Canadian Packaging March 2015 by Annex Business Media

MARCH 2015 | $10

www.canadianpackaging.com

PAINT BY NUMBERS

Specialty paint business comes alive with made-in-Canada packaging lines See story on page 13

CANADIAN PRODUCE MARKETING ASSOCIATION

TRADE SHOW PREVIEW MONTREAL, QUE APRIL 15-17, 2015 page 18

PLENTY OF FISH Publication mail agreement #40069240.

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With its breakthrough design, the 9550 applies labels directly onto packs without the need for an applicator, while self-adjusting label placement accommodates varying line speeds, throughput and package sizes. Revolutionary Intelligent Motionâ&#x201E;˘ technology targets zero unscheduled downtime as it precisely and automatically controls the entire system. See the Videojet 9550 in action at PackExpo 2014 in Chicago.

Intelligent MotionTM

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Being in business for over 65 years isn’t what makes us a leader in the packaging industry.

It’s the hundreds of loyal customers, multitudes of innovative products, and the countless times we’ve delivered unrivaled customer satisfaction that does.

(416) 298.8101 • (800) 268.5620 • www.atlantic.ca Add Ink (Decorative & Display) (416) 421.3636 www.addink.ca

Corrugated Packaging

Paper Bags

Color Pak (Pre-printed Linerboard) (416) 298.5518 www.colorpak.ca

Displays

Mitchel-Lincoln Packaging Ltd. Montreal and Drummondville (800) 361.5727 www.mitchellincoln.ca

Supply and Inventory Management

Recycling

Mills

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UPFRONT

EMBRACING THE NEW DIGITAL AGE DIMENSION

MARCH 2015

VOLUME 68, NO. 3 SENIOR PUBLISHER Stephen Dean • (416) 510-5198 SDean@canadianpackaging.com EDITOR George Guidoni • (416) 510-5227 GGuidoni@canadianpackaging.com FEATURES EDITOR Andrew Joseph • (416) 510-5228 AJoseph@canadianpackaging.com ART DIRECTOR Sheila Wilson • (416) 442-5600 x3593 shwilson@annexnewcom.ca PRODUCTION MANAGER Barb Vowles • (416) 510-5103 BVowles@annexnewcom.ca CIRCULATION MANAGER Anita Madden • 442-5600 x3596 AMadden@annexnewcom.ca ANNEX PUBLISHING & PRINTING INC. Vice-President Annex Business Media East Tim Dimpoloulos tdimopoulos@canadianmanufacturing.com President & CEO • Mike Fredericks mfredericks@annexweb.com

HOW TO REACH US: Canadian Packaging, established 1947, is published monthly by Annex Publishing & Printing Inc. 80 Valleybrook Drive, North York, ON, M3B 2S9; Tel: (416) 510-5198; Fax (416) 510-5140. EDITORIAL AND ADVERTISING OFFICES: 80 Valleybrook Drive, North York, ON, M3B 2S9; Tel: (416) 442-5600; Fax (416) 510-5140.

t has been a long time coming, but the so-called 3D printing technology is finally getting the worldwide attention of both business and public alike as one of the most promising breakthrough technologies representing the future of tomorrow’s next-generation manufacturing. Ironically, the technology itself is anything but new, having been both widely available and familiar to the manufacturing design community under the initial ‘rapid manufacturing’ and “autofab (automated fabrication)” monikers since the late 1980s. What is new, however, is the widely reported push to deploy the technology’s additive manufacturing modus operandi to create useful everyday objects with real mass appeal directly from CAD (computer-aided design) files in a hands-off process whereby powdered polymers and other materials are activated by lasers to form solid-state product layers on top of one another in pre-programmed shapes until the finished product is assembled in full—seemingly out of thin air. With its potential to usher in a real era of mass customization and personal stay-at-home product design and assembly, 3D printing will undoubtedly impact countless goods-producing sectors in much more profound ways than could be conceived now. Naturally, this includes packaging and its vast CPG (consumer packaged goods) global end-user client base, with the Italian division of global CPG powerhouse Unilever providing a textbook example of using 3D printing to cut lead-times for some product prototypes by 40 per cent. Using proprietary PolyJet 3D printing technology developed by Minneapolis-headquartered 3D print-

SUBSCRIBER SERVICES: To subscribe, renew your subscription or to change your address or information, contact us at 416-442-5600 or 1-800-387-0273 ext. 3555. SUBSCRIPTION PRICE PER YEAR (INCLUDING ANNUAL BUYERS’ GUIDE): Canada $72.95 per year, Outside Canada $118.95 US per year, Single Copy Canada $10.00, Outside Canada $27.10. Canadian Packaging is published 11 times per year except for occasional combined, expanded or premium issues, which count as two subscription issues.

COVER STORY 13 PAINTING BY NUMBERS By Andrew Joseph

Leading U.S. manufacturer of arts and crafts paints, gets a real bang for its buck with installation of state-of-the-art filling-and-capping lines installed by a stalwart Canadian packaging machine-builder.

©Contents of this publication are protected by copyright and must not be reprinted in whole or in part without permission of the publisher. DISCLAIMER: This publication is for informational purposes only. The content and “expert” advice presented are not intended as a substitute for informed professional engineering advice. You should not act on information contained in this publication without seeking specific advice from qualified engineering professionals. Canadian Packaging accepts no responsibility or liability for claims made for any product or service reported or advertised in this issue. Canadian Packaging receives unsolicited materials, (including letters to the editor, press releases, promotional items and images) from time to time. Canadian Packaging, its affiliates and assignees may use, reproduce, publish, republish, distribute, store and archive such unsolicited submissions in whole or in part in any form or medium whatsoever, without compensation of any sort. PRIVACY NOTICE: From time to time we make our subscription list available to select companies and organizations whose product or service may interest you. If you do not wish your contact information to be made available, please contact us via one of the following methods: Phone: 1-800-668-2374 Fax: 416-442-2191 Email: privacyofficer@businessinformationgroup.ca Mail to: Privacy Office, 80 Valleybrook Drive, North York, ON M3B 2S9 PRINTED IN CANADA PUBLICATIONS MAIL AGREEMENT NO. 40069240, ISSN 008-4654 (PRINT), ISSN 1929-6592 (ONLINE) We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Periodical Fund of the Department of Canadian Heritage for our publishing activities. Canadian Packaging is indexed in the Canadian Magazine Index by Micromedia Limited. Back copies are available in microform from Macromedia Ltd., 158 Pearl St., Toronto, ON M5H 1L3

ing supplier Stratasys Ltd., the Unilever plant recently produced injection mold tools for a range of popular household care and laundry products with a run of about 50 units for a wide variety of prototype parts—including bottle caps, closures and toilet rim blocks (picture below)—fabricated from the tough, durable Digital ABS plastic material. “With Stratasys 3D printing technology, we can design and print a variety of injection molds for different parts that can undergo functional and consumer testing—all on the same day,” relates Unilever’s R&D and prototyping specialist Stefano Cademartiri. “Before, we would have to wait several weeks to receive prototype parts using our traditional tooling process. “With 3D printing we’re now able to apply design iterations to the mold within a matter of hours,” Cademartiri reveals, “enabling us to produce prototype parts in final materials such as polypropylene by 40 per cent faster than before. “Having previously outsourced our thermoforming requirements, we found that we were accumulating significant labor costs and having to contend with lengthy lead-times,” Cademartiri recalls. “However, since 3D printing these parts ourselves we’ve reduced lead-times in the conceptual phase by approximately 35 per cent. “This technology has enhanced our overall manufacturing process—allowing us to evaluate our designs to eliminate those that are not suitable before committing to mass production.” And while it will be some time yet before 3D printing becomes a mass production technology in its own right, given how fast it’s been catching on in the last couple of years, it would take Luddites of the last resort to bet against it happening sooner rather than later.

Cover photography by Laura Tarquino

DEPARTMENTS & COLUMNS

FEATURES

UPFRONT By George Guidoni

18 HISTORY OF GROWTH CPMA Annual Convention & Trade Show preview.

4 NEWSPACK Packaging news round-up. 6 FIRST GLANCE New technologies and solutions for packaging applications.

19 FULL METAL JACKET By Steve Gidman Metal detection vs X-Ray inspection.

20 SAFE COMFORTS

NOTES & QUOTES Industry briefs and company updates.

10 ECO-PACK All about packaging sustainability. 12 imPACt Monthly insight from PAC, Packaging Consortium. 34 ANNOUNCEMENTS Industry and company updates. 35 EVENTS Upcoming industry functions. 35 PEOPLE Career moves in the packaging world. 36 CHECKOUT By Julie Saunders Joe Public speaks out on packaging hits and misses.

21 CELEBRITY ROASTS 22 REINVENTING THE VEAL By Andrew Joseph Innovative Quebec meat processor offers a fresh new take on bacon perfection with a commercially viable and healthy alternative to pork. 27 ONWARDS TO VICTORY 28 FINE KETTLE OF FISH By George Guidoni Ontario fish processor lays foundation for a thriving export business built by harvesting one of the most underrated and overlooked Great Lakes commercial fish species.

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SEAFOOD COMPANY AT TOP OF ITS PACKAGING GAME WITH NEW BRAND LAUNCH While it’s still a relatively small fish in a very big pond of a market dominated by multinational heavyweights with much vaster resources and geographic reach, Ontario-based seafood processor Toppits Food Ltd. is clearly setting sail in the right direction for sustained future growth, having just launched a gluten-free line of high-quality frozen breaded fish caught or farmed exclusively in MSC (Marine Stewardship Council)-certified waters. Launched soon after opening up its first stand-alone Toppits Seafood Market retail outlet just north of Toronto in Vaughan, Ont., last December, the innovative seafood pro-

free fillets are packed in 400-gram retail boxes— supplied by Beresford Box Co. Ltd. of Waterloo, Ont.—featuring stunning product photography on the front panel to make an instant connection with the shoppers, according to Toppits vice-president of sales John Mauro. “Consumers eat with their eyes first, making the design component very important if you want to grab the consumers’ attention in the first place,” says Mauro, adding Toppits recently worked with a highly authoritative marketing consultant as part of a comprehensive strategic rebranding reAnnouncement: f lected in the new product packaging. “The clean and crisp packaging graphics are well matched by eye-appealing product images that really make you want to try the product, with the light-blue splashes of color also helping to grab the consumers’ attention,” Mauro told the Canadian Packaging magazine. Andy Vieira technical Sales – “Combined with the prominProduct Inspection ent Gluten-Free & MSC logos, Andy@shawpak.com this packaging really makes us Shawpak Systems Ltd is pleased to announce Mr. Andy Vieira stand out from the competihas joined the Shawpak Systems Team as Technical Sales – tion,” says Mauro, adding the Product Inspection for the region of Quebec and the Maritimes. new products can be purchased This will further the Technical Sales resources within these at select retailers across Canregions specializing on the METTLER TOLEDO Product Inspection Product Line, HI-Speed CheckWeighing, and ada—including Sobeys, Metro, Safeline Metal Detection and X-Ray Inspection Systems. Longo’s and Farm Boy—as well as at popular Mr. Vieira brings with him a wealth of knowledge and experience independent grocery retailers like Lady York, for Product Inspection within the Food and Pharmaceuticals Battaglia Food Markets, Sharpe Market, Industry, with the METTLER TOLEDO Product Line and will be Monastery Bakery & Delicatessen, The Gara good addition to the existing Quebec based Shawpak Team. den Basket Food Markets and Yummy Market. www.shawpak.com Portioned in individual breaded fillets weighwww.mt.com ing an average of 100 grams, the three gluten-free products are also available in bulk 10-pound cases for foodservice establishments and institutions, according to Mauro. Boasting product shelf-life of 24 months from date of production, the fillets achieve their gluten-free credentials by using a special coating system comprised of corn, rice and potato, Mauro explains, as well as by being processed and packaged inside an officially GFCP-validated Gluing Systems · Quality Assurance Systems · Camera Verification Systems production facility. Says Mauro: “The CFGP certification process incorporates more than just testing protocols to ensure certified products Our gluing and quality assurance systems guarantee 100 % reliability and flexibility when producing six-packs. are gluten-free. Baumer hhs – so things go really well for you and your customers. “Using proven food safety standards and an unbiased certification process, the NO MORE INSIDE GLUING! GFCP delivers the only true global standard for the production of safe, reliable The precise control and Xcam camera verification gluten-free products,” he states. of the gluing process “Moreover, all the ingredients are sourced effectively prevent inside from our trusted partners around the gluing. world to ensure that our highest measures of quality are consistently met,” he adds. That‘s why you‘re set up perfectly with us. “Having the MSG certification proves that we have the right standards and policies in place to work with fisheries, manufacturers, and customers to ensure that our fish stocks are traceable, healthy, and available Baumer hhs Corp. 10570 Success Lane | Dayton | OH 45458 | Tel. 937 8863160 | Fax 937 8863161 | sales.usa@baumerhhs.com baumerhhs.com for the generations to come.” cessor’s new Toppits retail product family of gluten-free breaded fish comprises mouth-watering Toppits Black Pepper Cod, Lightly Seasoned Haddock, and Savoury Lemon Sole to offer health-savvy Canadians a tasty alternative to traditional massproduced frozen fish products. “We are delighted to introduce Canadians to our delicious gluten-free breaded fish line that is certified by the Gluten-Free Certification Program (GFCP) and is also MRC-certified as sustainable,” says company owner Heather Gremont. “The number of Canadians choosing to follow a gluten-free lifestyle is increasing and we’re sure that Toppits’ tender f laky fillets will quickly become a family favorite. “I believe it is well worth noting that we are the first in Canada to have a breaded certified gluten-free and MSC-certified fish,” Gremont points out. Processed in Canada, the Toppits brand gluten-free breaded fillets are made from 100-percent natural fish with no additives, according to Toppits, with the tender, f laky, hand-cut portions coated with lightly crisp gluten-free breadcrumbs seasoned just right to achieve a highly satisfying taste profile: • Bold highlights of back pepper for the Black Pepper Gluten-Free Cod; • Delicate and crispy Lightly Seasoned GlutenFree Haddock with mild notes of garlic and onion; • Light notes of a citrusy lemon zest for the Lightly Seasoned Gluten-Free Haddock. Competitively priced with the conventional wheat-based breaded fish products, the gluten-

So your production process runs reliably.

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STAND-UP POUCHES HAVE TAKEN OVER

POWDER FILLING The Star Auger is designed to weigh/fill powders, granules, spices, and more.

STAND-UP BAGGING The Swifty Bagger is engineered to open, fill, and seal a wide variety of pre-made bags.

FROM PRODUCT TO PALLET Requiring only one operator, fill & seal stand-up pouches, erect, load & tape cases, then palletize with this complete line by Eagle Packaging.

CASE ERECTING The Boxxer T-12 is one of the most economical and compact erectors on the market.

CASE PACKING Automatic accumulation loading and sealing for a variety of pack patterns.

PALLETIZING Use the Z.Zag to automatically pick and place cases onto a pallet.

Showcasing over $2,000,000 of finished packaging machinery inventory, the Paxiom System Center is the perfect environment for testing your product on one of our many packaging solutions.

T:1.305.622.4070

LAS.VEGAS

MIAMI

TORONTO

MONTREAL

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FIRST GLANCE FIRST GLANCE STANDING TALL Designed for X-Ray inspection of high-speed can, jar, bottle and composite lines as well as other upright container formats, the new Tall PRO XSDV system from Eagle Product Inspection uses high-performance dual-view X-Ray technology to offer end-users with limited line space an ideal solution for their product inspection needs. Distributed in Canada by PLAN Automation, the dual-side view detection coverage provides an added measure of inspection by analyzing and processing two images per container, thereby improving the probability of detecting hard to find contaminants such as glass shards (including glass contaminations within glass containers); metal fragments (including metal within foil and metalized film packaging); mineral stone; calcified bone; and some plastic and rubber compounds. Well-suited for inspecting products packaged in foil or metalized film at line rates in excess of 1,000 pieces per minute, the Tall PRO XSDV X-Ray inspection system is engineered for achieving with superior foreign body detection in a broad range of packaging types, including tall rigid glass, metal, ceramic and plastic containers; cartons and boxes; pouches; and bags and sacks. PLAN Automation

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SENSITIVE SUBJECT Developed for use on the Phantom or Stealth metal detection systems manufactured by Fortress Technology Inc., the company’s new FM software is claimed to achieve at least a 40-percent improvement in detection performance of these installed in the field, providing customers with even quicker ROI (return-on-investment)

payback and living up to the company’s renowned Never Obsolete Commitment guarantee. Fortress Technology Inc.

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CLEAR ADVANTAGES The new Profile Advantage metal detection system from Mettler-Toledo Safeline is claimed to offer an effective and long-awaited solution to the socalled ‘product effect,’ which is the electrical signal detected in some foods with high moisture levels, high salt content, or metalized film packaging. According to the company, the system’s sophisticated inspection algorithm all but removes this problematic phenomenon from the process—resulting in up to 50 per cent improvements in detection sensitivity levels—regardless of packaging material—in challenging applications such as wet, warm or chilled food. Unlike conventional metal detectors that simply capture and store the active product signal, the Profile Advantage modifies the signal during set-up to ensure that the food product presents itself as if it were a dry product. Once production starts, the detection algorithm is applied to each of the products that pass through the detector to achieve much higher levels of detection sensitivity and an optimal detection envelope for the potential contaminants. Mettler-Toledo Safeline

A BAND-AID SOLUTION Developed specifically to eliminate the need to use adhesives and lines typically found on most common pressure-sensitive labels, the new Bandall band labeling technology from Banding Systems, Inc. is designed to apply a label

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as a complete band around the package, providing users with all the convenience and advantages of a one-step process that paves the way for the maximization of graphic area, material reduction, lower cost and greatly improved production efficiencies. Banding Systems, Inc.

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METAL METTLE Developed in response to the food industry’s rapid deployment of food safety technologies at continuously higher levels of detection capability, the new RAPICON metal detector conveyors from Sesotec (formerly S+S Inspection) boasts fully-modular components, standard reject systems and a full range of aperture sizes. According to the company, RAPICON’s fully-welded construction with C-SCAN GHF or GLS metal detection technology provides an optimal food safety platform from which detection of the smallest pieces of metal is possible without adding a risk for bug traps or harborage points into the process, thereby ensuring full compliance to the latest FSMA (Food Safety Modernization Act) regulations. Sesotec Separation and Sorting

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WELL WORTH THE WEIGHT Designed to surpass the highest sanitation standards in applications requiring packaging readyto-eat meat into stand-up pouches, the new

all-in-one, stainless-steel solution from WeighPack Systems Inc. combines the company’s high-efficiency Swifty Bagger model horizontal bagger for pre-made bags with an incline infeed conveyor in a highly hygienic configuration featuring solid steel angled frames to eliminate water and particulate build-up; full welds and magnetic safety switches in place of key holes and exposed threaded screws to ensure water-tight doors and panels; and extended plexiglass over-cover with fully welded bottom-cover on the Swifty Bagger to protect the components from water infiltration during washdown—thereby keeping the inside of the bagger as clean as possible.

CMY

WeighPack Systems Inc.

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Products Improve As They Evolve. Nordson melters are no exception. Industry-leading Freedom® and ProBlue Liberty™ tankless hot melt systems, provide a revolutionary technology that gives you the maximum prevention against char buildup. Freedom® System ■ Tankless melter with MiniBlue® II SureBead® applicator minimizes char throughout the system and reduces downtime due to nozzle clogs ProBlue Liberty™ ■ Tankless melter designed with a ProBlue® footprint melts only what you need, when you need it Go tankless and see your packaging line evolve. Contact your Nordson representative, or call (800) 463-3200 to go tankless.

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Weighing & Counting Solutions…

Proven around the world. Our systems are providing the highest degrees of accuracy in food and non-food plants across the country. Our system solutions are available at the most attractive price points with service plans on everything we install. Our range of machinery is the widest in the marketplace, ensuring you get the right system installed for your needs.

Call Ray Perry today for a list of satisfied customers or for a quote. You’ll be glad you did.

RJP Packaging Inc.• 905-319-7562• ray@rjppackaging.ca

“Service First”

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multihead combo weighers – linear weighers – checkweighers – metal detectors – VFFS machines – conveyor

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NOTES & QUOTES track items as they are shipped, monitor environmental conditions and turn any form of packaging into a smart device with labeling and tagging solutions that are capable of wireless communications. “A few years ago, many PE applications would have been considered science fiction, but not any more,” says CPEIA’s executive director Peter Kallai, citing a multitude of business growth opportunities enabled by PE technologies for industries such as packaging, printing, advanced manufacturing and microelectronics. Tel. (613) 795-8181; or go to: cpeia-acei.ca Flanked by visiting local township officials, Esko Americas president Jon Giardina (second from left) and Esko North America director of marketing Keri Blackburn cut the ceremonial ribbon at the newly-expanded Esko Innovation Center in Miamisburg.

 Digital prepress equipment and systems supplier Esko North America has completed a US$1-million expansion of its Esko Innovation Center at the company’s headquarters in Miamisburg, Ohio, with a special ceremony attended by its senior management team and local township officials. Now housing the company’s software support group, customer training and demo centers, marketing and business development, human resources and administration personnel, the 33,500-square-foot building currently employs about 80 people to support the company’s growing North American client base, while serving as a hot spot for demonstrating new ideas and solutions, experimenting with new processes, and producing samples for packaging, wide-format and commercial print products. “The process of building our new demo facility took months of careful planning and we are very proud of the end result, as well as how effectively our staff will be able to work with our customers in what we believe is an exceptional showplace for the direction of graphics communication and packaging,” says Esko Americas president Jon Giardina.  The Canadian Printable Electronics In dustry Association (CPEIA) is a new industry group formed earlier this past fall with a mandate to bring together key Canadian and international players in industry, academia and government to build a strong domestic printed electronics (PE) sector through implementation of critical development strategies to facilitate growth through networking, stimulate R&D and investment, build a strong PE supply chain, and drive the broad adoption of PE technologies by end-use customers. Headquartered in Ottawa, CPEIA is the result of a three-year initiative by the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) to drive the growth of a strong PE domestic sector, which currently comprises about 50 Canadian companies with significant business interest in PE technologies, which can be used to manage inventory,

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 Industrial robotic systems integrator Motion Controls Ro botics, Inc. has commenced an expansion of the company’s current 57,000-squarefoot head quarter facility in Fremont, Ohio, to accommodate new office space, a new machining center, and new cleanroom robot service and refurbishment areas necessitated by the company’s

strong growth in sales and employment over the course of last year. Scheduled for completion in March of 2015, “The primary goal for the expansion project and for the additional hiring we are doing is to ensure continuous improvement in ontime delivery performance and product quality for our customers,” says company president Scott Lang, adding the expansion will provide about 4,000 square feet of new production space for the Fremont plant.

Krones helps Steam Whistle do one thing really, really well – package Canada’s premium pilsner Steam Whistle Pilsner offers the style and flavour of the great pilsners of Europe, yet is brewed fresh locally at their independent, Canadian brewery. Crafted under the watchful eye of the Czech-born Master Brewer, this golden-coloured Bohemian pilsner is made using only four all-natural ingredients, a distinctive recipe, traditional methods, and a whole lot of passion. How is this brewmaster know-how and brewery freshness retained until it reaches you? With the assistance of Krones’ TFS filter, Lavatec bottle washer, VOC can filler, and Modulfill bottle filler. All this ensures quality through zero-bacteria control, minimum oxygen pickup and accurate fill heights. Just some of the measures that Steam Whistle takes to be the worthy reward at the end of your day.

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Krones Machinery Co Ltd 6285 Northam Drive Suite 108 Mississauga, ON L4V 1X5, Canada +1 905-364-4900 www.krones.com

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ECO-PACK NOW

INITIAL SUCCESS TAKES THE COFFEE CAPSULE RECYCLING PROGRAM NATIONWIDE Despite being widely scorned and vilified as one of the most serious new repeat environmental offenders of this decade so far, the supposedly unrecyclable single-serve coffee pods are in fact finding a useful second life in Canada— thanks to a progressive waste recovery program jointly conducted by office supplies distributor Grand & Toy, an affiliate of global office products giant Office Depot, Inc., and Toronto-based recycling specialists TerraCycle Canada, Inc. First launched last year on trial basis in southern Ontario, the five-month K-Cup Pack program’s resounding success has prompted both partners

to not only widen the program to nationwide basis this past January, but also to extend it to include other commonly-used office supplies and computer accessories. “We originally launched the pilot program based on stakeholder feedback that we received from our associates, suppliers and customers who identified waste and recycling as our most important sustainability issue,” says Grand & Toy’s sustainability manager Serguei Tchertok. “At Grand & Toy, sustainability has long been an important part of our business, and with this newly-expanded program, our customers now

Answers you need Good enough to eat? You’ll have the answers with Thermo Scientific™ X-ray product inspection technology. State-of-the-art image generation and analysis help you take food safety and quality to the next level. And, products in our NextGuard™, Xpert™ and POWERx lines are easy to use and own, making our simply packaged solutions even tastier.

Simply packaged • thermoscientific.com/xrayinspection

Your partner in product and process improvement

have an opportunity to conveniently divert more waste from the landfill by recycling products that are considered waste by most municipalities. “This is just one more step in our ongoing commitment to promote sustainability and minimize the adverse environmental impacts of our operations,” says Tchertok, explaining that in addition to the coffee capsules, the program will also collect mixed office supplies like binders, pens, pencils, staplers, scissors, file folders, etc., as well as computer accessories like keyboards, computer mice, web cameras, wires and cords. Each of the three types of office waste has its own specially-designated col lec tion box that can be purchased from Grand & Toy to collect the items described on the box label. (Pictures above) All the Zero Waste Boxes come with a pre-paid UPS shipping label for direct forwarding of the collected recyclables to TerraCycle’s warehouse in Ajax, Ont. Ultimately, it will be sent for processing that employs mechanical and manual sorting techniques to separate the collected waste into metals, fibers and plastics. After sorting, the metals are smelted to prepare them for the recycling stage; fibers from paper waste and woodbased products are recycled or composted along with any other organic materials; and plastics undergo extrusion and pelletization to be molded into new products made from recycled plastic, covering a full gamut from park benches to plant pods and outdoor waste bins. In addition, any salvageable X-ray Inspection electronic waste is refurbished • Detects dense, sharp foreign objects and reused, with all the data • High performance and cost effective wiped from the applicable ewaste, according to TerraCycle. “Canadians are among the world’s top recyclers, so we’re thrilled to see the growing demand for more Zero Waste Boxes,” says TerraCycle’s chief executive officer Tom Szaky, who founded the company in 2001. Checkweighing Says Szaky: “Grand & Toy was the first Canadian retailer to support this innovative solution, and we’re pleased to continue working with them to offer even more recycling opportunities to Canadians. “We are confident that this program will continue to Metal Detection grow,” Szaky concludes. US and Canada 800.227.8891 sales.packaging.us@thermofisher.com

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SMART & VERSATILE Smart describes the precision mandrel-forming technology from RockTenn. Whether it’s our high performance Meta® Tray 8 – which outperforms any other tray in the produce market – or our 2-piece telescoping case design, the Meta® System is versatile to meet the needs of your operation.

Visit us at CPMA Booth #820! To learn more about our precision mandrel-forming technology, contact RockTenn Automated Packaging Systems at 407.843.1300. ©2015 Rock-Tenn Shared Services, LLC. All rights reserved. ROCKTENN, the stylized R, and META are trademarks of Rock-Tenn Company and its subsidiaries and affiliates. FOR MORE INFORMATION CIRCLE 111

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The vital partner and catalyst for the packaging value chain

Founded 1950

PACK AGING CONSORTIUM

PAC GLOBAL LEADERSHIP

Celebrate with Industry Leaders

April 22, 2015 Mississauga Convention Centre For more info contact Lisa Abraham - labraham@pac.com or 416-646-4640 12 • WWW.CANADIANPACKAGING.COM

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COVER STORY

PAINTING BY THE NUMBERS American arts and crafts paint manufacturer gets inspired performance from state-of-the-art Canadian filling and capping equipment

From left: Plaid Enterprises, Inc. chief executive officer and president Mike McCooey; chief financial officer and chief operating officer John Michalek; and plant director Norman Thomas find good cheer with the turnkey Capmatic filling and capping line installed at the company’s 270,000-square-foot production facility in Decatur, GA.

ANDREW JOSEPH, FEATURES EDITOR PHOTOS BY LAURA TARQUINO

hile the history of the company is a little hazy on whether the owners read a how-to book it published on how to create business success, what is undeniable is that Plaid Enterprises, Inc. of Norcross, Ga. has had 38 years of continuous successful growth, and is now considered a manufacturing leader of quality arts and crafts products for the retail segment. When Plaid began operations in 1976, it did so as a family-run business with three employees publishing how-to books, expanding its domain between 1977 and 1989 to include products relating to: general crafts; home decorating; and paints and coatings. The privately-held international investment holding firm Dyson KissnerMoran Corporation purchased Plaid in 1989, which provided Plaid with growth opportunities thanks to DKM’s capital support structure. Nowadays, the can-do know-how of Plaid has evolved the company into a firm with over 350 employees in the United States—and a sourcing office in Shenzhen, China—with over 5,000 SKUs (stock-keeping units) distributed in over 50 countries. “Plaid manufactures and markets do-it-your self products for customers worldwide, offering artist and craft acrylic paints and much more,” Plaid chief executive officer and president Mike McCooey told Canadian Packaging magazine during a recent interview.

Plaid Enterprises manufactures and packages 20 of its own bestselling brands of arts and crafts paints such as Folk Art, Apple Barrel, Mod Podge and other labels.

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The Capmatic SortStar bottle unscrambler is specifically designed to handle a wide range of plastic bottle sizes without the operator needing to resort to change parts.

An Accurofill filler, designed and manufactured by Capmatic, is used to package a range of four- to 32-ounce arts and craft paint bottles at an average of 40,000 units per day.

A side view of the No. 8 production line at Plaid, equipped with Capmatic’s Accurofill bottle filler, an Alpha chuck capper and an accumulation table.

After plastic bottles are filled on the Accurofill, they are swiftly conveyed to an Alpha model capper—both manufactured by the Montreal-headquartered Capmatic Ltd.

Besides the arts and crafts paints, the 270,000-square-foot Decatur, GA.-facility located in the suburbs of Atlanta also manufactures stitchery kits, liquid adhesives and stencils, fashion products, jewelry, glues, and needlecrafts; decoupage products; products in areas such as faux finishes and glass crafts to new artists and markets, including home improvement; and soy paints and stains, and tools and accessories for decorative painters, home decor enthusiasts, and creative crafters. But for Plaid, it certainly appears as though paint is where its current success lies, producing several million gallons a year of acrylics for fabric, wood, glass, ceramic, plastic, and metal projects; books, tools, and accessories for crafting. “Roughly 80 per cent of what we manufacture is actually our own brands,” explains McCooey, citing the brands Folk Art and Apple Barrel, as well as Mod Podge, Plaid, Delta Creative, Bucilla Needle-

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work Products and Stencil Decor. “The Plaid product portfolio currently offers 20 leading brands.” McCooey adds that it’s not that hard to find Plaid brand products. Along with the distribution in over 50 countries, across North America, it can be found in such national movers as: Walmart, Target, Michaels, HomeDepot.com, Lowes, HSN (Home Shopping Network) and The Shopping Channel, Amazon, Ebay, Kroger, various dollar stores and many more.

ONLINE WONDER But despite the proliferation of eager consumers waiting to snap up the arts and crafts materials from these businesses, Plaid and its social media partners also has a growing online presence (www. plaidonline.com), with over one-million followers across a variety of social media networks including 600,000 Google+ fans, 145,000 Facebook follow-

ers, 72,000 newsletter subscribers and an astounding 400,000 unique visitors to its daily blog that features original content from its Plaid craft design team, as well as craft experts and guest bloggers. “We use social media outlets to provide our followers and fans with daily ideas, inspiration and recipes, which of course helps drive retail performance,” mentions McCooey. “We even have Plaid Craft TV, 200 videos and counting of web-based craft programming with 36,000 subscribers on YouTube.” While the company is social media savvy, it is also undeniably busy, operating its paints production facility 24/7, with no real cyclical peaks or valleys. And yet, says McCooey, only a very small portion of its product is actually sold on-line, noting that Plaid’s low selling point of each SKU doesn’t usually warrant a consumer wanting to pay the additional shipping and handling costs.

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COVER STORY

A Capmatic LabelStar System 1-Wrap wraparound inline labeling system places product labels around the round bottles at high throughput speeds. Plaid utilizes an iCON small-character laser coder manufactured by ID Technology, capable of printing up to four lines of text.

location, the pallet is placed into an overstock area. Key to Plaid’s im pres sive production line efficiencies is a turnkey unit from Capmatic Ltd., that helps it achieve filling of a range of four- to 32-ounce bottles at an average of 40,000 units per day. At the same time of the Capmatic purchase, Plaid also acquired new bundling equipment manufactured by Polypack Inc., consisting of an ILB24L-P multiA Polypack ILB24L-P multipack shrink bundler featuring no transfer is pack shrink bundler that can wrap any used by Plaid to wrap unstable product multipacks of paint bottles. configuration of bottles, boxes, and oddshaped items with its no-transfer wrapping that allows unstable-product multipacks to be “We are considered a major supplier in the craft produced; and a Polypack gantry case loader for the industry,” relates McCooey. “Most of our product shrink bundler. is sold directly to retailers, and it is important that “Prior to our Capmatic line purchase, we did not we are cost-efficient to meet their pricing goals.” have such a wide range of bottle filling applicaAt Plaid, raw materials are received either pallettions,” relates Michalek. ized or in tankers, and then common base paints Headquartered in Montreal, Capmatic designs are made some 2,000 gallons at a time and then and manufactures high-quality customized packstored until needed. aging equipment from semi-auto to fully-auto“We have base storage tanks ranging in size from matic systems and complete packaging lines. 3,000 to 6,000 gallons,” says Plaid chief financial Plaid purchased a complete turnkey system conofficer and chief operating officer John Michalek, sisting of Capmatic’s: adding that most of its paints are common base. • SortStar bottle unscramble; “As for the unique batches, we make those one • Accurofill 8H (eight head) piston filler; at a time in the 24 to 300 gallon range,” he notes. • Alpha chuck capper; After unique or common base paint is made, the • an accumulation table; batches are then tinted. Quality Assurance person• LabelStar System 3-Top label application station; nel then approves the batches after checking vis• LabelStar System 1-Wrap around labeler; cosity, pH, WPG (weight per gallon) and color. • BeltStar re-tourquer; After approval, these batches are moved to the • a nd an induction seal machine manufactured by packaging line for filling, with Michalek saying Enercon Industries. that Plaid tries to limit the wait for filling between “With business being good and the future bright, 12 to 18 hours maximum. we needed greater capacity, as well as a need to The packaging process involves a stand-up unit improve our quality control and productivity,” says or unscrambler standing the bottles upright in McCooey. “It’s why we contacted Capmatic and the line, filled, capped, induction sealed, cap rethen added our line No. 8, installing it during the torqued, cap dot labeling, bundling, inner pack lalast week of January 2015.” beling, erecting and packing of corrugated cases, According to Capmatic application engineer sealing the full cases, and then adding a master carDomenic Imperiale, the project was virtually ton label to the side and top of the box. trouble-free right from the beginning. “The top labels on the master carton have a read“After Plaid’s director of continuous improveable barcode, and is used by our team of order ment Arturo Gomez contacted us with a request for pickers to ensure the correct product is readied for quality filling and capping equipment, I traveled to customer delivery,” states Michalek. their facility to review their set-up and to analyze After cartons are hand-stacked on pallets, the issues they were having,” explains Imperiale. shrinkwrapped and then sent to the warehouse, “I then created a report detailing what Capmatic where if not directly sent to a product-pulling

could do to improve their production, reduce labor costs and improve the quality of their packaging to better support and supply their clients.” He says he proposed Capmatic’s SortStar bottle unscrambler that requires no change parts; a custom-designed Accurofill filling machine that allows Plaid to perform product changeovers in five minutes or less; and an Alpha capper with a dual cap feeding station to minimize downtime. “We also worked on the overall equipment layout to provide the minimum footprint, taking into account operator needs, while making the line as efficient as possible,” relates Imperiale. The Capmatic SortStar bottle unscrambler is specifically designed to handle a wide range of plastic bottles. According to Imperiale, it uses a centrifugal disk and adjustable guides directly controllable through the Rockwell Automation Allen-Bradley brand HMI (human-machine interface) to allow it to run a variety of bottles without the need for any change parts. Any and all mechanical adjustments are equipped with numeric counters for easy and repeatable changes. Though specially-designed, Plaid’s Capmatic Accurofill is indeed constructed from a base Capmatic automatic volumetric piston filler with specialized rotary valve systems that gives it the capability of filling liquids, semi-viscous and viscous products, such as: shampoo, cosmetic cream, cough syrup, chunky peanut butter, salsa, food product, petroleum gel, oil, and, of course, paint, which was specifically why Plaid purchased it. The Accurofill also utilizes a Capmatic vision system to ensure the product corresponds to the correct bottle format. For capping, the Alpha monoblock-style system was selected—a single-indexing multi-station platform which can be configured to handle many different applications. The machine is designed to work with free-standing containers or with the use of a puck system. Although capping was the preferred method of closing system for Plaid, Imperiale says the Capmatic Alpha can also provide plugging, and crimping/ R.O.P.P. (Roll On Pilfer Proof ) closing systems. Says Gomez: “We like the Alpha’s low profile design. It’s easy for our crew to clean and maintain. As well, it comes with removable stainless steel access doors on the front and back of the machine which gives, should we require it, quick and easy access to all internal hardware and electrical controls—it’s a wonderful design.” According to Imperiale, the BeltStar retorquer

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COVER STORY

A Cognex vision system inspects and verifies the label positioning inside a Capmatic LabelStar System 1 labeler.

After filling and capping, a Capmatic LabelStar System 3 labeler is used to apply a topdot adhesive label onto bottle caps for additional branding impact.

capping system offers quality performance and maximum controllability for impeccable proficiency with regards to inline capping without the use of conventional spindles. “It utilizes servo-driven belt systems to provide an accurate amount of torque, ensuring the paint

Line operator Oscar Rozales monitoring the HMI (human-machine interface) control panel on the SortStar bottle unscrambler.

caps are securely on, with no chance of leakage,” explains Imperiale. “It basically helps reduce rejects and improves line efficiency.” The line also utilizes a labeling unit—two actually. The LabelStar System 1 is an inline labeling system that easily wrap applies labels around round

bottles. It utilizes a feed screw, star-wheel indexing and a dual belt separator to provide extremely efficient label application. As part of its quality assurances programs, Plaid uses an iCON small-character laser coder from ID Technology, a division of Pro Mach on the Capmatic LabelStar to apply specific lot code data, as well as a vision system manufactured by Cognex Corporation to enTHE GLM-I evo WITH THE sure proper label alignment, and a reject Vision System BVS-I® ARE system for any defective containers—all purchased via Capmatic for use with the THE NEW STANDARD IN filling/packing line. WEIGH PRICE LABELING A Capmatic LabelStar System 3 labeler is utilized near the end-of-the-line to apply AND INSPECTION labels to the top of caps and to the side • 100% Quality inside of the master cartons filled with bottled paint product. It is capable of applying • 200 packages/minute labels at speeds up to 250 per minute, but • Metal and X-ray Inspection as Gomez admits, Plaid doesn’t require such speed at this juncture. Yet. Keeping things green in more than a color Call us now for more information scheme is also very important for Plaid, acor to schedule a demo: cording Plaid director of operations Norman Thomas, saying the company has 732-565-6000 or gone through great pains to ensure it is not us.info@bizerba.com merely compliant with sustainability issues, www.bizerba.com but exceeds them where possible. “About seven years ago, Atlanta suffered through a drought,” begins Thomas. “Water is a major component in our paint, and any prolonged period with a water shortage would be devastating to our business. “To avoid future instances of a pro-

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Plaid plant employee David Hall operating Capmatic’s LabelStar System 1 inline bottle wraparound labeling system.

longed drought affecting our production, we put down a well. “Obviously the drought was not long, and since we never had to rely on the well water for our paint, we utilize it instead in our washdown routine and clean-up processes,” explains Thomas. He adds that all of Plaid’s washdown water is recaptured and then sent to its own water treatment operation where the water is treated to pull the solids out before releasing it into the county sewage system. In another example of keeping things green, Thomas says it recycles its cartons. “We purchase our bottles from a local manufacturer and have them shipped to us in returnable cartons. “Each carton contains 750 bottles and each carton is recycled in excess of 20 times before it needs to be replaced,” explains McCooey. For Plaid, it saves some 66,600 cartons from ending up in the trash and landfill, and only has, as Thomas notes, had to replace a small number of cases each year. All in all, Plaid Enterprises is ex treme ly pleased with its new filling and packaging line from Capmatic. “Our continuous growth every year for 38 years has certainly put us in an enviable situation, as it proves consumers enjoy our high quality arts and crafts products,” sums up McCooey. “Our new Capmatic line provides us with an upgrade on line efficiencies and capacity, as well as production speeds while enhancing our over-all quality assurance guidelines. “We’re certainly in a great place right now for our current and future production requirements.”

For More Information: Capmatic Ltd. 465 Polypack Inc. 466 Enercon industries 467 Cognex Corporation 468 ID Technology, LLC (Div. of Pro Mach) 469 Rockwell Automation Inc. 470 Schneider Electric Canada 471

Plaid Enterprises chief operating officer John Michalek (left) and plant director Norman Thomas examine filled arts and crafts paint bottles being conveyed to the high-performance LabelStar System 3 top cap labeling unit.

it’s what’s

inside that counts

the canadian corrugated industry develops creative packaging solutions that are cost effective, versatile, environmentally sound and food safe. our boxes are designed with high-impact graphics that communicate your brand. we focus on what matters: what’s inside the box.

Visit us at www.cccabox.org to learn more. Proud supporter of the Paper & Paperboard Packaging Environmental Council (PPEC)

MARCH 2015

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PRE-SHOW REPORT

HISTORY OF GROWTH

Canadian fresh produce business has plenty of reasons to cheer at upcoming jubilee industry showcase

The 90th edition of the CPMA Annual Convention and Trade Show is epected to draw over 3,000 visitors over the course of the tree-day event at Montreal’s Palais des congrès de Montréal, with over 250 exciting exhibits showcasing the latest technologies and solutions for the country’s fresh-produce industry.

taying fresh and relevant for 90 years is a remarkable display of shelf-life excellence and resilience. And it wouldn’t be stretching the truth to claim that this proud historical track record making a visit to Montreal’s stunning Palais des congrès de Montréal fair grounds next month is a mustattend occasion for any forward-thinking packaging company hoping to capitalize on promising business opportunities in Canada’s multibilliondollar fresh produce sector. As a host venue to the 90th Annual Convention and Trade Show of the venerable Canadian Pro duce Marketing Association (CPMA), the glamorous exhibition center will be a buzz of activity from April 15 to 17, 2015, as the Ottawabased CPMA will mark its 90th year of representing and promoting the diverse interests and agendas of its broad-based membership comprising leading Canadian growers, importers, exporters, wholesalers, retailers, packaging suppliers and other key stakeholders of a burgeoning fruit-and-vegetable marketplace generating over $4 billion to Canada’s GDP (Gross Domestic Product) growth each year.

Featuring over 275 already-confirmed exhibitors, this year’s event is poised to attract over 3,000 participants from all segments of the produce supply chain and to showcases produce from around the world. Organized under this year’s theme of Educate, Innovate, Create, the country’s largest fresh-produce event will provide a unique forum for industry leaders to build key business relationships in Canada through a combination of education and networking opportunities, according to the CPMA chairperson Bernedette Hamel of Metro Richielieu Inc. “In this day and age, we are regularly faced with challenges to the various aspects of our business,” states Hamel. “To overcome these challenges, we rely on education, creativity and innovation to consistently find new and effective ways to move our products from field to fork. “At this year’s convention, our new and exciting ‘Learning Lounge’ will offer opportunities to learn more about innovation and creativity in the produce industry.” States Hamel: “We have reached a momentous milestone and are proud to be celebrating our 90th year serving the produce industry in the vibrant city of Montreal,” Hamel states. “Our commemorative 2015 Convention and Trade Show will provide an invaluable and carefully conceived businessto-business platform that has consistently supported the development, success and sustainability of our industry. “Being the largest of its kind in Canada, it really is the mustattend event of the year!” In addition to the show itself, The colorful and outgoing Freggie CPMA show mascot was created to promote “The CPMA team will deliver the group’s children’s healthy eating programs, designed to empower kids to innovative and thought-protake responsibility for making healthy food choice through better nutritional voking business programs on awareness and education.

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topics that are essential to our industry’s success,” says 2015 convention chair Jim Di Menna of J-D Marketing Inc. “Beyond the business program, our entertainment and hospitality program will continue to provide a more casual forum for conversation and collaboration,” Di Menna adds. Here is sampling of some the event’s highlights: • Chair’s Welcome Reception, toasting and celebrating CPMA’s 90 years of serving the produce industry; • New ‘Learning Lounges’ located throughout the trade show f loor hosting a broad array of highlyinformative educational sessions and seminars; • Keynote presentation by Ron Tite, a renowned marketing professional and bestselling author recently named to the Top 10 Creative Canadians list complied by the Marketing Magazine. Titled Telling Your Story, Tite’s presentation will offer an insightful view into the art of connecting with real people in real situations to achieve real outcomes to capture best practices, close a sale, and grow the business; • An Interactive Panel of renowned thought-leaders representing some of North America’s leading retailers and foodservice distributors addressing the Implementing Fresh Everyday growth strategy. Moderated by Reggie Griffin, former senior vicepresident of The Kroger Company, the interactive panel will feature: • Teri Miller, category manager of produce at Food Lion; • Pierre Dandoy, vice-president of operations at QC Market Store, Loblaws; • owner Mike Longo and Pat Pessotto, vice-president of fresh merchandising at Longo’s; • Oleen Smethurst, general merchandise manager for produce at Costco Wholesale Canada; • A ndré Gagné, vice-president of merchandising at Metro Banner Ontario, Metro Richelieu; • Rich Dachman, vice-president of produce at Sysco. For more information on the 2015 CPMA Annual Convention and Trade Show, please go to: www.cpma.com

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METAL DETECTION

FULL METAL JACKET

Metal detection technology stays well in tune with the times to remain a highly viable and effective product inspection option BY STEVE GIDMAN

assurances about regular system checks to ensure that all QA (quality assurance) systems—including lthough metal detection is often portrayed metal detection—are functioning correctly. as an ‘old’ technology—in contrast to the Consequently, some retailers will put pressure on ‘new’ X-Ray systems—metal detection suppliers, or potential suppliers, to invest in X-Ray hardware and software is evolving all the time and contaminant detection. offers food producers many benefits. Being able to demonstrate the reliability and In most food applications, for example, there is improved sensitivity of installed metal detectors some sort of ‘product effect’ on the detector, which (with FM software, for example) may be one way the equipment must factor into its operation. that suppliers can resist this sort of pressure. With most of today’s metal detectors, this ‘phasSo why choose metal detection over X-Ray? The answer will depend on the application, as ing’ or calibration is an automatic process, simpliX-Ray remains far more expensive, both in terms fying the integration of a system into a line. of capital cost and running costs. And with fewer, and often less technically skilled A company could easily expect to pay in the line operators becoming the norm in the food region of $90,000 to $120,000 to install new industry, the importance of this element of simpliX-Ray, technology compared to between $8,000 city cannot be overstated. and $30,000 for metal detection, depending on the size and complexity of the application. The challenge for product manufacturers is to know as much about potential sources of contamination as possible before selecting the type of inspection equipment. Obviously, if your potential contamination is all or mostly metal-based, it makes sense to consider metal detection as a first option. On the other hand, for some products where the risk comes from a range of contaminants or non-metal contaminants, an X-Ray system might be advisable. Using vastly upgraded software and much more intuitive human-machine interfaces In either case, here are five enables continued use of existing Fortress metal detection systems well after their initial field installations, often providing a very cost-effective alternative to X-Ray top tips to keep in mind inspection. when investing in a metal detector for the first time, or This also hold true also for the human-machine upgrading an existing system to the required levels: interface (HMI), which are becoming more intuitive all the time. 1. Do not overlook testing procedures and As might be expected, the sensitivity of systems record-keeping. has also improved. In food environments, testing requirements are For example, Fortress Technology’s latest FM becoming increasingly complex. software can improve performance in most appliWe advise running detection and rejection of test cations by at least 40 per cent, thanks to an algorithm which factors in both time and amplitude with any given detection signal. This responds to increased demands from retailers for the ability to detect ever-smaller metal contaminants. In recent years, retailers have become more riskaverse when it comes to food safety and quality, increasingly imposing their own, often more stringent protocols and standards on their suppliers. As well as ensuring that the required form of inspection is in place to the necessary specification, the retailers’ ‘safety net’ will also often include

samples on an hourly basis, at the beginning of a product run or at a shift change, and whenever any settings are updated or changed. To that end, always check the industry standards and auditing requirements for testing frequency and procedure. 2. Consider installing metal detectors at specific checkpoints along the manufacturing process. Leaving it until the end of the production line could result in high levels of ‘false rejects’ and unnecessary disposal of good product and packaging. To that end, an area survey prior to delivery and installation is a highly recommended practice 3. Auto-testing devices are useful when system access and positioning or environmental conditions hinder testing. 4. Investigate system compatibility before making an investment. Our company’s “Never Obsolete Commitment” is a parts, service and backward-compatibility program that enables customers to upgrade any existing Fortress detector to help food processors remain compliant. 5. Foil challenges. Generally speaking, metal detectors are capable of phasing out and running products packaged in laminate foils with a good level of sensitivity. However, pure aluminum foil found in packaging such as an oven-ready tray, may be too challenging, thereby necessitating the use of a ‘ferrous in foil’ metal detector. Steve Gidman is president of Fortress Technology Inc., Toronto-headquartered manufacturer of metal detection systems for the global, food, beverage, pharmaceutical industries.

For More Information: Fortress Technology Inc.

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FOOD SAFETY

SAFE COMFORTS

West Coast frozen pasta producer enjoying vastly improved comfort levels with successful X-Ray system installation

Installed last year at the Zinetti Food Products pasta processing facility in Surrey, the X3302 X-Ray product inspection system from Mettler-Toledo has enabled a marked improvement in quality control performance at the plant’s packaging line, which uses the user-friendly system to inspect the company’s full range of frozen products, from three-kilogram lasagna (inset on left) to 300-gram single servings.

well-made lasagna is arguably one of the greatest Italian comfort foods to earn itself long-enduring worldwide fame and universal affection, and Surrey, B.C.-based Zinetti Food Products Ltd. takes much pride in keeping that tradition alive by producing a line of highquality frozen lasagna and other pasta entrées retailing in the frozen food sections of Costco retail stores across Canada and the U.S. Well-regarded in the private-label frozen foods segment for its unwavering commitment to producing great-tasting, high-quality meals, the privately-owned company has taken its well-earned reputation and impressive record for food safety up several notches a few months ago with an installation of a model X33 X-Ray food inspection system manufactured by Mettler-Toledo Safeline, part of the product inspection business of global supplier of industrial and laboratory scaling and measurement technologies Mettler-Toledo International Inc. “I spoke with a few of the leading X-Ray machine suppliers, and they had the best experience with Mettler-Toledo,” says Zinetti Food maintenance manager Ash Engele. “We sent samples to three suppliers, and they were the first to get all the important data back to us. “The slam-dunk came when my friend, Jeff Smith from Mountain Pacific Machinery, said that Mettler-Toledo was the best and explained why, covering all the details with us to ensure we had a perfect fit, and then sold us the X33 system.” The next-generation X33 features a new 20-Watt X-Ray generator that dramatically reduces power use and energy costs while maintaining the same high detection sensitivity, compared to the 100Watt generator utilized on previous system versions. Moreover, the X33 model also improves

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sanitation with its redesigned styling and eases use with its new graphical user interface. According to Mettler-Toledo, the X33’s outstanding detection sensitivity helps identify metal, glass, bone, stones and other dense foreign material for quick removal of contaminated products from the production line, while also measuring gross mass for portion control, inspecting for packaging defects, and checking seal integrity.

ROUGH START “We first started looking for an X-Ray system several years ago,” Engele recalls. “We installed a unit from another supplier on a trial basis in 2008, but after getting a lot of ‘false rejects’ we decided it wouldn’t work for us, putting the whole idea on the back burner. “However, we decided to revisit it last year,” says Engele. “I spoke with Mettler-Toledo, who assured me their systems could easily handle our products.” Says Engele: “Given our past experience, we wanted a supplier that had a local technician, which was why we decided to go with Mettler-Toledo. “Their local service tech is very knowledgeable,” Engele extols. “He installed the unit, set it up for our products, and trained us to use it. “It’s good to know that if we run into any issues we can’t solve, he can be here quickly to get us back up and running.” Engele explains that Zinetti Food Products selected an X3302 model that is wider than the standard X33 unit, so that it could handle the company’s entire range of products. With its 400-mm wide belt, the X3302 system is employed to inspect Zinetti’s large three-kilogram family-size meals, as well as the 300-gram singleserve meals. “Sometimes we run the same product for an entire shift and sometimes we have several products to run at once,” Engele relates.

“This X-Ray system is the easiest machine on our line to change over,” Engele states. “It takes just a few seconds on the control panel to select the next product from memory and it’s calibrated at the push of a button—without actually having to send product through. “Moreover, the touchscreen interface is very easy to use: our operators like the icons and the product lists and images, finding the X-Ray system very straightforward,” Engele relates. “And we also like the different levels of password protection, whereby an operator cannot unintentionally create or delete a product,” says the plant’s HACCP coordinator Azin Kad. “That’s because it’s only our engineers and quality assurance personnel who are allowed deeper access into the controls.”

OUTSIDE HELP Adds Engele: “Because we rely on a lot of outside vendors for ingredients, the possibilities that there could be a stone or shard of glass making its way into the final package are endless. “And as we continue to grow and put more products out for the public to consume, our risk correspondingly increases along with our volume. “But our new X-Ray system gives us another critical layer of protection,” Engele asserts. “It represents another important step towards ensuring optimal food safety performance. “It give us and our retail customers real confidence that we’re maintaining the highest product quality levels,” Engele sums up. “At Zinetti Food Products, we go above and beyond making great tasting foods that people enjoy, so it’s only natural for us to make sure our food is safe to keep them coming back for more.”

For More Information: Mettler-Toledo Safeline

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PACKAGING FOR FRESHNESS

CELEBRITY ROASTS

Upscale coffee roaster thrives through the years with top-notch product excellence and valuable technology input from its innovative packaging partner

eadquartered in Maspeth, N.Y., EldorMarkem-Imaje model ado Coffee Roasters roasted its first SmartDate X40 printer, coffee beans in 1980. At the time, comand nitrogen gas flush syspany president and owner Segundo Martin saw an tem into its SVI 4020 vertiopportunity to use new packaging technology to cal bagger. (Picture left) provide high-quality coffee to local consumers. Naturally, Bosch first Acting on knowledgeable expert advice offered tested the system at its by his Colombian-born wife and enjoying access plant in New Richmond, to the finest coffee beans anywhere, Martin had Wis., to ensure the filling a hunch that combining this top-quality product accuracy and speeds that with improved, cost-effective packaging would reEldorado needed before sult in a winning formula. installation at the comHe was absolutely right, of course. pany’s facility. Segundo’s idea was to utilize Bosch’s recently intro“The result has been duced one-way valve technology to supgreat,” extols Segundo, ply coffee in a flexible package made on noting that the feeda VFFS (vertical form/fill/seal) machine. back loop from the checkweigher has resulted in a loop between the checkweigher and the auger, so At the time, flexible packages made from 10-percent reduction in giveaways as a result of enthat any changes in coffee density would be autostandard VFFS machines were not abling the nitrogen gas f lushing to reach the residual matically and immediately compensated for by the oxygen target—plus the bagger runs at high speeds. often used for coffee beauger. Over the years, Eldorado has invested in addicause of how it degasses The goal was more consistent and precise fill tional machinery to package coffee in different after roasting. weights in each package, reducing the give-away formats, including cans, which are filled at the The gases would volume and keeping Eldorado running as efficompany’s second facility in Philadelphia, Pa., acexpand the package, ciently as possible. cording to Segundo. causing the sealed bags to exTherefore, it was critical that the packaging ma“We couldn’t be happier in having our original plode. To release the pressure, a filachinery be flexible, highly efficient and fully inteBosch bagger running alongside their next genment could be sealed into the end seams, but this grated between the auger, bagger and checkweigher. eration bagger,” Segundo says, adding he looks approach allowed oxygen to enter the package—reBased on the established and trusted partnership, forward to taking Eldorado’s unique partnership sulting in spoilage and lower-quality coffee. Segundo inquired about Bosch’s new, highly f lexwith Bosch Technology to the next level in the comThe solution lay in applying a one-way valve, which ible SVI 4020 AR intermittent-motion bagger. ing years as his company continues to grow its released the pressure while blocking oxygen ingress, The SVI 4020 had a maximum bag width of 400business and client base with the new packaging keeping the coffee fresh and flavorful for consumers. mm, allowing it to handle the large and small bag formats. Segundo reached out to Bosch Packaging sizes in both pillow and gusseted stand-up formats. Seeking a single-source solution provider, El Technology for a fully integrated valve applicator For More Information: dorado placed Bosch in charge of the entire system, with one of its VFFS machines. after which it proceeded to integrate a Spee-Dee As a result, in 1983, Eldorado received the first Bosch Packaging Technology 413 model 3600 servo auger, an Ishida checkweigher, a Bosch VFFS system in the U.S. that automatically applied an outside valve—laying the foundation for a partnership that has allowed both companies to grow together. “In the more than 30 years we’ve been using the Bosch machine, it has never let me down,” states Segundo. “With its high productivity and reliability, the machine has helped the company achieve such profitability that it has been one of the most Rob Bradshaw, valuable investments I have ever made. Chris Raney, Sales Representative President “In fact, the Bosch bagger is still on our production f loor, running and helping Dayton, Ohio-January 22, 2015 - Baumer hhs, a product innovation leader forward to strengthening the business in some key areas that affect customers our company grow.” in the packaging industry, is pleased to announce the appointment of Chris on a day to day basis. He also states, “The good news is that I will be able to After years of solid business growth Raney as hhs President. In addition, Baumer hhs welcomes new sales continue to work with the people that I know and count as friends!” personnel, Rob Bradshaw, to accommodate demands of continuous growth. Rob Bradshaw will be based in Illinois as the Midwest Sales Manager and expansion, in 2013 Eldorado needed Chris Raney brings over 25 years of relevant industry experience to his and will lead Midwestern region sales efforts. He comes toBaumer to add capacity for its f lexible packaging new role, as President of Baumer hhs, with more than 10 years in the folding hhs after 14 years with Support Products, most recently as Vice formats in both pillow bags and gusseted carton market in North America. He has worked for Bobst in various roles President & General Operations Manager. Bradshaw has more than in the UK, Switzerland and in the USA, where from June 2002, he was Vice twenty years of experience as a sales professional within the industry. stand-up packages. President of the Folding Carton Business Area. Most recently Raney was “Rob’s background is outstanding,” added Engling, “He is already By this time, the company’s bag sizes ranged VP Packaging for Heidelberg USA, Inc. He has extensive experience in familiar with some of our products and key customers, which is a plus.” from small, two-ounce bags of ground coffee leading and building strong sales and service organizations to ensure that the Bradshaw’s entire career has been spent in the printing industry company excels and delivers world-class customer-focused performance. and he looks forward to continuing that tradition by providing to five-pound bags of whole bean coffee. “We welcome Chris’ experience and leadership to the Baumer the best solutions to Baumer hhs’ current and future customers. The latter was a result of growth in the hhs team,” said Detlef Engling, Managing Director. “In his new role company’s food service business in which as President, he will provide leadership and guidance to our team. His results-oriented approach and ability to think strategically will Eldorado provides and services coffee mahelp hhs continue to grow profitably, while extending our track chines, coffee and other consumables to record of innovation and exceeding our customers’ demands.” foodservice establishments. Raney is thrilled to be a part of Baumer hhs, building on a great brand with significant opportunities for growth in the industry. Chris is looking The new packaging system Segundo had in mind for Eldorado needed a feedback

Baumer hhs Names New President and Sales Representative

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PACKAGING FOR FOOD SAFETY

REINVENTING THE VEAL

Innovative Canadian meat processor pioneering veal bacon as a healthier and tastier alternative to traditional pork staple

Holding onto the very well-received Vivo ... bien élevés brand of veal bacon produced and packaged on behalf of Ecolait, Edelweiss Foods general manager Bohdan Lozynsky says he is impressed but not surprised at the positive consumer response to his Halal-certified meats, including the Old Fashioned Smoked Meat Beef Brisket slice (inset above) sold under the Myriam brand label.

ANDREW JOSEPH, FEATURES EDITOR PHOTOS BY PIERRE LONGTIN

iting an eastern European heritage, a Canadian meats processor takes old-world products and brings them into the 21st century making them available to a wider swath of consumers across the globe thanks to a daring change in ingredient philosophy. Known as Les Ailments Edelweiss Foods, until 2012 the privately-owned Laval, Que. company was known as a processor of European-style of pork products such as bacon, ham and sausages, but realized the way the company was set-up, expanding its customer base was going to be difficult, owing to the main fact that the meats processing industry is highly competitive and dominated by a few companies across Canada. Realizing it couldn’t immediately compete with the deep pockets of the competition, Edelweiss owner and general manager Bohdan Lozynsky realized that simply having high-quality meat products was a great start but hardly enough to allow doe the growth he wanted. “When I purchased Edelweiss Foods in 2012, it was already a well-established business—two in

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fact,” Lozynsky told Canadian Packaging during a recent interview. Edelweiss itself was founded in 1982 after the merger of two Montreal-based companies that had individually established a well-respected reputation for their European-style deli-meat products since 1938. “Great products, respect and reputation are all very important to us at Edelweiss, but you can only chew on respect and reputation for so long until you need to stand up and forge your own reputation,” explains Lozynsky. At the time of the Edelweiss purchase in 2012, Lozynsky notes that it was processing lots and lots and lots of pork, even offering three types of ham. But despite inheriting an established sales base, Lozynsky was correct in his observations that the Canadian pork industry was rife with competition, and that he needed to try and establish a separate identity for the company in order to take that next step forward. His answer was, in 2012, to begin creating products Halal-certified products of meats people wanted to eat but were restricted from indulging in because of religious doctrine. “As anyone in the meats processing business can

tell you, there is a lot of competition in the pork segment, and while I’m not afraid of a challenge, I’d prefer a challenge where there was a good chance I could come out as a market leader,” enthuses Lozynsky. “We currently have 23 products we created that have been approved under the strict guidelines of the ISNA Canada for the Halal Certification Agency,” states Lozynsky adding that the company has indeed reinvented itself. “We were known for our quality Eastern European-style products, but now we are now perhaps better known for our quality and unique Halalstyle Eastern European meat products.” Despite popular opinion, the term ‘halal’ isn’t just a food issue—it’s the Arabic word for ‘permission’ and relates to any object or action permissible for a Muslim to utilize according to Islamic law. One of those key permissions is the inability to eat bacon, as the Islamic religion forbids to consumption or pork products. “That’s why we began to offer a real meat alternative—a tasty veal bacon, that we process and package on behalf of our customers,” notes Lozynsky. According to Lozynsky, Edelweiss Foods does not create foods to sell under its own brand, rather it is a processor and packager of products for a wide range of customers who ship and sell various meats products throughout Canada, the U.S. and the Middle East. Edelweiss Foods is situated within a 15,000-square-foot processing plant operated by a total of five skilled employees—a small operation, perhaps, but thanks to what Lozynsky says is an incredibly positive reaction to his veal bacon, he might soon have to start thinking about increasing the size and scope of the business. Lozynsky says that about 85 per cent of Edelweiss Foods’ private label production is on behalf of Écolait Ltd, the largest milk and grain-fed veal production and processing company in the province of Quebec, with the two companies entering

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PACKAGING FOR FOOD SAFETY

An Edelweiss employee placing pre-weighed portions of veal bacon by hand into a bottom pocket of film on the Reiser Repak RE15 form/fill/seal thermoforming machine.

into a complex ownership-partnership deal at the end February 2015. Based in St-Hyacinthe, Écolait had in September of 2014 entered into a 10-year collective agreement with the Atlantic Veterinary College at the University of Prince Edward Island to evolve its animal welfare practices into a global standard, establishing the Vivo ... bien élevés brand. As of late February, Écolait and Edelweiss have entered into a partnership to produce other exciting new Halal-certified meat brands. The first product offered under the brand is the Vivo bacon made from veal, that Lozynsky proudly states will ring true with all bacon lovers. “Edelweiss processes the meats—our customers

provide the meats they want us to process—using traditional methods where we smoke the meat, place it in a warehouse to cool, slice and then package it,” relates Lozynsky. The Vivo veal bacon product contains just five percent fat per portion and over eight grams of protein. “Along with it being gluten-free, low-fat and containing the lowest amount of sodium possible, the veal bacon actually possesses an average shelflife from 55 to 60 days,” Lozynsky notes. “It’s a healthy and tasty alternative to regular bacon.” According to a press release from the time of the Vivo debut, Écolait president and chief executive officer Mario Maillet states: “We used all the re-

A machine operator changes settings on the user-friendly HMI (human-machine interface) control panel used to program and operate the Repak RE15 thermoformer.

quired resources to help this value-added, milk-fed veal product meet the standards we set in terms of quality, health and great taste.” Initially available only at METRO and IGA supermarkets in Quebec, the popularity of the tasty, high-end veal bacon—it doesn’t have that catchy name yet—vacon?—has gone through the barn roof, and Edelweiss now has shipping requests from all over North America and the Middle East. Without any sales in the bank at the time, Maillet was extremely positive about the veal bacon product: “This wonderful and tasty endeavor is just the beginning, and other equally innovative veal products will soon be available.” Maillet obviously knew what he was talking

A Bizerba Scaleroline A550 automatic industrial slicer provides integrated weighing technology for high-precision portioning of the Edelweiss veal bacon products.

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PACKAGING FOR FOOD SAFETY

A close-up view of veal bacon slices entering the Reiser Repak RE15 thermoformer for final sealing.

Packs of veal bacon await application of exterior brand packaging after being hermetically sealed in clear film packaging supplied by Norstar.

“While some customers ask that we follow their own recipes, 85 per cent of them utilize a recipe we created specifically for them,” explains Lozynsky, adding that customers also submit all packs and labels for Edelweiss to incorporate into the packaging process. One of the key pieces of equipment utilized by Edelweiss is the Reiser Repak RE15 it purchased in May 2014. Reiser is known within the food processing industry as a specialist in the manufacture of form/fill and seal machinery, as well as new forming technologies, offering deep-draw machinery that provides the user with efficient packaging options while contributing savings in film consumption and quality of serThe Edelweiss facility employs a Handtmann VF 200 vacuum filler for the filling, porvice and maintenance. tioning and linking many types and recipes of sausages. While all the Repak about, because Lozynsky wasn’t about to sit on his features are important, Lozynsky says it provides laurels, and has continued to expand and change exactly what he needs right now while offering fumenu, but notes, however, that the key is that they ture growth for his company. are all Halal-certified. “We chose the Repak RE15 because while The 23-product list of Halal-certified products it gives us exactly what we need for our present produced by Edelweiss are: needs, it also gives us the f lexibility to increase our veal bacon, beef bacon; veal chicken mortadella; production rates as future demand requires,” exbeef and chicken pepperoni; beef brisket centercut; plains Lozynsky. smoked turkey; smoked chicken; chicken wieners; “On the Repak RE15, the quality of the seal it veal chicken wieners; beef chicken wieners; oldprovides has contributed to a longer shelf-life of fashioned smoked meat; beef salami; veal burger our products,” he adds, noting that he also adpatties; smoked turkey breast; smoked chicken mires the speed it lends the entire production line. breast; smoked duck breast; beef loin; roast beef The Repak RE15 is constructed of stain(inside); beef spencer; beef roll; veal roll; veal pepless steel and has been designed to provide experoni and veal loin. cellent food safety even during the mun“While we still process pork for long-time cusdane but very necessary operation of cleaning. tomers, 90 per cent of our production now revolves Designed with rounded edges, the Repak thermoaround veal, beef and chicken, and we are conformers are designed and manufactured with angled tinuing to switch our products to become further edges to avoid the accumulation of water, cleaners Halal-certified,” relates Lozynsky. or particulates, allowing for a complete washdown. Regardless of what is being processed, all EdelOther excellent features of the Reiser Repak weiss customers provide the meat. RE15, include:

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Portioned or whole, all packaged smoked meats pass through a Sesotec metal detection unit as part of Edelweiss Foods’ stringent quality assurance program.

• Easy access for maintenance; • Quick and simple product changeover that helps save on labor costs while making on-time deliveries; • A lthough all Repak’s can be automatically loaded, Edelweiss manually loads its RE15; • A simple-to-use and operate HMI (humanmachine interface) touchscreen; • Flexibility to integrate the thermoformer with all brands of labeling and data coding print systems. “Our veal bacon product is considered a higherend product, and customers like Écolait need the packaging and packing we provide to be of a very high quality,” notes Lozynsky. “We get that from the Reiser Repak RE15.” The Reiser Repak horizontal form/fill and seal packaging machines are multi-talented, able to produce vacuum and modified-atmosphere packages (MAP) from f lexible and semi-rigid materials, as well as Vacuum Skin Packages (VSP), and packages with formed top webs. The Repak machines use the rapid air forming method to maximize the distribution of film into the critical areas of a package, such as corners. This allows the operator the option of thinner and less expensive forming films while also achieving higher cycle times through the use of shorter vacuum and ventilation times. Standard on all Repak models, is its 4-Point lifting system on the forming and sealing dies, that allows it to have extremely powerful film sealing pressures. The so-called ‘kinetic central close system’ has the die-set balanced centrally where the optimal distribution of force can be realized. “I am also a fan of the Repak RE15’s small footprint, but the machine’s operation and hygienic aspects are so good, that it’s like having a very highend packaging machine at my disposal,” relates Lozynsky. According to Reiser, the RE15 and RE20 versions of the Repak, are indeed designed and manufactured to the same standards as the larger, higher-end pieces, utilizing the same die lift technology, the same frame design, and the same operator interface—they are simply more compact machines with different cycle rates. “The Reiser people have impressed me with their excellent level of service,” extols Lozynsky. “Their very experienced technicians treat us and our equipment the right way. “Within the meats packaging industry, they have a very good reputation, and have done everything to maintain that with Edelweiss,” says Lozynsky. “I am very happy with Reiser.” Other equipment utilized by Edelweiss at its facility includes:

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PACKAGING FOR FOOD SAFETY

After product is packaged, it moves to a Bizerba Master weigher and top and bottom labeler before exiting through a Sesotec metal detection unit (left).

Edelweiss utilizes corrugated cartons supplied by Norampac, a division of Cascades to ship its product to customers.

For More Information: Reiser (Canada) Ltd.

475

Bizerba Canada Inc.

479

Se sotec Sorting Technology)

476

Handtmann Canada Ltd.

480

No rampac (Div. of Cascades Inc.

477

Schneider Electric Canada

481

Norstar Corporation

478

Our Mission is Your Success Packaging Solutions: Incorporating a Magelis industrial display unit (inset) from Schneider Electric for userfriendly process monitoring, the Reiser Fomaco meat injector is used for curing, marinating and tenderizing meat prior to slicing.

• A metal detection unit manufactured by Sesotec (formerly S+S Separation and Sorting Technology); •F esto pneumatics to power the rejection system placed after the metal detector; • Pre-printed corrugated f lats by Norampac, a division of Cascades Canada ULC; •N orstar Corporation rollstock film utilized by the Repak RE15. •B izerba Master top and bottom labeler and weigher, and a Bizerba A550 automatic slicer; •H andtmann VF 200 vacuum filler utilized specifically by Edelweiss for sausage filling, portioning and linking; • Reiser Fomaco meat injector for use for all types of curing, marinating and tenderizing applications. It features a Schneider Electric Magelis control panel; • Corrugated cartons supplied by Norampac, a division of Cascades Canada ULC. Lozynsky admits that as a new owner, the prospect of altering the path of the established Edelweiss Foods was indeed a daunting one, but the quick and recent success the company has enjoyed has moved all doubt far to the side. “Being known as a pork processor creating European style products was a comfort zone for Edelweiss, but in order to progress, one has to step outside the comfort zone from time to time,” explains Lozynsky. “But now we have carved out a reputation as a creator of Halal-certified products, including beef, chicken and veal. “The global Islamic community is huge,” sums up Lozynsky, “so there is a large market out there for us to cater to. Along with great customers like Écolait who are receptive to our new concepts and product designs, we are getting requests from national poultry processors who want to work with us to develop muscle (beef ) products for them. “The future looks pretty good for Edelweiss.”

Inspection Solutions:

Weighing & Filling: • Combination (Multi-head) Weighers • High-speed customized weighing and mixing solutions • Distribution, product transfer and loading systems

X-Ray Contaminant Inspection: • Stable, versatile performance • Industry leading performance down to to 0.2mm detection capabilities • Dual-X Poultry bone detection

Vertical Form Fill & Seal: • SmartPacker Vertical Bag makers • High quality, high speed solutions • Intermittent and continuous models • All bag styles • Twin tube up to 500 bags/minute

Checkweighing Solutions: • Full range of models for all wet or dry applications • Standard and High Accuracy models • Compact combination checkweigher/metal detectors

Horizontal Pouch machines: • Pre-made pouch machine (up to 80ppm) • Full range of form/fill/seal solutions • Liquids, solids, powders, pour spouts • Cartoning & case packing

Metal Detection: • DuAL WAVE & Easy setting • Full featured machine; small footprint • High sensitivity and stability

Horizontal Wrappers & Baggers: • High-speed wrappers; low maintenance • Bread/bun baggers • Infeed systems to single file product

Package Inspection: • Leak inspection for plastic containers • Vacuum and pressure inspection for rigid containers • Fill height monitor & dud detectors • NEW Vision Inspection Solutons

Specialty Coffee Solutions: • Pod making and capsule filling • Entry level to high speed applications • Turn-key solutions including cartoning • Vacuum packaging/brick packs

Metal Detection: • Full range of solutions including free-fall, conveyorized, pipeline, and pharma/tablet • High sensitivity and stability

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PRODUCT ID NOW

ONWARD TO VICTORY!

Domino effects give fast-growing Pennsylvania craft-brewer a key winning edge

eer is never just beer for folks running the Victory Brewing Company in Downtington, Pa. Founded in 1996 inside a local pub in the picturesque Chester County, about a half-hour drive west of Philadelphia, the privately-owned microbrewer has grown in proverbial leaps and bounds well befitting its authenticity-oriented philosophy. Nowadays operating two brewery production facilities with a combined 312,00 square feet of production space, Victory Brewing produced an impressive 125,713 barrels of beer last year, while ramping up production at its newer, 212,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art plant in nearby Parkesburg, which has capacity to produce over 600,000 barrels of beer annually. Employing over 60 full-time people, Victory Brewing’s growing product portfolio comprises 12 year-round beer brands—including the colorfully-named Victory HopDevil, Prima Pils, Golden Monkey and Storm King Stout—and nine seasonal and specialty beers like Moonglow Weizenbock, Winter Cheers, Summer Love Ale and Mad King’s Weiss, among others. Bottling most of its output in 12-ounce, 22-ounce and 750-ml glass bottles, Victory Brewing currently distributes its products throughout 35 states in the U.S., while also exporting some of its artisan beers to select Canadian and overseas markets, including the U.K, Germany, Australia, Sweden, Japan and Singapore. “We’re going to continue on expanding in double digits for the foreseeable future,” states director of brewery operations Adam Bartles, citing projected annual growth rates of 20 to 30 per cent over the next several years. Founded by a couple of life-long friends who met each other on a school bus in 1973 as fifth-grade students, Victory Brewing’s success is largely credited to the company’s unwavering focus on product quality, traditional craftsmanship and the use of best all-natural ingredients.

“By coupling technology with the highest-quality ingredients such European malts, whole f lower hops and 45 unique yeast strains, with commitment to quality, our customers have come to expect the best from Victory Brewing Company,” Bartles asserts, noting each of the company’s beers boasts its own distinctive taste profile and personality. As Bartles explains, a big part of a quality beer enjoyment experience revolves around making sure that each brew is enjoyed just at the right time and moment. “Some beers we want to be enjoyed as fresh as possible, while others taste very good after they are laid down and aged for several years,” Bartles explains. “That’s why we put the date on every bottle we fill,” says Bartles, stressing the importance of using only the highest-quality product coding and marketing equipment at the brewer’s packaging lines that’s available in the marketplace.

SHARED MOMENTS “In the craft beer industry, we often share our experience with different vendors with each other,” says Victory Brewing’s director of engineering Steven Galliera, recalling how he approached Paso Robles, Ca.-based Firestone Walker Brewing Company for advice on selecting the optimal date-coding technology for his company’s needs. “They told us that we should take a serious look at the equipment supplied by Domino Printing Sciences,” Galliera relates. Founded in 1978, the Cambridge, U.K.headquartered Domino Printing Sciences plc enjoys a glowing global reputation for the development and manufacture of high-quality coding, marking and printing technologies, as well as its worldwide aftermarket products and customer services. Offering one of the most comprehensive portfolios of complete end-to-end coding solutions spanning primary, secondary and tertiary applications to meet the compliance and productivity requirements of manufacturers across many indus-

tries—including food, beverage and pharmaceutical—Domino supplies a broad array of innovative inkjet, laser, print-and-apply and thermal-transfer overprinting technologies for the application of variable and authentication data, barcodes and unique traceability codes onto product and packaging. After evaluating all the available options, Victory Brewing ultimately selected Domino’s advanced model D320i laser coders to handle its high-priority date coding task. (Middle photo) Capable of producing unlimited lines of text in any orientation, and in many fonts and sizes, Domino’s D320i scribing laser is managed by the company’s proprietary intuitive remote TouchPanel controller that allows the printer to be located virtually anywhere on the production line to apply permanent, highly legible codes onto a wide array of materials, at low to high production speeds, with superior dependability, according to the company. “One of the key reasons we chose Domino is the reliability and repeatability of their laser technology,” Galliera agrees. “That’s very important to us because we don’t want to lose any production time during the product changeover since we know we have customers that are eagerly waiting for our product to arrive,” says Galliera, adding that the laser’s inherent versatility was also an important selection factor. “Because we utilize 12-ounce bottles, 22-ounce bottles and 750-ml bottles here at Victory Brewing, one of the challenges we had to overcome was to install the laser to be able to incorporate all those different sizes while applying the ‘enjoy by’ date onto the bottle labels,” he explains. “To help meet this challenge, Domino engineers came up with an ingenious design—a custom-engineered stand that has a graduated X and Y axis—to allow us to have a repeatable numerical solution for each of those bottles when performing our changeovers,” Galliera states, adding the experience has ensured that Domino remains the brewer’s supplier of choice for its future product coding needs. As Bartles concurs, “With the Domino laser, and the repeatable code placement we have now, it’s one less thing for us to worry about as we continue to focus on expanding our production capabilities and growing our markets.”

For More Information: Domino Printing Sciences plc

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PACKAGING FOR SHELF-LIFE

FINE KETTLES OF FISH

A Great Lake bottom-feeder surfaces as a prized catch for an innovative Ontario fish processor thriving in the lucrative overseas export markets

Great Lakes Food Company president John Neate is joined by production manager Helen Hamm in the reception area of the company’s smelt processing and cold storage facility in Chatham, Ont., where the company packages several variations of Lake Erie fresh-water smelt under its flagship Great Lakes Smelt label for a fast-growing foodservice and retail customer base in the lucrative U.S., Chinese and Japanese markets, as well as for Canadian-based grocery retailers such as Loblaws and Sobeys.

BY GEORGE GUIDONI, EDITOR PHOTOS BY JOHN PACKMAN

ith his Big City upbringing and a rewarding Bay Street career as a private equity finance specialist, John Neate may seem like the proverbial fish out of water in his new role as president and chief executive officer of the Great Lakes Food Company in a small southwestern Ontario town of Chatham, about a one-hour drive from the Windsor-Detroit border crossing to the U.S. But by his own admission, the affable 42-year-old hockey dad could not be happier about his decision to leave the suit-and-tie world of high-stakes corporate finance behind in favor of running a truly unique fishing business with a niche product that is enjoying extraordinary growth potential and consumer demand in the highly lucrative markets in China and Japan.

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Focusing exclusively on fishing, processing and packaging of the tiny, but widely abundant Lake Erie fresh-water rainbow smelt, which made its way into the local water back in the late 1800s at the height of the Great Lakes regional trade boom.

CELEBRITY SKIN While proceeding to turn a fairly ordinary smalltown commercial fishery into Canada’s largest smelt processor, Neate has dramatically revamped the tiny minnow’s historically unheralded commercial significance with a new-found celebrity status as a low-priced, plentiful source of protein with all the good-for-you health attributes of the more renowned Great Lakes fish staples like perch and pickerel. “We call our smelt the ‘Lake Erie candy’ because it has a very mild taste, unlike the more ‘fishytasting’ salt-water sardines, so it goes down very nicely on one’s plate whether it’s seasoned, battered or just fried straight up,” says Neate, recalling how

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PACKAGING FOR SHELF-LIFE

The pack room’s line workers constantly inspect raw frozen smelt making its way toward the packaging area to remove any broken or deformed pieces of the processed smelt before they make their way up to the automatic weighscales located overhead.

After being conveyed upwards on an incline conveyor powered by heavy-duty Nord Gear motors, the bulk smelt is dumped onto a vibratory conveyor from Eriez Magnetics to shake off any excess moisture before reaching the automatic weighscales.

Manufactured by Key Technology, the fully-automatic, stainless-steel multihead weighscales dispense the processed smelt into precise one-pound portions that are fed in continuous sequence down to the Acceleron vertical from/fill/seal bagging machine below.

The high-speed, fully-automatic Acceleron bagging machine from Triangle Packaging Machinery uses pre-printed rollstock plastic film supplied by Chantler Packaging to fill and seal perfectly forme one-pound bags of smelt at running speed of one bag per second.

all other nearby fish processors thought he was “absolutely crazy” when he decided to stop processing perch, pickerel and other more traditional species in order to focus exclusively on smelt. “Being very high in vitamins like B12, calcium, iron and all the other good nutritional stuff that you get from eating fish, what made smelt such an attractive business proposition is the fact that it is such a value-priced source of protein, compared to other fish,” he explains. “The boat price of perch and pickerel is over 10 times higher than that of smelt,” points out Neate, crediting this price differential for the company’s dramatic market share gains in China in the past couple of years, where the company’s Great Lakes Smelt brand is widely retailed throughout the country’s Sam’s Club grocery outlets. “In China everything is about price, price, price,” says Neate, who started up a local Chinese subsidiary about three years ago to enable Great Lakes Food to sell its smelt directly to local retailers. “By law, Chinese retailers have to buy from Chinese vendors, so we invested the time and money to open up a company there in order to better control

the marketing, distribution and pricing of our product,” he explains. The company’s big breakthrough in China came about two years ago when Great Lakes Food took a chance to exhibit at a large local seafood trade show, Neate reveals.

STEALING THE SHOW “We just turned up the fryer right at the booth and the crowds just swarmed us from then on until the end of the show,” he cheerfully recalls. “We probably gave out over 1,500 samples of smelt over the course of three days!” This deft display of being in the right place at the right times has paid off in spades for Great Lakes Food, which relies on export markets for about 95 per cent of its revenues. “At the moment Japan remains our biggest overseas market, but I won’t be at all surprised if China eclipses it by the end of this year,” Neate states. “They can’t seem to get enough of our product, and we can’t catch enough of it here to fill their insatiable demand for inexpensive, but high-quality protein.”

As it stands for now, though, Great Lakes Food is already by far the largest single quota-holder of the lake-wide annual allowable smelt catch harvested by the company-owned f leet of five trawling boats. With two windows of opportunity throughout the year to make its annual catch—a brief fishing season starting in the middle of March after the fish has spawned and a longer July-October timeframe accounting for about 75 per cent of the yearly haul—the company’s f leet head out from its docks at Port Dover daily as early as 5 a.m., using radar and sonar guidance technologies to locate the most promising schools of smelt ready for harvesting. With the Chatham plant situated a good two-anda-half-hour drive west of Port Dover, the boats aim to make it back ashore with the catch by 2 p.m. This allows just enough time to truck the fish in large insulated totes to the Chatham plant—a former VersaCold cold-storage warehouse purchased in 2013—so that it can place the catch inside the on-site IQF (individually quick-frozen) freezer room by 6 p.m. daily. “We freeze about 140,000 to 150,000 pounds of smelt on average daily during our busy season,”

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PACKAGING FOR SHELF-LIFE

The high-strength Tartan 369 clear case-sealing tape from 3M ensures a durable seal for shipped product.

says Neate, noting it takes an average of 60 individual smelts to make a pound of finished, readyto-cook product. Upon arrival to the 54,000-square-foot-facility the fish is unloaded into a high-volume hopper and placed onto shaker tables to get rid of excess water and loose ice used to keep the fish cold during transport. The fish are then individually quick-frozen and place in cold storage for two days. Once removed from storage, the fish are graded by size for its various markets. The smelt is then placed again inside cold storage until they are packed inside the plant’s 3,700-square-foot packing room for packaging.

GOOD VIBRATIONS

Equipped with an Accuglide three-tape head, the 3M-Matic case-sealing machine from 3M Company applies strips of 3M’s Tartan 369 clear tape onto the filled five-kilogram boxes of product just prior to the final metal detection test.

All of the filled corrugated shipping containers, supplied in pre-printed blanks by Georgia-Pacific, must pass the highprecision metal detection test performed by a custom-built, pre-calibrated large-aperture Eriez Xtreme metal detector.

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Once there, the smelts are laid down and transferred in bulk upwards via an incline vibratory conveyor from Key Technology to the automatic, multihead weighscales overhead, which dispensed it in precise, one-pound loads down to the Acceleron model rollfed pouchmaking machine—manufactured by Triangle Packaging Machinery Co.—which automatically fills and seals the smelts into one-pound bags at one bag per second. The one- and two-pound bags are then poly-packed to fill the company’s five- and 10-kilogram bulk packs. Throughout the process, plant personnel constantly inspect the continuous product f low to remove any deformed, mangled or undersized pieces of fish off the line before reaching the Acceleron vertical form/fill/seal bagger. Neate explains that both the size and type of product variables are largely determined by the end market destination. “Our markets have changed over the years,” Neate told Canadian Packaging or a recent visit to the lively 54,000-square-foot Chatham operation, which employs up to 60 people during the busy peak season during the summer months. “We used to sell lots of H&G (head and guts removed) smelt to traditional Italian, Portuguese and Greek ethnic food markets in North America, but their younger generations just don’t eat as much smelt as their parents did. “Instead we now sell a lot of ‘whole round smelt,’ looking just the way it does when it’s caught, to the growing markets on the West and East Coasts of the U.S. that have big pockets of population of Asian descent, with California being our biggest market in North America.” Similarly, both the Japanese consumers like their smelt eaten with both the heads and guts still attached, Neate relates, whereas Chinese consumers prefer their smelt to be degutted but with heads still on, with bigger-sized smelts always preferred over the average smelt length of three to four inches.

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PACKAGING FOR SHELF-LIFE

The high-performance Xtreme series metal detection system at the Great Lakes Food plant was custom-engineered with an extra-large aperture to enable a full metal inspection of the larger 10-kilogram boxes used to ship product to the Chinese market.

A high-performance PZ Pilot Pro model inkjet case-coder from Squid Ink Manufacturing applies all the required product traceability information onto the side of each passing carton filled with one-pound bags of frozen fresh-water smelt.

A heavy-duty vibratory conveyor from Eriez Magnetics is one of the key pieces of processing equipment employed at the Great Lakes Food plant’s pack room in Chatham.

An overhead view of a line worker positioned on the mezzanine level performing visual inspection of bulk smelt to ensure optimal product consistency and appearance.

“The thing about bigger smelt is the fact that it has a lot more guts in it, which can make the fish taste bitter. “Therefor the Chinese market prefers to have the guts removed,” Neate relates, adding he is constantly impressed by the many cooking techniques that Chinese consumers use to prepare their smelts, from barbequing them on skewers to steaming to deep-frying in breaded batter. As the sealed bags of product start making their way down the line for secondary packaging, an automatic box-erecting system, manufactured by Combi Packaging Systems, forms the corrugated shipping boxes from f lat blue-and-white blanks— decorated with the company’s branding logos and graphics—supplied by a Georgia-Pacific boxmaking plant based across the border in Michigan.

assurance test executed by the plant’s recentlypurchased, high-performance Xtreme series metal detection system manufactured by Eriez Manufacturing Co. of Erie, Pa. While a large portion of the plant’s processing and packaging equipment was acquired secondhand from a mothballed Campbell Soup Company plant, according to Neate, “Metal detection

is the one thing you don’t mess around with in the food business. “This is something you really must buy brand new and pre-calibrated for your specific application needs,” says Neate, pointing out that the Xtreme metal detector plays a critical role in the plant’s adherence to a strict HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points) food safety protocol.

CODE OF CONDUCT To look after its product coding and traceability needs, the pack room employs a SmartDate X40 thermal transfer coder from Markem-Imaje for inline coding of the rollstock bags, with a model PZ Pilot Pro inkjet coder from Squid Ink Manufacturing utilized to apply all the required product information onto the five- and 10-kilogram corrugated shipping carriers that are manually loaded with finished onepound bags by the packaging line operators. The loaded and coded cases then pass through a model 3M-Matic case-sealer manufactured by the 3M Company—equipped with the Accuglide three-tape head for secure sealing—and make their way to the final, and most critical, quality

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PACKAGING FOR SHELF-LIFE Left: A Baldor Electric motor powers the roller conveyor transferring loaded boxes of product towards the Eriez Xtreme series metal detection system station located at the end of the pack room’s packaging line.

Left: A loaded roll of highbarrier plastic film being quickly spliced inline and separated into individual one-pound bags to be filled and sealed at a high throughput speed inside the Acceleron bagging machine.

Company president John Neate inspects one of the many highly-stacked loads of product being kept at a perfect freezing temperature of -18°C inside the plant’s expansive cold-storage warehouse while awaiting shipment to foodservice and retail customers.

“There are plenty of opportunities throughout the process for tiny metal particles to get into the package along the way, and this system from Eriez helps us ensure that there isn’t any metal ending up with any of the fish we ship to our customers,” Neate proclaims. Perhaps even more noteworthy, Neat is quick to single out Eriez’ design and engineering staff for custom-building this particular Xtreme series model to handle the plant’s unique application requirements— specifically of being able to perform a full metal detection test on the extra-large-sized, 10-kilogram boxes used for shipping bags of smelt to the Chinese market.

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“At the time, Eriez did not have a model that would fit the larger box dimensions that we needed, but they took on the challenge, did some redesign work, and came back to us with a custom-built metal detector with a much larger aperture that would easily handle the new 10-kilo box dimensions. “I believe we are the first company in Canada to use such a large-aperture metal detector, and we are making very good use of it,” Neate states, praising the system’s user-friendliness, high sensitivity levels, and easy programmability. “We never have any false readings from this metal detector,” he says, “and our line staff enjoys working with it because it has proven to be highly reliable and easy to operate. “Whenever the alarm goes off, the box is immediately removed off the line, opened up and carefully inspected by our line operators to find out the cause of the problem—even if that means opening up every single bag inside the box to find it.” Says Neate: “You really can’t put a price on the value of having a reliable metal detection technology in place

✔ High-speed reliable production. ✔ Superior seals significantly reduce leakers.

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PACKAGING FOR SHELF-LIFE For More Information: Eriez Manufacturing Co. Georgia Pacific LLC

450 451

Combi Packaging Systems LLC 452 Squid Ink Manufacturing Inc. 453 Triangle Packaging Machinery Co. 454 3M Canada Co. 455 Key Technology, Inc. 456 Markem-Imaje 457 Chantler Packaging Inc. 458 Baldor Electric Company 459 Nord Gear Limited Canada 460 XtremeAd_Layout 1 6/5/14 3:47 PM Page 1

Manufactured by Markem-Imaje, the SmartDate X40 thermal transfer printer integrated within the Acceleron V/F/F/S bagging machine is used for high-speed inline application of production date codes and other variable product information onto the rollstock high-barrier film supplied by Chantler Packaging.

in the context of how not having it can negatively your business in terms of potential product recalls, brand image problems, unhappy customers, and all those other bad things that can happen because you did not address this issue seriously enough from the outset.” Neate says this thoughtful attention to detail and a willingness to invest in high-end packaging equipment and materials has facilitated a highly effective, smooth-running, high-throughput process of producing high-quality, one-pound bags of fresh-water, wildcaught rainbow smelt boasting twoyear shelf-life. “Our success in the high-end Japanese market did not come about by accident,” Neate points out. “They have highly-demanding specs when it comes to product quality, so our success in serving that market says volumes about the quality product we produce here with this technology.” All in all, Neate says he has no regrets whatsoever about diving into the commercial fishery business, despite its highly competitive nature.

WORLD VIEW “It’s a small business, but it has a lot of ‘Big World’ issues in terms of dealing with multiple currencies, multiple languages, and multiple operating jurisdictions,” Neate concludes. “And despite the competition, there are a lot of good, down-to-earth people in the local fishing industry to make you feel that you are truly doing something worthwhile and important that really helps make a difference in many people’s lives. “At the end of the day, we are supplying the world with affordable, highquality protein, and that for me is as rewarding a way to earn a living as anything else out there.”

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All shapes. All sizes. All speeds.

Your cap...Our solution! Fowler/Zalkin builds capping machinery for closures of all shapes and sizes. Whether your caps are roll-on, screw-on or press-on, we have the proven technology to apply them at any speed you require. When dependability, versatility and experience are important, you can rely on Fowler/Zalkin.

Go to www.FowlerProducts.com or call 1-877-549-3301 for more information. Fowler Products is the exclusive distributor of Zalkin Capping Machinery in Canada, the Caribbean and the United States.

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ANNOUNCEMENTS

 Premier Tech Chronos, Riviere-du-Loup, Que.-based manufacturer of automated bagging equipment and machinery for bulk product packaging and handling applications, has completed the acquisition of Almeida Martins, Brazilian manufacturer of robotics-based material handling systems, which will operate as part of the company’s Industrial Equipment Group unit. Founded in 1993, Almeida Martins has completed over 800 system installations throughout Brazil, offering Premier Tech Chronos significant business opportunities in a growing market, according to the company. “Premier Tech Chronos and Almeida Martins share a common mission to enrich the lives of our clients, and make each client’s experience as seamless as possible,” Premier Tech Chronos says. “This acquisition will considerably improve our capabilities to better serve global accounts in Brazil and reinforce the brand recognition. Together, we expect to achieve much more in the years to come for our customers in need of packaging line solutions.”

Domino Group managing director Nigel Bond poses with plant management team at the company’s new manufacturing facility in Manesar, India.

“Environmental performance is a crucial part of Domino’s evolution, and by designing an environmentally sound factory, we can continue that process,” says Domino managing director Nigel Bond, who presided over the opening ceremony highlighted a ceremonial cracking of a coconut to symbolize the Indian custom of bringing health and success. “As a result, our energy consumption will reduce dramatically, while our employees benefit from increased natural light and a cleaner environment,” says Bond, adding that the operation will also benefit from a more efficient and simplified process by housing separate divisions at one site. Says Bond: “The facility will have improved technologies and processes that will allow for a seamless approach—from manufacturing through to the final logistical stages.”

 Cambridge, U.K.-headquartered product coding and marking technologies group Domino Printing Sciences plc has formally commenced operations of a brand new 4,000-square-foot facility—dedicated to the manufacture of inks and printers for coding and marking applications— located in a leading business hub in the DelhiMumbai industrial corridor in India, where the company has operated since 1996. Employing about 35 people, the new factory replaces two separate former locations located about 25 kilometers apart, according to Domino, which took about three years to build the new plant in order to adhere to strict ‘green building’ specifications.

 Eclipse Automation, supplier of customdesigned automated manufacturing equipment based in Cambridge, Ont., has commenced operations of a new, 15,000-square-foot facility near the company’s headquarters in order to improve its customer service capabilities, according to company president Steve Mai. “The new facility is the next step in expanding service offerings that will allow a greater focus into manufacturing capabilities and establish a more refined footprint at our head office location—leading to greater efficiencies in meeting our customers’ turnkey automation needs,” says Mai, noting the new building will house the company’s machining, service and software departments.

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EVENTS

PEOPLE

March 23-26 Chicago: Automate 2015, industrial automation technologies exhibition by the Association for Advancing Automation (A3). Concurrently with the ProMat 2015 material handling and logistics exhibition by MHI. Both at the McCormick Place. To register, go to: www.AutomateShow.com or www.promatshow.com

 The Carton Council of Canada (CCC), Quebec Cityheadquartered industry association representing the country’s leading manufacturers of paperboard cartons for packaging applications, has appointed Isabelle Faucher Faucher as the group’s managing director.

Raney as president, and Rob Bradshaw as sales managed for the midwestern U.S. region.  Baldor Electric Company, Fort Smith, Ark.-based manufacturer of industrial electric motors, has appointed John Malinowski as the company’s senior industry affairs manager.

March 23-27 Orlando, Fla.: NPE 2015, national plastics exhibition by SPI: The Plastics Industry Trade Association. At Orange County Convention Center. To register, go to: www.npe.org

March 24-27 Cologne, Germany: Anuga FoodTec, international food processing and packaging technologies exhibition by Koelnmesse GmbH. At Koelnmesse fairgrounds. To register, go to: www.anugafoodtec.com

 Baumer hhs, German-headquartered manufacturer of camera verification and quality assurance systems for gluing applications in the corrugated, folding-carton, pack- Raney Bradshaw aging and other manufacturing industries, has appointed Chris

Malinowski

 Ecologic Brands, Inc., Oakland, Ca.-based manufacturer of paper bottles and jars made from recycled fibers, has appointed Sarah Bird as chief commercial Bird McKay officer and Bruce McKay as vice-president of sales.

April 11-12 Vancouver, B.C.: CHFA West, natural health and organics industry showcase by the Canadian Health Food Association, with pre-show conference on April 9-10, 2015. At the Vancouver Convention Centre, West Building. To register, go to: www.chfa.ca

Expand Your Horizons, Zero in on Solutions

April 15-17 Montreal: CPMA 2015, annual conference and trade show of the Canadian Produce Marketing Association (CPMA). At Palais des congrès de Montréal. To register, go to: www.cpma.ca

April 21-22 Montreal: 2015 Canadian Printable Electronics Symposium (CPES2015), by the Canadian Printable Electronics Industry Association. At Institut des communications graphiques et de l’imprimabilité. To register, go to: www.cpeia-acei.ca/symposium/

April 21-22

HUNDREDS

OF SUPPLIERS

Mexico City, Mexico: Label Summit Latin America, conference and tabletop show by Tarsus Group Limited. At World Trade Center. To register, go to: www.labelsummit.com/mexico

MILLIONS

550+

EXHIBITORS

April 21-24

3 DAYS

Barcelona, Spain: Hispack 2015, international packaging exhibition by Fira de Barcelona. At Gran Via Exhibition Center. To register, go to: www.hispack.com/en/

OF EDUCATIONAL CONTENT

June 16–18, 2015

April 28-29

Toronto Congress Centre | Toronto, Ontario

Chicago: 2015 Reusable Packaging Forum, conference by the Reusable Packaging Association. To register, go to: www.reusables.org

PACKEX has the answers you need today and the inspiration for tomorrow. PACKEX is the place to go if you’re looking for solutions to a specific challenge. Don’t have a particular project in mind but want to jump start your idea process? It’s an ideal event for that too. With hundreds of knowledgeable suppliers, educational and networking opportunities, AND something no other packaging expo has—access to five other related manufacturing events and features—you’ll find ideas and solutions around every corner.

April 28-30 Toronto: SIAL Canada 2015, food and beverage products showcase by Imex Management, concurrently with SET Canada 2015 food and beverage technology exhibition. Both at the Direct Energy Centre. To register, go to: www.sialcanada.com

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CUP RUNNETH OVER WITH PACKAGING GIVE-AND-TAKES

n the depths of winter gloom and despair, it often seems that the thought of a hot cup of tea is the only thing that really gets me going to face another chilly day out. Unlike some tea aficionados who are exclusively devoted to one particular tea brand or brand family, I enjoy experimenting with new tea experiences, but only if the packaging—especially the graphic treatment—is up to the task of convincing me to give the product a try at the retail level. And it’s not just about having a nice-looking box—the individual tea-bags also play a critical role in this endeavor. For example, the Bettys & Taylor Group’s imported Taylors of Harrogate Yorkshire Gold Orange Pekoe paperboard boasts has a gorgeous illustration of the English farming countryside to convey the sense of rich history and tradition that go into a perfect English cuppa, but the unmarked and unwrapped filtered paper tea bags inside the box come across as disappointingly cheap by comparison, making it something of a letdown.

At the other end of the graphics spectrum, the TAZO Awake English Breakfast Tea uses its contemporary graphics and photographs of isolated ingredients on a white background in a freshly understated way, saving some of its packaging splash for the individual paper wrappers for the filter bags—thereby providing a truly engaging personal experience with every tea break.

With its dark palette and large box seeming more well-suited to marketing coffee rather than tea, the

Tetley English Breakfast brand from Tata Global Beverages compensates for the lack of individual wrappers for the filter tea-bags by packing its tea blend inside circular-shaped tea-bags that easily conform to the shape of the standard tea-cups—thereby providing a refreshing change from the standard square-shape that dominates the bulk of tea-bags out in the marketplace.

Likewise, the unusual fabric pyramid shape of Unilever’s Lipton Lemon Ginger Herbal Tea brand— purported to provide more room for proper infusion and a superior taste—also deserves credit for bending the rules is such a creative manner. Alas, while the tea-bag are lovely both in look and feel, their individual elegance are a mismatch for the fairly pedestrian ‘me too’ graphics on the paperbox in which they’re served up, with cluttered imagery and text adding up to less than the sum of its parts.

The main drawback of buying tea bags without individual wrappers is the lack of confidence that a product will retain its optimal freshness while it’s still in use and circulation. However, the Bengal Spice Herbal Tea brand from Celestial Seasonings effectively addresses this concern with the use of a waxed paper liner for the box with a resealable fold-over edge, which at least creates the impression of something being done to preserve product freshness and taste to greater extent. As for the playful, fanciful and exotic graphics enveloping the box—enhanced

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with informative product descriptions on the side panel—it’s all icing on the cake for a truly tasteful packaging execution.

Photos by Julie Saunders

CHECKOUT JULIE SAUNDERS

On the other hand, I can’t help but feel a bit of “green guilt” when using the individual foil-lined paper wrappers used to overpack the individual tea-bags of the Stash White Chocolate Mocha Black Tea from the Oregon-based Stash Tea Company—not being able to recycle them in my residential Blue Bin. That said, the paperbox in which they are packed has a rich and appealing color palette enhanced by bold and powerful text lettering, while its clever structural design offers a choice of extracting one wrapper at a time from a small opening on the side of a panel or using a folded lid along the edge for full access to the box contents.

In stark contrast, the leprechaun-green cartons of Irish Breakfast 100% Pure Black Tea from Twinings of London is outfitted with a highly functional open-close lid that employs a special has a locking mechanism from front tabs that projects forward from the box edge—making an audible click every time you open and close it. This little tactile touch is a very comforting feature for this premium product, whose lovely landscape illustration works much better on the individual tea-bag wrappers than it does on the box, where it seems a little lost on the front panel’s monochromatic palette and a bit overwhelmed by the accompanying text. Julie Saunders is a freelance writer living in Toronto.

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Working side-by-side with Veritiv packaging experts, we’ll help you implement unique-to-you solutions.

Gain greater efficiencies in your supply chain. Improve the visual and physical design of your packaging. Develop a process that reduces steps and increases speed-to-market. From materials and design, to automation and fulfillment, Veritiv™ packaging experts provide solutions that deliver on both form and function. And with approximately 170 distribution centers in North America, our geographic reach is extensive – but we hang our hat on localized and personal service.

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© 2015 Veritiv Corporation. All rights reserved. Veritiv and the Veritiv logo are trademarks of Veritiv Corporation or its affiliates. On July 1, 2014, xpedx and Unisource completed a merger, creating Veritiv, a leading North American distributor of packaging supplies.

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