The Main Event for Processing and Packing: PackExpo 2016

The “main event for processing and packaging” – that’s how Pack Expo International show personnel describe their industry event.  And they have good reason to be boastful. Over 50,000 industry professionals, from 130 countries, will be in one place looking for the latest in processing and packaging technology and products.  Last year many attendees commented that they went to the show to discover new types of machinery, technology, materials, and containers for food and beverage, personal care and chemical, and other packaged goods.

Of special interest to those in the food industry are the dedicated showcases, zones, and pavilions that will be included on the show floor.  The Processing Zone is dedicated to front-of-the-line solutions for baking, snack, beverage, meat and poultry, dairy, and fruit and vegetables. The Confectionery Pavilion spotlights technology and products from extrusion or cooling to portion control for candy, chocolates, gum and snacks. For those interested in sustainability, cutting costs, reducing their impact on the environment or gaining supply-chain efficiency, there will be a focus on reusable pallets, hand-held containers, bulk containers, dunnage and other alternatives to single-use transport packaging. The Brand Zone concentrates on innovations that help create strong branding statements on packaging materials – glass, plastic, metal, paperboard – as well as state-of-the-art labeling and decorating technologies, and re-sealing technologies.

We will be on the main floor in the South Building in Booth S-2130 demonstrating the latest in product inspection technology used in checkweighers, metal detectors and x-ray inspection for food safety and quality control. Finding contaminants and inspecting your products are critical to ensuring food safety. Talk to our experts to discuss how the latest technologies can play an important role and protect both your brand and consumer health and safety.

Choosing the right equipment for your specific packaging can be a challenge.  If your main concern is metal contamination in small, dry products, choose a metal detector. If you want to find metals, glass, rocks, bones or dense plastic, or have metallic packaging, an X-ray detection and inspection system can be the best return on investment.

X-ray inspection is one of the first lines of defense to identify the presence of foreign contaminants in food products before they have the chance to leave the processing plant. Unlike metal detectors that offer protection from many types of metal contaminants encountered in food production, X-ray systems can ‘ignore’ the packaging and find virtually any substance that is denser or sharper than the object containing it. (For details about which method is best, read the previously published article X-ray Inspection vs. Metal Detection.)

A checkweigher weighs, classifies, counts and, if necessary, rejects products that are off spec, which helps you meet throughput and legal requirements while providing reliable weight control. We previously wrote about how food manufacturers use checkweighing to ensure that the weight of a packaged product being shipped out the door matches the weight on the label, and confirm that all the intended pieces are included in the final package. (See Infographic outlining 10 Ways to Save Money Using Checkweighing.)

We will be offering a presentation on the Innovation Stage about the importance of washdown of machinery.  Stay tuned to future articles closer to the show for more details.

I found one of the PackExpo documents, “In the Know” quite interesting in its investigation of some challenges facing the industry. It explained how the “demanding consumer exerts pressure on the upstream supply chain at the retail and distribution level, at the consumer packaged goods (CPG) product manufacturing level and at the OEM equipment manufacturing and supplier level.”  It listed these three major challenges:

PERSONAL CHOICE
Consumers are no longer accepting “one size fits all” from CPGs, and this reverberates up and down the supply chain. Consumers want products in packages that meet their specific wants and needs, demanding environmentally safe packaging, channel-specific products, shelf-ready packaging, extended shelf life packaging and packaging that is easy to open and reseal. [Read the previously published article Packaging Trends Have Ripple Effect on Machinery to find out how these trends impact equipment requirements.]

SKU EXPLOSION
Consumers are increasingly becoming more discerning and more demanding. Manufacturers must continue to look for ways to differentiate from the competition. Among the many trends in new product and packaging configurations are fresh ingredients for home cooking, products with a story behind them and a focus on texture and transparency in labeling. This explosion of SKUs is not expected to fade, remaining a driving force for many of the demands on the supply chain. [Watch the video Ensuring Good Control of What You’re Putting in That Container.]

PERSONAL SUPPLY CHAIN
These “personal” supply chains start at the processing end, run through the packaging line and out into the many ways consumers are choosing to receive products. These demands create challenges, but they also generate opportunities for CPGs to obtain a competitive advantage. Understanding the dictating wants of the consumer also offers some guiding principles for those who need to stay ahead of potential changes in their markets.  [Read Does Packaging Matter… to the consumer?.]

If you will be in the Chicago area during show times, be our guest and register today for your free pass. Use comp code 24X92. (Register for the entire show at www.packexpointernational.com by October 14 and save $70!)

Can’t make it to the show? Visit us our Food Manufacturing and Processing Learning Center website page to learn more about packaged product inspection for the food industry.  You can also follow the show twitter posts @packexposhow using #PACKEXPO or visit their Facebook page.

 

Show Details:

November 6-9, 2016
Pack Expo 2016
Booth # S-2130
McCormick Place
Chicago, IL USA