After months paring down many qualified entries, three days of onsite voting allowed PACK EXPO International and Healthcare Packaging EXPO attendees to be the ultimate judge of the most innovative new technologies at the show, dubbing these seven exhibitors as the winners within their respective categories.

Triangle Package Machinery Co., Volpak, Evolabel, Bemis Company Inc., Neopac The Tube, Bausch + Ströbel Machine Company Inc. and Pearson Packaging Systems are the winners of the inaugural Technology Excellence Awards at PACK EXPO International and Healthcare Packaging EXPO (Oct. 14–17; McCormick Place, Chicago), according to show producer PMMI, The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies.

“No other packaging event in the world this year matches the size and scope of the combined PACK EXPO International and Healthcare Packaging EXPO, making these winners truly the best in their respective classes,” said Laura Thompson, senior director of expositions, PMMI. “We look forward to the Technology Excellence Awards becoming a staple of our PACK EXPO portfolio of trade shows, showcasing cutting edge innovation for our attendees.”

The 2018 Technology Excellence Award Winners in each category are:
 

BAKING & SNACK
Triangle’s (trianglepackage.com) Changeover Wizard converts the art of the changeover into science, evaluating all machine adjustment settings stored within the carton recipe. If operator intervention is required to shift or change a part, the wizard alerts the operator with photos identifying the part, as well as text instructions.

BEVERAGE & DAIRY
Co-developed by Volpak (volpak.com) and Daisy Brand, the STANDCAP pouch is an easy-to-use lightweight inverted pouch package that stands up on its dispensing cap. It provides mess-free dispensing, 99-percent product evacuation and instant shelf impact.

GENERAL PACKAGING
Evolabel (evolabel.com) eliminates the e-commerce bottleneck from traditional print and apply systems with its new QuickTamp solution. The fast and flexible label printer applicator is based on Evolabel’s Tactile apply solution. Movement is continuously monitored and controlled, making the system safe for any user or object accidentally getting in its way.

MEAT/POULTRY/SEAFOOD
Bemis’ (bemis.com) new active packaging technology helps poultry processors reduce food waste and contribute to the USDA-EPA sponsored Food Waste Challenge initiative. The packaging film prevents premature confinement odor in barrier packaging using potassium sorbate to complement existing oxygen barrier technology.

PERSONAL CARE/COSMETICS
Neopac The Tube's (neopac.com) Polyfoil tubes offer unique protection against light, air, water vapor diffusion and substance migration. The tube solved Biopelle Inc.'s challenge in trying to find the ideal package for the company's very unique and high potency serum product Tensage Intensive Serum 50.

PHARMACEUTICALS/MEDICAL DEVICES
Bausch+Ströbel’s (bausch-stroebel.com) CO2 Snow Jet Cleaning process offers enormous advantages over conventional cleaning methods, especially when removing toxic or highly active substances. With solid CO2 ice crystals as the jet medium, it gently detaches and removes a variety of surface contamination.

PREPARED FOODS
Pearson’s (pearsonpkg.com) robotic pack solutions are custom designed and scalable to meet product, case, pack pattern and speed requirements. The robotic horizontal and vertical pack system showcases a variety of Pearson’s secondary packing capabilities and overcomes the challenges associated with retail-ready packaging.