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Digital Magazine

May 1993 - 1994

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The Mid-1990s...
May 1993
13th annual International Trade Fair for Packaging Machinery, Packaging Materials, and Confectionery Machinery (Interpack) held May 6 thru 12 at the fairgrounds in Dusseldorf, Germany.

Women in Packaging holds its inaugural meeting during SouthPack at the Georgia World Congress Ctr. in Atlanta, May 3 thru 5. The organization was formed to promote opportunities for women in the packaging industry.

Demonstrating source reduction in a major way, Duralam’s resealable pouch wins the flexible-packaging industry’s Green Glove Award for environmental achievement.

PFFC reports the technology of blown-film extrusion is advancing by steady, gradual evolution, punctuated by an occasional idea that’s totally new. Better extrusion technology leads to better film and offers several related benefits: easier, faster converting; better cost-performance ratios; better barrier properties; and lower scrap rates and reduced environmental impact.

June 1993
Top Flight Bird Feeders wins the President’s Award in the Paperboard Packaging Council’s 1993 Carton Competition.

July 1993
Despite expanding waste reduction efforts, a report entitled Municipal Solid Waste Materials and Management (by Freedonia Group) predicts US municipal solid-waste generation will increase 2.4% per year to reach 227-million tons by 1997.

August 1993
A record number of companies are honored for high-quality printing jobs at the Annual Awards Competition sponsored by the Flexographic Technical Association. Big winners include Spectrum Label Corp.; W. R. Grace & Co.’s Cryovac Div.; and Clemson University.

The ninth annual CMM was held in conjunction with The TAPPI Polymers, Laminations & Coatings Conference at the Hyatt Regency Chicago Aug. 29 thru Sept. 2. Over 700 suppliers were exhibiting.
features its folding carton and packaging systems, including the PMA-800 series of foil-stamping and embossing machinery, the Sugano folder/gluer and the Sugano automatic cutter/creaser; Adhesives Research introduces the Arclad repulpable labels and Arclad DEV-7818-6-26, an aggressive 5-mil acrylic, pressure sensitive, dual-liner transfer adhesive; Enercon Industries highlights its TL series narrow web corona-treating system and Series 9000 Compak power supply.

Sensitivity to environmental issues is evident among the year’s top winners in the packaging portion of the Gravure Assn. of America’s (GAA) Golden Cylinder Awards. Packaging gravure printed on paper, film, and foil and paperboard are honored. Winning packages feature toluene-free, solvent-bourne ink, waterborne varnish, and recyclable, biodegradable kraft board.

PFFC reports paper recovery in the US is expected to exceed the industry-established goal of recovering 40% of all paper used in 1995.

Bill Clinton signs into law the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993, which took into effect August 5. The law says that covered employers must grant an eligible employee up to a total of 12 workweeks of unpaid leave during any 12-month period for the birth and care of a newborn child; for placement with the employee of a son or daughter for adoption of foster care; to care for an immediate family member with a serious health condition; or to take medical leave when the employee is unable to work because of a serious health condition.

Rotomec America and Battenfeld Gloucester Engineering join forces to serve the packaging industry with fully integrated printing and extrusion coating technology. New machinery is promoted to provide ultimate combination of web handling, printing, and extrusion technologies available in-line, from a single source. Valmet Converting, Charlotte, NC, now sells Rotomec’s equipment line.

PFFC reports electronic prepress offers increased productivity, quicker turnaround, first-generation quality, as well as savings in films, chemicals, and materials.

September 1993
Mark Andy introduces the 2200, the first narrow-web press to incorporate the “QC Quick Change Inking System" as a 10-in. press.

A guide to environmental-labeling regulations is published by the Recycled Paperboard Div. of the American Forest & Paper Assn.

October 1993
More than 200 exhibitors take part at LabelExpo Europe and EuroForms Expo, October 13 thru 16, Brussels, Belgium.

Projected total US folding-carton shipments, excluding milk cartons, totaled $403 million in June, an almost 2% decline compared with same month last year.

November 1993
The fourth edition of an international holographic conference and exhibition, previously held only in Europe, Holo-pack Holo-print USA is held Nov 3 and 4 in Orlando, FL, USA. The conference provides hologram users, converters, and manufacturers a forum for exchanging information and experiences.

Midpak ’93, sponsored by the 400-member Minnesota Chapter of the Inst. of Packaging Professionals, debuts.

High-Performance Films in the United States, a pathfinder study from TPC Business Research Group, reports the US high-performance films industry will experience substantial growth through 1997 and approach a total forecasted market size of $2.6 billion.

Advanced Web Technologies receives the Best-of-Show Award at the 1993 TLMI Awards Competition for a coaster set of eight wildlife labels.

Incineration of Waste, the 70th report by the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution (RCEP), U.K., concludes that incinerators operating at modern standards are a necessary part of the national waste-management strategy.

1994
Jackie Kennedy Onasis dies of Cancer.

The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) is implemented.

A major league baseball strike over the issue of salary caps causes cancellation of the World Series.

At age 47, George Foreman regains the world heavyweight title by defeating 27-year-old Michael Moorer.

January 1994
PFFC reports packaging converters increasingly will turn to UV processing in 1994 to solve air-emissions problems as the Clean Air Act takes effect across the US. In addition, advances in UV processors (to meet the demands of wide-web high-speed, central-impression presses) will fuel UV growth.

February 1994
The American Forest and Paper Assn. reports the US paper industry has established a recovery goal for the recycling or reuse of 50% of all paper Americans use by the year 2000.

March 1994
Hologram Industries wins top honors at the Intl. Hologram Manufacturers Assn.’s Awards for Excellence in Holography. The winning entry was a hologram of stained-glass windows on Christmas cards.

April 1994
Black Clawson Co. acquires the Sano Div. of Cincinnati Milacron, creating one of the largest plastic-film equipment manufacturing companies in North America. The new name is Black Clawson Sano Inc.

A total of 11 converters receive 13 awards for innovative flexible packaging in the 1993 top Packaging Awards competition sponsored by the FPA, Washington, D.C. Winners include American National Can, Chicago, IL, for Planters Heat stand-up pouch, Hormel Light & Lean Ham Cuts, and Baby Fresh refill pack; Cello Bag Co., Tukwila, WA, for Spa bathroom tissue; and Printpack Inc., Atlanta, GA, Snyder’s of Berlin 15-oz Rippled Potato Chips hologram bag.

May 1994<
Macropak ‘94 exhibition is held May 2 thru 6 in Utrecht, Netherlands. The packaging show had about 600 exhibitors form 15 nations displayed their products to an estimated 40,000 visitors.

June 1994
PFFC mourns the unexpected death of eastern regional sales manager, James J. Obrien Jr., June 16. Publisher Peter Rigney writes: “Jim logged more than 120,000 driving miles a year, covering his territory. His infectious smile and Irish chortle were always anticipated and welcomed by advertisers and fellow employees alike. Jim had more jokes, funny stories, and anecdotes about his youth and early sales career than any 10 other humans combined.”

Actor and former football great O.J. Simpson fails to appear in court on charges of brutally murdering his wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ron Goldman. Millions watch live TV coverage as Simpson’s white Ford Bronco lead police on a “slow speed chase” through Los Angeles County. Simpson is charged and acquitted of all charges.

The fifth annual World Label Assn. Awards competition honors 10 narrow-web converters in 11 categories for technological achievements in labels and tags. Winners included MPI Systems of California, US for best flexography/process color; Impresstik Pty, Australia for best rotary letterpress/line; and Knaup GmbH, Germany, for best screen printing/line.

September 1994
With more than 240 exhibitors premiering the newest equipment, materials, and supplies for the narrow web converting market, LabelExpo USA ‘94 is slated for September 13 thru 15, Rosemont, IL, USA. BASF Corp., Clifton, NJ, introduces its new thin-plate flexographic-printing technology designed for use with ultraviolet inks; Mark Andy Inc., Chesterfield, MO, introduces it FP press for running extensible films on an in-line press.

October 1994
NPES, the Association for Suppliers of Printing and Publishing Technologies, reports improvements in capital spending, larger profit margins, advertising gains, higher industrial production, and increasing exports are key factors influencing growth in printing-equipment orders.

Enercon Industry Corp.’s David A. Markgraf receives the 1994 Polymer, Laminations, and Coating Div. Leadership and Service Award as well as the Andreas G. Ahlbrant Prize.

November 1994
The 17th annual awards competition sponsored by TLMI brought honors to 49 narrow-web converted products. Best of Show went to: Artcraft Converters, Memphis, TN, for its “Rejuvenation” label. Label also garnered first place award in letterpress-rotary color process-prime category.

A record-breaking Pack Expo ’94 saw nearly 75,000 exhibitors and packaging professionals attend the event sponsored by the Packaging Machinery Manufacturers Institute (PMMI) at Chicago’s McCormick Place. Exhibitors include Battenfeld Gloucester Engineering Co., which introduced its Century 2000 polybag series of bag making machines; and H.G. Weber & Co. demonstrating its new handle-forming machine for shopping bags.

Click here to view 1995 to 1999.


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