Supplier News
Wonderware, a business unit of Invensys, announced that, for the fourth consecutive year, it has received Frost & Sullivan’s coveted North American Company of the Year Award for innovative software solutions. This year’s award was for the Adaptive Manufacturing and Supervisory Controls category, addressing the unique requirements of customers implementing human-machine interface (HMI) and manufacturing technology.
Computerway Food Systems has updated the company Web site, www.mycfs.com, to give customers easier access to information. Computerway reorganized the site, adding and making information easier for visitors to find. The site features a new look throughout. Information has been added and updated on all available Computerway products. Employee information, press releases and newsletters now can be accessed through the site.
Kaneka Nutrients L.P. and P. L. Thomas announced that PLT will represent Kaneka Q10 natural Coenzyme Q10, to the food and beverage industries, exclusively covering the United States east of the Mississippi. PLT and Kaneka will actively assist functional food and beverage companies in incorporating this unique ingredient into their healthful products.
The Hale Group has announced that it has acquired Mount Vernon Strategies. MVS specializes in providing marketing research and strategic consulting services to private equity firms and consumer branded companies. MVS President Charles Collier, has joined The Hale Group as a principal. “By acquiring Mount Vernon Strategies and retaining Charles Collier, The Hale Group is better positioned now to work in the full spectrum of strategic planning,” said Bill Hale, president of The Hale Group.
Silliker has announced the acquisition of Plant Bioactives Research Institute (PBRI) in Orem, Utah. PBRI was founded in 1991 by Dr. Bronwyn Hughes. PBRI specializes in a broad range of tests, including, nutraceuticals, vitamins, vegetable extracts, herbs, amino acids, essential oil content, enzymes and biological activity.
CSB-System International has announced that it has been chosen by Lilydale Inc. to migrate existing applications to the CSB-System across all of its seven processing plants. Lilydale Inc. has over 2,500 employees in Western Canada and Quebec, and is one of Canada’s largest poultry processors.
Carroll Manufacturing and Sales has launched a new Cook-Chill page on its recently revamped Web site to highlight its flagship Flavorseal® brand of cook-chill bags and supplies. Cook-chill systems can reduce costs by over 40 percent through greater yields and reduced waste and labor, and the new Web page offers itself as a resource for cook-chill information for both small- and large-scale operations. The Web site is available at www.cmsflavorseal.com/cookchill.
Petro-Canada Lubricants has been awarded an International Stevie Award for PURITY* FG with MICROL. This was awarded under the category as the Best New Product or Service in the International Business Awards. The Stevie Awards recognize outstanding performances in the workplace worldwide. The award will be presented in Munich, Germany, on September 10, 2007. The Petro-Canada PURITY FG with MICROL Research and Development team was led by Dr. Henry Sapiano, and included Dr. Nicolas Samman, Dr. Inga Kuksis and Dr. Gamil Alhakimi. The development team was chosen as a finalist in the Best Product Development Team Category.
Meyn Food Processing Technology BV and Spectral Fusion Technologies Ltd. have reached an agreement concerning the acquisition of the BoneScan range of X-ray and vision-based inspection systems. The two companies have cooperated before in poultry processing projects where BoneScan is a part of the Meyn SMART Solution for deboning. Meyn made the acquisition to complete its portfolio for the poultry industry.
Delkor will debut its new top load case packer, designed for sanitary packaging applications, at the upcoming Pack-Expo and World Wide Food Expo in October 2007. Dale Andersen, president of Delkor, said in a press release that the machine is adapted for the needs of food companies that need a sterile packaging environment.
VC999 Packaging Systems broke ground in April on a new construction project at the Herisau, Switzerland, headquarters. The new structure will feature a fully automated warehouse and a greatly expanded manufacturing area. A focal point of the design is the new product showroom and demonstration floor area. According to the Herisau office, the expansion is expected to take one year and be completed in April of 2008.
FKI Logistex announced the grand opening of the new, multimillion-dollar FKI Logistex Technology & Education Center in Cincinnati, Ohio on July 17, 2007. The 31,000-square-foot training and demonstration center offers FKI Logistex customers access to fully functional, automated sortation, conveying, AS/RS, and order fulfillment systems for solutions demonstrations, proof-of-concept testing, and operator training.
Butterball, LLC announced that the premier issue of Turkey Solutions, its new, self-published, glossy magazine aimed at retailers and operators, was released with the June issue of The National Provisioner, Refrigerated & Frozen Foods Retailer and Meat & Deli Retailer magazines. More than 20,000 copies of the 24-page magazine were printed and distributed by Stagnito Communications. The magazine is entirely devoted to turkey product news and targeted exclusively to retailers, foodservice operators and deli operators.
Forty market-selected corrugated box manufacturing operations in Georgia-Pacific’s packaging business have earned Sustainable Forestry Initiative® (SFI) certification and are authorized to use the SFI Certified Sourcing product label. To earn the use of the SFI-certified product label, two-thirds of a company’s packaging raw material must originate from mills with third-party certified wood and fiber sourcing systems or recycled paper sources.
Bettcher Industries, Inc. and Hantover, Inc. have reached a legal settlement in an action brought by Bettcher Industries in the U.S. District Court in Ohio, in which Bettcher Industries alleged that Hantover infringed on several patents held by Bettcher Industries pertaining to its Whizard® Series II trimming equipment. In a Settlement Agreement effective April 1, 2007, Hantover admitted that it infringed on one of the patents owned by Bettcher Industries related to Whizard® Series II products. Hantover has agreed to pay Bettcher Industries a lump-sum payment.
Multivac Inc., a leading manufacturer of thermoform fill-seal rollstock, traysealer and vacuum chamber packaging systems, has been awarded the Hormel Foods Spirit of Excellence Award. Multivac received the distinction for supplying Hormel Foods with innovative, reliable and economical packaging solutions for its product lines. Hormel Foods suppliers are given the award each year in recognition of taking a proactive role in meeting or surpassing specific requirements established by the company’s supplier quality management committee.
PMMI announces that its Certified Trainer program will grant certification status to employees at consumer and industrial goods companies who successfully complete the two-day program. The PMMI Certified Trainer Program is a train-the-trainer program that teaches professionals in the packaging industry the skills needed to provide instruction to improve equipment reliability, employee safety and line efficiency.