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Kraft Foods Wins PMT's" Packaging Line of the Year Award"Cloud Packaging, A Supplier of High-speed Equipment and Contract Packaging Services Provides a Solution...Arlington, VA, July 25, 2005 - Packaging Machinery Technology (PMT) magazine congratulates Kraft Foods
 for its Easy Mac line, winner of PMT's 2005 Packaging Line of the Year Award. Kraft engaged Cloud Packaging Solutions LLC, a supplier of high-speed packaging equipment and provider of contract packaging services based in Des Plaines, Illinois, to offer the food company a new way to package the Easy Mac's microwavable macaroni-and-cheese product.PMT's Packaging Line of the Year Award is the packaging industry's most prestigious recognition of packaging line innovation and engineering excellence. "The goal of PMT's Packaging Line of the Year Award is to highlight new and innovative ways consumer goods companies work with equipment suppliers to take a product from idea to the consumer," says Maria Ferrante, PMT's editorial director. "We congratulate Kraft Foods and the pioneering technology behind the Cloud Packaging Solutions line, which raise the bar for the entire packaging industry. This is a clear example of a global company sourcing an innovative solution from local suppliers."
The line is a result of collaborative efforts among Kraft's engineering team, machinery manufacturers and materials suppliers. In addition to Cloud Packaging Solutions, contributions to the line were made by PMI Cartoning Inc., Hartness International, Inc., Nordson Corporation, Brenton Engineering Company, Pearson Packaging Systems, Goodman Packaging Equipment, Priority One, Videojet Systems International, Allen-Bradley, ExxonMobil Chemical Company - Films Division, National Starch & Chemical Company and Alcan Packaging.
The winning packaging line - and all companies associated with the line - will be the focus of a special Monday, September 26, session of the Conference at PACK EXPO during PACK EXPO Las Vegas 2005 (September 26-28; Las Vegas Convention Center).
The Cloud-designed system, which offers absolute precision at very high speeds, pairs single-serving pouches of different materials, stacks and glues the pouches together and places the stacked pouches in a carton or club store pack. The line runs at a blistering 1,000 pouches per minute, 10,000 cartons per hour. During the special PACK EXPO conference session, the line's operational details will be highlighted and Kraft Foods will accept PMT's Packaging Line of the Year award. Additional details on the Easy-Mac packaging operation will be presented in a cover story in PMT magazine's September/October 2005 issue, which will be distributed at PACK EXPO Las Vegas 2005.
The second-place finalist in the Packaging Line of the Year competition is Biovail Pharmaceuticals for a line built by NJM/CLI Packaging Systems International. More information on this line will be detailed in an upcoming issue of PMT magazine.
The editors of PMT along with members of the PMT Editorial Advisory Board selected the winning packaging line for its innovation, efficiency and execution. PMT Editorial Advisory Board members participating in the selection process included: William R. Collette, principle engineer, RJ Reynolds Tobacco Co.; William J. Dorsch, region manager, mechanical packaging, Weyerhauser; Jeffrey A. Friedman, engineering project manager - automation, QVC; Denise Holloman, director, manufacturing engineering, General Mills; Mike A. Kennedy, director of purchasing, Cargill Meat Solutions; David Villeneuve, vice president, packaging operations, Apotex Inc.; Toby R. Wingfield, director of national packaging, Fresh Express, Inc. and Tom Wolters, principle engineer, PepsiCo Beverages & Foods.
Criteria for selecting the Packaging Line of the Year Award recipient include the packaging line's contribution to the company's business plan, the level of innovation in packaging line design, the use of floor space/layout of the line design and the integration of machinery to optimize productivity. Kraft Foods is the first recipient of PMT's annual Packaging Line of the Year designation.
PMT magazine is a bi-monthly publication dedicated exclusively to the packaging machinery technology industry. For more information about PMT and the Packaging Line of the Year award, contact Maria Ferrante at maria@pmmi.org or 703-243-8555.
The Packaging Machinery Manufacturers Institute (PMMI) is a trade association whose more than 500 members manufacture packaging and packaging-related converting machinery in the United States and Canada. PMMI's vision is to be the leading global resource for packaging. Its mission is to improve and promote members' abilities to meet the needs of their customers.
PMMI is the sponsor and producer of the PACK EXPO shows, the world's leading packaging shows. PACK EXPO Las Vegas 2005 takes place September 26-28, 2005 at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, NV, USA. PACK EXPO International 2006 will be held October 29 - November 2, 2006 at McCormick Place, Chicago, IL, USA. PMMI also produces EXPO PACK Mexico, the premier packaging show serving the Latin American region. This show will be held June 27-30, 2006 at Centro Banamex, Mexico City, Mexico.
Editorial Contact:
Sara Kryder
PMMI Manager of Communications
Tel: (703) 243-8555
E-mail: sara@pmmi.org
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