The PACK Solutions Challenge will return to PACK EXPO Las Vegas (Sept. 28-30; Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas) and the co-located Pharma EXPO with a focus on issues facing the pharmaceutical industry, according to PMMI, The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, and owner and producer of the PACK EXPO portfolio of trade shows.

“Every year the PACK Solutions Challenge tasks students from PMMI Partner Schools around the country with finding solutions to real world packaging problems,” says Maria Ferrante, vice president of Education & Workforce Development, PMMI. “With Pharma EXPO making its Las Vegas debut, it’s appropriate that this year’s challenge should focus on the pharmaceutical industry.” 

The annual PACK Solutions Challenge, sponsored this year by B&R Industrial Automation, pits teams of packaging college students against each other in a competition to develop the best solution for a particular packaging need. 

In the competition’s 2015 edition, students will be tasked with developing a packaging solution for fictional company “Innovative Pharmaceuticals Inc.” and its new fast-dissolving OTC product. Packaging mentors from manufacturers exhibiting at the show will guide students in their efforts, and they’ll use packexpolasvegas.com as one of their primary research tools. On site, they will visit booths and conduct interviews to complete the project. 

Students will present their proposals to a panel of end user judges on Tuesday, Sept. 29, with winners announced that afternoon at B&R Industrial Automation’s Booth (S-5956). Attendees can submit their votes for the “People’s Choice Award” after picking up their Education Passport and judging the poster presentations of student solutions in the Education & Workforce Development Pavilion on Monday, Sept. 28. All attendees who turn in their completed Passport will be entered to win a PS4 game system. 

The PMMI Foundation will provide scholarships to the winning teams. First place team members will share $4,000; second place, $2,000; third place, $1,000.
“The PACK Solutions Challenge gives the industry’s next generation of leaders real experience developing solutions that meet a customers’ specific needs,” says Marc Ostertag, president, B&R Industrial Automation. “B&R is excited to be part of this event.” 

Schools participating in the 2015 PACK Solutions Challenge as of August 7, 2015 include California Polytechnic State University, Michigan State University, Purdue University Calumet, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rutgers University and Virginia Tech. 

PACK EXPO Las Vegas 2015 is co-located with Pharma EXPO 2015, a joint venture from PMMI and the International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering (ISPE). The two shows have over 800,000 net square feet of combined exhibit space and are expected to attract 30,000 processing and packaging professionals and more than 2,000 exhibiting companies. 

Registration is $30 through Sept. 14, when it increases to $100. Register for PACK EXPO and Pharma EXPO at www.packexpolasvegas.com.