Drinktec 2013, which took place Sept. 16-20 in Munich, attracted 66,886 visitors from 183 countries, representing a 14 percent increase in attendance compared with drinktec 2009. Of these visitors, 62 percent traveled from countries outside of Germany, with 16 percent of the total visitors traveling from the United States.
Many visitors at the show flocked to the Innovation Flow Lounge, which attracted approximately 800 visitors throughout the show. The lounge served as a dedicated forum for marketing themes at drinktec, including presentations from industry experts in beverage marketing and packaging.
At the show, 1,445 exhibiting companies represented drinktec 2013’s key themes of energy saving, variety, flexibility and safety. Below are some highlights from exhibiting companies:

American Holt, Norwood, Mass., highlighted its portfolio of aftermarket parts for Angelus, Bekum, Carmichael, Continental Can, Crown, Elmar, KHS, Krones, Nissei, Procomac, Sidel, Simonazzi and Solbern machines for the beverage industry.

Ball Corp., Broomfield, Colo., introduced several new can designs at the show. Highlighting its special-effect color and finishing capabilities, the company demonstrated its Sunlight Effect invisible ink that reveals a message in the presence of ultraviolet (UV) light, its Silk & Shine combination of high-gloss and matte printing for a tactile effect, and its Neon Effect coloring for beverage cans. Also for can customization, Ball now offers a two-stage Digital Window printing process that enables the production of 36 individually designed cans in one production run. Through this process, the printing equipment first produces the 33- or 55-centiliter (cl) aluminum cans the usual way but leaves a “window” blank. This window is later customized in the second step of the printing process to create a unique can design, the company explains. The company also featured the new longneck version of its Impact Bottle and its new Easy Flow can end with an additional air vent under the tab that can be pierced by the consumer to facilitate air flow and reduce glug, it says. In terms of new sizes, Ball unveiled its B-Can, which is made of 50 cl aluminum and is 5 percent lighter than a standard beverage can body, as well as its new XL can in 32-ounce and 946-ml sizes, and its 35.5 cl Sleek can. For built-in beverage can accessories, the company also debuted its Magic Straw, a labeled drinking straw that emerges from a beverage can when opened. This add-on offers more advertising space and reduces spills and contamination by shrinking the size of the beverage can opening, it says.

BASF, Florham Park, N.J., offered samples of its B Caffeinated functional dairy beverage with caffeine, B vitamins and Lamequick CE 7203, which provides aeration and a creamy mouthfeel; B Energized functional water beverage with B vitamins, to help reduce fatigue and contribute to normal energy-yielding metabolism, and apocarotenal 2 CWD, which provides clear, vibrant coloration; and Pure Taste, Clean Tea beverage featuring tea concentrates treated with the Divergan processing aid to maintain clarity and flavor.

As a first-time presenter at drinktec, Bell Flavors & Fragrances, Northbrook, Ill., demonstrated its expertise in new beverage concepts and offered tastes of maltless malt drinks, lemonades, and cucumber-flavored bitter tonic infusions.

Beneo, Morris Plains, N.J., offered samples of a strawberry-flavored fermented rice drink and a vanilla-flavored rice milk featuring its Nutriz non-dairy, rice-based concentrates and powders for beverages. It also offered tastes of a fruit juice drink, ready-to-drink (RTD) coffee, and a chocolate-flavored fiber shake featuring Palatinose, a low-glycemic carbohydrate, as well as samples of a chocolate-flavored fiber shake and an RTD coffee featuring its prebiotic fibers inulin and oligofructose.

Brewers Association, Boulder, Colo., announced the winners of the European Beer Star beer competition on Sept. 18 at the show. Twenty-three members of its Export Development Program received 36 awards in 22 different categories.

Celanese, Irving, Texas, offered samples of beverages containing its Qorus sweetener system, which is designed to bring authentic taste profiles to reduced-calorie beverages, the company says.

DöhlerGroup, Prosser, Wash., highlighted its Natural Colors, Crystal Clear Colors and Red Brilliance coloring solutions for beverages.

DSM, Heerlen, the Netherlands, showcased the benefits of its brewing portfolio and introduced to visitors its brew masters, who talked with attendees about ways to save costs, improve processes or develop new products.
Ferrum, Houston, featured its canning and seaming capabilities, especially its New Generation and Easy Rider seaming machines.

GEA Group, Düsseldorf, Germany, highlighted its portfolio of processing technology including brewery systems, aseptic technology, cleaning technology, freeze concentration technology, filtration systems, pressure homogenizers, plate heat exchangers and centrifugal technologies.

Gebo Cermex, Norcross, Ga., unveiled its EvoFlex high-speed palletizer as well as an evolution of its VersaFilm seamless shrink-wrapper range that offers a new multi-channel shrink-tunnel for higher-quality film shrinkage and an improved reduction in energy consumption, the company says.
KHS, Waukesha, Wis., highlighted its Nature MultiPack packaging system and FreshSafe PET packages, which use a thin layer of glass within the polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottle to ensure freshness and preserve taste, the company says.

Krones, Franklin, Wis., and Micro Matic, Northridge, Calif., demonstrated the BevKeg, a 20-liter disposable PET beverage keg that begins as a preform, is filled and palletized by the customer, is tapped using a BevMate system, and then is compressed when empty for disposal.

Markem-Imaje, Kennesaw, Ga., presented its 9232 S inkjet printer for coding cans, bottles, returnable glass bottles, bricks, flexible pouches, packs and shrink-wraps with high-contrast inks. It is capable of printing 120,000 quality codes an hour, the company says. Markem-Imaje also highlighted its SmartLase laser codes, which offer 30 percent higher performance than market standards; a Tamp Blow applicator for its 22000 Series print-and-apply systems to apply labels at rates of 100 packs a minute regardless of surface or position; its 5800 high-resolution, large-character inkjet printer for printing clear, consistent text, graphics and barcodes on cases, trays and shrink-wraps; as well as its coding solutions, coding and traceability software, and customer service offerings.

Optek, Germantown, Wis., highlighted its X56 series of photometric detectors, its Control 400 series of photometric analyzers, and its Control 800 series of universal analyzers.

PakTech, Eugene, Ore., featured its portfolio of sustainable handle and applicator solutions.

Paxton Products, Cincinnati, a division of ITW Air Management, showcased its blow-off and drying solutions.
P.E. Labellers, Cincinnati, presented its portfolio of labeling machines for combination labeling, liner-less labeling, hot-melt labeling and cold-glue labeling.

Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics, Aurora, Ohio, highlighted the tubing solutions of its process systems business unit. As such, it featured its Tygon S3 B-44-3, a clear, flexible, lightweight tubing that allows for visual monitoring of flow; its range of silicone tubing that offers both taste-free and odor-free properties as well as thermal resistance; and its thermoplastic elastomer tubing, which is engineered as a long-life pump- tubing for a variety of applications.

Tate & Lyle, Decatur, Ill., offered samples of various juice drink sweetened with Tasteva, a zero-calorie stevia sweetener, or Splenda sucralose, also a zero-calorie sweetener. In addition, the company highlighted its Drop by Drop concept for sweetening beverages with Splenda sucralose in a liquid concentrate.

Teledyne Taptone, North Falmouth, Mass., showcased its TapTone 400-FSB pressure inspection machine. The new equipment is designed to accommodate conveyor heights up to 77 inches and offers reinforced side plates for extra rigidity to withstand high-pressure applications and allow for stable readings with excellent resolution, the company says.

Thonhauser, Vienna, introduced its Smart Gel instant verification cleaning system. Operators can apply Smart Gel with a spray device to hard-to-reach surfaces. The purple gel oxidizes organic residues on the surface and changes to green if it detects any impurities; otherwise, the gel remains purple, the company explains.

Vacuum Barrier Corp., Woburn, Mass., featured its Nitrodose liquid nitrogen injection systems. These systems provide precision liquid nitrogen dosing to add strength to non-carbonated beverages for lightweight packaging and to displace oxygen in the package in order to extend product shelf life, the company says.

Wild Flavors, Erlanger, Ky., highlighted multiple flavor trends at the show. It first presented some of its latest juice concepts including drinks with high juice content and its portfolio of Rainforest Alliance-certified fruit juice concentrates. Wild Flavors also presented flavor trends from around the world, including “exotic and refreshing” flavors from Brazil such as mint, guarana, acai berry and mate, and “tart malt” and “fruity sweet” flavors from the Middle East and Africa. On a formulation front, the company presented its patent-pending fermentation technology for creating non-alcohol malted beverages and fruit concentrates.

The next drinktec show will take place Sept. 11-15, 2017, in Munich.