Georgia-Pacific now offers a new Packaging Systems Optimization (PSO™) Program to help companies reduce total packaging costs and achieve greater sustainability with a short lead time. The PSO process includes a Total Cost Analysis (TCA™) tool which quantifies supply-chain savings and measures sustainability impacts, including fiber and energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. For each PSO project a team of Georgia-Pacific engineers and experts assesses a customer’s supply chain, including package design, material optimization, shelf impact and SKU consolidation, as well as line productivity, material handling and distribution.

Computerway Food Systems (CFS) recently held its annual Systems Manager Seminar at the company’s High Point, N.C., headquarters. One of the main topics discussed was disaster avoidance and recovery for critical systems. CFS has developed a critical system review form to help plant managers identify those systems, the effects on production during system failure and the level of continuity that is most cost effective for each system.

CMS has launched its new Web site, www.cmsflavorseal.com, highlighting the company’s complete line of packaging systems and food quality/safety solutions for the food and meat processing, foodservice and retail markets. The new site is a complete resource for its flagship packaging brand, Flavorseal®. The line includes cook-chill bags, vertical and horizontal form fill and seal films, shrink bags, netting, pouches and more. It also describes CMS’ ingredients and safety supplies.

Risco USA is celebrating its 10th anniversary this January, and its parent company, Risco S.p.a., located in Thiene, Italy, is celebrating 40 years in operation this year. Risco USA started with four employees in Stoughton, Mass., in 1997. The company’s new facility in South Easton, opened in March, 2003, has grown 10 times larger and employs 20 technicians, sales people and support personnel, reports Alan Miller, president.