U.K.: The European Biopolymer Summit, conference and exhibition by ACI London. To register, go to: www.acieu.net

APRIL 25-27

Toronto: CPMA 2023, annual convention and trade show of the Canadian Produce Marketing Association (CPMA). At the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. To register, please go to: www.convention.cpma.ca

MAY 4-10

Düsseldorf, Germany: Interpack 2023, global showcase for packaging and processing technologies by Messe Düsseldorf GmbH. At Messe Düsseldorf fairgrounds. To register, go to: www.interpack.com

2024 MAY 28 – JUNE 7

Düsseldorf, Germany: drupa 2024, global trade fair for printing technologies by Messe Düsseldorf GmbH. At Messe Düsseldorf fairgrounds. To register, go to: www.drupa.com

Go sustainability.

Emerson’s Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) solutions and analytics software provide the actionable insights needed to identify compressed air waste and optimize energy efficiency.

Engaging snack packaging a colorful feast for the eyes / Myles Shane

The experience of buying treats and pastries has undergone a full 360-degree makeover since the 1980s, when I would go shopping with mom at the Safeway every Sunday afternoon wrapped up in an ultra-tight Winnipeg Blue Bombers jersey. For a 10-year-old growing up in seeming ly endless Winnipeg winters, that was often the highlight of my week—an opportunity to stack up on all the classic treats like Whippets, Pringles, gum mies of all sorts and, my personal favorite sugary cereal Count Chocula. These days, the YouTube generation surfs the aisles in the cloud, web or metaverse, and with the advent of transparent packaging they can simply click on the treats they plan to devour while watching Netflix and chilling out. Back in the day we only saw the artwork on the packaging, and maybe some pictures of the food, but we rarely got the full scoop on the ingredients or the nutritional information for the products, which in retrospect might have been a good thing. A recent shopping trip to the local neighborhood HomeSense store, stacked with all sorts of sweet treats and temptations on both sides of the checkout lane, was a pleasant revelation in how far snack-food packaging has come along.

Little Miss Chatterbox is one of many famous characters in all of children’s liter ature. The book belongs to the Little Miss book series which started in 1981. Prior to every little girl on the planet wanting to be a Little Miss, there was the Mr. Men series which launched ten years earlier. Today, these Mr. and Miss characters can be found in all kinds of popular culture, in cluding television series, comic books, video games, board games, toys, candy and more. One of the more recent prod ucts to spawn from the Little Miss collec tion is Fruity Gummies. The packaging on the gummies stands out due to their spectacular use of color and boldly drawn illustrations which illuminate Little Miss Chatterbox on her mobile phone. The phone-shaped candy is a clever concept because of the character’s talkative person ality. The gummies are packed in a glossy, plastic, flexible, resealable flexible pouch for easy opening, dispensing and storage.

(Clockwise)

The zero-sugar Jordan’s Sinny Syrup in Mermaid Tropiical Cirtrus Flavour Burst recipe; as freseal able stand-up ouch of Little Miss Chatterbox phone-shaped gummies; highly transparent upright packaging shoiws off hand-crafted quality of the Cuorenero Macaroons pastries brand.

The sturdy pouch features only two col ors—yellow and pink -—which is indica tive of the original Little Miss Chatterbox design. Another unique use of artwork on the packaging are the dialogue bubbles surrounding the beloved Chatterbox character, which is a modern addition to the Little Miss world. Perhaps the most thoughtful and creative part of the pack aging is the circular, transparent window on the front of the pouch, which allows the customer the benefit of seeing the actual product inside. Finally, these treats claim have a one-and-a-half-year shelf life even after they have been opened, which makes purchasing this tasty product even sweeter.

The zero-sugar Jordan’s Skinny Syrups are a welcome new range of flavorful

sweeteners for a variety of beverages. Sim ply add Jordan’s Skinny Syrups to coffees, lattes, mochas, cappuccinos, desserts, oatmeal or just about anything and, voilà, it’s the perfect guilt-free taste your tastebuds have been begging you for! The Skinny Syrups line offer over 50 flavors to choose from: each one featuring zero cal ories, carbohydrates or sugar. The Mer maid Tropical Citrus Flavour Burst is avail able in a vibrant aqua color that provides a perfect match for the wraparound label decorating the tall skinny bottle. The top of the bottle is secured with a plastic, metallic, grey bottle cap sealer which complements the design on the label. The perforated lining on the sealer peels off ef fortlessly to reveal a white plastic screw cap. The color-matching wraparound label highlights the image of a blue mer maid silhouette drinking a cocktail and presumably enjoying it with a shot of Skinny Syrup. This syrup has an expiry date of two years, which allow the custom ers time to enjoy it at their leisure.

Another product which caught my eye at HomeSense was the Cuorenero Maca roons, which brings shoppers a taste of Italy in palm-sized flavored pastries offer ing a crispy burst of flavor and soft, smooth texture in the middle. Each rectangular box holds six macaroons which are clearly visible through the transparent front panel. Each colorful box reveals two openings shaped in a similar manner to resemble typical European architecture, with carved edges and a hint of gold around them. The fonts follow the archetypes of traditional Italian style. Each macaroon sits in its own compartment as part of a larger rectangu lar, cookie tray wrapped in plastic before going into the cardboard box. The well-preserved product provides 12-month shelf-life, along with an interesting history lesson at the bottom of the box, letting the shopper know that, “The Macaroon had medieval origins. In 1533, Caterina De Medici brought this delicious pastry to the French people as a gift on the occasion of her wedding.”

Myles Shane is a freelance writer residing just north of Toronto in Thornhill, Ont.

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