Collaborative efforts

Zoppas Industries Group’s SIPA partnered with fellow Italian company Sacmi to combine their experience and expertise for the development of a new PET pre-form and closure project.  The new solution features a combination of a pre-form neck finish and lightweighted cap that solves several key problems associated with the operation of a cap on the neck of a PET bottle, the companies say. The companies use the acronym S.U.P.E.R. to describe the five key benefits of the solution: sustainable, unique, productive, easy and reliable. Sustainable describes that the closure will be lighter than the average alternatives and reduces the processor’s consumption of raw materials and energy; unique describes the proprietary solution; productive explains that it reduces the time and cost of equipping production when switching between containers for various types of products because minimal modification is required for both pre-forms or closures; easy helps describe that the solution provides the consumer with a bottle that is easy to open; and reliable explains the special tamper evidence system that provides immediate breakage of the security strip, rendering the bottle secure with no risk of blow-off, the companies say. The solution also features a positive LB angle, with the leak angle greater than the bridge-beak angle, they add.

• SIPA S.p.A, Via Caduti del Lavoro, 3 31029 Vittorio Veneto Italy; +3 90438 911511; sipa.it/en.

Marketable insulator

DesignMahl Ltd. offers its Pocket Huggie, an eco-friendly, highly reusable non-petroleum-based beverage insulator, which is now available in glue-free designs for its premium and basic Pocket Huggie can and cup sizes. Manufactured in the United States, the Pocket Huggie offers the following benefits: it replaces the need for a coaster or napkins around wet beverages; its durable, structural design provides support to flimsy cups; it eliminates cold or hot temperature transfer from beverage to hand; it features brochure-quality graphics; it has a compact design that folds flat with easy storage; it saves on the use of 50 to 100 disposable coffee sleeves; and it has a reduced carbon footprint, the company says. Pocket Huggie is available in a range of sizes, including a cup size for 12- to 24-ounce beverages, can sizes for 12- to 16.9-ounce beverages, and sizes to fit most glass and plastic bottles, it adds.

• DesignMahl Ltd., 6302 Plainfield Road, Cincinnati, Ohio 45213; 513/607-2572; pockethuggie.com.

Driver monitoring system

Safety Vision introduced SafetyTrax DDM, a driver distraction and fatigue monitoring system. SafetyTrax DDM combines a dash-mounted, day-and-night, infrared illuminated camera with intelligent video algorithms to provide an easy-to-install, autonomous turn-key solution. The built-in video analytics are self-configuring and work by tracking drivers’ eyelids and pupil dilation using proprietary algorithms, the company says. The system warns the driver with real time audible alerts when symptoms of fatigue or distracted driving due to texting on a cell phone are recognized. The autonomous SafetyTrax DDM systems also can be combined with the SafetyTrax Web-based tracking service to provide real-time alerts to remote fleet and safety managers.

• Safety Vision, 6100 W. Sam Houston Parkway North, Houston, Texas 77041; 800/880-8855; safetyvision.com.

Intelligent sensor

Mettler-Toledo launched the InPro 5500i, a new carbon dioxide (CO2) sensor that is well-suited for the brewery and carbonated soft drink sectors, the company says. Combined with Mettler-Toledo’s Intelligent Sensor Management (ISM) functionality, the InPro 5500i simplifies sensor handling and ensures reliability, which can lead to increased operational uptime, it notes. The InPro 5500i can be installed easily with a choice of process connections including Varivent, Tri-clamp and 28mm/M42. Its hygienic and simple membrane design reduces maintenance efforts, while the absence of moving parts ensures a reduced failure rate and high operational uptime. Immunity to background gases such as oxygen and nitrogen means CO2 measurement is highly selective, according to the company. In addition, the company offers an optional package for combined oxygen and CO2 measurements with a multi-channel transmitter that optimizes processes, maintains product quality and controls costs by providing accurate, real-time and continuous measurements, the company says. Unlike other CO2 sensors, the InPro 5500i protects itself from damage during sterilization-in-place and clean-in-place cycles or when the purge gas or sensor membrane fails, and therefore helps provide a long sensor lifetime, it adds.

• Mettler-Toledo LLC, 1900 Polaris Parkway, Columbus, Ohio 43240; 800/836-0836; us.mt.com.

Workflow improvements

Underwriters Laboratories Inc.’s (UL) Responsible Sourcing group announced the introduction of its Corrective and Preventive Action (CAPA) System that helps to manage and track improvements in manufacturing processes and responsible workplace systems throughout the supply chain. The CAPA System is an online workflow management tool that helps companies communicate workplace improvements to their business partners, educate staff and suppliers about workplace systems, track and document the closure of audit findings, and streamline management of the corrective action process, the company says. The CAPA System makes data centralized and easily viewable, provides real-time status reports, and keeps corrective actions on track, it adds.

• Underwriters Laboratories Inc., 333 Pfingsten Road, Northbrook, Ill. 60062; 847/272-8800; ul.com.

Fuel-based GPS tracking

Zonar Systems announced the availability of a new patent-pending technology that adds fuel as a fifth dimension to the firm’s HD-GPS telematics reporting. Utilized by private and public fleets, Zonar’s vehicle telematics platforms utilize four-dimensional global positioning system (GPS) reporting based on latitude, longitude, time and odometer. With the addition of fuel as the fifth dimension, Zonar’s telematics platforms can determine sample rates based on geographical data, but also fuel consumption, the company says. Employing Zonar’s patent-pending technology, fleets now will be able to easily identify the routes and lanes in which their vehicles are the most and least fuel efficient, the company says. The GPS sampling density increases when fuel consumption increases and relaxes when fuel consumption decreases or is relatively static. In addition to five-dimensional data sampling, Zonar’s telematics platforms transmit engine fault codes and verified electronic vehicle inspection data in real time. This information alerts maintenance personnel to potential service events and provides the ability to remotely diagnose vehicles in the case of a malfunction, according to Zonar. All of the data captured is available instantly through Zonar’s secure Web-based Ground Traffic Control (GTC) fleet management portal. GTC presents the data via dashboards and traditional reporting and also employs push technology to send alerts via text message, e-mail and screen pop-ups to notify the proper personnel when a vehicle or driver is performing outside acceptable parameters.

• Zonar Systems, 18200 Cascade Ave. South, No. 200, Seattle, Wash. 98188; 877/843-3847; zonarsystems.com.

Voice pick solution

CTG released a new version of its voice technology solution, CTGTalk 4.0. This release allows the solution to be managed using smartphones, tablets, mobile devices and desktop computers. CTGTalk uses active environment adaptation, a specialized voice technology developed by CTG Logistics that monitors and automatically adapts to diverse noise environments, the company says. The product also adds centralized storage of user preferences allowing workers to use any CTGTalk-enabled device in the facility regardless of the device manufacturer. The updates result from customer feedback demanding technology integrations that improve productivity of existing workforces and use established best practices, according to CTG. Multi-modal devices allow voice, scanning and RFID solutions into the picking processes for manufacturing and distribution sectors.

• CTG North America, 800 Delaware Ave., Buffalo, N.Y. 14209; 716/882-8000; ctg.com.

Space saver

In an effort to help railroad companies remove movable bulkheads, Paylode has engineered the Rail Bulkhead Spacer. Paylode’s reusable Rail Bulkhead Spacer fills longitudinal voids in railcars, absorbing as much as 41,000 pounds of force without crushing, the company says. Manufactured from lightweight and rigid polyethylene, it weighs 55 pounds, making it easier for handling and faster loading, it adds. Additionally, it has a service life of more than seven years. It typically is configured as two interlocking units snapped together and is often combined with Paylode’s Void Panels and airbags to prevent destructive load shifting caused by longitudinal and lateral forces as well as harmonic vibrations inside railcars. The modular Rail Bulkhead Spacer is ideal for any load pattern for applications where moveable bulkheads are common, including beverages, the company says.

• Paylode, 200 South Friendship Drive, New Concord, Ohio 43762; 877-421-2914; paylode.com.

Reusable rollers

Elite Roller Manufacturing introduced its patented steel can trough and return idlers, which include two tapered roller bearings in each hub — four in each idler. In addition to lasting as much as three times longer than traditional two-bearing designs, Elite Roller’s design is able to withstand more severe applications than traditional rollers, the company says.  Made with universal shafts, these products fit any manufacturer’s brackets. The Elite design also allows the re-use of the axle assembly, yielding a significant savings versus replacing entire idler assemblies, according to the company.  Because no welding is needed on the idler assembly, any damaged parts can be replaced in minutes.  Rollers can be refurbished at a fraction of the price of new ones, with 90 percent of the materials reused, it says. Elite Rollers are available in diameters of 5, 6 and 7 inches with standard shell thickness of three-sixteenths or one-quarter inch.  Standard rollers include three-quarter-inch bearings, while heavy duty rollers are equipped with 1- and one-quarter-inch bearings. They are available for belt widths of 18 to 96 inches, with an optional polyurethane coating.  An inner support tube ensures that hubs are independent of each other for smoother operation and longer life, the company says.  Stainless steel shafts also are available for corrosive applications.

• Elite Roller Manufacturing, 4286 Wade Mill Road, Fairfield, Ohio 45014; 513/738-3000; eliterollermanufacturing.com.

Screening system

Available globally, Celsis offers its Celsis AutoSampler, a high-throughput robotic sampling unit for the Celsis Innovate rapid microbial screening system for the dairy and beverage industries. By automating the few manual processes used in the Celsis rapid detection process, each AutoSampler enables companies to test as many as 500 samples an hour while reducing human error, according to the company. The AutoSampler integrates with the Innovate luminometer instrument, software and Celsis RapiScreen reagents to deliver a rapid microbial system that is rugged and easy to use with detection sensitivity, it adds. The Innovate system provides manufacturers with microbial test results in as few as 48 hours, enabling them to release product to market faster as well as shorten production cycles and enable operational savings, the company says. The AutoSampler, which carries the Conformité Européenne (CE) mark, can take as many as 500 reproducible samples an hour from pipettable sample sizes of ultra-high-temperature/extended-shelf-life packaged products, it explains. Samples are automatically pipetted into microtiter plates, which are bar-coded for fast identification and then analyzed by the Celsis Innovate instrument. Sample data is transferred to the Innovate.im software, which can be fully integrated with local laboratory information management systems.

 • Celsis – The Americas, 600 W. Chicago Ave., Suite 625, Chicago, Ill. 60654; 800/222-8260; celsis.com.