Innovations in modeling technology, which reduce the weight of the bottles to 18.5 grams, represent a major step in reducing the amount of materials used while preserving the durability and functionality of the packaging.

Packaging and consumer goods companies are accelerating their efforts to adopt new innovative materials and processes to replace plastic in product packaging to help meet their plastic reduction goals

In a period where budgets are extremely tight and layoffs are being made, many companies find it difficult to justify assigning resources to innovation.

Winners included Smurfit Westrock’s PETCollar™ Shield Plus, a sustainable alternative to plastic in the multi-pack beverage segment.

The official rollout of the new visual identity will debut next summer, with packaging hitting shelves as early as May 2025.  

Company will have a team of experts on-site to showcase innovative equipment additions such as the Tetra Pak A1 1100 Filling Machine and the new Tetra Pak Direct UHT (Ultra-High Temperature) unit.

 The two products are designed to properly handle eggs and various fruits, respectively. 

NOVA Chemicals tested its ASTUTE™ plastomers against other blends and found it achieves higher oxygen transmission rates, clarity, and stiffness in breathable films, resulting in fresher food and reduced waste.

This story explores recent innovations making produce packaging more eco-friendly. But first, let's take a broader look at the produce packaging market.

Vidre+ is revolutionizing the supply chain seamlessly without any reorganization of current operating practices, by making every existing type of fresh produce packaging and label functional and adaptable into a smart version with adjustable protection against the negative effects of ethylene.

A-B-C Packaging’s compact Model 72AN palletizer can occupy from 10% to 30% less floor space than conventional low-level palletizers. 

New system, a collaboration with Yaskawa Motoman, utilizes advanced vision systems and intelligent software algorithms to accurately identify and handle diverse products.

British Sugar needed an extremely compact and flexible case packing and palletizing solution to be implemented within a tight plant area that would be capable of handling multiple pallet and format types.

Strapping systems can be a great solution for packaging temperature-sensitive products by providing load breathability, which is essential for maintaining cold temperatures in transit.

The Preview Week event, Nov. 2-6, will kick-off with a webinar, Helpful Hints for Navigating PACK EXPO Connects, on Nov. 2, at 10 a.m. CT. It will provide tips and tricks for using the platform and offer Q&A with attendees to help them make the most out of their PACK EXPO Connects experience.

A conveyor is the critical lifeline that keeps your production moving — just like the veins in your body. It is just as vital to know the system you’re purchasing will meet or exceed your requirements, that it is built for longevity and that it can withstand the environment of your operation — perhaps even saving an expensive retrofit afterward.

The Top Wrap and Top Close labelers offer two high-quality and resource-saving solutions for the closing of fresh produce trays with labels.

Key manufactures conveyors and other equipment in both the U.S. and Europe, supports customers worldwide through its extensive sales and SupportPro service network and offers integration services, from pre-engineering to line start-up.

A variety of conveyor technologies were implemented to smoothly transport beverage cans between different processing machines in the line. 

The new tray from Waddington Europe does not require a polyethylene layer or adhesive coating.

Acquisition will provide Amcor with a fully integrated, production-ready fresh protein packaging solution.

With a metal detector, metals that have one or both conductive magnetic characteristics will create a detectable signal. Non-magnetic stainless steel is harder to pick up — it’s a bad conductor — and certain food products with added iron, moisture, salt and acids tend to mask metal detection. Known as the “product effect,” this can impact inspection performance.

The packaging solutions will be on display at Pack Expo Las Vegas Booth N-10942, September 11-13. 

The company’s Vue Inspection System integrates standardized vision components with custom-made elements and deep learning tools.

Michael Kundinger of Kundinger Inc. elaborates on several of the technologies that the company showcased at its booth at the recent Converters Expo.

The SXM2 Series X-Ray Inspection Systems are equipped with high-precision dual energy sensors and ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE which allow processing of two overlapping images in one inspection.

In a recent video, Domino, a leading manufacturer and distributor of digital printing and product identification solutions, caught up with Label King to learn more about the company, their vetting process for adding digital printing, and the impact digital has had on their business. 

The interdisciplinary expert jury of the German Design Council awarded IQJET in the category "Excellence in Business to Business: Machines & Engineering" with the Gold German Innovation Award.

Working with RM Machinery, Colbert purchased an RMGT 1060TP-LX 10-CC-LD+UV. The unique configuration of the press allows for multiple colors, coatings and cold foil enhancement inline.

New Mid-Web flexo press without solvents for flexible packaging is suitable for indirect food contact, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, shrink sleeve and in-mold labels, and can also be configured for folding cartons and paperboard.

Acquisition adds significant capabilities to the Inovar platform, which includes industry-leading pressure sensitive, roll-fed, and RFID label capabilities.

The TLMI Printing Excellence Awards celebrate outstanding printing and converting achievements in the North American Label and Packaging Industry.

Owned and operated by seasoned industry experts, APC boasts one of the largest teams of knowledgeable employees and support technicians of any graphics equipment distributor in the Northeast, Carolinas, Mid-Atlantic and Midwest.

Registration Now Open for Destinations International Fall 2024 Conferences: Advocacy Summit, Social Inclusion Summit and Business Operations Summit dbreisch@desti… Wed, 07/10/2024 - 18:22

With all but one of my children driving and displaying functional levels of independence, I recently decided it was time for me to revisit one of my first loves: playing the piano.

Justin had the news from the People's Bank of China here:

• PBOC governor will maintain yuan exchange rate at a reasonable, balanced level

PBOC governor Pan Gongsheng emphasized the Bank will not let the yuan plummet without a fight:

• Will step up countercyclical adjustment
• Should resolutely guard against the risk of exchange rate overshoot

With the surging USD after Trump's win the yuan is just one of many weaker currencies:

Heads up for a barrage of Fed speakers due Tuesday 12 November 2024:

10:00 AM ET / 1500 GMT

• Fed's Waller (Governor, Voter) speech (the topic is 'payments')

10:15 AM ET / 1515 GMT

• Fed's Barkin (Richmond Fed President, non-voter) speech

2:00 PM ET / 1900 GMT

• Fed's Kashkari (Minneapolis Fed President, non-voter)

5:00 PM ET / 2200 GMT

• Fed's Harker (Philadelphia Fed President, non-voter) speech

5:30 PM ET / 2230 GMT

• Fed's Barkin (Richmond Fed President, non-voter) speaks again

Fed's Waller is speaking but makes no comment on monetary or economic policy in his prepared remarks.

He does say:

• private sector best suited to innovate on payment systems
• Fed ready to support private innovation, mindful of financial stability.
• Government should have clear objective when providing financial services.
• There are times when government can address market inefficiencies
• Still does not see case for Fed digital dollar

Perhaps he will comment on monetary policy/the economy in a Q&A later.

Looking ahead at

• 10:15 AM ET, Richmond and President Barkin is speaking (he speaks at 5:30 PM ET as well).
• 2 PM, Minneapolis Fed Pres. Kashkari speaking and at
• 5 PM Philadelphia Fed Pres. Harker is scheduled to speak

Richmond Fed Pres. parking is speaking and says:

• Fed is in position to respond appropriately regardless of how economy involves.
• US economy looks pretty good
• Labor market is resilient.
• From here, labor market mighty be fine or may continue to weaken.
• Inflation might be coming under control or might risk getting stuck above Fed 2% target.
• Feds focus may turn to upside inflation risks or to downside employment risks, depending on how economy develops.

The market is pricing a 65% chance of a 25 basis point cut in December. That is down over the last week or so (it was in the high 70%s last week).

US yields are higher but off their highest levels:

• 2-year 4.314%, +6.1 basis points
• 5-year 4.269%, +7.6 basis points
• 10-year 4.370%, +6.3 basis points
• 30 year 4.516%, +3.7 basis points

Justin is away for today. This is my sad imitation of his awesome option expiry post ;-)

Justin will be back on Monday.

EUR/USD

• 1.0900 (EUR1.1bn), 1.0840 (EUR863m)

USD/CAD

• 1.3940 (US$693m), 1.3885 (US$650m), 1.3900 (US$457m)

GBP/USD

• 1.2900 (GBP638m), 1.2850 (GBP600.4m), 1.2800 (GBP490m)

AUD/USD

• 0.6700 (AUD451m)

NZD/USD

• 0.6100 (NZD720m)

USD/CNY

• 7.1500 ($854m)

EUR/GBP

• 0.8340 (EUR719m), 0.8400 (EUR328m), 0.8200 (EUR305m)

For more information on how to use this data, you may refer to this post here.

The election is going to dominate early November trading so making moves based on seasonals is unwise. That said, it's useful to keep them in mind as the dust settles.

• November is the best month for USD/JPY
• Best month for the Nasdaq
• Third-best month for the US dollar
• The November through February is strong for gold
• Second-best month for the S&P 500
• Second-best month for the MSCI world index
• Second-best month for the German DAX
• Best month for the Nikkei 225
• The final month of the seasonal slump for oil. Seasonals neutral in Dec-Jan then strongly positve from Feb-June

Going into last November, the S&P 500 had declined for three straight months but that month marked a turning point as it recouped nearly all the gains in what was the beginning of a five-month rally. This time, we're coming into the month with better momentum, though October was negative for stocks.

There are a couple to take note of on the day, as highlighted in bold.

The first one is for EUR/USD at the 1.0900 level. The figure level isn't one that holds any technical significance but the expiries could well help to box in price action in the session ahead. That without much fresh headlines involving the US election in the meantime. However, with the dollar under pressure, there is still a chance of European traders following through on the earlier price action. So, that's something to be wary about.

Then, there is one for AUD/USD at the 0.6600 level. The expiries are pretty huge and sits near the 200-hour moving average of 0.6599 currently. But the pair is largely driven by dollar dynamics to start the week, with the greenback opening with a gap down on US election sentiment. That is still the key driver to watch in the session(s) ahead but just note of the 200-day moving average at 0.6627 for the pair. That will be the bigger key level to watch on the charts for now.

For more information on how to use this data, you may refer to this post here.

There are just a couple to take note of, as highlighted in bold.

And they are for EUR/USD at the 1.0850 and 1.0900 levels. Considering the focus on the US election, this will keep price action more boxed in going into European trading and before we get to the election rush later in the day.

Besides that, market sentiment will be largely driven by election headlines over the next few sessions more so than anything else.

For more information on how to use this data, you may refer to this post here.

There is just one to take note of on the day, as highlighted in bold. But on a day like this, the influence of the expiries is far from the first thing in driving or impacting trading sentiment. It's all about the US election and the momentum flows riding from the results and emotions. As such, I wouldn't place much emphasis on the large one at 1.0725 currently for EUR/USD.

For more information on how to use this data, you may refer to this post here.

There are a couple to take note of, as highlighted in bold.

They are both for EUR/USD at the 1.0725 and 1.0775 levels. To some degree, the expiries might just lock price action in between these levels but it's all about post-election sentiment now. And momentum flows will be the key driver of the moves, in particular the dollar. For now though, the greenback is seeing a slight pullback to yesterday's gains. So, the ones at 1.0775 could help to just keep a lid on things until we get to US trading at least.

For more information on how to use this data, you may refer to this post here.

There are just a couple to take note of on the day, as highlighted in bold.

And again, they are all for EUR/USD layered in between 1.0750 through to 1.0800. Post-election sentiment is still the name of the game in driving FX flows now, so the expiries are just secondary drivers alongside everything else at the moment. That being said, they could play a role in keeping price action more boxed in until we get to US trading again later.

There aren't any key risk events on the calendar to really impact EUR/USD sentiment. So, it's all about how the post-election flows will settle as we look towards the end of the week.

For more information on how to use this data, you may refer to this post here.

There is just one to take note of, as highlighted in bold.

That being for EUR/USD at the 1.0700 level. The daily lows last week were held by the figure level, so the expiries will add another layer to that as we get the new week underway at least. With the bond market absent to start the week, there might not be too much appetite for traders to chase any outsized moves.

For more information on how to use this data, you may refer to this post here.

There are just a couple to take note of on the day, as highlighted in bold.

And they are both for EUR/USD at the 1.0600 and 1.0625 levels. The pair is being pressured to the downside, touching its lowest levels since April now as the dollar continues to rampage forward. As such, that will put added emphasis on key support from the April low of 1.0601. The expiries above will just add a bit of a defensive layer as well, at least for the session ahead.

There will also be another notable one at 1.0600 for tomorrow, so just keep that in your back pocket in case. But for now, the post-election dollar sentiment continues to be the number one driver.

For more information on how to use this data, you may refer to this post here.

As the North American session begins, the bond traders return after a day off in observance of Veterans Day. Yields are higher to start their trading week with the 2 year up 6.5 basis points at 4.319% and the 10 year up 6.3 basis points at 4.371%. The 2 year yield has moved to a new high going back to July 31 today (4.336%). For the 10 year, it traded as high as 4.773% last week, but fell into Friday with the low reaching 4.558% before bouncing modestly on Friday. That upside has reached 4.64% today - off the low but below the high from last week.

Bitcoin moved to a high of $89,983 today - a new record - but has come off and trades at $86,430 currently. The low reached $85208 today in volatile trading.

Oil is higher after falling over 3% lower yesterday. The price is up 43% or 0.64% at $68.52 currently. The high reached $68.76 and a low at $67.78.

Gold is down another $11 or -.045% at $2607.28. The low reached $2589.80 before bouncing.

In the US stock market, the major indices are marginally higher after record closes across the three major indices. The Russell 2000 which has not reached a high since July 2021 got within shouting distance of it record at 2437.08. The high yesterday reached 2441.72. The Dow futures are imploring a gain of 78 points. The S&P is up 1.65 points and the Nasdaq index is now up 7.91 points.

There will be several Fed speakers today with Governor Waller, Minneapolis Fed Pres. Kashkari, Philadelphia Fed Pres. Parker, and Richmond Fed Pres. Barkin all scheduled to speak

ECB policymaker Olli Rehn emphasized that while the direction of the ECB’s monetary policy is clear, the pace of any changes will be data-dependent. The economic outlook, impacted by a struggling manufacturing sector, has deteriorated. Rehn suggested that if disinflation continues, it could support additional rate cuts, with the ECB potentially moving away from restrictive policy territory by spring 2025. He warned against protectionism, noting that tariffs would have a medium-to-long-term impact and are inherently inflationary. With growth in the euro area expected to remain sluggish and downside risks prevalent, Rehn awaits the December projections for a clearer assessment of the economic landscape.

EURUSD: The selling in the EURUSD continue as a less friendly US with Pres. Elect Trump, spell slower growth with increased tariffs the concern. Technically, the price initially moved higher in the Asian session but found willing sellers near the low of the swing area between 1.0663 and 1.06703. That was swing lows in June 2024. Staying below kept the sellers in control, and they pushed lower. The price has since moved down to a low of 1.0606 which tests the lows from April when a series of swing lows bottomed the pair. Those levels are also the lows for the year (going back to October 2023).

USDJPY: The USDJPY rose yesterday and then stalled in the US session between 153.59 to 153.88 (swing area). Recall, the 153.88 level was a swing high from July 31. The highs from October 28 and October 29 was at 153.88 too. Today, the price moved lower and below the swing area low, BUT found support at the 61.8% of the move down from the July high. That level comes in at 153.397. Going forward, that hold increases that technical levels importance as support. Move below would increase the bearish bias in the short term at least.

On the topside, the price has now moved back above the 153.88 level (bullish). If the price can stay above that level now, that would be the most bullish technical scenario as buyers show their strength on the break. On the topside, the 154.54 up to 155.09 would be the next target area to stretch towards. Get above that area over time, and it adds to the bullish bias. Buyers making a play. Can they keep the momentum going?

GBPUSD:The GBPUSD fell below the lows from the last 2 weeks (last week low was at 1.28329) and sellers jumped, pushing the price through the 200 day MA at 1.28178. The breaks are more bearish and the low price reached 1.27915 and has bounced. The price has traded above and below the 200-day MA at 1.28179, but has so far stayed below the low from last week at 1.28329. If the price moves back above that level and momentum back to the upside is able to get above 1.2844 and the 50% of the move up from the April low at 1.2866, the buyers are showing some strength and the sellers will start worrying about the failures more and more. Conversely, if the price can stay below the 1.2832 and 1.2844 that keeps the sellers confidence high, but gettng below the 200-day MA is still required again. The price is currently trading near the 200-day MA but remains below 1.28329.

USDCHF: The USDCHF extended above the 200 day MA at 0.88176 and also a swing area from 0.88187 to 0.8825. That was a bullish move and the price moved to a high of 0.88303 but failed. The price is back below the 200 day MA and swing area. The price is trading near 0.8800 (0.8802 is the low). ON the downside the 50% is at 0.87986. If that is broken, then the swing area, the 200 day MA and the 50% failed. That should give buyers cause for pause as the buyers had their shot, and they missed. But the price still needs to get below 50%.

The Chinese market and related global-growth proxies got excited about potential fiscal stimulus in October. After a flurry of buying, there has been some consolidation as we waited for the details.

Those details came on Friday and just before that, the market tried to break higher in a front-run of potentially larger stimulus. Beijing didn't deliver and the market was slow to digest that at first.

Today though, it looks like disappointment is setting in as the MCHI ETF falls into the October gap. The threat of tariffs combined with lackluster domestic growth make for a bad combination. Given how late the market was to pile into this theme, there are going to be many people underwater very quickly.