Produced by PMMI, The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, PACK EXPO Las Vegas, which will be held Sept. 25–27 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, promises to be the biggest gathering in North America of suppliers and manufacturers of goods.

The event boasts an expected 30,000 attendees, including 5,000 international visitors from more than 125 countries, combined with 2,000-plus exhibiting companies spanning 800,000 sq. ft. of a nearly sold-out exhibit floor.

“The PACK EXPO and Healthcare Packaging names are synonymous with quality, innovation and progress,” says Charles D. Yuska, president and CEO, PMMI. “You can expect your participation in these shows to result in quality ideas and solutions that will move your business forward. If you want to keep up with innovation in packaging and the latest trends in pharmaceutical manufacturing, you need to attend these shows.”

PACK EXPO Las Vegas will bring together top CPGs from around the world to explore state-of-the-art packaging technologies, equipment and materials as well as exchange ideas with peers and build professional relationships. Beyond the technologies exhibited on the show floor, attendees will find tremendous educational opportunities in the Innovation Stage where suppliers present free 30-minute seminars on breakthrough technologies throughout the day.

Sustainability, efficiency and product safety among the top issues to be addressed.

In addition to the technology on display on the show floor, PACK EXPO Las Vegas will offer a host of educational and networking opportunities, as well as industry specific events. Here’s what to look out for:

The Containers and Materials Pavilion will address innovations, including updates on paperboard, glass, metal and plastic. Flexible and resealable packaging options will also be on display. The Showcase of Packaging Innovations, sponsored by Dow and located within the Containers and Materials Pavilion, will host award-nominated packaging solutions utilizing breakthrough technology to address consumer demands.

Sponsored by the Reusable Packaging Association, The Reusable Packaging Pavilion, is the hotspot to learn how to reduce waste, cut costs and gain supply chain efficiency.

Candy and snack connoisseurs will find the newest trends and technologies relating to aeration, batch refining, shaping, cluster production and much more at The Confectionery Pavilion, sponsored by the National Confectioners Association (NCA).

Attendees of PACK EXPO Las Vegas can network with peers, gain specialized insights or just rest and recharge at the Baking and Snack Break Lounge (Booth #S-7832), hosted by the American Bakers Association or the Candy Bar Lounge (Booth# S-7202), sponsored by Dorner Manufacturing Corp. and hosted by NCA, located in The Confectionery Pavilion

PACK EXPO Las Vegas attendees will also have free access to educational programming on the show floor. PACK EXPO Las Vegas will feature 30-minute seminars at the Innovation Stage, offering a look at breakthrough technologies, innovative applications and proven techniques from industry experts.

The PACK gives Back benefit concert, sponsored by Rockwell Automation, will be headlined by Grammy award winning band, The Doobie Brothers. A portion of the proceeds from the annual benefit will go towards the PACK EXPO Scholarship (now accepting applications from students), providing grants to U.S. and Canadian colleges with packaging and processing programs.

Aasted

This year Aasted celebrates its 100-year anniversary, and the company is happy to be exhibiting at Pack Expo in Las Vegas once again!

We are excited showing our flexible solutions for the chocolate, bakery and confectionery industries. Swing by our booth S-7224 and see the SuperNova Energy tempering machine, which combined with an Energy enrober can save customers up to 80 percent in energy savings.

This year visitors will also be able to experience Alice, which gives manufacturers countless opportunities — as well as the compact Nilshot depositor for superior one-shot products.

Since last year, the company has been working on many new insights and innovations with our customers and we are excited about sharing new ideas and concepts. At the show, our new global bakery expert will be happy to discuss any new ideas and projects.

For more information, visit www.aasted.com or stop by booth S-7224 at the show

Bosch Packaging Technology

Bosch Packaging Technology will showcase a new customer project to produce and package granola bars on a fully integrated bar system, from mixing to palletizing.

“We will provide Canadian confectionery manufacturer, Riverside Natural Foods Ltd., with a complete system solution,” says Klaus Haebig, sales manager for North America at Bosch Packaging Systems in charge of this project. “The Bosch bar production and packaging system offers easy operation and cleaning as well as the right level of automation and format flexibility.”

“For our MadeGood granola bars, we wanted to find a best-in-class solution from mix to pallet and Bosch offered leading technology for every part of the process,” Nima Fotovat, founder of Riverside explains. “At PACK EXPO we will be able to take a first look at parts of our new line, which is very exciting for us,” he adds.

For more information, visit www.boschpackaging.com or stop by booth C-2800.

Gerhard Schubert GmbH

At PackExpo, with the Flowmodul, Schubert will be presenting a flow-wrapping component that is seamlessly integrated within the TLM system.

With the Flowmodul, image recognition for quality control, pick & place robots and packaging in flowpacks all come together in a compact and versatile system. The operation of the entire system via a single control module is sleek and simple. The innovative packaging technology achieves record-level performance in packaging a wide range of products — in terms of space requirements, conversion times and product variety. In Las Vegas, Schubert will be showing a picker line with five F4 robots, which places biscuits in the Flowmodul’s product feeding system and packs them in flowpacks.

Another focus of the exhibition will be on digitalization. In this context, the market leader in digital packaging machines will be presenting its GRIPS.world web-based platform, which will combine all the important functions for the monitoring and documentation of machine data in a single user interface.

For more information, visit www.schubert.com or stop by booth S-7665

Sollich KG

Sollich KG of Germany is a leading global supplier of enrobers, tempering systems, cooling tunnels, and bar forming equipment with a complete line of optional supplementary equipment. The company will display its Enromat M6 1050 CIP enrober and a new Thermo-Flow 1050 KK cooling tunnel re-designed with Gullwing PU-Covers.

From top to bottom Sollich’s Enromat M6 1050 CIP enrober boasts innovative design and incorporates the latest components available in building this state-of-the-art machine. One example is the patented wire-tensioned detailer system, which has eliminated the clips normally required to hold the detailer rod in place.  Another example is the Enromat M6’s automatic washing system for changeover cleaning— a major consideration in today’s production lines.

Another exciting highlight will be Sollich’s brand new Thermo-Flow 1050 KK cooling tunnel with PU-Covers in Gullwing design. The tunnel frame and base are made of stainless steel (and other non-rusting materials) with the Gullwing covers manufactured from light-weight, durable composite material. The tunnel is designed to reduce potential bacterial growth and can be easily wiped down.  The Thermo-Flow also features fewer critical control points by reducing the amount of components in direct and indirect contact with the product.

For more information, visit www.sollich.com or www.sollichna.com. While at Pack Expo, stop by booth S-7211.

tna/NID

tna, together with the newest member of its family of brands NID, will present the latest cutting-edge solutions for the confectionery industry.

Visitors to the booth will also be able to see some of tna’s most innovative technology in action and speak to NID’s confectionery specialists about the NID M3000, the company’s flagship starch mogul. In addition, manufacturers of gum-based confectionery will be able to find out how tna’s innovative intelli-flav^OMS 5 and its integrated mass flow-controlled oil injection system can help them gain tighter control over their oiling/polishing processes.

Contrary to conventional oiling methods, the tna intelli-flav OMS 5 makes it possible to oil and polish the articles by simply feeding them through the system’s rotating drum, significantly reducing retention time and avoiding any potential damage to the product.

At the same time, the system’s precise recipe control has the capacity to eliminate manual intervention in the oiling process, ensuring that only the right amount of oil is used for the highest levels of product consistency.

For more information, visit www.tnasolutions.com or www.nid.com.au. While at the show, stop by booth S-7219

Winkler und Dünnebier

Winkler und Dunnebier will highlight the ongoing development of its increasingly popular, freely configurable ConfecECO series — a line for almost every budget, especially for smaller production quantities. Another highlight will be the presentation of a new high-performance Mogul 660 line, which guarantees a cost-efficient production solution because of its modular design.

With a production capacity of up to 600 kg per hour chocolate (300 kg/h pectin, toffee and fondant), depending on the product size, mass and weight, it is the ideal machine to meet the demands of small businesses. The ConfecECO deposits precisely with a line speed up to 10 moulds/min into polycarbonate, silicone- and blister moulds up to 425 mm x 275 mm x 30-40mm (variable mould height).

The Mogul Type 660 is designed for the manufacture of all starch-moulded products, such as gum and jelly (on pectin, gum arabic, gelatine, agar-agar or carrageenan basis) as well as licorice, fondant, cream, marshmallow foam and similar items. Furthermore the equipment is suitable for depositing liqueur. The large variety of depositing systems, full-tray technology, mono, one-shot, starlight with filling etc., allows various depositing processes.

For more information, visit www.w-u-d.com or stop by booth S-7208 at Pack Expo.