TORONTO — Canada’s economy started 2013 growing at a solid clip, and RBC Economics has raised its forecast for real GDP growth to 1.9% after a 1.7% increase in 2012, followed by a firmer rise to 2.9% in 2014.

The bank’s latest Economic and Financial Market Outlook notes energy production continued to recover this year as the US economy proved to be more resilient to a recession than was feared.

RBC Economics says first quarter saw a marked turnaround in the domestic economy, with Canada logging a 2.5% annualized gain, supported by a turnaround in net trade which added 1.4% to the quarterly growth rate – the largest contribution since mid-2011.

“Stronger demand for autos, houses and industrial machinery from the US will help sustain the lift in export growth that Canada experienced so far this year for the remainder of 2013,” said Craig Wright, RBC’s senior vice-president and chief economist.

RBC says businesses reduced the pace of investment in structures and capital goods in recent quarters, likely a reflection of the uncertainties surrounding the effect of US government’s fiscal restraint on demand for Canadian goods. But easy financial conditions in Canada coupled with indications that the US will clear the fiscal cuts in good stead will support a rebound in business spending in the quarters ahead.

“Company balance sheets are healthy – business financing made headway in early 2013 and will continue to provide Canadian firms with the capacity to invest at an accelerating rate in 2014,” said Wright. “After rising an expected 3.7% this year, business spending will strengthen to 7.3% in 2014.”

The forecast for residential investment is less optimistic: it will decline 2.4% this year and 0.7% in 2014.

Cooling activity in the housing market led to the slowest pace of mortgage debt since 2001 in April, easing concerns that the economy is vulnerable to a significant shock. In fact, RBC indicates that debt service costs remain historically low and one-third of households continue to be debt free.

“The firm labour market is another factor mitigating the risk that a debt-associated downturn is brewing,” notes Wright. “With employment at an all-time high and household income and savings on the rise, we expect household debt to remain in check, which should limit the weakness in the housing market and support consumer spending.”

RBC says that new Bank of Canada Governor Stephen Poloz will likely maintain interest rates at the current level for the remainder of 2013, and start to reduce the amount of stimulus in the second half of 2014.

Globally, RBC expects the world’s economy to continue growing at a modest pace in the first half of 2013 as a result of Europe’s ongoing struggle to get out of recession and the US economy absorbing government austerity measures. Growth is likely to accelerate later this year, however, as the benefits from structural changes combined with very supportive interest rates boost global economic momentum.

After a generally disappointing finish to 2012, the economic performance across the majority of Canada’s provincial economies improved in early 2013. RBC forecasts that natural resource-intensive provinces will remain at the top-end of the growth rankings in and that stronger exports will be the mainstay for many of Canada’s provinces.

Newfoundland and Labrador will outpace all other provinces while Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba will continue to grow at the top-end. The remaining provinces are expected to stand slightly below the national average for growth.

Click here for a copy of the report

Through what it is calling the largest consumer event in its 175-year history, P&G will serve the daily needs of New Yorkers and demonstrate how P&G products make everyday life better. The results will be broadcast to the rest of the country, live, through on-the-ground reports, social media updates and content featured across PGEveryday.com/EverydayEffect, Twitter (#EverydayEffect) and Facebook.com/PGEveryday.

P&G brands participating in the #EverydayEffect Live From New York event include Cover Girl, Gillette, Duracell, Pampers, Old Spice, Febreze and Crest. More than 40,000 products representing 25 P&G brands have been distributed throughout Manhattan at the moments people need them most, including Scope mouthwash for coffee drinkers, Febreze car vent clips for taxis and Iams dog treats for pet lovers. These city-wide events will enable people to directly experience the everyday effect, benefits and superiority of P&G products, including:

• The delivery of everyday confidence through free barber, salon, personal care, make-up and nail services at multiple locations.
• P&G brand ambassadors canvassing the streets of Manhattan with free pedicab rides, product samples, brand giveaways and high-value coupons.
• Special deliveries by Pampers and appearances by the Charmin Bears, Old Spice and more.
• The P&G Innovation Center at Herald Square highlighting the company’s 175-year history of innovation and broadcasting the #EverydayEffect Live events taking place in the city.

“We’re making a deliberate effort to demonstrate to consumers how our brands improve their everyday life in small yet meaningful ways,” says P&G North America Group president  Melanie Healey, P&G North America Group President.

She continues: “Regardless of a person’s unique challenge or need, P&G products provide daily benefits that improve quality of life – whether it’s helping newborns and their parents get a good night’s sleep or getting college students ready for life away from home, or simply getting that boost of confidence because of a clean shave, beautiful skin or a beautiful white smile. By providing innovative solutions to the challenges and needs faced in everyday life, P&G brands can help consumers in so many different but important ways. That’s what we call the P&G ‘Everyday Effect’.”

The New York event is part of a series of activities, programming and social media videos supporting the roll out of P&G’s Everyday Effect campaign.

Activities taking shape around the world include consumer events, retail partnerships, in-store displays and brand-focused ‘experiment’ videos showcasing the everyday effect of using P&G products. Social media assets will be distributed and available across P&G social media channels in the U.S., Japan, China, Mexico, Germany and Brazil.

“For more than 175 years P&G has been innovating for the seemingly ordinary and we can’t wait to demonstrate the true power of P&G products on the streets of Manhattan,” adds Jodi Allen, P&G’s vice-president of North America marketing and brand operations. “Those outside New York will also have the ability to experience the superiority and benefits of P&G products through social media opportunities on June 19.”

To support The #Everyday Effect Live event in New York, followers of the @PGEveryday Twitter handle have random opportunities on June 19 to win $100 worth of product from the P&G eStore. Visitors to P&G brand experiences throughout the city are also be encouraged to tweet photos using the #EverydayEffect hashtag for the chance to win a $10 certificate to the P&G eStore.

For more information and to see other examples of the Everyday Effect at work, visit PGeveryday.com/EverydayEffect or Facebook/PGeveryday.

For video footage from the June 19, 2013 The #Everyday Effect Live From New York event, visit P&G Everyday Effect video footage.

About Procter & Gamble
P&G serves approximately 4.6 billion people around the world with its brands, including: Pampers, Tide, Always, Pantene, Mach3, Bounty, Dawn, Gain, Charmin, Downy, Iams, Crest, Oral-B, Duracell, Olay, Head & Shoulders, Wella, Gillette, Braun, Fusion, Febreze, Ambi Pur, SK-II and Vicks. The P&G community includes operations in approximately 75 countries worldwide.

Visit www.pg.com for the latest news and in-depth information about the company and its brands.

Its Smoking Cessation Programs in Canadian Workplaces report recommends smoking bans on all company property both indoors and outdoors – accompanied by smoking cessation programs – should be a visible part of a comprehensive non-smoking policy in Canadian workplaces.

Currently 19% of organizations responding to a Conference Board survey ban smoking from their property altogether.

“Implementing workplace smoking bans and enforcing these restrictions will help to reduce the likelihood of smoking and shift the organizational culture,” said Karla Thorpe, director, leadership and human resources research.

“Three-quarters of current smokers are employed and many want to quit. The most effective methods to help smokers quit are to couple access to medication with counselling and support.”

Thorpe says such measures would increase success rates by two to three-fold.

The survey is the first time that Canadian employers have provided detailed information on workplace programs and policies in place to help their employees quit smoking.

Here are some highlights from the findings based on the responses of 129 organizations.

• 49% of employers conduct health risk assessments (HRA) to gauge risk factors, such as smoking, among their employees. The Conference Board says an HRA helps determine to what extent employees are receptive to quitting.

• 73% cover prescription smoking cessation medications, but only 40% cover nicotine replacement therapies such as patches, gum, and/or lozenges. Many employers also impose yearly or lifetime maximum coverage limits on these programs. since it often takes more than one attempt to quit smoking, the Conference Board recommends plans be reviewed to ensure coverage is sufficient to allow employees more than one try per year.

• 79% do not evaluate their smoking cessation programs. As a result, employers lack knowledge about whether smokers are participating and whether the programs are effective at helping employees quit.

The report is the second of three briefings in the Conference Board’s series Smoking Cessation and the Workplace. Funding was provided by the Canadian Alliance for Sustainable Health Care (CASHC) and Pfizer Canada.

Seville Plastics will continue to manufacture its wide range of specialty packaging both printed and non-printed, including such products as laminated roll stock, poly bags, stand-up pouches and poly woven bags.

The move should also prove beneficial to Seville Packaging, as being directly under the auspices of Seville Plastic should provide the plastic manufacturer with a larger customer base and allow it to be even more competitive in the marketplace.

Seville Plastics was itself purchased by Covertech in 2012.

For more information on the Seville line-up of plastics and packaging contact: 1-800-837-8961 or 416-798-1340 or via e-mail at info@sevilleplastics.com.

“The new tubular cable conveyor is a strategic addition that complements Flexicon’s established line of flexible screw conveyors and pneumatic conveying systems, allowing us to now convey virtually any bulk solid material in the most efficient manner possible,” says Flexicon president David Gill, adding, “Flexicon has engineered and thoroughly tested the new conveyor over several years to significantly advance the technology and performance associated with this conveying method.”

The conveyor moves material using high-strength polymer discs––affixed to a stainless steel or galvanized cable––that slide within smooth stainless steel tubing, moving fragile products gently, quietly and dust-free, horizontally, vertically or at any angle, through small holes in walls or ceilings. The system can have single or multiple inlets and outlets, and convey over short distances or hundreds of feet/meters.

Gentle handling offered by the conveyor makes it suitable for food products that are prone to breakage or degradation including: cereals, coffees, teas, dried fruits, frozen vegetables, grains, nuts, peas, pet foods, seeds, snack foods and spices. Typical non-food applications include bulk chemicals, minerals, chopped fiberglass, microspheres, regrind, pellets, tobacco and other friable materials.

Modular system components in 304 or 316 stainless steel include tubing, drive wheel housings, tension wheel housings, metered and non-metered inlets, and discharges with and without valves, as well as accessories for wet or dry cleaning, including CIP sanitizing.

Available in unlimited configurations, the conveyor is offered as a stand-alone system, or fully integrated with upstream and downstream equipment such as inlet hoppers, bag dump stations, bulk bag dischargers, bulk bag fillers, drum/box/container dumpers, weigh batching/blending systems, screeners, filling machines and storage vessels manufactured by Flexicon and others.

For more information, call 1-888-353-9426, or via e-mail at sales@flexicon.com, or visit www.flexicon.com.

Weyerhaeuser Co., a major lumber producer based in Washington state, is buying Brookfield’s Longview Timber for $2.65-billion, including debt.

KapStone Paper and Packaging, headquartered north of Chicago in Northbrook, Ill., will acquire Longview Fibre Paper and Packaging for $1.025-billion from Toronto-based Brookfield.

The Toronto-based company acquired the Longview assets in 2007 as one business and has since separated the timberlands from the manufacturing businesses.

Brookfield said it expects to get $250-million cash for Longview Fibre Paper and $600-million cash for Longview Timber after debt and investor payments.

In addition, its affiliate Brookfield Infrastructure (TSX:BIP.UN) will receive $470-million in net proceeds from the timberlands deal.

“While the timing of the sale transactions is coincidental, for investors in our funds these transactions represent monetization at excellent returns and puts each of these assets into the hands of strategic buyers who will be able to take them to the next level,” Cyrus Madon, senior managing partner in Brookfield’s private equity group, said in a statement.

Brookfield and its affiliates have also recently announced a number of other deals in the forestry sector, which is beginning to show signs of revival from a severe slump related to the downturn in U.S. housing and changing demand for pulp and paper because of the economic downturn and a switch to digital media.

The company announced on May 21 that Blue Wolf Capital Partners and Atlas Holdings would be buying Brookfield’s controlling stake in Twin Rivers Paper Company Inc., which operates mills in New Brunswick and Maine.

Financial terms of those deals weren’t disclosed.

Brookfield Infrastructure announced it had completed the sale of the remainder of its Canadian B.C. Coastal timberland operations for net proceeds of approximately $170-million on June 7.

“The sale of our timberland assets was an opportunity to further our strategy of monetizing lower yielding assets to recycle capital into our utilities, transport and energy businesses,” said Sam Pollock, chief executive officer of Brookfield Infrastructure.

He said the timberlands were being sold at attractive prices, reflecting the most recent appraisals.

Pollock said Brookfield Infrastructurre will seek to seek to re-invest these proceeds to achieve a targeted after-tax annual return on equity of 12 to 15 per cent.

As part of its deal with Brookfield, Weyerhaeuser is acquiring 645,000 acres of high-quality timberlands in Washington and Oregon that are near the company’s existing lands.

Weyerhaeuser said that the deal will expand its timber holdings in the Pacific Northwest by a third, to about 2.6 million acres, and increase the total amount of U.S. timberlands it owns or controls to about 6.6 million acres.

Weyerhaeuser says it intends to increases its quarterly dividend by 10 per cent to 22 cents per share from 20 cents per share, beginning with the third quarter dividend that’s payable in September.

It also said that it’s exploring strategic alternatives for its real estate company that could include a merger, a sale or spin-off of the business.

This, ya gotta hear!

For the full story, click HERE to read an article from Shine Limited and accompanying video showing how they turned a Beck’s green glass beer bottle into a music machine utilizing old-fashioned technology a la Thomas Edison’s cylinder phonographs, modern inventiveness and cool but simple packaging to create a unique listening experience.

Flavored milk, the second-most widely consumed Liquid Dairy Product (LDP) after white milk, is forecast to increase by a compound annual rate (CAGR) of 4.1per cent between 2012 and 2015, rising from 17.0 billion liters to 19.2 billion liters. Developing countries will drive demand amidst a growing number of new flavors and products focused on health.

White milk is forecast to grow by 1.7 per cent (CAGR) during the same period – from 208.5 billion liters in 2012 to 219.5 billion liters in 2015. Total LDP demand is set to grow by 2.4 per cent from 280.3 billion liters to 301.3 billion liters during this period, according to Tetra Pak research.

“With white milk increasingly commoditized, flavored milk offers dairies the opportunity to provide value not only to consumers but to their bottom line,” Tetra Pak Group president and chief executive officer Dennis Jönsson. “With the right flavors, portion sizing and formulation, flavored milk can meet a huge range of health, nutritional and lifestyle needs.”

Tetra Pak has identified four drivers fueling the rise in flavored milk consumption:

• the desire for nutritious and healthy food, which is prompting consumers, particularly in developing countries, to turn to nutrient-rich milk products.
• urbanization, rising prosperity and the pace of modern life, which has increased ‘on-the-go’ consumption of ready-to-drink (RTD) flavored milk in convenient portion packs.
• consumers’ eagerness to try new food and drinks, with flavored milk well-poised to meet that need.
• fourth, consumers seeking ‘indulgent’ eating and drinking experiences as a way of escaping the daily grind during times of economic uncertainty.

“People don’t mind spending a bit more for small indulgences when times are tough and they are making bigger sacrifices,” says Libby Costin, global portfolio marketing director.

Though flavored milk consumption is still low compared to other beverages, such as carbonated soft drinks, positive consumer perceptions about the health benefits of milk are creating opportunities to significantly increase flavored milk consumption, according to Tetra Pak. The growth rate for flavored milk consumption is expected to be more than triple that of carbonated soft drinks in 2012-2015. During that period carbonated soft drinks are forecast to grow by 1.3 per cent (CAGR) compared with an estimated of 4.1 per cent (CAGR) for flavored milk.

Traditionally consumed by kids who enjoy its taste, Tetra Pak sees scope for growth beyond kids to teens and adults, and beyond taste to reach the “sweet spot” where taste and health meet.

“For consumers unwilling to compromise on taste, health or convenience, flavored milk is proving an increasingly popular alternative to other beverages,” said Jönsson. While demand for flavored milk is forecast to rise globally, demand in developing countries, particularly across Asia and Latin America, is set to outpace that of developed countries in North America and Europe, highlighting emerging economies as the growth engines of the dairy industry.

In fact, seven of the world’s top 10 flavored milk markets are developing countries, Tetra Pak research shows. China is the world’s largest, followed by the United States and India. Increased demand for flavored milk from 2009 to 2012 was mainly driven by four emerging countries: Brazil, China, India and Indonesia.

The trend is set to continue from 2012 to 2015. While developing countries accounted for 66% of flavored milk consumption in 2012, this is forecast to rise to 69 per cent by 2015. China, South Asia and Southeast Asia drink more than half the world’s flavored milk. In fact, just six Asian countries – China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand – consume 47 per cent of the world’s flavored milk, Tetra Pak research shows.

Cartons have become the established packaging format for flavored milk, according to Tetra Pak. They accounted for 62 per cent of RTD flavored milk packaging in 2012, up from 57 per cent in 2009, and are expected to rise to above 64 per cent in 2015, with portion packs expected to reach 81per cent of RTD flavored milk consumption.

Read more about the Tetra Pak Dairy Index including previous issues at: www.tetrapak.com/dairyindex.

The Canadian Labour Force Survey shows youth numbers were strong in May, increasing by 54,400 jobs over the previous month and a BMO Bank of Montreal survey found 51% of Canadian businesses are planning to hire students or recent graduates this year.

“We’ve seen more companies investing in employee training and development, which will help business owners ensure they have a supply of talented employees who are prepared to drive performance,” said Steve Murphy, senior vice-president, commercial banking at BMO Bank of Montreal.

The survey shows 30% of employers plan to take on a paid summer student and 21% plan to hire a recent graduate as a permanent employee.

Regionally, job prospects for students and graduates are the brightest in Ontario (56%), followed by the Atlantic Provinces (53%) and Quebec (52%).

Manufacturing and the service sectors (35%) are the most likely to hire a paid summer student, followed by the agricultural sector (34%). And manufacturers (25%) are most likely to hire a recent graduate as a permanent employee.

Business/financial (37%), retail (25%) and construction (22%) companies are the most likely to hire a recent graduate as a paid intern.

Pollara conducted the report between Feb. 25 and March 15 using a sample of 500 Canadian business owners with a margin of error of ± 4.4%, 19 times out of 20.

Sealed Air’s choice of Millad NX 8000 to up the clarity benchmark of its thermoformed Cryovac lidded trays and pots for meats, salads and other fresh produce, means food processors can benefit from the reduced packaging weight and lower carbon footprint of PP compared to alternative materials without comprising on packaging transparency or performance.

Due to its low density, PP packaging is typically 10 – 30 percent lighter and has a 24 percent lower carbon footprint than APET, for example, while offering the same strength and rigidity (Source: Intertek). Less material usage contributes to less post-consumer waste production too.

Sealed Air’s Cryovac containers are non-brittle and break without sharp edges. The inherent higher heat resistance of PP trays and containers allows them to be reheated and also laminated in heat-sealing machinery without cracking or warping. PP is readily recyclable and straightforward to separate from other materials in the recycling chain, lending itself to re-use as food packaging or, through energy recovery, as a valuable source of energy.

For more information, visit www.milliken.com or www.sealedair.com.

sealed air

Tecsor develops and sells machinery for making and filling PET (polyethylene terephthelate) containers for liquid and paste-like foodstuffs. Set up in 2005, the company generated sales of roughly €2-million euros in 2012 and has 14 employees.

PET is a thermoplastic, recyclable synthetic material that is often used for the production of plastic containers. Specially-designed machinery and a thermo-moulding process are used to shape the container (bottle or cup) from a PET blank. This process is the basis of the Tecsor business model.

As we all know, PET containers are globally used in the food and beverage industry, often for dairy products like milk bottles or yogurt cups.

Tescor developed a machine using a special blow-molding technology to manufacture and fill between 6,000 and 32,000 PET  bottles per hour.

“With Tecsor, we are further adding to our activities in the area of liquid foods,” says Friedbert Klefenz, president of the Bosch Packaging Technology division.

In October 2012, the packaging specialist took over Ampack in Königsbrunn, Germany. Its portfolio includes filling machinery for cups and bottles. This machinery is mainly used to fill and package highly sensitive foodstuffs such as dairy products, baby food, and hospital food.

While Ampack is a technology leader in the segment of near-sterile and aseptic processing of pre-formed cups and bottles, with the soon-to-be-finalized acquisition of Tecsor, Bosch can round out its existing portfolio of products to include its own production of cups and bottles.

“The new machinery we offer will save our customers materials, energy, and costs,” notes Klefenz. “For its part, Bosch Packaging Technology will improve its chances in the market.”

For more information, visit www.boschpackaging.com.

The Orlando, Florida-based company took the financial step as part of a sales process. It intends to sell its assets to a joint venture formed between Balmoral Funds (a Los Angeles, California-based private equity company), One Equity Partners (the private equity division of JPMorgan Chase & Co), some of their affiliates and two individuals: Jeff and Robert Liebesman. The joint venture has taken the name iGPS Logistics LLC.

US bankruptcy rules state that before the sale can be finalized, it must be subjected to higher and better bids and Court approval.

According to iGPS Co, “iGPS will continue operating its business without interruption during the sale period,” and its “customer care will not be affected”.

Thomson Reuters reports that iGPS ran into financial trouble after it encountered inventory problems.

“In late 2011 the company found it could not account for 1.5 million of its 10 million pallets, which its lenders alleged was a default under its credit facility, according to documents filed with the US Bankruptcy Court in Wilmington, Delaware,” writes the news agency.

Some of those missing pallets were eventually found by police. In December 2012, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Industrial Plastics Theft Task Force made arrests at two plastic recycling companies, and recovered over $250,000 worth of pallets, including “some owned by Intelligent Global Pooling Systems (iGPS) Company LLC”, according to a statement issued by iGPS.

Details and photos of the theft recovery are available on the sheriff’s website, where one officer, Sergeant Nabeel Mitry, described how such thefts usually occur:

“The plastic trademark products are often stolen from the loading docks behind businesses throughout Los Angeles County and the entire region…Additionally, either employees steal the plastics themselves, or leave them in a place outside the business so their crime partners can pick them up.”

Captain Mike Claus is also quoted on the website. At the time he reported that over $5 million in “stolen trademark plastic” had been recovered during a four month period, and estimated the total value of plastic thefts in the LA area could total more than $10 million over the course of a year.

City funding for the task force was originally set to expire in January 2013, but an extension was granted until the end of the city’s fiscal year, which falls on June 30, 2013.

As part of the agreement, Ardagh Group will invest over $250 million to construct two new state-of-the-art DWI (Drawn and Wall-Ironed) can-making facilities to convert the vast majority of ConAgra Foods’ shelf-sized cans from traditional three-piece can technology to Ardagh’s flexible DWI  technology. Wall-ironing is a process used to thin a can’s wall thickness. Drawing implies the drawing of a can/form from a circular blank.

These facilities will also have the capability to manufacture Ardagh’s pressurized thin-wall DWI food cans, recently launched in Europe. Commercial supply will commence January 1, 2015.

Ardagh Group Metal Americas chief executive officer James Willich says, “We are delighted that ConAgra Foods chose to partner with Ardagh to leverage its innovative metal packaging solutions. Our approach to DWI will allow ConAgra Foods to convert many lower-volume, specialty shelf sizes to this process, something that has not been feasible with the traditional DWI installations.”

Ardagh Group is a global leader in rigid packaging, producing metal and glass packaging solutions for most of the world’s leading food, beverage and consumer care brands. It operates 100 manufacturing plants in 25 countries, employs approximately 18,000 people and has global sales in excess of €4.1 billion.

ConAgra Foods is an American packaged foods company headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, and is the largest private-label packaged food business in the U.S. ConAgra Foods Canada is a sister company.

From dozens of products launches to a complete rebranding for show producer SME, ‘new’ could have been the theme of the 2013 edition of the three-day showcase of everything manufacturing.

“I would say that new products (are) one of the primary reasons to attend a trade show or exhibit at a trade show,” SME Canada event manager Janine Saperson said of the importance of focusing on the latest technologies at the bi-annual show.

“SME prides itself (on) listening to our exhibitors and listening to our attendees (and) every survey tells (us) unequivocally they’re looking for new products.”

With more than 75 new products and services showcased at WMTS from June 4 to 6—from state-of-the-art drilling machines to new CAM software and everything in between—the best part of the show may be its relative intimacy considering how packed it is with the latest and greatest from the industry.

The blend of large and small machine tool firms together with accessory and service exhibitors all under one roof in Edmonton makes the show a more relaxed setting than mega-shows like the International Manufacturing Technology Show (IMTS) in Chicago while providing one-stop shopping for attendees.

“A lot of our folks tell us they come here looking for a fully-integrated solution,” SME’s director of North American events and industry strategy Debbie Holton said while in Edmonton.

“They want to see how it all works together, so we try to provide them with enough large equipment and machinery under power that they can get an idea of how things are operating, but then also enough of the accessories and services so they can put the whole plan together.”

While WMTS isn’t the only show SME organizes in Canada—the Canadian Manufacturing Technology Show (CMTS) in Mississauga, Ont., is only a few months away—its importance ranks highly, as the show gives firms in Western Canada a chance to keep up to speed with the latest technology without traveling across the country.

“There’s a convenience factor to it,” Holton said of the show being held in Edmonton. “It’s right here in the backyard of the folks that need it.”

Saperson shared Holton’s sentiments, noting that the sheer size of Canada makes finding new equipment a daunting task without shows like WMTS.

“If you want to see five new products it could be five days of travel, whereas the opportunity to see it all in one space … and then to (be able to) do the comparative shopping makes this the number one place to go,” she said.

Another component of the show that provided attendees with the newest industry content was the host of education and information sessions put on over the course of the 2013 edition of WMTS.

A number of technical seminars and sessions spread out over the show’s duration gave attendees access to expertise on the latest topics that manufacturers would be hard-pressed to find anywhere else, let alone for free.

WMTS may not be the biggest trade show in Canada, but when you add it all up the show packed a whole lot of new onto the show floor—and beyond.

The event will offer presentations and discussions on German engineering and machinery as it relates to the food processing and packaging industries, and features such participating companies as: Astor, Gustav Obermayer, Meypack, Rewinkel & Woesner, Stambera, Festo, Multivac, Krones, Schubert Packaging, Schmalz Vacuum Technology, and Woltersdorf.

Schedule:
8:30AM  – Breakfast & Registration
9:00AM – Welcome by CGCIC / Conestoga College
9:15 AM – Presentation on German Machinery Manufacturing by Willy Forstner, Industry Segment Manager, Food & Pharma, Festo Inc.
10:00 AM – Presentation on Innovation in Food Processing & Packaging by Nestor Plawiuk, President, Multivac Canada
10:45 AM – Break
11:15 AM – Company presentations (with Q&A):

• STAMBERA Verpackungsmaschinen GmbH
• Meypack Verpackungssystemtechnik GmbH
• Gustav Obermeyer GmbH & Co. KG

12:15 PM – Lunch
1:15 PM – Company presentations (with Q&A):

• ASTOR Schneidwerkzeuge GmbH
• Rewinkel & Woesner Ingenieurgesellschaft GmbH
• WOLTERSDORF Schweißmaschinen GmbH

2:30 PM – Break
3:00 PM – Panel Discussion on Innovation through German Machinery, presented by:

• Stephen Dean, Senior Publisher, Canadian Packaging
• Sebastian Delgado, General Manager & VP of Sales Canada, Krones Machinery
• Fritz Kipfer, Managing Director, Schubert Packaging
• Rick Sauer, General Manager, Schmalz Vacuum Technology
• Nestor Plawiuk, President, Multivac Canada

4:00 PM – Closing Remarks
4:15 PM – Networking and Individual Meetings
Light snacks will be provided.

To register, To register, contact Melanie Heinrich at 416-598-7074, e-mail: melanie.heinrich@germanchamber.ca or visit the CIGIC website: www.kanada.ahk.de/en/.

June 12-13
Paris, France: Pack & Gift 2013, international event and gift packaging exhibition by IDICE. At Porte de Versailles. To register, go to: www.packandgift.com.

June 18-20
New York City: HBA Global Expo & Conference, beauty products and cosmetics exhibition and conference by UBM Live. To register, go to:
www.hbaexpo.com.

June 19
Cambridge, Ont.: Machinery Made in Germany – Innovation in Food Processing & Packaging conference by Canadian German Chamber of Industry and Commerce (CGCIC). At Conestoga College. To register, contact Melanie Heinrich at 416-598-7074, e-mail: melanie.heinrich@germanchamber.ca or visit the CIGIC website: www.kanada.ahk.de/en/.

Aug. 28-31
Bangkok, Thailand: Pack Print International 2013, packaging and printing exhibition for Asia by Messe Düsseldorf GmbH. Contact Messe Düsseldorf North America at 312-781-5180; or go to: www.mdna.com.

Sept. 8-12
Chicago: PRINT 13, exhibition and conference by the Graphic Arts Show Company (GASC). At the McCormick Place. Contact GASC at 703-264-7200. To register, go to: www.print2013.com.

Sept. 16-20
Munich, Germany: drinktec 2013, the world fair for beverage and liquid food technology by Messe München GmbH. At the New Munich Trade Fair Center. To register, go to: www.drinktec.com.

Sept. 23
Brussels, Belgium: AWA Label Release Liner Industry Seminar 2013. To register: www.awa-bv.com.

Sept. 23-25
Nürnberg, Germany: Active & Intelligent Packaging Congress & Exhibition, by Active & Intelligent Packaging Industry Association (AIPIA). At Messe Nürnberg. To register, go to:
www.aip-worldcongress.org.

Sept. 23-25
Las Vegas, Nev.: PACK EXPO Las Vegas 2013, international packaging technologies exhibition by PMMI. At Las Vegas Convention Center. Contact PMMI at 703-243-8555; or go to: www.packexpo.com.

Sept. 24-27
Brussels, Belgium: Labelexpo Europe 2013, biennial labeling materials and technologies exhibition by FINAT. To register, go to: www.labelexpo.com.

Sept. 25-26
New York City: MakeUp in New York 2013, beauty products exhibition and conference. At Center548. To register, go to: www.makeup-in-newyork.com.

Oct. 8-10
St. Petersburg, Fla.: Sustainable Packaging Forum & Expo, by Packaging Strategies. At Renaissance Vinoy Resort. Contact Karen Close of Packaging Strategies at 610-935-2183; or go to: www.sustainablepackagingforum.com.

Oct. 16-23
Düsseldorf, Germany: K 2013, international trade fair for the world’s plastics and rubber industries by Messe Düsseldorf Gmbh. Contact Messe Düsseldorf North America at 312-781-5180; or go to: www.messe-duesseldorf.com.

Oct. 23-24
Lund, Sweden: Top Packaging Summit 2013, conference and exhibition by Packbridge. At Scandic Star Hotel. To register, go to: www.toppackagingsummit.com.

Oct. 23-25
Monaco: Luxe Pack Monaco, luxury goods packaging exhibition by IDICE Monaco. AT Grimaldi Forum. To register, go to: www.luxepack.com.

Nov. 3-6
Chicago: Process Expo, exhibition and conference by the Food Processing Suppliers Association (FPSA). Concurrently with International Dairy Show by the International Dairy Foods Association (ISFDA). Both at McCormick Place. To register, go to: www.myprocessexpo.com or www.dairyshow.com.

Nov. 4-5
Amsterdam: AWA Introduction to Pressure-sensitive/Self-adhesive Technology Workshop 2013, in cooperation with Chemsultants International. At the Hotel Casa 400. Brochure available. To register: www.awa-bv.com.

Nov. 12-16
Milan, Italy: SIMEI 2013, international enological and bottling equipment exhibition. At Fiera Milano-Rho. To register, go to: www.simei.it.

Nov. 20-21
Montreal: Canadian Waste & Recycling Expo (CWRE), by Messe Fankfurt Inc. At the Palais des congrès de Montréal. Contact Kimn Porter at 770-984-8016; or go to: www.cwre.ca.

Nov. 21-23
Toronto: Graphics Canada, graphics, printing and converting show by Printing Equipment & Supply Dealers’ Association of Canada (PESDA). At the Toronto International Centre. To register, go to: www.graphicscanada.com.

Nov. 26-28
Nairobi, Kenya: Food Processing and Packaging Exposium (FPPE), by Messe Düsseldorf Gmbh. At the Kenyatta Conference Center. Contact Messe Düsseldorf North America at 312-781-5180; or go to: www.messe-duesseldorf.com.

2014

Feb. 19-21
Orlando, Fla.: NPE 2015, international plastics exposition by SPI: The Plastics Industry Trade Association. At the Orange County Convention Center. To register, go to: www.npe.org.

May 8-14
Düsseldorf, Germany: interpack 2014, international packaging technologies fair by Messe Düsseldorf GmbH. At Messe Düsseldorf Fairgrounds. Contact Messe Düsseldorf North America at 312-781-5180; or go to: www.interpack.com.

Sept. 9-12
Nairobi, Kenya: East Afripack 2014, processing, packaging and converting technologies exhibition by Ipack-Ima S.p.A. At Kenyatta International Conference Center. Contact Ipack-Ima via e-mail at ipackima@ipackima.it.

2015

Feb 2-4
Philadelphia: PACK EXPO East, packaging technologies exhibition by PMMI. At the Pennsylvania Convention Center. To register, go to: www.packexpo.com.

Gone, but nor forgotten, KFC Canada is providing a sequel – the return of the spicy Zinger Double Down sandwich to Canadian fans starting June 10, 2013.

Playing on the super-hero genre of blockbuster movies, KFC teasingly calls its Double Down the bun-less wonder (Batman fans, take note), adding that it will be available in all KFC restaurants across Canada between June 10 – July 14, 2013.

Not seen in these parts since March 2012, fans of the sandwich are chomping at the bit.

“Canadian KFC fans have been awaiting this meaty sequel for quite some time,” says KFC chief marketing officer David Vivenes. “June and July are all about blockbusters and good times with friends, so it’s the perfect season to bring Zinger Double Down back.

“We hinted that it might be Double Down time on our Facebook page and our fans started celebrating almost instantly, so the time is definitely right to return the legend to its rightful place at KFC restaurants,” he states.

The KFC Canada Zinger Double Down features two premium seasoned chicken breasts, marinated to perfection in KFC’s signature hot and spicy seasoning.

Double-breaded by hand for extra crunch, the KFC Zinger Double Down is topped with spicy mayonnaise sauce, processed Pepper Jack cheese and two pieces of crispy bacon.

Despite the past limited engagement of the Double Down, it is KFC Canada’s best-selling new menu item of all time.

And, should you be worried, Vivenes opts that despite its mythical status, the Double Down actually has less fat and calories than many deluxe burgers and subs.

KFC is Canada’s largest quick service chicken chain with more than 650 KFC restaurants across Canada. For more information, visit www.KFC.ca.

Without a doubt, Coca-Cola has pushed the concept that its soft-drink cola is indeed something it wants to share with the world. Now, taking things to a new level, Coca-Cola is offering consumers a chance to share a drink without having to share any icky germs.

Now, with a simple twist, a 330-milliliter can can be split in half creating a pair of closed mini cans that can be shared… though Coca-Cola does take the time to warn that the split is limited to just a single twist, and that infinite cloning is not possible.

The idea of this shareable can originated with ad agency Ogilvy & Mather Singapore, though the group that came up with the idea has since left the company.

The concept was based on a Pepsi (the competition!) can that had been cut in half to be used as an ash tray.

While not yet readily available – apparently it is still in the concept stage – passerby’s in Singapore recently could grab a shareable can from a “happiness truck”.

Will the sharing can become more widespread? In the mean time, enjoy the Coca-Cola video showing off the can’s promise:

Mettler Toledo, in conjunction with Canadian partners MD Packaging Inc., are taking its show on the road—literally.

With a retrofitted 37-foot coach bus, Mettler Toldeo has brought its metal detection systems and X-Ray units across Ontario and Quebec in an effort to broaden its brand appeal and to show prospective customers just what they might be missing.

The Mettler Toledo bus visited the facility of Tri-Mach Group Inc. in Elmira, Ont., about 70 minutes drive north of Toronto on June 4, 2013 – one of three stops that day on the busy bus route.

Tri-Mach, who have worked with MD Packaging on a few projects in the past, also invited a bevy of its customers to come and see the bus, with a good-sized crowd gaining some first-hand information about the plethora of equipment contained within.

The bus contains examples of Mettler Toledo equipment:

• Safefline PowerChek400 X-Ray;
• Safeline X3310 X-Ray;
• Safeline PowerPhasePro metal detector;
• Safeline PowerPhasePro-Select metal detector;
• Safeline Gravity Flow metal detector;
• Safeline Pipeline Pro metal detector;
• Hi-Speed Cornerstone Beltweigh XS checkweigher;
• Hi-Speed Beltweigh XC checkweigher.

Visitors check out the various Mettler Toledo X-Ray and metal detection equipment aboard the bus.

Thanks to the efforts of MD Packaging, the Mettler Toledo bus which usually travels the U.S. circuit, will be making in-roads into Canada a couple of times a year.

Canadian Packaging magazine will have a full article on Mettler Toledo, MD Packaging and Tri-Mach Group in its 2013 Buyer’s Guide print issue out this August.

MD Packaging is one of Canada’s largest distributor of packaging automation and is the exclusive representative for many of North America’s leading equipment manufacturers—including Mettler Toledo.

Contact MD Packaging to book to visit the Mettler Toledo bus, by clicking HERE.

Karlsberg Brauerei (Carlsberg Brewery) has completed the launch its newly designed cans for AC/DC Premium Pils, with the underside of each pull tab containing an individual code that fans can use to buy souvenirs or can use to bid on prizes.

These new precision-targeted promotion cans are manufactured by Ball Packaging Europe (the biggest Ball of them all – is that enough of the AC/DC references for you?), one of Europe’s biggest beverage can producers, and they are now on sale in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Luxembourg, Romania, Sweden, Russia, Spain, Chile and Canada.

The new AC/DC can is a real point-of-sale eye-catcher, and not just because of its true-to-life Australian “pint” size (which equates to 568 ml or 19.2-oz) – it also has a unique design.

Against the can’s jet black, matt printed background, the famous AC/DC logo is lit in almost luminous red. Just behind it is the silvery cover of the group’s latest album “Black Ice“. And the red metal tab on the jet black end completes the sleek look of this rocker beer-locker.

Aside from the design, the prizes that purchasers can possess are also destined to rock. Under each can tab is a code that gives its user 50 “lightning bolts,” the currency of this promotional campaign. The acquired ‘bolts’ can be used to either buy AC/DC fan shirts, music and the like, or to bid for attractive prizes in a series of auctions – with all transactions handled by the EMP Metal Mail Order Shop.

Individual design, audience-aligned marketing
The promotional codes are applied to the AC/DC cans by Ball using its “under-the-tab” printing technology that uses a laser to apply numbers, graphics and or symbols to be inscribed in the small area.

But printing under the tab is just one possibility offered by the beverage can producer to its customers for individually marking such metal packages. With the Dynamark printing process, cans can be provided with up to 24 different designs in one production run.

And the use of augmented reality or QR codes additionally allows customers to access offline or online reality experiences.

“Beverage cans offer enormous scope for effectively targeted, creative advertising or promotional campaigns – and are right at the cutting edge of the personalization trend,” explains Benoit Hirszowski, marketing director at Ball Packaging Europe. “Not least because they are an ideal vehicle for communicating the brand identity of a product in an individual and strikingly modern manner.”

All we can say, is that when it comes to the new AC/DC beer cans – please do not shake them all night long and drink responsibly.