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Serge Bohec, President & CEO, La Petite Bretonne

BAKER’S DOZENS Québec croissant king nails productivity sweet spot with packaging automation

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Story on page 20

BEER BREAK  Page 14

IN THIS ISSUE: CONVEYING • PRE-SHOW REPORT • FOOD WASTE

Tough application, ingenious solution

Exactly

Product life cycles keep getting shorter. Products and packages get more complex.

Supply chains and customers intensify their demands. Whether you build, buy or implement packaging machinery, you need a way to react as quickly as possible.

Rexroth, your expert partner for automation in packaging processes, provides the flexible system solutions you need. Our technologies and efficient engineering tools enable more productive machines, faster changeovers, reduced footprints, and peace of mind. You can even achieve small production runs easily and economically.

Experience for yourself how we can create an ingenious solution for your application.

See us at ATX - PACKEX Montreal, Booth 1401

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Understanding our customer’s needs is always our first priority.

Creating award winning, innovative winning retail ready displays that drive customer sales, is our passion.

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Uptime.

That’s Your Advantage.

Higher uptime means more productivity and profits. New Videojet solutions can help.

Don’t let unplanned shutdowns and difficult maintenance procedures stand in your way. Reach your uptime goals with the new Videojet 1550 and 1650 continuous ink jet printers. With advanced features to improve equipment availability, the new 1550 and 1650 will keep your packaging lines running more reliably.

See Videojet’s new printers that help maximize uptime. Call 877-225-2241 or text Videojet at 76477 visit www.videojet.com/uptime.

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Ink Jet. Laser. Thermal Transfer. Labelers. Track & Trace. Supplies. Parts & Service.

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UPFRONT

NO MORE WASTING AWAY

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 Stewart Thomas • (416) 442-5600 x3212 SThomas@bizinfogroup.ca PRODUCTION MANAGER Cathy Li • (416) 510-5150 CLi@bizinfogroup.ca CIRCULATION MANAGER Anita Madden • 442-5600 x3596 AMadden@bizinfogroup.ca EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Lisa Wichmann • (416) 442-5600 x5101 LWichmann@canadianmanufacturing.com EXECUTIVE PUBLISHER Tim Dimopoulos • (416) 510-5100 TDimopoulos@bizinfogroup.ca

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Baker Street

By Andrew Joseph Quebec croissants manufacturer combines artisan authenticity and technological savvy to maintain brisk market growth momentum in a fiercely competitive industry segment.

Cover photography by Pierre Longtin.

©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.

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BAKER’S DOZENS

Serge Bohec, President & CEO, La Petite Bretonne

Québec croissant king nails productiv sweet spot with packaging ity automation Story on page 20

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UPFRONT By George Guidoni NEWSPACK Packaging news roundup.

FIRST GLANCE New packaging solutions and technologies.

ECO-PACK NOW All about environmental sustainability. imPACt A monthly insight from PAC Packaging Consortium.

ANNOUNCEMENTS Marketplace briefs and updates.

EVENTS Upcoming industry functions.

PEOPLE Packaging career moves.

CHECKOUT By Megan Moffat Joe Public speaks out on packaging hits and misses.

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PRE-SHOW REPORT

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DEPARTMENTS & COLUMNS

FEATURES 14

UPWARDLY MOBILE

By Andrew Joseph Innovative conveying technology and other capital upgrades help venerable East Coast brewer keep with the times and changing consumer tastes.

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FEEDING A BETTER WORLD

By George Guidoni How the global packaging community is rallying around the urgent call-to-arms for eliminating food waste.

PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS PMMI president reflects on the packaging industry’s challenges and opportunities.

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accounted for directly by the wasted food.

So it’s about time, then, that everyone in the global food chain starts playing their part—consumers no exception.

Just as charity begins at home, so should food waste prevention.

According to a timely recent report from the Value Chain Management Centre of the Guelph, Ont.-based think-tank George Morris Centre—titled Cut Waste, Grow Profit—there are many little things that everyday consumers can do to have a big collective impact that adds up to a whole lot more than merely the sum of its parts.

This includes: • Taking stock before shopping to ensure you’re not overstocking, especially on perishable foods.

• Planning out meals over the week and buying accordingly; • Buying perishable foods at regular intervals during the week, instead of in bulk; • Checking expiry dates when making food choices at the store; • Ensuring that portions are both calculated and served correctly; • Freezing and reusing leftovers whenever feasible; • Finding other uses for overripe fruits and vegetables, which can be used in smoothies or baked goods; • Not shopping on an empty stomach to avoid impulse-buying sprees; • Making sure that the refrigerator is never crammed full, to ensure that some food items are not simply forgotten.

To all those who do these things already—well done! To everyone else: what are you waiting for?

Publication mail

APRIL 2014

he link between aff luence and wastefulness is one of the less f lattering traits of the modern consumer society— right up there with rising obesity and environmental degradation.

And while many consumers may counter that at the end of the day they’re only a product of their environment, that f limsy copout does not really have much traction in a world facing serious environmental and societal challenges on an unprecedented global scale.

Food companies themselves are no doubt accountable to some degree, but they would not be doing things like supersizing if consumers simply refused to accept the staggering increase in both the size and caloric intake of slices of pizza (up 70 per cent in calories between 1982 and 2002), chicken Caesar salads (double the calories), chocolate-chip cookies (four times the calories) and many other types of everyday foods.

With the world’s finite resources being continually stretched to the limit, it is nothing short of scandalous that up to two million tonnes of food, according to some credible evidence, is estimated to end up as waste without ever reaching anyone’s plate.

Not only is that a shocking amount of food in pure monetary terms; it’s also a huge drain many nonrenewable resources, including arable land, feed, water, medications, fertilizer, chemicals and energy.

In the U.S., for example, 70 per cent of the county’s freshwater supply is used for agricultural production, and more than one quarter of that water is

FLOUR POWER Preview of the Bakery Showcase 2014.

36-39 THE MOTHER OF ALL SHOWS Preview of next month’s intepack 2014 global packaging showcase.

WWW.CANADIANPACKAGING.COM • 3

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NEWSPACK

NEW GUM GIVES CONSUMERS SOMETHING HEALTHY TO CHEW ON A pack of chewing gum has long been a trusty old standby for fighting bad breath, and thanks to some healthy inspired entrepreneurship, it just may become a hip new way to get consumers to take their vitamins as well.

Launched in Canada last month by Vitamingum Canada Inc., the new Vitamingum Fresh brand of chewing gum contains 12 essential vitamins and has no sugar or aspartame, according to the Hamilton, Ont.-based company, while still offering all the breath-freshening attributes of conventional chewing-gum products.

“Vitamingum offers a simple and easy way to add valuable nutrients into your diet,” says Vitamingum Canada president Brendan Kover.

“Chewing gum is a great delivery vehicle for nutritional ingredients because it allows for faster absorption into the blood stream via the mucous lining in the mouth.”

While other gum makers have been introducing nutrition-oriented products in recent years, none of them contain anywhere near the number of essential vitamins as Vitamingum, asserts Kover, noting that every two

pieces of Vitamingum deliver 10 per cent of the recommended daily value of Vitamins A, C, D, E, B1, B2, B3, B4, B5, B6, B12, Folic Acid and Biotin.

Offered in mouth-bursting Peppermint, Spearmint and Cinnamon f lavors, the patented Vitamingum Fresh gum—produced and co-packed at the Ford Gum Inc. plant in nearby Buffalo, N.Y.—is claimed to be the only gum product on the market to contain the unique characteristics of being sugar- and aspartame-free, while being infused with 12 vitamins.

Currently being retailed at convenience stores and grocery chains including Hasty Market, 7/11, SaveOn Foods and PriceSmart Foods— along with selected shops and kiosks at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport—the three f la-

vors are sold individually in convenient 12-piece blisterpacks inserted inside slim colorcoded paperboxes, as well as in tray or box six-packs.

“What is really special about our packaging is that it is unique in the category in terms of simplicity and color,” Kover told Canadian Packaging, adding the company has also developed a new Grape f lavor variety that is currently awaiting final approval from Health Canada.

“The packaging has a very clean feel to it, which is exactly what attracts the eye of consumers to it,” says Kover, adding the brand packaging was developed in-house by the parent company Vitaball Inc of Fort Thomas, Ky., with some input from Vitamingum Canada.

States Kover: “Not only does this gum help to boost your nutritional intake and improve your overall health in a convenient and pleasant way, but also it does the main job that chewing gum is supposed to do.

“It tastes terrific and the long-lasting f lavors help to keep your breath fresh and clean for a long time,” he says.

GLOBAL KING OF BEERS RAISING ITS PACKAGING GAME TO THE BIG OCCASION

With barely contained anticipation across the globe for the upcoming 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil extravaganza now reaching frenzied fever-pitch levels, the self-styled ‘King of Beers’ Budweiser looks well-poised to cover itself in glory during the monthlong soccer drama with a powerful Rise As One global marketing campaign driven, in large part, by stunning special-edition packaging paying homage to the iconic FIFA World Cup Trophy.

As the official beer sponsor for the world’s most prolific and revered sporting competition—taking place across Brazil from June 12 to July 13, 2014— Budweiser has designed a holistic creative platform under the Rise As One thematic that “will serve to celebrate the moments that unite and inspire fans of the beautiful game around the world,” according to its Belgian-headquartered parent company Anheuser-Busch InBev. “While football brings out regional pride and fierce rivalries, it also brings fans across the globe together once every four years through shared passion,” says Budweiser’s global vice-president Andrew Sneyd.

“With the Rise As One campaign, Budweiser celebrates the world’s favorite game and its role in inspiring fans to celebrate the moments that unite us as a global community,” says Sneyd.

Officially kicked off last month, the Rise as One campaign was designed for true global reach of markets around the world through a unified marketing platform also combining extensive television and out-of-home advertising, as well as customized local market initiatives to engage fans in-store, online and across social media channels.

Already marketed in over 80 countries around the world, Budweiser is planning to release its special-edition World Cup packaging—also including limited-edition glass bottles, cans and secondary packaging—in over 40 international markets, including Canada, during the World Cup countdown and the tournament itself.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CIRCLE

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NEWSPACK

FOOD TV STAR ROCKING THE COFFEE WORLD WITH A BOLD NEW K-CUP LINE

With his punkish blond-streaked hair spikes and many other regular TV show appearances.

“Over the past year, I’ve been relentless motormouth speech delivery, television personality Guy Fieri has firmly emerged as the working with an awesome team reigning “rock star” of the fast-growing food teleof coffee nuts to create a killer line vision industry—a status he looks very likely to that’s ready to rock!” Fieri enthuses.

“My fans are going to dig the jolt to the proverbial next level soon with his own huge taste, big aroma and funky brand of single-serve coffee K-Cups.

Launched in Canada this past winter, the Guy f lavors in my brand new collec-tion,” adds Fieri, whose rapid rise Fieri’s Flavortown Roasts coffee line—compristo TV stardom in recent years has ing unique coffee varieties packaged in Keurigbeen accompanied by fast growth of his rescompatible single-serve coffee cups bearing his taurant business empire, as well as publication of faux heavy metal-stylized name logo—are a from a bicycle cart he built with his father. ref lection of the f lair for creativity he brings to the best-selling cookbooks.

By selling pretzels and washing dishes, he earned University of Nevada Las enough money in six years to study abroad as an kitchen every day, according to the brand’s North A graduate of the American distributor Single Cup Coffee Ltd. Vegas (UNLV) with a bachelor’s degree in exchange student in Chantilly, France, where he Says company president Tim Cook: “Many of the Hospitality Management, Fieri got started in the gained a profound appreciation for international coffee choices for Keurig coffee-machine owners food business as a 10-year-old selling soft pretzels cuisine and the lifestyle associated with it. have been the same for years, add but Guy Fieri is adding fresh new options and one-of-a-kind f lavors with an exciting new line of singleserve cups that will be available in most markets very soon.”

The innovative f lavors are packed in decorative paperboard boxes emblazoned with images of Fieri set against a backdrop of coffee-like colors, matching graphics and light-hearted product tagline quotes from Fieri himself, including: • Bananas Foster: “Sweet banana, caramelized sugar and cinnamon f lavors—brings me back to my days as a f lambé captain!”

• Caramel Apple Bread Pudding: “All the f lavor from my righteous Caramel Apple Bread Pudding stuffed into your mug.”

• Chocolate Mint: “The rich and creamy taste of chocolate and cool, fresh mint is perfect any time of year.”

• Guy’s American Diner Blend: “One thing you know about a diner is that they’ve got a great cup o’ joe... so here you go!”

• Hazelnut Cinnamon Roll: “Toasted hazelnut and big cinnamon f lavors make this brew a dessert in a mug.”

• Hot Fudge Brownie: “My chocolate MachineStruxure maximises your business and machine on chocolate Hot Fudge Brownie performance through flexible and powerful control solutions coffee comes to you straight from Flavortown!”

MachineStruxure is a complete machine automation Grow your business while reducing costs • Redwood Roast: “Big, bold and solution with benefits all through the machine life cycle.

With MachineStruxure you’ll get to market faster thanks to intelligent, easy-to-use strong like the mighty redwoods, Four flexible and scalable development software and ready-to-use applications and function blocks. More 1 control platforms this French roast will get your importantly, you’ll improve your bottom line with all the embedded features and single software engine started.”

2 One environment functions in our new, highly-effi cient line of fl exible and scalable controllers.

Even • Unleaded Decaf: “Full of rich medium tested, validated, 3 Ready-to-use machine integration and maintenance is easier, delivering unmatched connectivity roast f lavor, just packin’ a little less and documented architectures motion for superior lifecycle support. horsepower.”

4 Embedded and safety “Really good coffee has always been application development 5 Expert MachineStruxure, the intuitive choice. and technical support super important to me: it’s got to be the real deal with big bold f lavors,” FOR MORE INFORMATION CIRCLE 105 says Fieri, who is well-known in food See how easy and intuitive machine industry circles as host of the popular automation can be!

Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives television Download a FREE brochure, and enter series on the Food Network, among to win a Samsung Galaxy Note™ 3!

Now, intuitive machine automation is just a click away ™

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APRIL 2014

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©2014 Schneider Electric. All Rights Reserved. Schneider Electric and MachineStruxure are trademarks owned by Schneider Electric Industries SAS or its affiliated companies.

All other trademarks are property of their respective owners. www.schneider-electric.com • 998-1207451_CA-GB_Note3

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FIRST GLANCE WEIGHS & MEANS Designed for both blending and mixing applications, the new 24-head PrimoCombi multihead weigher from WeighPack Systems Inc. offers a highly accurate and userfriendly solution for a myriad of reliable, high-throughput product mixing applications in numerous industries—including frozen foods, produce, confections, snack-foods and ingredients—by automatically weighing, mixing and dispensing from two to four products at a time.

WeighPack Systems Inc.

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SAFE TRANSFER Designed primarily to ensure optimal product handling f lexibility for e-commerce and multichannel fulfillment operations, Intelligrated’s new

MDR (motor-driven roller) transfer conveyor helps facilitate a 90-degree change in direction of cases, polybags and totes while maintaining a constant product height—thereby increasing power efficiency, item control and throughput rates, according to the company. Employing live rollers with integral 24-volt DC motors for individually powered zones and multiple transfer belts with adjustable band spacing to maximize product control and operational f lexibility, the bidirectional MDR transfer conveyor offers quiet operation and run-on-demand features that use up to 50 per cent less energy than traditional conveyors.

Intelligrated Industries Canada Ltd.

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MELLOW YELLOW Developed for the company’s popular A-Series range of CIJ (continuous inkjet) printers, the new 2YL912 yellow ink from Domino Printing Sciences plc was formulated to ensure superior performance on a wide range of packaging substrates—including HDPE and LDPE plastics—while also offering a very effective solution for coding onto dark or black surfaces even at elevated temperatures of up to 45°C, according to the company. Offering reliable 12-month shelf-life, the 2YL912 yellow ink is particularly well-suited for personal-care and food-and-beverage industries, according to Domino, with widespread use of black labels and glass packaging.

Domino Printing Sciences

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FILL TO ORDER Designed to provide a metered continuous f low of bulk products like cooked pastas and rice, cut vegetables, fruits, meats, and various salads to the hopper of its volumetric cup filler, the new Batch Feeder System from MULTI-FILL Inc. allows for large quantities of product to be placed into the hopper with minimal monitoring, according to the company, while eliminating a lot of manual labor and significantly improving overall line efficiency.

Operating on the FIFO (first in, first out) product f low principle, the Batch Feeder System boasts an array of value-added design and performance features such as automatic adjustment of product f low speed; easy-to-clean design with lift-out parts and swingaway safety covers; and quick-release components for easy access, maintenance, and cleaning.

MULTI-FILL Inc.

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FULL 3D EXPERIENCE

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Multivac Canada Inc. Toll Free: 877 264 1170 ca.multivac.com

Developed for calibrating real-world units of measurement for inspections too difficult for traditional twodimensional machine vision, the new DS1000 high-speed 3D laser profiling system from Cognex Corporation offers a broad range of advanced new capabilities, including: • Reading embossed or raised characters, such as those used on car tires; • Verifying the presence of low-contrast items in boxes or packages; • Identifying surface defects and chips with low or no contrast; • Measuring heights and tilts of components to determine misalignment; • Calculating volumes and dimensions for food portioning applications.

Cognex Corporation

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FIRST GLANCE ROUND AND ROUND Capable of wraparound labeling of round containers at speeds of up 150 units per minute, the new Model 126 Trotter W pressure-sensitive labeler from NJM Packaging boasts stainless-steel construction to enable its use in a broad range of pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, cosmetics, per personal-care product and food industry applications requiring the packaging of products in cylindrical containers, includ including spray cans, from one to eight inches in height and 0.5 to four inches in diameter, according to the company, with container size changeover taking no longer than 15 minutes. Outfitted with an Allen-Bradley MicroLogix 1400 programmable controller and an Allen-Bradley Panel View Component C600 human-machine interface (HMI) terminal with embedded software for simple programming, the highly versatile Model 126 Trotter W labeler accommodates a wide range of label configurations, and it can also be equipped with an optional wrap drum-wheel or wrap-belt to handle a broader angle of container sizes up to five inches in diameter.

NJM Packaging

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CASE IN POINT Developed by AFA Systems Ltd., the TL-PFG Fanuc Delta 3 robotic top-load case-packer employs dual Fanuc model M-3iA pick-and-place robots

to top-load product into opened cases fed from an integrated upstream case-erector.

According to AFA, the system can also be easily integrated with other upstream equipment—including vertical form/fill/seal systems, horizontal flowwrappers, and bottle and pouch fillers—for a fully-automated solution for fast and accurate packing of bottles, bags, pouches, sachets, cans, f lowwrap packs, etc., at speeds of up to 100 pieces per minute. The TL-PFG case-packer uses a f lighted conveyor to direct erected cases into the correct position for top loading, using a highaccuracy iRVision vision system to detect the position of each product for precise placement.

AFA Systems Ltd.

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BULKING UP Designed for safe transport and storage of a broad range of food, liquids and powders, the new Intrepid bulk box from Buckhorn Inc. offer a cost-effective solution to the performance drawbacks of corrugated containers, according to the company, including leakage, shifting off the pallet during transport, debris and dust, and limited one-time use.

Constructed of FDA-approved material and measuring 48 by 40 inches, the reusable and fully-recyclable Intrepid bulk boxes offer smooth interior and exterior surfaces to facilitate safe and easy cleaning, with their heavy-duty load capacity of up to 2,500

pounds enabling a broad range of uses—including temporary storage, work-in-process, incoming ingredients and shipments among plants— for a diverse array of liquid, semi-liquid, powder, granular, meat and poultry products.

Buckhorn Canada Inc.

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CHAIN REACTION Developed by Bosch Rexroth Group, the VarioFlow S chain conveyor system is made up of pre-assembled comprehensive modules that end-users can arrange as they see fit to provide safe, perfectly hygienic, and highly efficient transport of products and small parts throughout the production facility. Offering the benefits of fast assembly, easy cleaning and low maintenance requirements, the flexible system allows for products to be placed on top of the flat, static friction clamping or cleated chains, while the driven-roller bridge effectively prevents small items from remaining behind in the transition area between the drive and return unit. Featuring long section layouts with few drives and patented low-wear curves, the VarioFlow S conveyor system is outfitted with split chain links that are easy to exchange without special tools, as well as slide rails that easily clip onto the sides of the section’s profile to add further freedom of movement.

Bosch Rexroth Canada

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MDB3113 Metal Detector Simple Controls with conveyor and built-in rejection system for food processors, pharmaceutical, or chemical industries.

Protecting your products throughout the supply chain requires a strong platform and an equally strong pallet provider. For 35 years CHEP Canada has helped manufacturers and retailers safely ship to over 10,000 locations across the country. Combine that with three proven pallet options, a dedicated service rep for your account, and the confidence that comes with a trusted business partner, and your choice is clear.

The XtraVac MDB3113 accurately inspects food or non-food products, bulk powder or granular materials.

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ECO-PACK NOW

TETRA PAK CAPS OFF ENVIRONMENTAL EFFORTS WITH NEW PLANT-BASED CLOSURE If true environmental leadership starts at the top, then leading aseptic packaging products manufacturer Tetra Pak is playing its part to perfection with a recent launch of the first bio-based caps developed specifically for gabletop packages. (See Picture) Manufactured using highdensity polyethylene (HDPE) derived from sugar cane, the biobased version of TwistCap OSO 34 closures marks another step forward in Tetra Pak’s ambition to make fully-renewable packages, according to the company that shipped some 1.1 billion bio-based caps to its global customers last year—an 80-percent increase from 2012.

With 80 per cent of the material used to make a one-liter Tetra Rex beverage carton being made from paperboard—derived from renewable and

FSC (Forest Stewardship Council)-certified wood fibers—switching over to the bio-based TwistCap OSO 34 will boost the renewable content of this package by an additional four per cent, Tetra Pak says, without compromising its functionality or recyclability.

“Our launches of bio-based caps have been appreciated by customers like Valio, the Finnish dairy who is the first to use the new version of TwistCap OSO 34 for its products,” says Tetra Pak product director Christina Chester.

“We are glad that customers see value in our efforts to help them boost their environmental profile,” says Chester, adding the marketing of bio-caps is part of the company’s broader ongoing efforts to cap its climate impact across its global supply chain at 2010 levels by 2020, while still growing the business.

Between 2010 and 2013, Tetra Pak estimates to have reduced the GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions from its own operations by 2,000 tonnes, while growing the sales of its packages by 12 per cent.

In addition, Tetra Pak is also aiming to achieve a 40-percent recycling rate for its packages by 2020.

Last year, the global recycling rate of Tetra Pak packages reached 24.5 per cent with 43 billion packages being recycled, according to the company.

“Achieving environmental excellence is part of the company’s strategy towards 2020 because we believe it is crucial for the future of the company and our customers,” says Tetra Pak’s vice-president of environment Claes Du Rietz.

“We drive environmental performance in every step of our operation: from sourcing, development of processing and packaging systems, to services and support provided to customers,” Du Rietz adds. “This is the very reason that we have continued to be successful in meeting our ambitious targets.”

ONTARIO’S PACKAGING WASTE NUMBERS DO NOT ADD UP TO CLOSE SCRUTINY Ontario’s environmental regulators are feeding the public a distorted picture of the role that discarded packaging plays in the province’s overall waste stream by using selective numbers and poorly-backed factual data, according to the Brampton, Ont.-based industry group Paper and Paperboard Packaging Environmental Council (PPEC).

In fact, the Ontario Ministry of Environment (MoE) is willfully ignoring the council’s repeated requests to explain how the ministry has arrived at its estimate that packaging accounts for a full quarter of all of the province’s landfill-bound waste, as claimed in MoE’s Waste Reduction Strategy document released last year, alleges PPEC’s executive director John Mullinder.

“It’s been bugging us for several months now,” states Mullinder, “and although we’ve tried to get an explanation from the MoE both verbally and

National Packaging Survey report commissioned by the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME) back in 1996.

“It would also imply that the weight of packaging has increased by 72 per cent over a period when industry has been lightweighting materials and, in some cases, switching from heavier glass to lighter plastics,” Mullinder argues. “In short, we find the 25-percent claim not to be credible.”

Adds Mullinder: “Assuming that Ontarians generated packaging in a similar fashion to other Canadians, Ontario’s share of Canada’s generation back then (1996) would have been about 1.8 million tonnes.

“By 2008, assuming no changes in packaging usage and an increase in Ontario’s population to 12.9 million people, packaging generation could have been expected to increase to 2.1 million tonnes.

“However, the MOE claims that packaging generation was a full million tonnes higher in 2008, with 3.1 million tonnes or 25 per cent of Ontario’s waste stream,” says Mullinder, noting that the province’s figures fail to ref lect the significant recycling efforts made by Ontario businesses and residents in recent years.

“Ontario households, for example, Buckhorn offers an unmatched selection recycled almost 156,000 tonnes of of reusable packaging old corrugated boxes in 2008 and solutions designed to protect your products and sent another 14,000 tonnes to landfill increase your profitability. for an overall generation of 170,000 Buckhorn’s new Intrepid tonnes,” he notes.

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in writing, we have received nothing to date.”

According to Mullinder, the MoE claims are not only based on an outdated 2008 Waste Management Industry Survey (WMIS) conducted by Statistics Canada, that survey “does not distinguish between packaging and non-packaging uses of the material such as glass, mixed fiber/boxboard and ‘all other plastics,’ which includes pipes and furniture.

“There is also no category specifically for wooden pallets— one of the most widely used and reused of packaging materials in the industrial sector.”

Moreover, Mullinder points out, the province’s estimate is about one million tonnes higher than the per- John Mullinder, capita waste generation rates Executive Director, reported in the comprehensive PPEC.

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UPWARDLY MOBILE

An extraordinary past lays a solid foundation for innovative beermaking methods used by Canada’s oldest independent brewery ANDREW JOSEPH, FEATURES EDITOR PHOTOS BY KATIE BOWDEN

I

f there’s one word to describe the back history of one of Canada’s premier beer producers, the term ‘pioneering’ quickly springs to mind when talking about Moosehead Breweries Ltd. of Saint John, N.B. For one, the largest privately-owned brewery in Canada first began crafting its tasty beers back in 1867—around the birth of Canadian Confederation.

Since then, it has literally risen from the ashes like the proverbial phoenix despite two devastating fires, an explosion that rocked the world and surviving prohibition while expanding its line-up of award-winning beers that are now distributed worldwide.

Moosehead’s extraordinary tale begins with the fact that the brewery was actually started by a woman— not a big deal in 2014, but a huge one back in the mid-19th century, when a strong-willed woman, wife and mother named Susannah Woodhouse (Culverwell) Oland arrived in Dartmouth, N.S. from England back in 1865, bringing over a family recipe for a brown October ale.

“Having a recipe for a world-class beverage and having the gumption to do something with it are two different things,” Moosehead Breweries reliability specialist Frank Beneteau told Canadian Packaging magazine during a recent interview.

“Beer, in the good old days, was a staple of everyone’s daily life, as people drank it at every meal,” he explains, noting that the beer was often watered down a bit to prevent unseemly public intoxication.

Still, it wasn’t uncommon for women in Europe and North America to have their own beer recipes, with beermaking often being part of the domestic duties carried out by women.

Name Game Domestic or not, Susannah Oland wasn’t content with just being a housewife to husband John James Dunn Oland and mother to nine kids.

To break up the routine, she began to brew larger quantities of beer and sold it to visiting military personnel in the army and navy who frequented the area.

According to family archives, the Oland’s incorporated a brewery on October 1, 1867, under the name James Oland and Son. Despite not being named herself, everyone was clear that Susannah Moosehead Breweries utilizes a 45-degree VarioFlow wedge conveyor system, manufactured by Bosch Rexroth, to move bottles up to a 10-foot height to provide line workers and forklift operators with easier access and freedom of movement along the bottling production line.

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CONVEYING

Palletized cases of Moosehead beer brands await shipment to customers.

was the brains of the operation and ran the business with a savvy business mind, and nine other loyal employees.

When her husband died suddenly, Susannah sold the brewery to help make ends meet, but proving that she had beer in her blood, by 1870 she opened her second brewery S. Oland, Sons and Co., which was renamed afterwards the Army and Navy Brewery as a form of marketing tribute to the company’s loyal customer base.

Sadly, the brewery then went through a bit of a rocky patch—suffering through two fires in eight years—but always rebuilt from scratch. Such persistence in the face of despair is a good reflection of the Maritime knack for over-coming hardship with grim determination.

After growing the fledgling business amidst steady competition, the company then went back to the S. Oland Sons and Co. name.

After Susannah Oland passed away in 1886, according to her wishes, her youngest son George W.C. Oland was to head the business, along with

A sampling of the Moosehead Breweries popular beer product portfolio.

his brothers, who again renamed the brewery to Maritime Brewing & Malting Co. By 1895, another name change came along—this one because the Oland’s sold their brewery to a syndicate that amalgamated smaller breweries to form the Halifax Breweries Limited.

Brothers John C. and George W.C. remained on as facility managers, staying with the syndicate until 1909 when they decided to pull out.

Family Matters

George W.C. and his son Sidney then purchased another brewery and renamed it Oland and Son Ltd., using first John C. and then Conrad G. as the official brewmaster.

From then, until the end of 1917, it was smooth sailing for the brewery until the Halifax Harbour Explosion—the largest man-made explosion until the atomic bomb—nearly leveled the city, injuring 9,000 and killing 2,000 people.

The explosion injured George W.C. but killed his brother Conrad and six other employees, while devastating the brewing facility.

While this spelled the end of the line for the actual brewery in Halifax, George W.C. took the insurance money and moved east to New Brunswick into another brewery he purchased with eldest son George B. By 1928 they were able to purchase a second, larger brewery—James Ready Brewery—that was actually the largest in the province, in Saint John, N.B., renaming it the New Brunswick Breweries.

A close-up view of the Rexroth VarioFlow conveyor line that cradles glass beer bottles George W.C.’s youngwithin the center opening of the wedge conveyor safely transporting product up a est son Sidney, however, 45-degree incline. decided to rebuild the

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Halifax brewery as Oland and Son, which did cause a schism within the family, operating in competition until it was sold to John Labatt Ltd. in 1971, along with its popular Alexander Keith brand.

Back at the New Brunswick plant, the Oland family continued to produce just one Ready Ale brand, before deciding to expand their menu by launching new brands, including the now-f lagship Moosehead Pale Ale brand.

“George B. had actually found a name registration for Moosehead while going over James Ready company files,” says Beneteau.

“Because he liked it, he built up a brand image for it and used it on what has today become our signature brew and our company name.”

In 1947, the company was renamed again, this time to the now familiar Moosehead Breweries Limited—a name that has stuck around for 67 years and counting.

Nowadays operated by fifth-generation descendent of the company founder Susannah Oland, executive chairman Derek Oland and his sons, president and chief executive officer Andrew and chief financial officer Patrick, Moosehead Breweries is considered to be Canada’s oldest independent brewery.

Today, it employs over 250 people full-time at the Saint John location with about an additional 150 people spread company-wide across the rest of Canada and the U.S. “Moosehead products are available all across Canada, and are widely available in many U.S. states, as well as over a dozen international markets,” relates Beneteau, adding that a large percentage of the brewery’s products are sold in retail stores, with licensees being the next largest customer base.

With the main production opearyion remaining at the Saint John plant, the facility has undergone multiple renovations and capital equipment upgrades since the original purchase.

Beneteau says that thanks to a heavy market demand, the 180,000-square-foot brewery operates 24-hours-a-day, five days a week over a twoshift rotation to produce a large range of beer products.

CANADIAN PACKAGING • APRIL 2014

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CONVEYING

Using highly sensitive cameras and detection software, the Krones Linatronic system is used to detect all foreign bodies, particles, and any possible contaminants to provide Moosehead’s customers with optimal product safety.

Moosehead Breweries reliability specialist Frank Beneteau stands beside the Bosch Rexroth VarioFlow incline conveyor system used to move the bottle production line up and out of the way at the New Brunswick headquarters facility.

While the Moosehead Pale Ale, affectionately called Red Moose in the Maritimes because of the color of its label and reddish-brown glass bottle, is considered the beer that made the brewery famous, nowadays the company’s big seller is Moosehead Lager, packaged in the iconic green bottle and corresponding green label.

“Our Moosehead Lager is a light-in-body golden

beer that possesses a delicate balance between the sweetness of the malt and the bitterness of the hops,” says Beneteau.

“It’s made from an age-old yeast culture and brewed longer to ensure the unique f lavor is captured within.

“It’s highly refreshing.”

Other beers produced by Moosehead include the

A Filtec Fill Level Inspector performs high-speed bottle inspection to ensure accurate product fill levels for bottled products produced at Moosehead Breweries.

After passing through a Filtec inspection system, brown glass bottles immediately enter a second visual inspection unit, a cap inspection machine manufactured by SYNERGEX Technologies, to ensure that the metal caps have been placed securely on top of each passing bottle.

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slow-aged Alpine Lager, Alpine Light, Moosehead Light; the fresh lime-f lavored Moosehead Light Lime; the low-cal Cracked Canoe, Clancy’s Amber Ale; the Moosehead Premium Dry, and the ice-filtered Moosehead Dry Ice. Beneteau explains: “All of our brands are in yearround production, but some are more popular than others, and thus have a greater production require-

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CONVEYING

All along the production line, powerful SEW-Eurodrive motors power the Moosehead bottle production line to ensure smooth and reliable product transfer and handling.

ment, and are run more often during certain parts of the year.”

As of 2014, Beneteau says the maritime brewery has the capacity to produce two million hectoliters

of beer a year, which is the equivalent of about 600 million bottles of beer.

The beers are packed in 341-ml bottles, 355-ml non-refillable bottles, 355-ml aluminum cans and 50-liter stainless-steel kegs filled, respectively, via a main high-speed bottling line, a high-speed can line, a f lex line and one automated keg line.

On the main bottle line, Moosehead employs a pair of towering spiral conveyors, manufactured by Ryson International, to help alleviate congestion on the production f loor and to provide safe access for its workers.

The production line process at Moosehead is not dissimilar from other breweries: comprising bottle washing, bottle inspecting, filling, pasteurization, filled bottle inspection, labeling, label inspection, carton erecting, packaging and warehousing being the norm.

But in order to not only keep up with increasing

production demands but also to prepare for future beer demands, the brewery continuously upgrades its equipment.

Beneteau relates that in 2012, the brewery underwent a main bottling line upgrade and expansion to add several new pieces of high-performance production and packaging machinery, including: • a Krones AG empty bottle inspection system; • a Krones Multimodul labeler that can apply 1,000 labels to bottles per minute; • Synergex Technologies Inc. full bottle optical inspection system; • a couple of hundred meters of Krones conveyor systems; • a bottle packer used six-, 12- and 16-packs, supplied by R.A. Jones & Associates; • a new carton former from Pearson Packaging Systems.

A Higher Cause For the bottling line, however, to provide a better f low to the production line area, it required a unique uplifting solution.

As Beneteau explains, in order to provide better access for workers and forklifts operators, a part of the production line needed to be moved up and out of the way.

Using a 45-degree VarioFlow wedge conveyor system, manufactured by Bosch Rexroth Canada, the bottles were moved up to a 10-foot height line to provide safe passage for workers and forklifts below, with a second VarioFlow conveyor elsewhere on the line to accommodate a downward delivery of the bottles.

Purchased in August of 2013 with the assistance of Advanced Motion & Controls, Rexroth provided a full turnkey solution, shipped in sections and assembled over a two-day period in September.

According to Beneteau, the installation was a remarkable success.

“The delivery and installation of this new line was done in a timely manner, and we are all quite happy with how smooth the entire system has been working,” says Beneteau.

A big advantage of the VarioFlow conveyor system is that it is very easy to clean, Beneteau points out, thanks to its open profile.

Utilizing reliable and powerful motors manufactured by SEWEurodrive, the VarioFlow is a singlestrand f lexible chain conveyor that Rexroth calls a smooth and affordable solution for any business involved in the food-and-beverage, packaging, assembling, and material handling operations.

Enhanced with the reliability of the SEW-Eurodrive motors, Rexroth utilizes a conveyance chain with very high tensile strength combined with low chain friction.

This ensures that less energy is required to operate the system, and less stress is placed upon the motors, meaning less maintenance, and fewer line

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A Ryson International dual spiral conveyor is used at the end of the Moosehead packaging line to transport cases of beer bottles from an overhead line down to shipping.

shut-downs, and a longer service life.

Along with the two VarioFlow conveyors used at Moosehead that move product up and down in 45-degree inclines, Rexroth says the system can also be reconfigured to accommodate horizontal curves, should the need arise.

As part of its hygienic requirements for the food and beverage safety, the entire VarioFlow system is made from stainless steel.

Depending on a company’s requirements, Rexroth also manufactures the VarioFlow in various conveyor widths, variable-frequency drives and chains and other modular components.

According to Beneteau, the Canadian beer market is indeed a very competitive one—especially for a relatively small independent brewery competing with large multi-national companies.

That said, Moosehead seems to have all four of its hooves planted firmly on the ground, remaining a strong market force to be reckoned with.

“Derek Oland once said, ‘I don’t want to be the

biggest, I just want to be around the longest’,” Beneteau proclaims.

“It’s why we continually strive to produce quality beer products, while embracing innovative change to respond to the ever-changing needs of the market place,” he concludes.

“Quality and innovation will ensure Moosehead’s longevity and integrity.”

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COVER STORY

Serge Bohec, President and CEO, La Petite Bretonne Inc.

Olivier Jouffret, End-user Solutions Sales Representative, Schneider Electric

Charles Bergeron-Vachon, Vice-President, Operations, La Petite Bretonne

BAKER STREET BEAT

Quebec bakery takes hands-on approach with robotic systems from Schneider Electric ANDREW JOSEPH, FEATURES EDITOR PHOTOS BY PIERRE LONGTIN he company name might indicate that it is small, and the same goes for its best-selling product—but for one Quebec bakery, speed is the key to growing the business.

Headquartered in Blainville, Que., a suburb of Montreal, the Serge Bohec-founded La Petite Bretonne Inc. manufactures baked goods for breakfast or snacks for customers throughout Canada, U.S., Mexico and the Caribbean, with its Micro Croissant brand, a small version of the standard-sized croissant roll being its top-seller.

In 1964, Bohec arrived in Montreal with his father from his hometown of Brittany, France, with the rest of the family joining them in Canada a few months later.

Since back home in France his father had worked as a cook, and Bohec himself as an apprentice

baker, it was only natural that Bohec quickly found a job at a pastry shop that made small sponge teacakes shaped like scallop shells, called ‘madeleines.’

A sign of the times perhaps, but Bohec recalls that it only took him about an hour after arriving in Canada to land that job that already paid more in salary than back in France.

According to Bohec, the madeleines being made in Canada, though well-known amongst the bakers, did not have the same consistency as what he was used to in France, and he set about to prove that what was being made here could be made better.

After proving his point beside the stove and gaining a promotion, in title only, he asked for a raise in salary.

Denied the financial incentive, in 1966 Bohec was inspired to quit this job and launch his own business making a better madeleines product.

Remarkably, he was only 17 years old.

Baking the little cakes in a rented pizza oven at

From pastries to croissants, tea cakes and chocolate breads, the Blainville-based La Petite Bretonne offers a great taste sensation for everyone and for every occasion.

The model P4 Delta-3 robot kinematics manufactured by Schneider Electric gently and quickly pick up chocolate buns and place them neatly into plastic trays on the De La Ballina packaging line operating at the Le Petite Bretonne baked goods manufacturing facility in Blainville, Que.

T

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his parent’s home, Bohec launched his company under the name La Petite Bretonne as a way to pay homage to his native province of Brittany.

“Back in France, everyone involved in the baking industry likes to consider themselves an artist,” Bohec told Canadian Packaging magazine during a recent interview.

“Because of that, I only wanted to create baked goods that not only looked good and tasted good, but were also something better than what was out there.”

Not one to shy away from hard work, Bohec worked his baked magic from his parent’s basement for about two more years before shifting things to a nearby pastry shop he rented during the night hours. During the day, he made deliveries on his bicycle to small grocery stores, delicatessens and butchers, but not to any chain stores.

Back then, Bohec says that he used to wrap the madeleines, a dozen at a time, in cellophane and seal them with his mother’s hot iron.

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COVER STORY “If I could, I would sometimes secretly ‘borrow’ my father’s car to make deliveries, but times certainly have changed,” chuckles Bohec.

“But not long after that, we began to automate our production line to something less domestic.”

In 1967, Bohec rented his first real manufacturing facility, and after several other expansions and moves, he relocated the business to a facility he purchased in Blainville, Que., in 1976.

Nowadays, the 85,000-square-foot plant houses the headquarters and main production area for two of La Petite Bretonne’s products—two sizes of its chocolate breads and Micro Croissants.

The remainder of the company’s products are produced at its 80,000-square-foot sister plant in Joliette, Que. “La Petite Bretonne is no longer the one-man operation it was when I started this business, and our growth in the market has been quite spectacular every year since,” says Bohec.

By 2003, the company was looking to build a new plant in Blainville with the express job of baking the Micro Croissants exclusively, with everyone eventually moving in to the main facility at the start of 2007.

With sales and production levels soaring, by 2011 the Blainville plant required an additional expansion—adding 49,000 square feet to take it up to its current size and capacity levels.

La Petite Bretonne is now operated by a total of 166 employees working at the two plants, running five-days-a-week, 24-hours-a-day with two complete shifts and one partial production shift.

Some of the production staff, Bohec notes, are used to operate the warehouse and to get product prepared for early morning delivery to customers.

Sweet Truth All told, the Blainville facility produces an impressive 720,000 Micro Croissants, 140,000 chocolate breads and 40,000 mini chocolate breads every day, according to Bohec.

Naturally, the bakery produces quite a few products under its own f lagship label, including: • Micro Croissants, mostly packagings 24 units to a pack; • Chocolatines (chocolate bread buns), in six- and 12-piece packs; • Mini Choco (Mini chocolate bread), mostly packed 18 units to a bag; • MicrOmega (nine grain f lax seed croissant), packed 22 units to a bag; • Galettes à la mélasse (Molasses Cookies), packed in 12 or 30 piece packs; • Madeleines (tea cakes), 12-piece packs; • Cinnamon buns, eight-piece packs; • Strawberry buns, eight-piece packs.

For its private label manufacturing big runs, the bakery produces: mini croissants under various labels in packs of 18, 22 or 24 units; molasses cookies under the Grand’Ma label with packs of 12 or eight units; and Oatmeal Tag on the GO cookies in six-packs and packages of 12 two-packs.

“The Micro Croissants are what we produce the most of, and unsurprisingly, it’s also our Number One best seller overall,” explains Bohec. “But in the province of Quebec, the chocolate bread— both regular and mini varieties—is the bestseller for us.”

Although Bohec humbly calls his company small in the croissant business segment, he says he considers La Petite Bretonne to be anything but petite in terms of overall capabilities.

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Utilizing the precise and robust Schneider Electric pick-and-place robotic system, the De La Ballina packaging line was purchased by the La Petite Bretonne bakery in October of 2013, instantly earning it company-wide rave reviews for the huge uptick in speed and accuracy that will help it in its goal to enlarge its market share.

“It all depends on the market,” relates Bohec, “but we are large in the production and sale of our types of snack and breakfast baked goods, holding a 98-percent market share in Quebec and a 70-percent share in Ontario.”

The company’s products are primarily sold in major retail chain grocery stores in the baked goods section, but it also retailed to smaller corner grocery shops, Bohec explains.

“The baked goods industry is a highly competitive one, with plenty of big name players,” notes Bohec.

“So the key for us has to be to always present a highquality and tasty product, and secondly to innovate, which we have done through the introduction of the industrial-baked croissant and chocolate bread products here in the North American market.”

Bohec points out that the La Petite Bretonne products are free of artery-clogging transfats, are produced in nut- and peanut-free facilities, and can be kept frozen for up to six months.

Bohec says that most of the products manufactured by La Petite Bretonne are packaged in portion-control sizes that make them convenient to enjoy for breakfast, dessert or as a snack.

“It was back in 1982 or so that the company developed products with a shelf-life of 21 days,” says

Bohec. “For baked goods that is a huge advantage and it’s something we are quite proud to boast of today,” Bohec states.

Programmed for Success Even before the latest technological upgrades to the bakery, La Petite Bretonne has twice been featured on television, with the popular: How It’s Made series describing the creation of its Micro Croissant, and the Food Factory show demystifying the production of its Chocolate Buns.

In the case of the croissants, the primary ingredients of margarine, yeast, cold water, sugar, a bit of salt and white all-purpose f lour are blended slowly in an industrial mixer to form the dough and then quickly kneaded.

After passing through 16 rollers that f latten and thin the dough, the product passes through a laminator that creates the f laky layers that give every croissant its signature texture and appearance.

At the laminator stage, a 20-kilogram block of margarine is extruded into a one-centimeter sheet and then enveloped by the dough sheet, before being f lattened by rollers to a centimeter in thickness.

This inserting and folding is done over and over

To ensure product conformity, after baking and cooling, chocolate buns at La Petite Bretonne are moved through a laser vision inspection system designed and built by the France-situated manufacturer De La Ballina, part of Pattyn Packing Lines of Belgium.

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COVER STORY again at the next station until each dough block comprises a total of 243 layers.

After being hand-placed in a plastic wrap, the dough sits for eight hours in a refrigerated room to harden, after which the dough is again moved through rollers to thin and widen it. Razor-sharp cutters then slice the dough into seven narrow bands 10-centimeters-wide, before it is then cut into isosceles triangle sections.

Robots are then used to align the dough all in the same direction—widest side forward— where it is then rolled into the more familiar crescentshape, with two of the formers creating 50,000 raw dough croissants every hour.

Next, the raw croissants sit for an hour within a proofer, where steam and humidity activates the yeast. They are then moved to a conveyor and slowly moved along a tunnel oven for 14 minutes of baking at 175°C. “During the baking process, air bubbles and steam help separate the 243 layers, which in turn creates the Micro Croissants signature f lakiness,” advises Bohec.

With the fully-baked, golden brown croissants now in their most fragile state, great care is taken to ensure they maintain their form, as they are depanned and transferred to a conveyor that moves the baked goods on a 900-meter-long journey up a spiral conveyor system and back down again to cool to room temperature. At this point, they are ready for packaging.

After a quality control inspector examines each croissant for a consistent shape, the product is moved through a De La Ballina laser vision inspection system for a further quality check. From there, they move up through one of a pair of Manter baggers, where a multitasking robotic system opens up a clear plastic pouch, slaps a label onto it as the appropriate number of baked goodies are dropped down into it, and a Kwik Lok system applies a plastic clip to secure the bag to seal in the freshness.

(Incidentally, Kwik Lok is credited with inventing the plastic bread clips that are featured on nearly

The La Petite Bretonne packaging line employs the power and accuracy of a pair of Phantom metal detection units, manufactured by Fortress Technology, as part of its stringent food safety assurance protocols.

every retail bread pack.) The packaged croissants are then boxed, sealed, layered and then stretchwrapped onto pallets for delivery to customers.

In the case of the Mini Chocos product—which has a slightly different production cycle—it takes about 90-minutes to cool on the spiral conveyor.

After the quality control check, the products are moved past another laser vision inspection system from De La Ballina, before the product is packed just as the Micro Croissants were, except that this line uses four Manter baggers and four Kwik-Lok closure units.

Safe Strategy “We have been in business since 1966,” Bohec says with a hearty laugh. “We have a small product range that we run via a total of five production lines, but what makes us successful is that we always concentrate our efforts on those products.

Baked goodies inside a plastic tray are moved through a pair of Formost Fuji horizontal baggers that quickly open up individual plastic bags to allow the trays to enter before sending them on its way to be individually clip-sealed.

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“Not just in production, which is very important,” Bohec says, “but also in marketing and technology.”

Some of that marketing takes place right in the baked goods aisles, as La Petite Bretonne offers grocers its own retail-ready display systems in order to maximize the use of f loorspace and to provide greater visibility of its products to the consumer.

As part of its latest investment in 2011, the company began a plant expansion in one under-used area of the Blainville facility.

Continuing in 2012, it installed a brand new chocolate bread production line, following that capital expenditure next year with the installation of a packaging line for the same products.

“Our investment in the Blainville plant expansion was very important for us,” states Bohec. “Not only did it enable us to create new jobs, but it also allowed us to increase our production capabilities to

One of eight Kwik Lok clip closure systems used by La Petite Bretonne for sealing its bagged products.

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COVER STORY ensure we would always be in a position to grow our to provide quotes for a complete package, beginbusiness forward as we develop new markets.” ning at the point where fresh-baked goods exit a Naturally, food safety is a huge concern for everycooling area. one involved in the bakery industry, which was As PLAN Automation owner and partner Sylvain why La Petite Bretonne took the time and effort to Sirois recalls, “To ensure the La Petite Bretonne achieve British Retail Consortium (BRC) certificaproject went as smoothly as possible, we worked tion, a standard recognized by the GFSI (Global closely with both Bohec and De La Ballina on the Food Safety Initiative), a collaboration between complete layout.” global food safety experts, retailers, manufacturers Additional equipment supplied by PLAN and food service companies to ensure the provision Automation included: two Fortress Technology of safe food to the customer.

Phantom metal detection systems; two Wexxar According to Bohec, other initiatives attained by WF20 automatic case-erectors and two Belcor the bakery include: C-TPAT (Custom-Trade Partnership BEL252 automatic case-sealers from Wexxar/ Against Terrorism), which provides safeguards to ensure BEL, a Pro Mach Industries division; an Aesus ingredients being shipped in and out pose no danger; labeler featuring Herma labeling heads; and a pair and the Kosher certifications from MK Kosher of of wicket bagging systems from Manter.

Montreal and Tablet-K Kosher of New York.

According to Bohec, the eight-station robotic Reiser_BakeryPackagingAd_v2014_CP_Reiser 3/21/14 1:18 PM Page 1 While Bohec says that having the best equippick-and-place system from De La Ballina is a ment is a necessity for any company to succeed, work of synchronized rhythmic genius. he admits that although his facility is filled with top-notch machinery, there have been instances where he had to create the right machinery for the right job all by himself.

For example, Bohec designed and built equipment for manufacturing chocolate breads himself because he couldn’t find any.

In the early days, too, when purchasing equipment was prohibitively too expensive, he built his own, once using parts from an old hospital bed and a bicycle.

“After a trip down to see a food machinery exhibition in Las Vegas, I mentioned that I had a unique machine specifically designed and built to create chocolate breads,” explains Bohec.

“At the end of the exhibition, a contingent of Italian and French manufacturers came up to Blainville to see the machine and take pictures of it manufacturing chocolatines.”

A Busch Vacuum Technics R-5 oil-lubricated vacuum pump helps provide lifting power to equipment.

Going Robotic Following essentially the same production process as the Micro Croissants and the Mini Chocolate Buns, the regular-sized Chocolate Buns are packaged in a manner best described as a more high-tech approach, whereby robots pick up the product, place them one at a time into plastic trays, which are then pushed into a plastic bag and sealed with a plastic tie.

Bohec says the robotic system is part of La Petite Bretonne’s forwardthinking competitive mindset that compels it to maintain the most upto-date equipment available on the market.

In October of 2013, La Petite Bretonne purchased a robotic pickand-place system, as well as an entire packaging line, including a vision system to pilot the robots, conveyors, and horizontal and vertical baggers from De La Ballina.

After Bohec had conceived a plan to add the new production line, he contacted the well-respected system integrators PLAN Automation— headquartered in Orangeville, Ont.,

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COVER STORY One of a pair of WF20 corrugated case-erectors from Wexxar/BEL used by La Petite Bretonne to protect its fresh-baked goods during transport to retail customers.

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The system uses eight P4 Delta-3 robot kinematics, manufactured by Schneider Electric, as well as PacDrive 3 software that along with the De La Ballina camera vision system allows grippers to accurately, quickly and gently pick up individual baked breads and place them within a plastic tray.

Headquartered in France, but operating with offices around the world, including many across Canada, Schneider Electric is known primarily as a global specialist in energy management, but it also boasts a wealth of expertise designing automated packaging systems.

According to Schneider Electric’s OEM (original equipment manufacturer) business development & ADE (application design expert) Luc Richard, De La Ballina is a complete systems provider who work closely with Schneider Electric to implement their robotics solution, featuring the P4 robot that is part of its PacDrive High Performance portfolio.

“The P4 Delta-3 robots are constructed with stainless steel, and are quite adept in its pick-and-place function, able to pick up—if necessary—loads up to 15 kilograms,” explains Richard. “Of course, that is not an issue at La Petite Bretonne which only has nice light and f laky products.”

Richard notes that the P4 Delta-3 robots rely on a vision system that enables it to accurately pick the chocolate breads from the conveyor line and place them gently and quickly into the plastic tray without damaging the product.

Bringing it all together, the robotic system functions f lawlessly thanks to its PacDrive3 synchronized servo axis solution that integrates motion, logic, programmable limit switches, temperature control and, of course, robotic kinematics into its software, Richard explains.

“De La Ballina chose to work with Schneider Electric because they like our PacDrive system,” relates Richard.

“Flexibility and modularity were two reasons for that attraction, but they also like that the P4 robots we manufacture are on stainless steel,

Supplied by PLAN Automation, the Aesus labeling system applies adhesive labels to plastic bags of product.

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COVER STORY

A BEL 252 case-sealer boasting a Snap Folder feature quickly tapes shut corrugated cartons filled with product.

including the arm and rotation axis.”

Richard adds that the P4 is perfect for companies such as La Petite Bretonne because the robot system is hygienically designed for food applications, which features a washdown rating up to IP 65.

“Made exclusively with nonfibrous materials, the P4 is the best offer on the market for the food industry,” proclaims Richard.

“Thanks to La Petite Bretonne and others, the food processing industry has helped De La Ballina become attracted to the Schneider-Electric equipment.”

Because every job is important to the folks at Schneider-Electric, support staff from the company traveled to the De La Ballina factory in France before the machine was delivered to La Petite Bretonne.

“By doing that, we were able to finetune the equipment to ensure a better start-up on site at the

An overview of the La Petite Bretone production, showing baked treats exiting a Mondial Forni oven (center) to a 900-meter long conveyor line for cooling.

bakery,” says Richard.

After the machine was delivered, De La Ballina and Schenider Electric worked with the local Canadian Schneider Electric team to finalize the installation and ensure it was up and running to the full specifications of Bohec and La Petite Bretonne, he relates.

La Petite Bretonne also employs a diverse range of recently purchased machinery at the Blainville plant, including: • A silo manufactured by ABTEK International ApS;

Quality

• Two mixers and a pair of proofers and ovens from the Italian firm Mondial Forni S.p.a.; • One laminating line, one chocolate bread and two croissant making machines from Canol Srl; • One vacuum lifting system from Busch Vacuum Technics Inc.; • A vacuum conveying system from Volkmann, Inc.; • Two depanners from Capway Systems, Inc. • Two spiral conveying systems manufactured by Technopool Italy, Inc.; • Four labelers from ALTech US;

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COVER STORY

Mitchel-Lincoln provides La Petite Bretonne with corrugated cartons to pack and ship products to customers.

An SEW-Eurodrive motor powers a rubber head roller that gently transports the freshly-made baked goods from the oven line down onto a cooling line.

• One Wulftec International Inc. Smart series stretchwrapper.

Other production equipment installed by De La Ballina includes: • A conveyor system manufactured by SpanTech; • Six automatic baggers from Manter International BV; • Two horizontal baggers manufactured by Formost Fuji Corporation; • A total of eight Kwik Lok Corporation units, including two 865 series and four 897c series; • Two complete packaging lines from De La Ballina.

Bohec says that La Petite Bretonne also engaged the services of Wellbake Equipment of Concord, Ont., a baking equipment specialist that acted as a broker on their behalf, helping the bakery choose equipment for its first and second production lines.

While some might quibble over the expense involved in always trying to have the most technically advanced equipment, Bohec enjoys embracing new technologies with grand aplomb.

“I’ve certainly purchased my fair share of used equipment in the past— and there’s nothing wrong with that,” notes Bohec.

“But to ensure the continued success and growth of La Petite Bretonne we would be doing ourselves, our employees, our customers and our consumers a huge disservice if we didn’t continually make commitments to capital investment in new machinery,” he states.

“While our recipes have generally remained the same, certainly the introduction of new equipment has helped us improve the way we produce our baked products.

“We can certainly produce the same high-quality product we have always made, only now we can do it with much greater speed,” he concludes.

“It’s why we will continue to look towards the future when it comes to keeping La Petite Bretonne moving forward.”

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Schneider Electric PLAN Automation Inc. Fortress Technology Inc. Wexxar/BEL, Pro Mach Industries Aesus Packaging Systems Inc. Herma USA De La Ballina Manter International BV Kwik Lok Corporation ABTEK International ApS Mondial Forni S.p.a Canol Srl Busch Vacuum Technics Inc. Volkmann, Inc. Capway Systems, Inc. Technopool Italy, Inc. SpanTech Canada Graphic Packaging International Manter International BV ALTech US Formost Fuji Corporation Wulftec International Inc. Wellbake Equipment Inc. Mitchel-Lincoln Ltd.

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FEEDING A BETTER WORLD Food waste emerges as one of modern society’s most pressing hot-button issues

BY GEORGE GUIDONI, EDITOR

I

n a perfect world, no one would ever have to go hungry for long on the account of there not being enough food to go around for everybody.

But with chronic hunger estimated to be an everyday reality for about 850 million people around the globe, the modern world as we know it is sadly very far removed from perfection on many levels.

However, what makes this grim reality a tellingly damning indictment of how the modern world works is not that the contemporary society is incapable of producing enough food to go around—it certainly does—but rather its hapless collective inability to get its vast food resources to people who need it the most in timely fashion.

According to the often-cited statistics gathered by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations, at least one-third of all the food produced globally for human consumption each year—or about 1.3 billion tonnes of food worth a staggering US$900 billion—simply ends up as waste.

Unless this issue is addressed with due urgency and diligence, this sorry situation is likely to get much worse in coming decades, given the United Nations’ mid-range projections for global population to peak at about 9.5 billion by 2075—resulting in additional three billion mouths to feed.

If there are any good news in this generally dire scenario, it has to be that the world’s leading nongovernmental organizations and authorities on the subject have acknowledged both the problem and its disastrous implications for the future.

Furthermore, leading food industry experts have identified the many weak areas in the existing global food supply chain offering the biggest opportunities for improvement through practical solutions.

While the stereotype picture of aff luent western consumers purchasing more food than they can consume is not entirely without its basis, irresponsible consumer behavior is just one part of a much larger disconcerting picture.

According to the Cut Waste, Grow Profit report prepared by the Value Chain Management

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Centre branch of the Guelph, Ont.-based research think-tank George Morris Centre, wasteful consumers are actually just the last major link in a multif lawed, multistage process that also encompasses farming, distribution, retail, foodservice and the afore-mentioned consumers as key target areas for much-needed improvement.

Farming. “At the farm level, the majority of waste occurs post-harvest due to inadequate sorting, incorrect handling, lack of correct storage technology, or due to spillage and degradation during handling or transportation from farm to further processing facilities,” the report notes.

Processing. “Losses occur when crops are graded, washed, peeled, sliced and boiled or during process interruptions and accidental spillage,” says the report, identifying the food processing industry as the second-largest contributor to food waste.

“Similar to farm level production, some of the waste that occurs in food processing is due to specific requirements of buyers, or changing their purchasing decisions at short notice,” the study notes.

“Issues are exacerbated when packaged surplus products that have been developed for supermarkets’ own brand cannot be sold elsewhere and therefore result in waste.”

Distribution. Although transport and distribution process deficiencies account for a relatively smallish three-percent share of the total food waste, according to the study, the distribution sector can also do its part by making sure that produce is kept

Photos courtesy of Messe Dueselldorf and LINPAC Packaging

SUSTAINABILITY

a proper temperatures, for example, or shortening the time that imported products are kept on the loading docks for testing and approval.

“The biggest source of waste at the distribution phase is the rejection of perishable shipments that are often dumped … the food waste that can occur at distribution centers due to the suboptimal harvest, cooling and handling of perishable product such as fruit.”

Retail. The report directs a large part of the blame for food waste at the retail level to poor communications between the different supply chain partners, which often leads to overordering and overproduction.

This imbalance is often a result of the so-called “demand amplification,” the reports observes, “where the sharing of inaccurate information between businesses leads to steadily progressive and extreme f luctuations between demand and supply along the value chain, [which] is a particularly common cause of food waste occurring between processors, distributors and retailers.”

The problem is even more acute for the smaller convenience-store operators stocking a lot of ready-made food products, who on average discard up to 25 per cent of all of their food products in the U.S., compared to about 10 per cent for larger grocery chain operators.

“Food marketing has also played a significant role in encouraging wasteful consumer behavior,” the George Morris Centre study points out. “Coupons, ‘buy one get one free’ offers and super-sized portions

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SUSTAINABILITY encourage consumers to buy more than they need.

“Retailers operate under the practice that customers prefer to buy from fully-stocked, towering displays, which leads to overstocking and overhandling by staff and customers.

“This behavior damages items at the bottom and shortens shelf-life,” the report states.

“As we move toward a more aff luent society, the trend for pre-prepared convenience food is growing,” the report cautions, “and if left unaddressed, it is conceivable that food waste among retailers could rise in coming years.”

Foodservice. For the most part, the report identifies poor quality standards at institutions such as schools, hospitals and penitentiaries—as well as overserving—as main culprits behind the so-called ‘plate waste,’ noting that U.S. diners leave about 17 per cent of their meals uneaten.

Consumers. As the largest single contributor to overall food waste, consumers are generally guilty of excess purchases, cooking too much, failing to consume products by their expiration dates and improper food storage, according to the study.

“Among consumers there is a general lack of knowledge and understanding regarding food safety and preparation,” the study observes. “Many are confused about label dates and believe they indicate a product’s safety.

“Other reasons for increases in food waste include a trend away from in-home food preparation and meal planning.

“This may lead to impulse and bulk purchases that are beyond the households’ requirements.”

Another major similar report from the U.K.-based Institution of Mechanical Engineers also identifies poor consumer habits and decision-making as a major factor behind its even higher estimate of two million tonnes of food being wasted each year.

Titled Global Food: Waste Not, Want Not, the report continuously cites inadequate infrastructure and storage facilities, overly strict sell-by dates, buy-one-get-one free offers and consumers demanding cosmetically perfect food as being among the leading causes of excessive food waste.

“It also leads to a waste of water and energy resources that were used in the production, processing and distribution of food which ends up

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Mission To unite leading packaging value chain North American organizations to collaboratively explore, evaluate and mobilize packaging food waste solutions.

Objective To investigate the causes of food waste, identify opportunities for innovation, extend product shelf life, inform and educate the broader community.

Goal Maximize the reduction of food waste through prevention and extension of shelf life utilizing sustainable packaging solutions.

Geographic Boundary Serving North America while sharing solutions globally.

Guiding Principles Alignment with Save Food, Food Waste Reduction Alliance and like-minded organizations

Supply Chain Boundary From farm & sea to home consumer.

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in the bin,” the report states. “By improving processes and infrastructure, as well as changing consumer mindsets, 60 to 100 per cent more food could be produced.”

Some of the report’s troubling highlights include: • As much as 30 per cent of U.K. vegetable crops are not harvested due to them failing to meet exacting standards based on their physical appearance, while up to half of the food that’s bought in Europe and the U.S. is thrown away by consumers; • Around 550 billion cubic meters of water is wasted globally in growing crops that never reach the consumer; • It takes 20 to 50 times the amount of water to produce one kilogram of meat as one kilo of vegetables; • The demand for water in food production could reach 10 to 13 trillion cubic meters a year by 2050— up to 3.5 times greater than the total human use of fresh water today—which could lead to more dangerous water shortages around the world; If there is a bright side in the report, “There is the potential to provide 60 to 100 per cent more food by eliminating losses and waste while at the same time freeing up land, energy and water resources.”

To realize that potential, the global packaging industry will definitely have a big role to play, according to Jin Downham, president of PAC Packaging Consortium in Toronto.

Says Downham: It has been well-documented that approximately one-third of all food produced globally is being wasted, and the social, environmental and economic impacts of this number are staggering.

“We want to identify and quantify packaging solutions and then educate and encourage implementation of these solutions,” says Downham, explaining recent formation of the PAC Food Waste action group dedicated to this purpose.

Including big-name corporate founding members such as Sobeys, Loblaw’s, Target, Molson Coors, Nestle, DuPont, Dow Chemical and Sealed Air, the PAC Food Waste committee is chaired by Bruce Smith, director of global packaging for Molson Coors Canada in Toronto.

“There are opportunities to reduce food waste throughout the supply chain through packaging improvements,” states Smith. “We want to investigate the causes, identify opportunities for innovation, extend product shelf-life, inform and educate the broader community.

“Our goal is maximize the reduction of food waste through prevention and

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extension of shelf-life utilizing sustainable packaging solutions.”

Adds Downham: “Extending shelf-life of products through active and intelligent packaging, and innovative barrier technological breakthroughs are some examples of where packaging can help.

“Some products, like fruits and vegetables, need to be packaged to extend shelf-life, while some products needs to be repackaged once opened.

“Also, the sell-by and buy-before labeling needs to be modified and improved upon along, with a better understanding of what this means,” Downham says, adding the packaging industry will have a major challenge on its hands in reconciling demand for more sustainable packaging solutions in com- Jim Downham ing years with those of President & CEO, PAC Packaging Consortium food waste reduction.

“There is an interesting juxtaposition between creating additional packaging—say single-serving versus conventionally brewed coffee—and mitigating food waste,” he acknowledges. “We will be doing a full life-cycle analysis on single-serve coffee to understand what these implications look like.

“By having both PAC NEXT sustainable packaging chapter and the PAC Food Waste initiatives working side by side, we will continue to focus on reducing waste in both areas of concern.

“We really need to get educated on the entire triple bottom-line implications so that we can educate the broader community, and especially the business world, so that they can see the financial bottom-line impact,“ Downham states, “as there are big savings to be had for all in the supply chain as well as for consumers.

“Those that embrace the concept, the first movers, will realize the most savings and will likely gain market share as well.”

Alan Davey, director of innovation at the U.K.headquartered reusable plastic packaging products group LINPAC Packaging, agrees that pack-

aging has a key role to play in really moving the needle on food waste.

“It would not be wrong to say that if packaging was invented today it would be regarded as one of the greatest green technologies due to its protective and preserving qualities,” Davey states. “Imagine a world without packaging; the manufacture, transport, distribution and consumption of virtually every consumer good would be impossible.

“Quality packaging can significantly reduce waste across the entire supply chain by giving food a longer shelf-life and ensuring that food can be transported around the world safely and securely.”

According to Davey, changing demographics have had a major impact on the increase in food waste in western societies—primarily due to the rapid growth of single-person households, which are estimated to throw an average of 22 per cent of the food they purchase.

“Well-designed packaging can help consumers buy the right amount of food and then keep it in the best condition for longer,” says Davey, citing his company’s recently-lunched ‘split-packs’ that allow consumers to buy a tray of four chicken fillets, for example, to open one side of the pack and use two of them for cooking, while storing the remains in the fridge for later use in a completely sealed environment.

“While food waste remains such a major problem for the environment, it is essential for all the links in the food supply chain to play their part in solving the problem,” Davey states.

“At LINPAC Packaging, we are acutely aware of our role in helping consumers minimize food waste by designing innovative packaging solutions which enable them to only select the food they want to use, and in maximizing the shelf-life of stored products in their homes.

“It is essential that the products we develop also respond to changing lifestyles and consumer concerns,” he states.

For example, Davey notes that LINPAC has recently teamed up with U.K.-based specialty additives group Addmaster to develop a technically-advanced range of trays and films with builtin antimicrobial technology to reduce bacteria growth on the outer packaging of fresh meat.

According to Davey, this technology also helps to reduce spoilage and increase the shelf-life of food products by inhibiting the growth of bacteria, molds and yeast, as well as reduce the risk of contamination from pathogens such as E.Coli, salmonella, listeria and campylobacter.

“Food waste and sustainable packaging are very much at the top of our agenda, and we are committed to developing packaging solutions which are innovative, groundbreaking, and capable of addressing the challenges of the future.

“At LINPAC Packaging, we recognize our role in helping retailers deliver safer food products and supporting them and consumers in minimizing waste by designing new safer, innovative packaging solutions.”

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PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS A

Why membership really does have its worthwhile privileges

s long-time president of the venerable packaging industry trade group PMMI, Charles Yuska is one of the better-know elder statesmen of the global packaging industry facing a multitude of challenges unleashed by economic globalization, environmental crises and regulatory pressures affecting countless packaging line operations across North America and well beyond on a daily basis.

With the growing number of Canadian packaging companies joining PMMI ranks in recent years, Canadian Packaging has recently asked Yuska to ref lect on the state of the North American packaging industry Charles Yuska, and its near-term prospects for President & CEO, PMMI. continued growth.

Please explain the thinking behind the recent rebranding of your group from PMMI (Packaging Machinery Manufacturers Institute) to PMMIThe Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies.

When PMMI was started up in 1933, it was an organization of packaging machinery manufacturers who came together in the wake of Depression-era regulatory requirements. The industry has changed greatly since then, and with it, so has PMMI. We’ve added to our membership base in response to these industry changes, now supporting the entire supply chain, so we changed the name to better ref lect the breadth of our membership and to better align PMMI with our strategic vision.

The change has been well-received by our membership: it offers a concrete example that we understand them and that we’re growing and changing along with them.

The lively PACK EXPO Las Vegas 2013 trade show last September set a new attendance record for the biennial exhibition with over 27,500 visitors, according to PMMI.

The PMMI membership, as well as the PACK EXPO trade shows, have expanded dramatically in recent years. Since 2006, we’ve added suppliers, materials and containers, and processing companies to our membership ranks, while also expanding our membership to Mexico and bringing processing suppliers into the PACK EXPO exhibitor base.

Back in 1933 PMMI only represented packaging machinery manufacturers; today we’re a resource for the entire packaging and processing supply chain. The shift has come over time, as we

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have addressed our members’ and their customers’ changing needs, and our new our logo and descriptor line ref lect this shift better.

Your group includes a growing number of Canadian companies. What is the value proposition for them in obtaining PMMI membership?

Our value proposition is the same for all our members. As our strategic vision statement says: “PMMI convenes packagers, processors, and their supply chain partners to facilitate innovation, foster connections, and develop business opportunities.”

In addition to our world-class PACK EXPO trade shows, PMMI members have access to business intelligence research that illuminates trends in vertical industries and economics. We host three major member meetings yearly, where we bring in leading experts in the areas of leadership, marketing and the economy. Our other meetings, like the Operational Excellence Forums, bring members and customers together to address and discuss common operational issues, and to come up with solutions.

Membership also provides access to an array of services such as agent matchmaking, international trade statistics, and pavilions at international trade shows on the global level. PMMI is also a leader in education and workforce development, particularly in the area of mechatronics, and our members find that work valuable as well.

What are some of the key hot-button industry issues that PMMI is currently working to address?

In 2011 we founded The Alliance for Innovation and Operational Excellence (AIOE) group to facilitate collaboration around non-proprietary production challenges. It brings together manufacturing, engineering and operations professionals from CPG (consumer packaged goods) producers and OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) to find solutions to various challenges—such as a common approach to overall equipment effectiveness, a roadmap to sustainability or an employee engagement model.

It’s all about the industry working together to find better solutions. Tackling areas such as sustainability, operational reliability and workforce development, this year AIOE participants have developed useful new tools such as Employee Engagement guidelines and an Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) calculator, which is a particularly strong example of the benefits of collaboration. Creating it involved defining OEE as well as how to calculate it, and the result was groundbreaking.

Please provide an assessment of the current health of the packaging industry, as well as future prospects.

Overall, the packaging industry is healthy. Our 2013 Shipments Report, which analyses data from 2012, noted a four-percent drop in shipments, compared to a 19-percent increase noted in the 2012 survey. The Purchasing Index we are currently developing supports our thinking that packaging machinery investment for 2014 should continue to show an expansion, as

key indices continued to stay above the midpoint of 50. With 88 per cent of respondents indicating that economic conditions may have a positive effect on their purchasing decisions for 2014, this information, in conjunction with other PMMI reports, suggests a positive forecast for the industry.

Please reflect on the continued viability of both PMMI membership and its annual PACK EXPO trade shows.

For us, 2013 was an exciting time during which we launched new events, broke records at established events, and implemented a successful rebrand.

Last year PMMI had a record 64 new companies join the association—bringing us to a total of 658 member-companies–while our PACK EXPO Las Vegas show broke records for attendance, exhibitors and square footage. So did the EXPO PACK México show, while the debut edition of EXPO PACK Guadalajara more than doubled our initial projections for square footage and attendance.

This year, we’re opening the premiere edition of Pharma EXPO, which will be co-located with the PACK EXPO International 2014 show in Chicago, running from November 2 to 5 at the McCormick Place exhibition complex. Produced in partnership with the International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering (ISPE), we are expecting more than 50,000 attendees and 2,000 exhibitors in total this year.

Next year, the first edition of PACK EXPO East in Philadelphia (Feb. 16-18, Pennsylvania Convention Center) and EXPO PACK Guadalajara 2015 (March 10-12, Jalisco, Mexico) will take us through a busy first quarter, and if the industry support we’ve seen to date is any indication, they’ll be as successful as our more established events. This is a great time to be a part of PMMI! What are some of the more notable technological and market trends having the biggest impact on packaging companies these days?

There are a range of wide-reaching issues and topics of interest—from the U.S. Food Safety Modernization Act to robotics—that will impact many production lines. To anticipate upcoming trends and to stay on top of current developments, we also provide benchmarking data via Business Intelligence Reports that are free to our members.

Providing knowledge concerning the advancement of PC-based solutions replacing programmable logic controllers (PLCs), or how robots are rapidly becoming cost-effective, prime candidates for handling products in many production settings are just two examples of the types of information that may be found in our monthly and quarterly economic indicators, as well as in our quarterly purchasing indices.

It’s all about providing valuable information that helps our members make informed business decisions.

For more information on PMMI and its PACK EXPO series exhibitions, please go to www.pmmi.org and www.packexpo.com

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SHOW PREVIEW

FLOUR POWER

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Canadian baking industry showcase a true feast for all senses

ike all other packaged food sectors, the Canadian baked goods industry is going through a profound period of rapid change driven by competitive pressures, a more healthconscious consumer marketplace, and increasingly stringent regulatory requirements for food safety and quality control assurance.

Student team from Niagara College displays its Landmark Challenge cake entry during the Bakery Showcase 2012 expo.

It’s hard to understate the importance of getting all these things right for the country’s second-largest packaged foods industry with estimated 2011 total revenues of $8.6 billion, according to Agriculture and AgriFood Canada, representing total volume sales of 1.2 billion tonnes.

While these numbers may sound astronomical on their own, the truth is that the industry has experienced a fairly stagnant period of growth between 2006 and 2011, according to the federal ministry’s recentlypublished report titled Consumer Trends: Bakery Products in Canada, with some sub-categories, such as sweet biscuits, seeing declining sales from year to year.

Team of students from George Brown College pose with their winning Landmark Challenge giant cake.

With total bakery sales only projected to grow at fairly slow rates to reach $9.6 billion by 2016, the need for product and process innovation in the industry has never been as great as now for companies striving to get a leg up on the competition right now.

As the report states: “Innovation in the bakery market has become an important sales driver in recent years, particularly for packaged/industrial bread, due to the increasing demand for bakery products suitable for specific dietary needs, such as gluten-free.

“The increasing demand for special dietary products can be found in innovation trends in the Canadian bakery market,” the report points out.

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“For example, the major f lour and starch ingredients diversified over the 2006-2012 period, marked by an increasing number of new products containing f lour types other than wheat (i.e. rice f lour and chia f lour) launched during this period.

“There were also higher numbers of new products in recent years claiming to contain ancient grains such as chia and quinoa, to improve nutritional value, with these ingredient names also used in product branding.”

With innovation being the overriding theme for Canadian producers of bread, pastries, biscuits, crackers, sweets and desserts, the timing could hardly be better for next month’s national Bakery Showcase 2014 exhibition at the Toronto International Centre, May 4-6, 2014.

Held every two years by the venerable Baking Association of Canada, the three-day event promises to deliver a spellbinding display of technological prowess and product innovation to enable baked goods companies of all types and sizes to improve their productivity levels, enhance the safety of their products, and to launch innovative new products into the marketplace.

Seasoned Pros Drawing more then 4,250 industry professionals to the show’s 2012 edition—including retail, wholesale, commercial, grocery and foodservice operators—this year’s showcase will feature over 400 exhibits, arranged over 100,000 square feet of f loorspace at International Centre’s Hall 5, to display a diverse range of ingredients, equipment, services, technology, and, of course, the full serving of baked goods themselves: fresh, proof-and-bake, par-baked, freezer-to-oven, thaw-and serve, etc.

Combined with informative education sessions held each morning before the 12:00 pm start of the show itself, Bakery Showcase 2014 is structured to help both exhibitors and visitor alike to: • book orders, make new deals, and develop new markets; • sample new products and test new equipment and services; • launch new products, new merchandising programs and new promotions to get sales moving: • attract new customers, cater to existing customers, and win back former customers: • raise your corporate profile, size up the competition, an take a measure of new trends.

Although the Canadian baked goods industry has its share of dominant players—including the likes of George Weston Ltd., Kraft Foods Inc. and Kellogg Canada Inc.—in recent years it has become a more fragmented market that has allowed many smaller artisan bakeries and privatelabel brands to gain market share.

According to market researchers Mintel, “There were 5,590 new bakery and frozen bakery products launched in Canada between January 2006 and August 2012, with the largest number of new products (1,167) coming to market in 2011.”

Naturally, all these new product launches have been warmly embraced by the Canadian packaging community—from machine-builders and integrators through materials container suppliers and on to package design agencies.

“Since 2009, an increasing number of products with new packaging were introduced in the market, with relaunches most active from January 2012 to August 2012,” the Agriculture and AgriFood Canada report points out.

“As the number of new products with new packaging increased, so did the number of new products claiming to have environmentally-friendly packaging,” the study states.

“During the 2008 to 2010 period, the number of new products claiming environmentally friendly packaging doubled every year.”

For more information on Bakery Showcase 2014 and Baking Association of Canada please go to: www.baking.ca

SAFE AND SOUND BY STEALTH There’s no such thing as too much product safety in the bakery business, and visitors to the Bakery Showcase 2014 exhibition will do themselves a big favor with a quick visit to Booth #132, where Toronto’s own metal detection systems stalwart Fortress Technology Inc. will showcase the company’s leading-edge Stealth metal detector systems, boasting the new-generation FM software with highly increased metal detection sensitivities in most applications, including the Big Bag Detector, by at least 30 per cent. As part of the company’s sincere Never Obsolete Commitment service philosophy, the FM software can be easily added to one of the many existing Fortress metal detection systems already installed at numerous bakeries and many other food plants across North America and beyond.

Fortress Technology Inc.

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SHOW PREVIEW

THE MOTHER OF ALL SHOWS Triennial global packaging showcase ready to host the world

T

here are many packaging exhibitions out there these days, but there’s only one interpack—the acknowledged mother of all global packaging exhibitions, by a long shot.

Running for a full week next month at the renowned Messe Düsseldorf Fairgrounds exhibition center from May 8 to May 14, 2014, interpack 2014 will once again place the thriving industrial German city of Düsseldorf right at the heart of the global packaging community as host venue for the world’s leading trade fair for the global packaging industry and related process technologies.

According to the triennial show’s producer Messe Düsseldorf GmbH, more than 166,000 visitors from around the world are expected to make their way through 18 exhibit halls filled with action-packed displays and demonstrations of new-generation packaging technologies, materials, services and designs from

Bosch Packaging Technology will showcase the company’s new-generation, fully-automated ETIM tablet inspection machine—initially developed exclusively for the Japanese market and now poised to make its first appearance outside of Japan, according to the company. Designed for f lexible handling of many different types and shapes of tablets at output rates of up to 300,000 tablet per hour, the ETIM inspection machine identifies tablet defects such as coloration, breakage, and for foreign particles as small as 50 micrometers in size, with its high-accuracy camera-based imaging system ensuring a thorough 360-degree inspection of each tablet. The system can simultaneously inspect both the tablet surface and its peripheral edge with a single camera—presenting the information as five images on the operating screen—with the help of a precise tablet f lip-over mechanism during transport to avoid blind spots or dead angles.

Weidenhammer Packaging Group (WPG) will unveil the company’s comprehensive portfolio of modern convenience packaging and labeling solutions, including composite cans and drums and high-quality plastic containers

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more than 2,700 exhibitors arriving from over 60 countries around the globe.

Occupying over 174,000 square meters of f loorspace, interpack 2014 is undoubtedly the place to be next month for the world’s leading food-andbeverage, confectionery, bakery pharmaceutical, cosmetics, and consumer and industrial goods industries striving to maintain their continued business growth and global competitiveness through groundbreaking packaging innovation and trend-setting new packaging concepts and ideas.

Combined with monumentally important international industry forums such as the SAVE FOOD Congress and INNNOVATIONPARC PACKAGING (IPP) 2014, the interpack 2014 showcase will really have it all, including leading-edge technologies from some of the world’s foremost manufacturers featured on these next few pages.

designed with the high-impact in-mold labeling (IML) processes. Featuring impermeable barrier packaging—including peel-off top composite cans and plastic trays produced with the patented PermaSafe technology—the company’s convenience packaging is designed in accordance with its ‘Packed to Protect-Styled to Sell’ design philosophy stressing innovation. This mindset is ref lected with a broad variety of cylindrical, noncylindrical, oval and other container designs to deliver optimal product protection for moisturesensitive dry bulk goods, as well as eye-candy labeling for products ranging from instant beverages, sauces, snacks and cereals to non-food items like tobacco, pharmaceuticals, gardening products and pet food. Designed as a lightweight alternative to metal cans for packaging sterilized and pasteurized foodstuffs, the PermaSafe packaging range is said to be impermeable to oxygen and steam, thereby ensuring high hygiene and longer shelf-life for delicate products like ready-to-serve foods, sausage products and dips.

Eagle Product Inspection will unveil a broad range of the company’s advanced new X-Ray inspection and fat analysis technologies, including the new model Eagle Tall PRO XSDV dual view X-ray system designed to detect and remove up to 50-percent smaller sized contaminants located in rigid and glass containers. Designed with a single generator producing two X-Ray beams, the new Eagle Tall PRO XSDV provides for lightningfast inspection of different sides of cans, bottles and other packages to pinpoint the presence of foreign objects, according to the company, while also examining product fill levels and performing simultaneous integrity checks on high-speed packaging lines. (In Canada: Plan Automation)

Prominent Italian machine-builder MG2 will showcase the performance attributes of its new ACE CT/400 track-and-trace marking and verification system which has the ability to print unique identity 2D Data Matrix codes onto cartons, while simultaneously reading, verifying and constantly monitoring the code printing quality of each carton at speeds of up to 400 cartons per minute, according to

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SHOW PREVIEW the company. Designed for seamless integration into existing packaging lines, the ACE CT/400 features a positive carton controlling system for safe carton handling even at high speeds, while also being able to handle a wide range of shapes and sizes with minimal adjustments to ensure optimal operational f lexibility and machine uptime.

OPTIMA packaging group GmbH will exhibit an extensive range of high-performance packaging machinery for consumer goods and pharmaceutical applications, including the FS series machine designed for precise dosing of expensive powder products such as powdered milk with impeccable weight accuracy at highspeed throughput rates. Available with an optional integrated continuous toppingup system and a calibratable dynamic gross/tare weigher, the FS machine is capable of achieving output rates of put of 160 containers per minute for 900-gram filling weight with the topping-up function, according to the company, with further system enhancements enabling speeds of up to 300 containers per minute.

Videojet Technologies Inc. will introduce an advanced range of CO2 laser marking systems with the Videojet 3330 30-watt and model 3130 10-watt lasers designed to deliver vastly superior code quality across a range of marking speeds, according to the company, and are suitable for a wide array of substrates. The new lasers offer over 20,000 configuration options to provide easy integration for virtually any application, according to Videojet, while the system’s new software enables up to 30-percent faster marking speeds.

Gebo Cermex will unveil the new version of the company’s multifunction FlexiCase top-loading casepacker designed to offer combined forming, loading and sealing func-

tions for pack products difficult to accommodate with conventional RSC (regular slotted container) cases.

Integrating lightweight tooling and a new robotic gripping arm, the FlexiCase Version 2.0 employs robust, space-saving vertical forming techniques with an optimized sealing operation and a compact gripping arm that can be outfitted with custom grippers, membranes or suction cups to handle a diverse range of plastic bottles of shower gel, shampoo, washing liquids, detergents and other liquid product at throughput speeds of up to 30 cycles per minute.

Organized under the Connectivity theme, MettlerToledo’s extensive display will feature the company’s comprehensive offering of product inspection software solutions designed for increased efficiency and quality performance, as well as advanced trackand-trace solutions for enhanced product security and seamless compliance. In addition, the company will unveil: • A new generation of dynamic Garvens checkweighers designed for use in pharmaceutical, food, cosmetics and other industries to ensure precise weighing results—regardless of production environment—and high throughput rates; • The new-generation Safeline X36 series X-Ray

Thermoforming • Tray Sealing • Meal Assembly • Dosing H/F/F/S • V/F/F/S • Side Seal • Sleeve Wrap • Robotics Forming • Erecting • Flow Pack • Blister • Skin Pack Vacuum • Shrink Wrap • Closing • Cartoning • Case Packaging • Retail Ready FOR MORE INFORMATION CIRCLE 127

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inspection systems designed for monitoring a wide range of products within the food and pharmaceutical industry with advanced imaging technology to ensure maximum efficiency on processing and packaging lines, with notably reduced energy consumption requirements.

• A newly enhanced conveyor system with improved hygienic design for integration with the company’s advanced Safeline metal detectors to ensure full compliance with numerous hygiene and food safety standards covered by the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI).

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Leading beverage processing and packaging systems manufacturer Krones AG plans to unveil a whole new range of the company’s packaging innovations and design enhancements developed for the creation of lighter, more attractive, ecofriendlier and more consumer-friendly beverage packaging, including the newly-redesigned Ergomatic cold-glue labeler featuring a more ergonomic design, reduced operational complexity, and various improvements in functionality to facilitate quick changeovers to accommodate different label formats, according to the company. In addition, Krones will showcase the many advantage of the company’s highly innovative LitePac packaging and palletizing solution for bottled six-packs based on using the company’s EvoLite pack strapping machine to create packs with an integrated looped handle—offering a much more eco-friendly alternative to conventional shrink packs with material reduction of up to 74 per cent, according to the company.

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BEUMER Group will feature the company’s full fillpac range of filling, palletizing and packaging equipment, including the fillpac bag filling system outfitted with high-accuracy weighing electronics to ensure optimal precision and special software to enable the fillpac weigher to communicate continuously with the filling spouts— eliminating the need to reject bags with incorrect weights from the process.

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Domino Printing Sciences will plc exhibit the company’s new F220i product coding system incorporating a powerful fiber laser with beam properties that can be altered for sharper color contrast, while extending precision marking into a wider range of substrates, including metal and plastics. Suitable for both static and on-the-f ly processing, the F220i laser coder can mark an unlimited number of lines in any orientation and a wide variety of font sizes at both low and high line speeds, enhanced by the fiber’s long service life of up to 100,000 hours without requiring planned maintenance.

Bradman Lake Group will showcase the company’s new high-performance FT120 Multipack Flow Wrapper system, incorporating a DRT (dual race track) robotic top-loader to ensure optimal performance and productivity across a broad range of high-speed horizontal form/fill/seal and f lowwrapping applications. According to the company, the multifunctional DRT Robotic Toploader provides dual loading functionality for customers needing the ability to automatically collate and load primary wraps into a choice of two secondary packages—either a film multipack or a rigid retail carton. Distinguished with clear modern lines, the FT120 multipacker employs state-of the art technology in all functions for automatic stacking of a wide range of different products and product sizes, while facilitating quick product changeovers.

Gerhard Schubert GmbH will unveil the company’s new 3D scanner designed for ‘stereoscopic’ capturing of two views of each product from different viewing angles—resulting in a real-life height profile that better ref lects the three-dimensional shapes of the products to be packaged, according to the company.

Used in conjunction with the company’s f lexible TLM (top-loading machine) pickers, the 3D scanner can achieve height resolutions of 0.5 mm over a 60-mmhigh measuring range, while also enabling the use of additional measurement parameters such as volume, weight and stack height.

In addition, the company will showcase four of its application-specific TLM series filling machines for packaging aerosol cans into cartons at 320 products per minute; grouping bottles using TLM-F44 robots at speeds up to 12,000 bottles per hour; and grouping chocolate bars at 600 bars per minute.

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SHOW PREVIEW Allen Coding is planning to launch two new low-cost XL series thermal-transfer printers utilizing miniature ribbons for precise printing in small areas—making their use cost-competitive with hot-stamp date-coding technologies with all the f lexibility benefits of using variable digital print. According to the company, users of the 53XLc and 25XLi model printers can achieve up to 40-percent ribbon savings compared to the industry-standard 53-mm thermal-transfer systems.

The tna exhibit will feature the company’s high-speed robag FX 3ci model VFFS (vertical fill, form and seal) packaging machine arranged in two configurations: one designed for high-speed packaging of powder food products such as coffee, sugar and f lours; and the other outfitted with the company’s intelli-weigh 0314 omega multihead scale, a tna hyper-detect metal detector, and a labeler for packaging a diverse range of snack-foods at speeds of 150 to 180 bags per minute.

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cycles per minute. In addition, the versatile IML station offers users a broad range of decorating options on a wide variety of cups, including one-sided, twosided, three-sided (U-shaped), four-sided or even five-sided labeling—including bottom decoration, for example, with an integrated barcode.

Organized under the Milk in Shape theme, the exhibit of dairy packaging specialists ALPMA Alpenland Maschinenbau GmbH will present the company’s extensive portfolio of process cheese production, cutting and packaging technologies, including the MultiSAN fold wrapping unit designed for high-speed and f lexible packaging of portioned cheeses. Handling all types of commonly used cheese packaging materials, the MultiSAN system can process all shapes, sizes and consistencies of various cheese product, according to the company, with the intuitive touchscreen panel interface facilitating quick product changeovers and userfriendly operation throughout each run.

Schobertechnologies GmbH will unveil the company’s new-generation RSM-410-MX rotary die-cutter utilizing the Twin Spider robotic stacking technology for accommodating the popular IML (in-mold labeling) process at speeds of up to 50 meters per minute, according to the company, prod while simultaneously stacking various types of products sharing the same print image. Boasting 410-mm web width and diecutting repeat of 610 mm, the RSM410-MX diecutter is equipped 100-per with a 100-percent product inspection system with automatic defect product discharge capability, while facilitating nested product configurations combining large or long-shaped products with smaller-sized items.

ILLIG Maschinenbau GmbH Co. KG will unveil the company’s newly-designed FSL 48 form, fill and seal line designed specifically for the needs of the dairy industry. Featuring an integrated IML (in-mold labeling) station to provide inline capability to decorate the packing containers right during the thermoforming process, the FSL line can process all the conventional dairy packaging materials— including PS, PP and multilayer PS/EVOH/PE/ APET compositions—with its large thermoforming section enabling producers to create up to 12 standard dairy packs at once, at robust speeds of up to 30

Bosch Rexroth Group’s extensive exhibit will showcase the company’s newly-upgraded MLC Version 13 motion logic controller, supported by high-performance IndraControl L65 PAC motion logic hardware and Version 14 firmware to enable a host of new indemand automation capabilities such as integrated safety, robotics functions and new mobile apps tools.

According to the company, the open-architecture IndraMotion MLC is its most advanced automation platform to date—combining motion and logic control with robotics to create a control architecture which is both integrated and powerful, while offering a scalable, servo-driven automation system for many types of production machinery and plant processes.

Ryson’s new super compact spiral conveyors are designed to handle your smaller loads.

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ANNOUNCEMENTS  Flexible packaging products supplier Bemis Curwood Inc. of Oshkosh, Wis., has won two prestigious awards in the annual Flexible Packaging Achievement Awards competition of the Flexible Packaging Association (FPA).

The winning entries—including the Bonfire Wines stand-up pouch and the Hillshire Brands Heat Fresh package (see picture)—were among 22 packages selected from over 100 entries to be recognized for excellence, sustainability and innovation in f lexible packaging. Gathering a Gold award for Packaging Excellence and a Silver award for Sustainability & Environmental Achievement, the 1.5-liter Bonfire Wines stand-up pouches feature a sleek tapered profile and fashion-driven graphics to differentiate the brand on the shelf, along with 80-percent smaller carbon footprint compared to bottled wine, according to Curwood. For its part, the Hillshire Brands Heat Fresh package picked up a Gold award for Technical Innovation with a consumer-friendly, microwavable package designed to provide optimal moisture, heat and pressure control during the cooking process with a combination of a proprietary nonwoven bottom web and anti-fog top web, along with an easy-peel opening for enhanced consumer convenience.  Ahearn & Soper Inc., Toronto-based supplier and integrator of Auto ID (automatic identification) technologies and system solutions, has completed the acquisition of Provision WMS, a designer of WMS (warehouse management systems) software for distribution, manufacturing and third-party logistics (3PL) applications. “This acquisition will permit us to deepen our already extensive set of hardware, software, supplies and

services solutions for warehouse management, and to demonstrate a commitment to continue to be a major player in this marketplace,” says Ahearn & Soper’s general manager Paul Pope. “Provision WMS is also one of a very few WMS developers with explicit support for 3PL providers, which we see as a rapidly growing area of opportunity for our business in North America.”

 Long Sault, Ont.-based process control and laboratory testing instrumentation supplier Meyer Service & Supply Ltd. has reached an agreement with the Minneapolis, Minn.-headquartered MOCON, Inc., a prominent manufacturer of leading manufacturer of instrumentation systems for food, pharmaceutical and medical industries, for Canadian distribution of MOCON’s PACCHECK headspace (oxygen and carbon dioxide) instruments used for quality control in modifiedatmosphere packaging (MAP) applications. Under this partnership, Meyer has converted existing space at its Long Sault headquarters into a new 3,000-square-foot service laboratory (see picture), while also establishing a similar sister lab at its other facility in Brantford, Ont. Tel. (613) 938-2185.

 Minneapolis, Minn.-based packaging equipment manufacturer Thiele Technologies, Inc. has completed the acquisition of leading Dutch palletizing machine-builder Symach, which boasts specialized expertise in palletizing equipment for the fresh produce industries.

 Intelligrated, Cincinnati, Ohio-headquartered manufacturer of automated end-of-line packaging and material handling equipment, has commenced operations of the company’s new sales and engineering office in Shanghai, China, to service its fastgrowing customer base in the Asia-Pacific region.

“This office allows us to collaborate with local and global customers to fully understand their needs and strategies,” says Intelligrated’s Asia-Pacific business development director Rod Selby, adding the company plans to expand its China operations in the future to include some manufacturing.  Norcross, Ga.-headquartered manufacturer of corrugated and consumer packaging products RockTenn has reached a definitive agreement to acquire the Simpson Tacoma kraft paper mill in Tacoma, Wash., from Simpson Lumber Company in a transaction estimated at US$343 million. Operating two paper machines and two pulp dryers to produce 465,000 tons of containerboard, specialty kraft paper and market pulp last year, the Tacoma kraft mill also operates a 55 MWh green biomass fuel cogeneration facility that sells electricity under a long-term contract. “Adding a West Coast mill will improve our ability to satisfy West Coast customers and generate significant operating efficiencies across our system,” says RockTenn’s chief executive officer Steve Voorhees, noting that RockTenn plans to spend US$60 million in various capital investments at the mill over the next three years, while also securing a sevenyear supply of wood chips from Simpson Lumber.  Schiller Park, Ill.-based end-of-line packaging systems manufacture and integrator Arpac LLC has completed the acquisition of prominent palletizing systems manufacturer Lambert Material Handling of Syracuse, N.Y., for an undisclosed amount.

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The new 6 kg and 8 kg IRB 360 FlexPickers handle higher payloads with greater working depths, and are able to pickand-place up to 500 products per minute. Along with the 1 kg and 3 kg FlexPickers, all variations are available in sanitary models, ideal for direct food handling or pharmaceutical applications, including a hygienic design for wash down applications and an IP69K rated stainless model. Learn more at www.abb.com/robotics ABB Inc. 905-460-3418 www.abb.com/robotics FOR MORE INFORMATION CIRCLE 130

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EVENTS April 25-27 Toronto: The Green Living Show, sustainable consumer products and services exhibition by PUNCH Canada Inc. At Direct Energy Centre. For more information or to register, go to: www.greenlivingshow.ca

April 28-30 Berlin, Germany: Plastic Closure Innovations 2014, conference by Applied Market Information Ltd. At Hotel Concorde. To register, go to: www.amiplastics.com

April 29-30 Cincinnati, Ohio: AWA International Sleeve Label Conference and Exhibition 2014, by Alexander Watson Associates (AWA). At the Hyatt Regency Hotel. To register, please go to: www.awa-bv.com

April 30 - May 2 Scottsdale, Az.: Digital Printing Presses Conference, by Information Management Institute (IMI). At the Saguaro Scottsdale. To register, go to: www.imiconf.com

international packaging technologies fair by Messe Düsseldorf GmbH. At Messe Düsseldorf Fairgrounds. Contact Messe Düsseldorf (Canada) at (416) 598-1524; or go to: www.interpack.com

May 14-15 New York City: Luxe Pack New York, luxury goods packaging exhibition by Idice Monaco. At Pier 92.

To register, go to: www.luxepacknewyork.com

June 3-6 Munich, Germany: Automatica 2014, international trade fair for automation and mechatronics by Messe München International. Concurrently with the Maintain trade fair for industrial maintenance. Both at the New Munich Trade Fair Center. To register, go to: www.automatica-munich.com

June 5 Mississauga, Ont.: Top 50 Packaging Ideas Expo, second annual tabletop exhibition by the Canadian Packaging magazine. At the Mississauga Convention Centre. Contact Stephen Dean at (416) 510-5198, or via email sdean@canadianpackaging.com

June 10-13 Chicago: FMI Connect 2014, food retail trade show and conference by Food Marketing Institute (FMI).

At McCormick Place. To register, go to: www.fmiconnect.net

June 16 Gormley, Ont.: Annual Golf Tournament of the Canadian Corrugated and Containerboard Association (CCCA) and the Asociation of Independent Corrugated Converters Canada. At Station Creek Gold Club. To register, go to: www.cccabox.org

PRODUCED BY

may

May 4-6 Mississauga, Ont.: Bakery Showcase 2014, baked goods industry technologies exhibition by Baking Association of Canada. At the International Centre, Hall 5. Contact Canadian Baking Association at (905) 4050288; or go to: www.baking.ca

2014

May 6-8 Mississauga, Ont.: Measure Up for Success, conference by Association for Manufacturing Excellence (AME). At Delta Meadowvale Hotel & Conference Centre. To register, please go to: www.ame.org

May 6-10 Essen: Germany: METPACK 2014, global metal packaging trade air and conference by Messe Essen GmbH. At Messe Essen. To register, go to: www.messe-essen.de

May 7-8 Fort Worth, Tex.: TexasPack, packaging technologies exhibition by UBM Canon. Concurrently with Design & Manufacturing Texas, PLASTEC Texas, Automation Technology Expo (ATX) Texas, MD&M Texas, and Quality Expo Texas. All at Fort Worth Convention Center. To register, go to: www.TexasPackShow.com

May 7-9 Shanghai, China: China Beauty Expo (CBE) 2014, by Informa Exhibitions Asia-Pacific. Concurrently with Beauty Shanghai and Cosmetech Shanghai exhibitions. All at Shanghai New International Exhibition Center.

To register, go to: www.cbebaiwen.com/en/

May 8-14 Düsseldorf, Germany: interpack 2014,

APRIL 2014

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Find your next great packaging idea ...

At the Top 50 packaging Ideas Table Top Trade Show Who Should aTTeNd: Food, beverage, pharmaceutical, personal care and household product professionals.

Who Will exhiBiT: top innovators in packaging materials, containers, equipment and automated devices.

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PEOPLE  Industrial automation components and devices supplier CARLO GAVAZZI (Canada) Inc. has appointed Wayne Holdbrook as account manager for territory comprising Holdbrook western GTA (greater Toronto area) region and northern Ontario; and Michael Grant as account manager for Grant western Ontario.  PolyOne Corporation, Cleveland, Ohioheadquartered manufacturer of specialty polymers, has appointed Robert Patterson as president and chief executive officer.  Ball Corporation, Bloomfield, Colo.headquartered manufacturer of metal packaging products for the food-and-beverage and household care product industries, has appointed Daniel Fisher as president of its North American Metal Beverage Packaging Division for Fisher the Americas region.  Louisville, Ky.-headquartered Contract Packaging Association (CPA) has appointed John Mazelin as the group’s executive director, and Nikki Johnson as its member communications director.

 Irish-based glass packaging products manufacturer Ardagh Group S.A. has appointed David Matthews as chief financial officer.  Hartsville, S.C.-headquartered packaging products group Sonoco has appointed Ron O’Neal as division vice-president of manufacturing for the company’s Protective Solutions business; Carl Kraus as division vice-president and general manager for the Protective Solutions’ industrial business segment; Christensen a division vice-president and general manager for the company’s Sonoco Alloyd retail packaging business; and Jeff DiPasquale as head of the company’s blowmolding business, in addition to his current responsibilities as division vice-president of Sonoco’s Thermoforming Plastics unit.  Pharma Tech Industries (PTI), Athens, Ga.-headquartered pharmaceutical powder products co-packer and contract manufacturer, has appointed Anthony Mitchell as president and chief executive officer.

Mitchell

 The Montalvo Corporation, Gorham, Me.based manufacturer of web tension control systems for converting, packaging, plastic processing and other industrial applications, has appointed Jon Hanson as vice-president of engineering; Ted Dufour as software engineer; and Tony Rossettias applications specialist for the northeastern U.S.

 Barry-Wehmiller International Resources (BWIR), a subsidiary of St. Louis, Mo.-headquartered packaging technologies group Barry-Wehmiller Companies, Inc., has appointed Bethany Kessler as marketing coordinator for the company’s PTC software and Kessler PLM system solutions group, and Mike Kanczak as senior account manager for PLM Kanczak solutions.  Mark Andy Inc., St. Louis, Mo.based manufacturer of narrow-web flexographic printing presses, has appointed Kevin Wilken as president and chief executive officer, and Joe Calmese as director of Wilken flexo consumables at the company’s newly-formed Mark Andy Print Products (MAPP) Calmese division.  Freemont, Ohio-based robotic systems integrator Motion Controls Robotics Inc. has appointed Paul Getten as regional sales manager for southeastern U.S., to be based in Charlotte, N.C.

Getten

CELEBRATING EXPORT EXCELLENCE The Alberta Export Awards are the province’s most prestigious awards, paying tribute to the success and innovative approaches of export companies in Alberta.

Extending across industries and including both rural and urban representation, the awards are a celebration of the contributions exporters have made to both the provincial and national economy. With over 400 delegates—many of whom hold executive leadership roles—the Alberta Export Awards provide a premier networking opportunity for attendees. Attending this event will allow you and your business to connect with leading and emerging industry decision makers within the Alberta export sector.

JOIN US! May 23, 2014 | 11:00am to 2:00pm The Westin Edmonton PRESENTED BY

AWARD SPONSORS

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Follow updates on Twitter at @cme_mec, @jwnevents or use the hashtag #ABExport

VISIT ALBERTAEXPORTAWARDS.CA TO BUY TICKETS! FOR MORE INFORMATION CIRCLE 132

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SPRING FORWARD WITH PACKAGING EYE-CANDY

A

s we cross our fingers in hope that the long Canadian winter months are finally behind us for real, it’s hard to escape the annual return of new packaging colors, slogans, designs and graphics trumpeting the long-awaited spring-time warmth and renewal. After the cold weather has taken its heavy toll on our outdoor activities, social events and even our bodies, a celebratory cup of tea is often a good idea around this time of the year. It’s also a good time for quick-thinking companies like the Montreal-based tea importer DAVIDsTEA to really rise to the occasion by launching wonderful new products, such as An Island Getaway tea-time set that will have tea purists purr purring with delight. Part of the company’s popular The Spring Collection brand, the five-blend assortment of loose-leaf teas—resting inside a bright paperbox covered in super chic graphics of seashells set against a tranquil coral-toned background—virtually sells itself by listing its exotic Blue Lagoon, Cool Cucumber, Peaches and Cream, Grape Expectations and Pom Tango blends right upfront in plain ‘can’t miss’ view, just below an enticing sales pitch positioned underneath the classy, silver-foiled brand logo. This commendable packaging finesse is aptly matched by the folding carton’s built-in, slide-out compartments containing each of the five f lavors in its own silver pouch—each boasting not only the blend’s name, but also the optimal serving and seeping instructions. As a beautiful gift or a personal treat, this high-end box is a packaging metaphor for all that’s good about this time of the year.

Along the similar lines of personal gratification, the Cactus Verde brand of hand lotions from Illume boldly advises the consumer to “go be lovely” with a gold-foiled tagline near the top of a beautiful upright box brandish brandishing a thick, diagonal cactus-green line surrounded by leaf-like patchwork on upper-left and zebra stripes on the bot bottom right. The disarming warmth of crafty packaging graphics makes a tell telling statement on the virtues of ‘animal cruelty-free’ beauty products without bashing the consumer’s head in with heavy-handed messaging. Made from an eclectic mix of 100-percent natural ingredients ranging from mango butter to wild geranium, this luxurious formulation is naturally pricier than your conventional run-of-the-mill hand lotions, but well worth the double reward of grooming indulgence and a guilt-free conscience, along with a well-communicated assurance that it is perfectly okay to treat yourself, really!

For some new products, good spring packaging extends beyond just colors, personal touches and clever slogans to using fairly detailed product information to catch the consumer’s fancy. And it certainly works wonders for ForlifeDesign’s new Mist Ice Tea Jug container designed specifically for cold tea steeping. Packed inside a sturdy paperbox featuring a large image of the jug in action on the front panel, the box reveals every-

ADVERTISERS’ INDEX

For more information on Classified Advertising please contact: 416-510-5198

BEYOND THE CUTTING EDGE · POUCHES · SHRINK BAGS · THERMOFORMING FILM · TRAY LIDDING FILM · SKIN FILM ·

Print IT Bag IT Form IT Wrap IT Seal IT Shrink IT Preserve IT Sell IT XtraPlast.com Sales.Canada@XtraPlast.com • 877-435-4555

44 • WWW.CANADIANPACKAGING.COM

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R.S. No. 130 132 123 103 131 128 101 111 120

ADVERTISERS’ INDEX Page ABB Robotics 40 Alberta Export Awards 132 ATI Industrial Automation 30 Atlantic Packaging Products Ltd 2 Baking Association of Canada 41 Balluff 38 Bosch Rexroth Canada IFC Buckhorn Inc. 10 Busch Vacuum Pumps and 27 Systems Canada 122 Canadian Corrugated and 28 Containerboard Association 109 CHEP 8 116 Cognex Corporation 19 113 Delkor Systems 13 110 Domino Printing Solutions 9 114 Emerson Industrial Automation 15 119 Farm Credit Canada 26 115 Festo 18 124 Flexlink 31 112 Graco 11 104 Harlund Industries Ltd. 4 127 Harpak-ULMA Packaging 37 126 Markem-Imaje 34 106 Multivac Canada 6 135 Plan Automation 46 125 PMMI Packaging Machinery 33 Manufacturers Institute 118 Robert Reiser & Co. Inc. 25 129 Ryson International 39 105 Schneider Electric 5 117 Schubert Packaging Automation 22-23 133, 134 SEW-Eurodrive Co. of Canada 43, 45 108 VC999 Packaging 8, 44 102 VideoJet Technologies Canada 1 107 Weighpack Systems 7 121 Wexxar Packaging Inc. 27

thing you need to know about the jug—including care and warning instructions—on the back panel with the aid of helpful ‘how to’ diagrams. The information displayed there eliminates the need to add any extra inserts, pamphlets or other paperwork inside the package, whose backside tells consumers all about the jug’s borosilicate, hand-blown glass construction, a heat-resistant polypropylene lid, and other special features that made my search for a new ice-tea jug so short and sweet.

Photos by Megan Moffat

CHECKOUT MEGAN MOFFAT

Spring-inspired packaging is not for adults only, as vividly illustrated by the new pack of Natural Beeswax Crayons from the U.K.-based Clear Hills Honey Company. With bright splashy colors and tongue-in-cheek design of a honeycomb-patterned, twopiece box sure to catch the eye of kids and parents alike, the package employs two snug-fitting elastics around two opposite corners to help keep the crayons in place when not used—a handy little safety feature well befitting the organic, nontoxic crayons bearing zany critterthemed names such as “Brilliant Butterfly Blue” and “Showstopper Grasshopper Green,” among other like-minded puns listed on the back panel. With an adorable slogan proclaiming the crayons to be “Great For Little Artists and the Environment,” it’s a text textbook example of an innovative product effortlessly selling itself through clever, irreverent and lighthearted packaging execution.

Megan Moffat is a Toronto-based freelance writer work working in the film and cinema distribution industry.

FREE

PRODUCT INFORMATION

APRIL 2014

CIRCLE THE R.S. NO. THAT MATCHES THE NUMBER ON THE ADVERTISEMENT OR ARTICLE OF INTEREST. FAX THIS BACK TO US AT (416) 510-5140 Name Title Company Name Address City Prov.

P/Code

Telephone Fax Email Address

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