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Industry News


 

Cap Snap Water Equipment (Portola Packaging, Inc.) and Midbrook, Inc. Sign Licensing Agreement

San Jose, CA. - Portola Packaging, Inc. announced today that it has completed a licensing agreement with Midbrook, Inc. for the production, marketing, and sale of Portola's Cap Snap Water Equipment. Midbrook, with manufacturing locations in Jackson, Michigan, and Sao Paulo, Brazil, is a leading manufacturer of metal parts washing and drying equipment and robotic and conveying systems with the brand names "Hurricane" and "Cyclone." 

Midbrook will have licensing rights to all Value Line, PortaPlant, and Adapta models. Midbrook will have the rights to sell PortaPlant models worldwide. Midbrook will have rights to sell Value Line and Adapta product lines worldwide, with the exception of the broader European market.

Earlier this quarter Portola entered into a separate licensing agreement with its European subsidiary, CapSnap Europe, granting it rights to manufacture, market and sell the Value Line and Adapta product lines throughout the greater European market. This strategic decision enables Capsnap Europe to continue its very successful complete system approach offering 5-gallon caps, bottles, equipment, and also local technical support and spare parts service.

Manufacturing of Cap Snap Water Equipment will begin shortly in Midbrook factories. Midbrook also will maintain a world-class parts and service department to support customers around the world. During the initial transition, existing Cap Snap Equipment customers can still obtain parts and service support and auxiliary equipment from the New Castle, PA, facility.

"We're very confident that Midbrook will continue to provide the world-class levels of quality, service, and reliability that Portola customers have received in the past, in addition to improving on the technology of our Cap Snap Water Equipment designs," said Jim Taylor, president and COO of Portola Packaging, Inc. "Midbrook's technological strengths and international manufacturing capability will make the Cap Snap product lines more valuable for our customers for many years to come. Manufacture and sale of the Value Line and Adapta product lines by CapSnap Europe specifically for European customers will also add value for those customers since the equipment will be built locally and customized to the needs of European customers."

"We are excited about the prospects of working in the bottled water industry," said Don Reeder, Director of Business Development, Commercial Division, of Midbrook, Inc. "With our knowledge of the automotive sector, especially the Big Three, we feel that we bring a heightened level of quality along with a listening ear to find out what this industry really wants and needs in the future. Having Portola for a partner just made the decision to enter the bottled water industry that much easier for us."

Portola Packaging manufactures plastic closures and containers for leading dairy, beverage, and food companies worldwide. The company is well known in the bottled water industry for its high-quality Cap Snap Water Equipment. Portola also supplies the cosmetic and personal care industries with packaging through its Portola Tech International division. The company has over a dozen manufacturing plants in the United States, Europe, China, Mexico, and Canada, and sells to companies throughout the world.

Midbrook, Inc. is proud to bring their thirty+ years of experience in aqueous parts cleaning technology to the bottled water industry. Midbrook is QS9000 and ISO14001 registered as well as a Ford Q1 certified supplier. It is this level of quality commitment, along with extensive R&D, design, fabrication, and laboratory research experience that make Midbrook the perfect partner for a proven winner like Portola. For more information, visit them at www.midbrook.com.

Representatives from Portola Packaging, Midbrook and CapSnap Europe will be available to answer questions about the new agreement in Booth #403 at BevExpo in Tampa, FL, September 29 - October 1.

For more information, contact:

Don Reeder, Director of Business Development, Commercial DivisionMidbrook, Inc.
PO Box 867 / 2080 Brooklyn Rd.
Jackson, MI 49204
T: 800.966.9274 x459
    517.787.3481
F: 517.787.2349
E: dreeder@midbrook.com

Scott Merritt, Vice President, Corporate Services
Portola Packaging, Inc.
898 Faulstich Court
San Jose, CA 94526
408 573 2141
smerritt@portpack.com


Polymer Solutions International Introduces Its TierStackTM
Modular Bottled Water Rack System

Medford, NJ - Polymer Solutions has recently introduced the new, all-plastic TierStackTM Modular Bottled Water Rack System. Available for immediate shipment, the TierStackTM utilizes many of the innovative design features as the well-received ProStackTM, but is lighter-in-weight, has additional flexibility and economy for those companies looking for a "ProStack lite".
ProStack lite

Dan Kelly, Polymer Solutions' president, comments, "The bottlers' response to our ProStackTM has been extremely favorable. We developed the TierStackTM for bottlers limited by rack weight and the high initial cost of rack float conversion. TierStack'sTM lower cost would allow many bottlers to cut bottle leaker problems in their operations with a lower initial capital investment. The system's modular design and durable plastic construction is providing bottlers with tremendous flexibility and substantial cost savings."

"We took great care in designing the TierStackTM to provide optimum bottle protection, durability and safe and stable handling in the warehouse and on the routes." Bottlers using the TierStackTM to store and ship their product will enjoy greatly reduced bottled fatigue leading to longer bottle life and fewer damaged bottles.

The modular design eliminates the need for odd sized racks because the system can be easily customized to fit in all delivery truck bays, even those located over the wheels. What's more, the injection molded, all-plastic construction is maintenance-free, won't damage truck bays and insures dimensional consistency. As a result, the TierStackTM works smoothly in all automated and robotic equipment, and the expensive handling and maintenance problems associated with rusted, dented racks are eliminated.

With US and foreign patents pending, the TierStackTM is backed by a five-year warranty. For information on this revolutionary bottled water storage and shipping system, please call (877)444-7225 or visit the Polymer Solutions International website at www.prostack.com.

OASIS® CORPORATION ACQUIRES SUNROC CORPORATION

COLUMBUS, Ohio (October 23, 2003) - OASIS® Corporation Chief Executive Officer Romaine Gilliland today announced the acquisition of long-time competitor Sunroc Corporation of Dover, Delaware. Terms were not disclosed.

The action facilitates the combination of two of the industry's oldest, most established manufacturers of water dispensing products. OASIS Corporation, founded in 1910, employs 1,000 associates worldwide with annual gross sales in excess of $175 million. Sunroc, formed in 1922, has 300 associates with annual sales of $50 million.

"This is a banner day for OASIS Corporation," said Gilliland. "In addition to increasing our market share, we anticipate many advantages of the combined businesses. Foremost will be the ability to enhance product innovation and improve sales and customer service, while providing a clear focus on long-term benefits for our valued customers and associates. With the transaction complete, we will now begin a unified integration process."

"I'm looking forward to joining the OASIS team, added Sunroc CEO Anthony A. Salamone. "Becoming part of the world's largest and most innovative water cooler manufacturing company will help secure a brighter future for our customers, our associates, and our community."

Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, OASIS Corporation is a world leader in the manufacture and sale of bottled water, point of use, and pressure water coolers, drinking fountains, commercial coffee brewers, and dehumidifiers. The company also is recognized as an industry leader in the production of small, refrigerated appliances for beverage dispensing and air treatment markets.

Known for many innovative firsts in the improvement of water products systems, OASIS Corporation (oasiswatercoolers.com) operates manufacturing facilities in Ohio, California, Mexico, Canada, Ireland and Poland.

Established 81 years ago as Sunroc Spring Water Company in Glen Riddle, Pa., Sunroc Corporation moved to Dover in 1995 after building a 250,000 sq. ft. manufacturing facility in the Delaware capital city. It manufactures bottled, point of use and pressure water coolers, drinking fountains, plumbing specialties, and key control systems.

Contact: Tony Salamone 302-678-7800 or Mark Blackstone 614-861-1350, ext. 1285.

QUATS

Quaternary ammonium compounds or 'quats' have been used as sanitizing agents in the food processing industry for many years. The first quats were synthesized in the mid 1930's. Since then, quats have been modified and refined to improve performance and cost effectiveness. The modifications are classified into groups known as 'generations'. Presently, there are seven generations of quats, five of which are commonly used in the sanitizers currently on the market today.

'5th generation Quat' is a term that has been heard quite frequently in the food processing industry over the past several months. A 5th generation quat is a blend of 4th generation Dialkyl quat and a 1st generation Alkyl Dimethyl Benzyl Ammonium Chloride (ADBAC) quat in a 60/40 ratio. This synergistic blend produces superior microbiological results as compared to the individual components when tested via the AOAC Use Dilution Test. In other words, the components work better together than they would separately. The 5th generation quat also enjoy the benefit of greater hard water tolerance than some of the earlier generations.

Cleaners & Sanitizers - know your chemicals

If Nitric Acid is in a chemical used during your cleaning or sanitizing, look into the affects it may have on the process. Nitric Acid in acid cleaners works very well to remove scale from piping. However, the % of nitric acid combined with temperature during cleaning could degrade parts of the process. Gaskets, valve seats, o-rings, or any other part of the process made of EPDM material could be at risk. Nitric acid and other harsh chemicals have been known to degrade / melt EPDM material over time. If EPDM materials are used, regular inspections are recommended. Here is a chart of chemical compatibility referencing chemicals, temperatures, and materials that are compatible with your application.

Seat Materials

Chemical Name
Hypalon
Viton
EPDM
Teflon
Ammonium Chloride 50%, 180F
E
I
E
E
Ethyl Acetate
U
U
F
E
Nitric Acid10%, 70F
E
E
I
E
Nitric Acid 30%, 70F
E
I
E
E
Nitric Acid 60%, 175F
F
E
I
E
Phosphoric Acid 10%, 70F
E
E
I
E
Phosphoric Acid 25%, 70F
E
E
I
E
Phosphoric Acid 75%, 70F
E
E
I
E
Sodium Hypochlorite 5%, 60F
E
E
I
E
Sulphuric Acid 0-7%, 70F
E
E
U
E
Sulphuric Acid 7-40%, 70F
E
E
U
E
Sulphuric Acid 40-75%, 70F
G
G
U
E
Sulphuric Acid 75-95%
U
G
U
E
Water 185F
I
I
E
E
Water 225F
U
U
G
E

E - Excellent G - Good F - Fair U - Unsatisfactory I - Insufficient Data

Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points

Cook and Thurber has joined NSF and will be auditing HACCP programs in Bottled Water Facilities.  Along with NSF, other audits such as Department of Defense and FDA may also be looking at plant HACCP programs

As plants gear up for this years Audits here are a few key points to check on your HACCP Plan:

1. Make sure all of your specific Food Hazards and Critical Control Points are identified and documented.

2. Have a written control plan on the monitoring of the control points.

3. Ensure that a breach log with action plans is updated.

4. Have a documented HACCP evaluation flow diagram of each line and processes describing location and control points in the process.

5. Your program manual should include documented monthly meetings, training presentations, and action plans on changes in the process.

6. The HACCP team should include individuals with quality, production, engineering, microbiology, and process experience

 For more information on HACCP regulations, visit NSF web pages.  Search for 'HACCP NSF BOTTLED WATER'

Technical Manual Volume 5 is now available.  This manual focuses on Good Manufacturing Practices from spring sources to the filling rooms.  It is a 3 part manual that will conclude with packaging and warehousing GMP's in 2005.

75% of Americans are Chronically Dehydrated

In 37% of Americans, the thirst mechanism is so weak that it is often mistaken for hunger, even mild dehydration will slow down one’s metabolism as much as 3%.

  • One glass of water shuts down midnight hunger pangs for almost 100% of the dieters studied in a U-Washington study.
  • Lack of water is the #1 trigger of daytime fatigue.
  • Preliminary research indicates that eight-ten glasses of water a day could significantly ease back and joint pain for up to 80% of sufferers.
  • A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short-term memory, trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing on the computer screen or on a printed page.
  • Drinking five glasses of water daily decreases the risk of colon cancer by 45%, plus it can slash the risk of breast cancer by 79%, and one is 50% less likely to develop bladder cancer.

 Are you drinking the amount of water you should every day?

System Eliminates Anthrax from City Water Supplies

In the event of a terrorist attack, water utilities would be protected from harm and from expensive liability afterward.

Tempe, AZ - Water Consultants and Laboratories, founded by an ex-Navy biochemist, has been leading ahead of other professionals in the field of water consultation by developing new systems and techniques for water reuse and reclamation.

Water Consultants and Laboratories (WCL) has developed a one-of-a-kind water reuse system that will take water discharge and make it an environmentally safe nutrient source for plant life.

The new system takes on added importance as new terrorist threats may be aimed at public water supplies. It eliminates Anthrax and thirty other kinds of the most deadly bacteria.

Utilizing this system, industry can recycle their water for other uses like watering the grass. This system has the potential to save on water consumption while reducing the need to purchase fertilizers.

WCL is working to promote peace of mind and safety for its clients during this time of bio-terrorism by developing a proactive approach to homeland defense. They have implemented this system at a purified water bottling company in Phoenix.

Stephen Currior, president of O Premium Waters says, “Since the 9/11 terrorism attack, we asked Water Consultants and Laboratories to implement a system to help in detecting any potential bio-threats to our purified water systems. We now have a system in place that will alert us of this type of potential health threat. With WCL's knowledge, service, and integrity, we are confident that we have a successful system in place to help maintain purified and safe water products for our customers.

Keeping water environmentally safe is a priority at WCL. Chemists are using proprietary measures for removing Boron, a carcinogen proven to cause cancer, from industrial wastewater. Boron is an extremely dangerous toxin that not only causes cancer, but also eats away at the good bacteria that breaks down waste in our sewage systems. Staff at WCL also takes on active leadership roles in educating industry on proper care of lakes and ponds. They teach natural means of cleanup instead of using hazardous chemicals that could harm animals and people.

WCL is socially conscious as well as environmentally conscious. They were responsible for solving a potential cholera epidemic in South Africa, saving hundreds, maybe thousand of lives. Their scientist and researchers step up to support third world countries suffering from environmental hazards.

For more information about Water Consultants and Laboratories, log onto http://www.waterconsultants.com or call (480)929.9180.

Agr*Top Wave LLC Introduces GAWIS with AutoFeed Laboratory System for Plastic Containers

Agr*Top Wave LLC announced the availability of the Gawis with AutoFeed

(Gawis AF) automated thickness and dimensional system for plastic containers and performs. Gawis AF is a non-contact laboratory device designed to profile accurate, repeatable measurement of variables that are crucial to container performance. Gawks AF offers a totally automated approach to the tedious task of container and perform quality assurance testing.

The Gawis AF permits a number of vital laboratory tests to be performed in one operation, including comprehensive measurement of container sidewall, heel and shoulder thickness, body profile measurements in multiple locations, finish dimensioning, height, lean and pushup. When equipped with the proper fixtures, Gawis AF can be used for perform measurement as well. Gawis AF eliminates the need for multiple devices and individual tests, resulting in considerable savings in time and increased laboratory throughput.

            The Gawis AF is ideal for quality control inspection of newly formed containers, incoming inspection of purchased containers, and evaluation of container designs in the development laboratory. Benefits of this system include:

  • Hands-free testing of up to 20 containers or 72 preforms
  • Accurate, non-contact thickness and dimensional measurements
  • Repeatable measurements, regardless of operator experience and skill
  • Significantly reduced laboratory time devoted to thickness and dimensional measurements
  • Automatic record keeping, including statistical report generation

      Improved productivity of laboratory personnel

The Gawis AF incorporates a number of superior features including an automatic bottled-feeding system for increased throughput and walk-away operation. With the autofeed feature, up to 20 bottles of 72 preforms can be loaded onto the autofeed tray, systematically tested and results documents. Once a test sequence is initiated, The Gawis AF requires no operator intervention to test a series of bottles or performs, freeing lab personnel for other tasks. Additional features incorporated into the Gawis AF include Agr*Top Wave’s infrared thickness measurement system. This is the heart of the Gawis AF and provides comprehensive non-contact thickness measurement over the entire body of the container, including the heel and should region. An advanced optical system, using a high-resolution, camera provides dimensional measurement for container or perform sidewall and finish. A robust drive-positioning system and automatic centering divide are provided for placement accuracy during automated operation.

Gawis AF will handle a wide range of PET bottle sizes and shapes including filled containers up to 3 liters. A full range of thickness and dimensions measurement can be performed on empty PET containers. By removing the light tube, dimensional measurements can also be performed on filled containers. This feature is ideal for determining dimensional shifts as result of the filling process or material creep.

 Agr*TopWave, LLC develops and manufactures a full line of laboratory and online testing/quality control devices for plastic containers and similar products. Agr*Top Wave's headquarters and manufacturing facility is located in Butler, PA USA. Agr*TopWave is a division of Agr International Inc.

For further information contact: David Dineff, Product Marketing Director Agr*Top Wave LLC, Butler, PA, USA. Phone - 1(724) 482-2163 or email ddineff@agrintl.com.

MABWA, 14101 Highway 290 West, Bldg. 1600-B, Austin, Texas 78737, Phone 512.894.4106, Fax 512.858.0486 mabwa@mabwa.org