Food/Beverage - WINNER

Aneko Emsys

Aneko

(Booth N-10165)

Designed specifically for the beverage industry to empty in a simple, quick and effortless manner all kind of concentrated liquids, contained in drums, barrels or jerricans. Its completely sanitary construction and simple operation makes it an ideal equipment to integrate in the syrup preparation rooms.

The equipment has an artificial vision system to detect the hole on the lids of the drums and a weighing system to detect the weight of the product.

All there is needed is just to select the product that you want to empty and the system automatically detects the hole on the lids of the containers, empties the containers, and once it detects that they are completely empty, rinse them according to the rinse cycles and volume of water that is specified for the product that it's emptying. Once emptied, the system returns to its home position, where it can be cleaned with an automatic CIP process.

General Packaging & Processing - WINNER

AI Enabled Augmented Reality for Transforming Packaging Operations

Harpak-ULMA Packaging

(Booth SL-6188, SL-6101)

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become an increasingly popular tool to optimize and streamline analytics and business processes. The ability to leverage granular data sets to quickly and accurately produce recommendations and results can transform good solutions into great ones. This technology utilizes AI to help businesses identify patterns, predict outcomes, and optimize decision-making processes.

Personal Care/Pharma - WINNER

Catalyx Digital LineClearance Assistant™

Catalyx

(Booth SL-6185)

Catalyx Digital LineClearance Assistant uses a network of fixed position cameras that are deployed across the entire line, covering the risky and hard to reach areas of the line. The product inspects the entire line in seconds and highlights areas where rogue components are detected. Operators manage the Line Clearance by exception and rapidly handle these detections which means the Line Clearance checks are completed in lightening quick time.

Digital LineClearance Assistant increases line availability and minimizes downtime by reducing the time taken to complete a line inspection by up to 85%, when compared with human observation, thereby dramatically improving OEE2% and increasing line capacity utilization by as much as 20%. All Line Clearances executed provide a digitally stored record of each process executed alongside a full clearance report, available to review at any future date.

Many years of research and development have gone into creating the product. Throughout the conceptual development stage Catalyx worked with 6 global Pharmaceutical companies and piloted in their live manufacturing environments over a 24-month period. This industry endeavour has resulted in a multi award winning product recognized by industry peers as a truly innovative solution at the forefront of the industry’s needs. Catalyx are market leaders in anomaly detection systems using state-of-the-art algorithms to deliver quantifiable business value to customers. ROI calculations of a recent global business case saw:

69% Reduction in Line Clearance time
26K Additional batches can be created with free time
Potential for billions in additional revenue generated over 5 years.

Sustainability - WINNER

Amcor HealthCare Recycle Ready Sachet

Amcor Healthcare Packaging

(Booth SL-6635)

The pharmaceutical space presents several unique challenges when designing packaging for recyclability. One of these challenges is that many flexible products incorporate the use of a foil lamination with WVTR barrier currently unmatched by recyclable materials. Standard foil laminations combine multiple materials with the properties needed for successful filling and protection of pharmaceutical products throughout their shelf life. Amcor has developed a metallized polyolefin material to be used in a lamination to provide barrier properties competitive with the current multi-material foil laminations while designing for recyclability. The combination of a metallized polyolefin material and Amcor’s recycle-ready AmPrima™ web technology results in a lamination that is compatible with the polyethylene film recycling stream. This lamination has the potential to be used for a variety of package formats, most notably pharmaceutical sachets.

Thank you to all exhibitors who submitted their cutting-edge technologies for the awards and thank you to our Technology Excellence Awards Panelists for their contribution!

The Technology Excellence Awards Panelists are:

Aaron Hand, Editor-in-Chief, ProFood World‍
Anne Marie Mohan, Senior Editor, Packaging World‍
Keren Sookne, Editor-in-Chief, Healthcare Packaging‍
Matt Reynolds, Editor, Packaging World

FINALISTS

Food/Beverage

QUANTM Electric Diaphragm Pump

Graco, Inc.

(Booth N-10634)

Graco’s new electric diaphragm pump, QUANTM, is an innovative solution designed to provide unparalleled efficiency gains over traditional pneumatic pumps. It is a significant departure from air-operated double diaphragm (AODD) pumps which rely on compressed air to drive the diaphragms. QUANTM eliminates the requirement for compressed air offering several key benefits.

Using compressed air to power pumps has inherent inefficiencies due to mechanical losses and the heat of compression – not to mention the cost to maintain and repair compressors. QUANTM pumps feature an efficient electric drive utilizing Graco’s FluxCore motor that is up to 80% more energy efficient than air-driven technologies. This results in significant energy savings and lower operating costs over the life of the pump.

Another major advantage of QUANTM pumps are their integrated controls, allowing users to control flow and pressure at the pump. They also feature built-in diagnostics, making it easier to troubleshoot issues that may arise.

QUANTM offers features to match pneumatic pumps with the ability to stall under pressure, run dry, self-prime, and handle solids and abrasive materials, all in an almost identically sized package to competitive AODDs. The pumps can be integrated into existing systems with minimal disruption, reducing downtime and increasing productivity.

QUANTM pumps represent a significant advancement in hygienic fluid handling, providing increased efficiency and flexibility for a range of applications. It's an innovative solution that combines the efficiency of electric drive, the flexibility of integrated controls, the proven benefits of AODD technology, and the convenience of plug-and-play installation.

Precision Servo Technology Represents a Breakthrough for High Pressure Processing (HPP) Machinery

JBT Corporation

(Booth SL-6349)

The Avure Servo Drive (ASD) system provides the smartest and most efficient pump system for High Pressure Processing of Food & Beverages to the market.

The ASD system, also known as an Electro Servo Pump (ESP), incorporates core “direct servo” technology providing a highly compact, efficient, reliable, and controllable system. The Avure Servo

Drive uses electrical servomotors, by means of a reciprocating ball screw, to move ceramic plungers and build up the pressure inside the HPP pressure vessel. Widely recognized as green technology, the ASD provides a constant flow of high-pressure media throughout the pressurization step with a closed-loop machine control.

Features & Benefits:

High Efficiency: 10+% decrease in energy usage in an already highly energy efficient Avure HPP application, and more than almost 30% compared to a standard hydraulic application.
Thermal load: 40-50% reduction of the thermal load to the room.
Smaller Footprint: 30% less area than existing hydraulic high-capacity pump systems.
Operational Proficiency: 86% reduction in oil use.
Quiet Operation: Generates only 15% of the noise of a standard hydraulic pump system (76dB vs 85dB).
Reduced Weight: 50% less weight compared with existing hydraulic high-capacity pump systems.
Highly Reliable: 25-30% lower spare parts & wear costs.

General Packaging & Processing

SOMIC 434 Next Generation Case Packer featuring Rockwell ArmorKinetics

Somic Packaging, Inc.

(Booth SL-6172)

SOMIC has always stood for reliable, durable packaging technology with a compact footprint that solves demanding packaging tasks. Our development team has improved the trusted technology and taken it to the next level, the new Somic 434 machine generation.

The modular machine concept is based on fixed function groups, consisting of proven, tested and standardized mechatronic groups. The machine shown at Pack Expo is one of the first machines in the world equipped with Rockwell's new AmorKinetics. The decentralized servo technology is particularly suitable for the modular design of the machine. The functional units can be individually adapted to the desired format ranges, giving the packaging machine a customized, future-proof design.

The stainless-steel frame with integrated electrical installation is split between product infeed (collecting and grouping) and case forming (with linear product flow) and enables a case packing process that runs in a direct straight line. This offers enormous layout advantages. Machine-height safety doors with 180° opening allow full use of the space around the machine. The new frame construction provides ideal ergonomic conditions for format adjustments, cleaning, and maintenance work.

The machine supply unit, a combination of control cabinet and supply cabinet, contains all noise-intensive components so that the noise level of the machine is drastically reduced.

The new machine offers an automatic adjustment combined with SOMIC Quickchange-Changing system, which prevents incorrect operation and allows a fast and easy format changeover. Therefore, the maximum degree of automation and improved accessibility of the machine enables the highest grade of productivity.

DairySeal Featuring ClearCor Technology

Amcor Rigid Packaging

(Booth SU-7244, SU-7254)

Brands in the nutritional, dairy alternatives, and ready-to-drink segment where pigeonholed with packaging that offered limited shelf life, misshaped sizing for retail convenience store shelves, and failed to address growing sustainability goals.

In support of this exploding market, Amcor Rigid Packaging developed the DairySeal™ line of packaging that features ClearCor™, an advanced polyethylene terephthalate (PET) barrier.

Along with providing more sustainable benefits, DairySeal maintains its physical integrity during shipment; allows for customizable design while meeting shelf requirements; and is designed to help improve overall consumer satisfaction in a highly competitive landscape.

Personal Care/Pharma

PEWO-pack 600 High-Speed Stretchwrapper with High-End Stretching Technology

Pester USA Inc.

(Booth SL-6726)

Discover the next generation of stretching technology! Our innovative stretch bundler enables you to set new benchmarks for your sustainable film packaging. The high-speed stretch bundler offers an unparalleled performance of up to 60 cycles and flexible handling for virtually all consumer products. Benefit from maximum machine efficiency in 24/7 operation, with fast format changeovers and extremely short changeover times.

Features you can rely on - stable film packaging, sustainable packaging processes and packaging materials in addition to safe transportation routes. Compared to conventional shrink wrapping, you save 75% energy, 50% material and gain 30% more space.

Child Resistant Reclosable High Barrier Pouch – Pill Bottle Replacement

Amcor Healthcare Packaging

(Booth SL-6635)

Flexible Pouches have replaced rigid containers across many categories including beverages, baby food, and shelf stable meals. There are many reasons including lower cost, improved consumer experience, reduction in the amount of plastic used, and the condensed volume of the empty package at time of disposal. One rigid container category that not has not converted is the HDPE based bottles used for over-the-counter medications and vitamins. There are several reasons for this. For medicines, there has not been a cost effective and consumer friendly child resistant closure feature that could be incorporated into the smaller pouches matching the size of the rigid containers they replace. Another reason is that the film materials used for these pouches are not recyclable whereas the HDPE based bottles have been recycled for many years. No company wants to go backwards on recyclability these days. Lastly, the more recently developed mono-film materials that can be recycled do not have the necessary moisture barrier needed to match the barrier of the bottles. Amcor has been able to address these constraints by developing a recycle ready, high moisture barrier child resistant pouch with a closure that allows miniaturizing pouch sizes to match the size of bottles. Internal Amcor consumer testing has indicated a preference for this pouch approach versus traditional pill bottles.

Sustainability

SprayPET Revolution - The New 100% Recyclable All-Polymer Aerosol

Plastipak Packaging, Inc.

(Booth N-9357)

Plastipak, the leader in PET plastic aerosol molding technology, has launched SprayPET Revolution™, a 100% polymer aerosol, which is fully recyclable. SprayPET Revolution™, including the valve, is all polymer, and is totally metal-free. Until now, PET aerosol containers used standard metal valves with rubber gaskets. While many PET recycling plants are equipped to remove metal components in the recycling process, not all recyclers have this capability. Other components like rubber gaskets still cause quality concerns in the recycling stream.

This innovation comes in dip tube or bag-on-valve options. It offers flexible shape design for on-shelf differentiation. There is no concern with rusting or denting as experienced with traditional aerosol cans.

IMA Ilapak Delta OF-360 X

IMA North America

(Booth C-3200, C-3400)

IMA Ilapak has made an industry breakthrough, launching the world’s first variable geometry flow wrapper. The Delta OF-360 X is capable of running any packaging films, from paper-based films to complex laminates and recyclable mono-polymer films, with changeovers effected simply by pressing a button on the machine’s HMI.

Winners Announced!