Heat and Control is offering demonstrations of CEIA metal detectors, Ishida X-ray inspection systems and Ishida checkweighers to assist processors in selecting the best individual or combination inspection system for their products. Demonstration centers are located near San Francisco, and in Lititz, Pa. Processors can send product samples or visit to participate in tests using technology for foreign particle, defect, product count and weight detection.

Stellar has launched a new Web site, www.stellar.net. Stellar is a fully integrated firm focused on design, engineering, construction and mechanical services worldwide. The company now employs more than 1,000 people worldwide and is the nation’s largest design-build firm in the food industry. The new site was built utilizing the latest Web technologies and complies with Web standards and accessibility guidelines, ensuring visitors with disabilities can access the site. Search engine optimization tactics were employed to improve the volume and quality of traffic to the new site from search engines. Stellar will continually update the site via a new custom-content management system.

www.Trucktruth.com, an online resource for lift-truck manufacturers, buyers, operators and dealers, has launched an online calculator that compares the cost of owning and operating an internal combustion engine (IC) lift truck fleet to that of owning and operating a similar fleet of electric trucks. The calculator, created by GNB Industrial Power, a division of Exide Technologies, can be applied to all brands of trucks and fleets of any size. The trucktruth.com online calculator asks visitors to submit information in six different tabs: IC truck information, electric truck information, energy cost information, plant operation, IC truck operation and electric truck operation.

Once the information is submitted, the calculator generates an operation summary, comparing capital, energy and maintenance costs for IC and electric trucks. The operation summary can then be used to determine which type of lift truck best suits a company’s budget and needs.

Richmond Cold Storage Co. (RCS) and Wayne Farms LLC have entered into an agreement for RCS to manage and operate Wayne Farms’ new distribution center. The distribution center located in Decatur, Ala., is presently under construction and is scheduled to open late summer. It encompasses approximately 135,000 square feet of temperature controlled warehouse space and will support the two Wayne Farms Decatur, Ala. processing plants.

RCS currently operates twelve facilities encompassing over 40,000,000 cubic feet of warehouse space in Virginia, North Carolina and Georgia and is included in the International Association of Refrigerated Warehouses (IARW) Top Twenty North American Refrigerated Warehouse and Distribution Companies.

Packaging Technologies has announced the acquisition of MAP Systems, a division of Clear Lam Packaging. The combination of Packaging Technologies and MAP Systems creates a primary packaging solutions provider specializing in packaging line integration. The patented MAP Systems technology is based on the delivery of very specific, non-abusive streams of inert or active gasses into the product and its primary package, cans, jars, bottles, vials, pouches, bags, trays, etc.

Butterball LLC has received The Triangle Business Journal’s SPACE Award for Economic Development in the New Industry category. The award was presented to Butterball executives at a ceremony held in January at North Ridge Country Club in Raleigh. The Business Journal selected Butterball in recognition of its new lease. The turkey producer will soon relocate its corporate headquarters into a $12 million, 46,000-square-foot facility in Garner, N.C.

At the Interpack 2008 exhibition taking place April 24-30, 2008 in Düsseldorf, Germany, CFS and CFS Tiromat are exhibiting in hall 11, booth F 56/G 55 and CFS Aquarius is on display in hall 4, booth B 47. The focus is on the daily operational challenges of packers: variety and flexibility, cost per killogram/per pack, food safety and environment along with how to translate this in the right products & packs. Exhibits visualize the impact on productivity, yield, efficiency, distribution, fixed costs and people.

CFS will launch a brand-new, high-capacity slicer designed with the top level of hygiene in mind. Also on display are the thermoformer CFS PowerPak NT with a complete new labeling concept and a CFS SmartPacker with the new ultrasonic sealing unit which has been specially developed for the market segment salads, shredded cheese and mozzarella.

In addition, various packaging system solutions will be presented, such as CFS Hole in the wall, CFS SteamCook, CFS CookinPak, CFS ShrinkPak.

Zip-Pak will showcase its global capabilities at Interpack 2008, on April 24-30, 2008, Messe Düsseldorf, Germany in Hall 10 Booth #A78. Visitors at the show will have the opportunity to speak to Zip-Pak representatives and view applications of Zip-Pak’s resealable packaging technologies. Technologies featured at the Zip-Pak booth will include the ZIP-PAK® SLIDER™, ergonomically designed to allow consumers to easily open and reseal packages, and the new ZIP-PAK® SLIDER™ for large format bags.

Sika Corp. has acquired the commercial and industrial polymer flooring business of The Valspar Corp. The Valspar polymer flooring business greatly enhances and complements Sika’s current position in the market. Valspar Flooring’s complete sales and technical support staff have come on-board and will remain first points of contact. To ensure a transparent transition, new Sika Industrial Flooring will also continue to offer Valspar Flooring products, gradually consolidating Valspar and Sika solutions into Sikafloor™ and Sikaguard™ (wall) lines. Though Sika Industrial Flooring will continue offering Flowfresh® products in the short term, it intends to eventually only carry the Sikafloor Purcem® line of urethane concrete floors.