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.

The new Lamb Weston retail packaging has an overall renewable feedstock content of at least 60%, which is certified from the polymers to the film.

Avantium’s PEF (polyethylene furanoate) is a 100% plant-based, fully recyclable polymer and offers a renewable and circular packaging solution for Royal Vezet’s salad bowls.

With the addition of the Hartness High-Speed Layer Palletizing Tool, Schneider is now able to offer its world-class solutions to an even larger portion of the palletizing market.

Rethceif is a manufacturer of automated form-fill-seal packaging and robotic palletizing equipment.

Awards were presented in the categories of Design, Functionality & Convenience, Logistics & Material Flow, Sustainability, and more. The awards are a precursor to the Gold Awards that will be announced in September.

Hiring a CP/CM provider allows brand owners to access machinery/packaging formats not available in-house, test new packaging, offer customized packaging, and more.

The complete EOL system is designed to eliminate bottlenecks and increase bar packaging efficiency.

Regulatory legislation such as the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) has been the driving force behind food manufacturers and packagers taking a closer look at their conveyor systems to ensure compliance and hygienic standards are making the grade.

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.

No manufacturer can afford to stand idle, so one expert suggests several critical design considerations to keep in mind before deciding on a conveying solution.

As the packaging process becomes increasingly automated, a key area of focus for suppliers has been conveyors. One challenge is hygiene. Several companies are taking steps to mitigate this issue.

Descon Integrated Conveyor Solutions is a prominent provider of integrated conveyor systems for the food and beverage industry.

Bumble Bee Seafoods has been recognized by NOSH.com’s annual “Best Of” Awards for the bold and fresh redesign of the brand’s iconic tuna cans, pouches and snack kits.

HKScan, Wipak and Woodly collaborated to create a new type of renewable-based plastic.

The egg brand is using the redesign to celebrate spring and attract more customers.

A new study by Future Market Insights predicts the market to reach a valuation of $58.37 billion in 2021.

Novel packaging solutions are driving a projected expansion of 4.3% from 2020-2028.

The future of packaging is in these five areas and trends.

S. Rozen’s buns and Vienna Beef Hot Dogs say they came up with a solution 16 years ago.

The new technology will enable producers, retailers and consumers to tell in real time whether the contents of a sealed food package are contaminated.

Packaging Strategies has reported extensively on the move toward eco-friendly packaging in multiple markets — from snacks to fresh produce to foodservice. A similar shift is underway in the packaging of meat, poultry and seafood.

Created by PKG Brand Design, the new brand logo connects directly to the Bumble Bee company heritage.

Sustainable retail packaging solution replaces expanded polystyrene on processor production lines.

The VELTEKO WASHDOWN-360 vertical packaging machine can be used in operations with more stringent hygiene requirements as well as anywhere that liquids need to be packaged.

SeaWell™ active packaging utilizes food contact-safe absorbent materials embedded into its proprietary Drip-Lock™ technology to trap excess fluids inside patented pockets or wells.

In the vast meat and seafood sector, packaging practices and innovations require continuous attention. Strict hygiene and quality standards impact all aspects of the packaging process. Recent developments in the industry have focused on ease-of-use, versatility, and sustainability.

The PowerPak 1000 has been specially developed as an entry-level machine for the thermoforming segment and offers advanced functions previously reserved for machines in the higher performance range.

For many of today’s top CPGs, packaging line integrations have become routine investments; necessary for meeting changing market demands and improving the overall efficiency of production lines. The relative success of a packaging line integration can be determined by answering “yes” to three questions

The fully servo-driven HQ Series counting & dispensing machines are designed to provide 100% accuracy for primary or secondary packaging of candy, confectionary and chocolate as well as non-food products.

Torus Group, known for its strong portfolio in measurement for metal and rigid packaging in the food and beverage industries, has recently expanded into plastic packaging and medical devices.

The strategic investment includes recruitment, new processing and production equipment, refits to its sites in New Zealand and the creation of a dedicated corrugated studio at the company’s UK headquarters.

With April 20 approaching, we look at how cannabis producers can partner with local printers to create high-quality packaging that adheres to local laws and regulations while also establishing brand identity and increasing brand recognition.

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.

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

The Versatex Printbar leverages the architecture of two print banks, each equipped with six Xaar Nitrox printheads, to achieve up to three different laydown effects in a single pass and with one varnish.

In this insightful article, Beth Zipko of Source Wurx makes the case that no element of private label products has improved more rapidly and dramatically than packaging, which has evolved from eyeroll-inducing to eye-catching. 

MCS Inc. President David Loos says high-speed inkjet printers eliminate the need for adhesive labels by printing tracking codes, special offers and other promotional messages directly on secondary packaging.

While paper packaging in many ways is more naturally eco-friendly than plastic packaging, Sun Chemical is busy developing inks and coatings solutions to ensure that true recyclability is achieved as the ‘paperization’ trend gains steam.

Room 30, Parliament Buildings

Something bad is happening in Oz.

Last week, fans of Wicked, the musical-soon-to-be-movie, headed to retailers including Target, Walmart, and Macy’s to pick up Mattel’s limited-edition Wicked Barbie dolls ahead of the film’s release on November 22. At first, it seemed like any other Mattel collaboration—until a few fans started searching the URL printed on the back of the box, which led not to the Wicked movie website, as intended, but to a parody porn site of the same name. 

Mattel has apologized for the mix-up and promised to “remedy” the error, but that hasn’t stopped fans from speculating about how such an egregious typo could’ve made its way to the box in the first place. One popular theory, which has garnered more than 62,000 likes on X, is that the mistake had something to do with AI.

In an email to Fast Company, Mattel’s Barbie & Dolls director of global brand communications wrote, “I can confirm AI was not used on packaging for Mattel Wicked collection dolls.”

Though AI has been the culprit of plenty of misguided marketing snafus, the tweet demonstrates a misunderstanding of how Mattel is actually using AI tools in its packaging development process—and shows that, even as AI gains popularity with creative teams as a production tool, human error is alive and well.

The official Mattel Wicked dolls link to a porn site on the box ???????? pic.twitter.com/iW4mNVAlPE

— just2good (Sarah Genao) (@just2goodYT) November 9, 2024

Can we blame a chatbot for this?

In June, Fast Company covered Mattel’s announcement that it planned to use Adobe Firefly, a generative AI software, as part of its packaging development process. At the time, Mattel’s chief design officer Chris Down clarified that the tech would be used to help visualize fantastical new concepts and speed up time-consuming processes, like fine-tuning a background in Photoshop. The company’s guidelines around generative AI tools specified that Firefly could not be used to generate subject matter itself, like the actual doll (or, in this case, the accompanying text). 

Nevertheless, an X user shared Fast Company’s original headline alongside the news of the Wicked typo with the caption “Smash cut to four months later.” One commenter under the post wrote, “how did I know this mistake happened bc they’re using AI.” Another added, “The future is so, so dumb.”

Mattel has previously been open about how it’s used AI for doll packaging. In early October, the first Mattel packaging featuring input from Adobe Firefly hit shelves. The company explained to AdAge at the time that its new Holiday Barbie and Sue Bird Barbie packages incorporated backgrounds generated by Firefly, which had then been touched up by human designers. It’s important to note that, for a brand as wide-reaching as Mattel, AI is not being used in the design process without guardrails around both IP and image quality. Any visuals provided by Firefly are vetted and edited by multiple human designers before they ever reach the actual box.

At this stage, it’s highly unlikely that Mattel would trust an AI software to write the final copy for their packaging. It appears that the Wicked Barbie typo was a plain old instance of human error—if a somewhat inconceivable one. As of this writing, Mattel hasn’t responded to Fast Company‘s request for comment on how the mistake may have been made during the design process.

The fallout

In a statement on the Wicked packaging misprint, Mattel shared, “We deeply regret this unfortunate error and are taking immediate action to remedy this. Parents are advised that the misprinted, incorrect website is not appropriate for children. Consumers who already have the product are advised to discard the product packaging or obscure the link and may contact Mattel Customer Service for further information.” 

While it’s unclear exactly what steps Mattel plans to take to “remedy” the issue, retailers including Target, Walmart, Amazon, Best Buy, Barnes & Noble, and Macy’s had already pulled the dolls from shelves as of midday Monday. 

Meanwhile, there are a few parties benefitting from the unfortunate situation. Variety reports that the mistakenly shared porn site has seen a 12-year surge in traffic after the incident, and several eBay users have taken this opportunity to massively mark up their Wicked dolls in original packaging. One pack of seven different dolls, advertised as “IN MISPRINT ERROR BOX,” is currently going for $3,500. 

Mattel is sure to take a financial and reputational hit from this incident. Still, the news pick-up, social media speculation, and pricey eBay reselling demonstrate how a simple mistake can turn a run-of-the-mill product drop into something fans will remember—for better or worse.

Wow, I love this collection of Vintage Swedish Packaging.

[GroundUp] Waste pickers collect, sort and transport most of our recyclable waste, and regulations say they be must paid for their services

Dakota Integrated Solutions Ltd, a real-time technology, printing, mobility and digital data capture solution specialist, has been awarded a contract alongside partners The Config Team, a leading authority in the SAP supply chain, to integrate a voice-directed software solution into Euro Packaging UK’s warehousing facility.

Antalis’ EcoCube is a physical cube designed to help businesses kick-start their journey to EcoExcellence, with 6 zones linking to an online toolkit containing information to support all sustainable packaging needs and challenges.

Drug manufacturer Heel has successfully implemented Werum PAS-X MES 3.3.0, Körber's NextGen MES for pharma, biotech, and cell & gene therapy, at its main plant in Baden-Baden, Germany.

G.D., the Italian solutions provider to the manufacturing industry, has chosen Panasonic TOUGHBOOK devices to manage and operate its production and packaging machinery. G.D. offers a portfolio of high-speed production lines and a varied array of solutions to meet its manufacturing customers’ needs.

Information Technology Job At Boeing Mid Level Software Packaging Engineer