Vacuum Barrier has provided innovative solutions to the challenges associated with handling liquid nitrogen since 1958. When industries required liquid nitrogen in large volume for modern production processes, it was Vacuum Barrier’s products and engineering that helped companies meet their requirements efficiently. Twenty years ago, Vacuum Barrier was approached to apply liquid nitrogen to Five Alive, a hot-filled beverage in an aluminum can, by Coca-Cola in Toronto. Since the introduction of PET packages, a continuing commitment to research and development in cryogen and vacuum technology has made Vacuum Barrier a leader in the field.

Vacuum Barrier’s first liquid nitrogen injection system was the Linjector, which dosed a constant stream of liquid nitrogen. As the products started to gain popularity and the lines began to get bigger and faster, Vacuum Barrier introduce the Nitrodose line of liquid nitrogen injection systems. This complete line offers a model for slower capacity lines to the highest speed PET and aseptic package lines. All of the systems are equipped with the industry’s most advanced dosing valve, which provides pure, single phase liquid nitrogen accurately at all line speeds. The necessity of precision dosing and advanced valve grew from the challenges posed by high-speed lines and lightweight packaging. With heavier weight PET packaging, pressure variations were not an issue – higher levels or pressure did not affect heavier plastic. In lighter weight material, variations could result in wrinkling or expansion beyond the material’s capacity. Additionally, Vacuum Barrier’s precision dosing allowed for a significant liquid nitrogen cost savings – 80 percent within the beverage industry – and eliminated product build up on the equipment.

Vacuum Barrier designs, engineers and manufactures its own sealed and dynamic vacuum insulated liquid nitrogen handling equipment. Nitrodose liquid nitrogen injection and inerting systems are available from Vacuum Barrier and its select group of worldwide distributors. — Vacuum Barrier Corp., Box 529, Woburn, Mass. 01801-0529; 781/933-3570; vacuumbarrier.com.

Mitsubishi Forklift Trucks introduced the FBC15N-FBC30LN N-Generation of alternating current (AC) powered electric forklift trucks. The AC-powered N-Generation forklifts are engineered with a PM-1000 AC control system featuring MOSFET and thermal technology, both of which offer an Integrated Presence System and deliver as much as a 40 percent increase in travel speeds when compared to earlier DC-powered models. Offering nine models with capacities ranging from 3,000 to 6,500 pounds, these forklift trucks are engineered to withstand challenging environments. N-Generation is outfitted with five pre-programmed performance modes. Travel speed, lift speed, acceleration rate and regenerative and auto regenerative braking are adjusted to match performance requirements. Torque and speed are controlled separately, allowing for optimum driving performance. — Mitsubishi Forklift Trucks, 2121 W. Sam Houston Parkway North, Houston, Texas 77043; 713/365-1000; mit-lift.com.

Jungheinrich Lift Truck Corp.’s EFG 110-115 series of compact electric three-wheel forklift trucks are available in three load ratings, 2,000, 2,500 and 3,000 pounds, and lift heights up to 196 inches, 216.5 inches or 171 inches. The EFG 110-115 trucks are sized for easy maneuvering in tight spaces, and provide rear-wheel drive powered by Jungheinrich’s three-phase AC technology. The cab offers a three-way adjustable seat, all-around visibility and a high roof (82.3 inches) for headroom; or for container applications, a lowered roof version (77.6 inches). Jungheinrich’s operator controls offer a automobile-style foot-pedal layout, an adjustable steering column and low-effort hydraulic power steering. — Jungheinrich Lift Truck Corp., 5701 Eastport Boulevard, Richmond, Va. 23231; 888/333-2644.

PakTech has doubled its space and personnel in order to take total system responsibility for new machine design, construction and field service. The new PakTech Applicator Department will provide all customers with proven and innovative handle application equipment. PakTech already has installed a number of its latest machine designs for customers, and will more than double the number of new machine placements in 2006. PakTech’s handles always have been manufactured in-house, but in the past PakTech outsourced work to assist with its handle applicator design and build requirement. As handle demand has grown, so has the need to provide high-speed, dependable, technologically current design, manufacture and service for the application equipment. — PakTech, 1680 Irving Road, Eugene, Ore. 97402; 541/461-5000; paktech.opi.com.

Salient Corp. and SofTechnics entered into a joint marketing agreement to provide retail customers with an integrated and complete performance management solution to leverage data warehouse information. Customers of SofTechnics’ ChainTrack.HQ will be able to further leverage their investment with Salient’s Margin Minder MAXR, part of the Margin Minder series of business performance management software. Margin Minder MAX enables store management and personnel to instantly access data warehouse information on a product, category, store, region or chain-level. This allows retail chains to make more informed pricing, promotion or distribution decisions that positively impact revenue and profitability. — Salient Corp., 203 Colonial Drive, Horseheads, N.Y. 14845; 607/739-4511; salient.com.

PolarIced Products Inc. developed Nite Owl Shots, a drink combined with a glowing shot glass that smokes with the help of dry ice. Nite Owl concentrate can be combined with the customers’ choice of alcohol to create the shot. The Nite Owl serving tray prolongs the effects of the shot glass, and has a built-in decanter and hidden volume control valve to make it easy to activate shots as needed. Nite Owl Kits include: one bottle of Nite Owl concentrate, 16 patented self-chilling shot glasses and dry-ice pellets. PolarIced also developed a Nite Owl Bomb Shot which is a two-layered shot in a nitrogen chilled shot glass. — PolarIced Products Inc., 7327 N. McKinley Ave., Kansas City, Mo. 64158; 816/781-9830; niteowlshots.com.

Graphic Packaging International as an accredited licensee by United Kingdom-based MetalFX Technology Ltd. can offer packaging that appears to move or change color when a consumer walks past. MetalFX technology is based on transparent CMYK inks. Using a flexographic press, a base of special MetalFX silver is applied to the product package, then CMYK inks are overprinted, which produces the effect of unlimited metallic colors. MetalFX includes two special features – HoloFX which makes areas of a package seem to appear and disappear like a holograph; and LiteFX, which creates the illusion of changing colors – both of which can be achieved with a greater range of color hues than traditional metallic ink printing process. — Graphic Packaging International, 814 Livingston Court, Marietta, Ga. 30067; 770/644-3000; graphicpkg.com.

FKI Logistex is now manufacturing hybrid automated-storage-and-retrieval (AS/RS) cranes in the United States at its plant in St. Louis. The company has begun manufacturing a model of its Maestro cranes. The model has undergone an engineering conversion for local manufacture. The rest of the FKI Logistex crane product line, including all of the company’s Condor units, will continue to be manufactured in the United Kingdom. Once the semi-automatic Maestro models are completed, automated versions likely will be built next, ramping up to units with different load handlers. A St. Louis-based manufacturing technical support team has been organized to provide knowledge of the new cranes. FKI Logistex cranes are used in high-bay warehouses in AS/RS applications, where they take advantage of vertical space to reduce the need for costly warehouse floor space. — FKI Logistex, 9301 Olive Blvd., St. Louis, Mo. 63132; 877/935-4564; fkilogistex.com.

A-B-C’s Model 390 case erector offers a mid-speed (30-40 cases per minute) packaging range. The erector/sealer incorporates production features of A-B-C’s high-speed models. The large, self-feeding case magazine holds as many as three stacks of cases. As each stack is used, another moves into position, maximizing time between refills. The case feed mechanism is designed to feed cases at high speeds, with dual, spring-loaded grippers that ensure feeding of warped and band-marked cases. The cases are erected by a cam-operated opening arm that erects and holds them securely as the inner flaps are folded. The outer case flaps are closed during the case transfer which, is powered by a continuous-motion main drive motor with sealed bearing linkage. The servo-operated sealing ram is controlled to enter the case and compress the flaps with precision to secure sealing during high-speed production runs. — A-B-C Packaging Machine Corp., 811 Live Oak Street, Tarpon Springs, Fla. 34689; 800/237-5975; abcpackaging.com.

Lantech developed a fully integrated RFID tag-reading capability for stretchwrappers in a collaborative effort with Exel. Q-300 semiautomatic has been integrated into a RFID-enabled order fulfillment system by Exel. The Q-300 stretchwrapper proved to be a perfect chassis for integration of RFID tag-reading hardware. The machine has a Symbol Technologies XR400RFID reader and wireless bridge mounted inside the mast, and Symbol AN400 area antennas on adjustable brackets attached to the roll carriage. With the additional read points that inter-warehouse RFID applications provide, real-time, case-level visibility is increased beyond the points of ingress and egress. Because the load rotates past the antennas multiple times during wrapping, the stretchwrapping application provides reliable and complementary read point in achieving system-level read rates. The reader is active only when the machine is wrapping, so it can’t generate false reads from a pallet on a passing forktruck. Transmission of tag data from the wrapper to the warehouse management system is wireless, so the stretchwrapper can be moved around the facility. — Lantech, 1100 Bluegrass Parkway, Louisville, Ky. 40299-2399; 800/866-0322; lantech.com.

Anderson & Dahlen Inc. opened the first test kitchen featuring PDX Sonic Technology. The new 2,500-square foot test facility in Minneapolis features fluid processing system which can homogenize, mix, heat and pump simultaneously. The system has no moving parts, can be cleaned in place and optimizes process operations. The PDX Sonic can be used to transport fluids with high solids content, entrain different materials, heat ingredients or blend recipes. The force behind PDX is a supersonic vapor flow and shockwave, generated using steam. This low-pressure energy wave can be used to transport materials and entrain or mix multiple flows. — Pursuit Dynamics PLC, 30 Old Kings Highway South, Suite 224, Darien, Conn. 203/202-2128; pursuitdynamics.com.  

Premier Merchandising, a provider of custom POS printing equipment to the beverage industry, has teamed up with Oki Data, and introduces the new Oki Data Signage edition printer. The Oki Data Signage Edition Printer offers a new and cost-effective way to custom print point of sale advertising. This quality four-color LED printer is especially designed for the beverage industry to produce custom printed cooler stickers, shelf strips, case cards, table tents and posters up to 12.9-inch by 47-inch. Premier Merchandising is offering this new printer to the market in a complete turnkey package which includes, printer, computer workstation with all software preloaded, Corel Draw Design Software, signage templates, starter pack of most commonly used materials. — Premier Merchandising LLC, 419 Century Plaza Dr., Suite 230, Houston, Texas 77073; 800/545-0392; premiermerchandising.com.

Millipore Corp. released its 2006 Beverage Products Catalogue in English, French, Spanish, German and Italian on one CD. The new CD catalogue includes information on Millipore’s microbial management solutions for beverage applications, including a comprehensive line of filters to remove microorganisms and a wide range of tools to monitor the process. Look for details on clarification and prefiltration, sterilizing-grade filtration, gas filtration, integrity testing instruments and housings as well as microbial monitoring, environmental monitoring, rapid technologies and online process monitoring tools. — Millipore Corp., 290 Concord Road, Bedford, Mass., 01730; 800/645-547673; millipore.com/bevcatalogue.

Available on all Wulftec semi-automatic and automatic stretchwrappers, Wulftec’s RFID wireless reader is attached to the machine’s film-feeding unit, allowing it to read RFID tags continuously as the pallet load rotates during the wrapping process. This increases the reliability of signal capture by 20 percent – a significant improvement over single-pass portal systems. To further minimize incorrect signal capture, the reader automatically stops when the stretchwrapper stops. — Wulftec International Inc., 209 Wulftec, Ayer’s Cliff, Quebec, Canada J0B 1C0; 819/838-4232; wulftec.com.

Jervis B. Webb Co. provides material handling solutions that increase productivity, improve product quality and provide production flexibility. As a pioneer in the development of automatic guided vehicles, Webb offers advanced solutions. From wire guidance to inertial guidance and now trailer guidance technology, Webb has a history of successful AGV installations in a variety of industrial and commercial environments. — Jervis B. Webb, 34375 W 12 Mile Road, Farmington Hills, Mich. 48331-3375; 248-553-1220; jervisbwebb.com.

MRI Flexible Packaging’s art and press departments are now fully automated. New technology has allowed MRI to decrease lead-time while increasing print quality. This is being done using an ESKO system, which communicates directly with a Digital Plate Laser Imager (CDI) and eliminates the need for negatives. CDI uses a laser to engrave the image onto the plate. This technology allows for a finer, cleaner, more consistent print on press. In addition, MRI is using a new digital proofer that provides color-accurate proofs for both the client and press departments. — MRI Flexible Packaging, 122 Penns Trail, Newtown, Pa. 18940; 800/448-8183; mriflex.com.

Emerson Process Management announces the latest release of the Rosemount Analytical Model Xmt two-wire transmitter for liquid analysis. Plants using Rosemount Analytical sensors for the measurement of pH, conductivity or amperometric measurements such as dissolved oxygen, chlorine and ozone, can use the operational and maintenance efficiencies of PlantWeb digital plant architecture when connected to the AMS Suite: Intelligent Device Manager software. Diagnostics continuously monitor sensor performance and allow remote warning of potential or imminent failure, thereby optimizing predictive maintenance and reducing costs. — Emerson Process Management, 7070 Winchester Circle, Boulder, Colo. 80301; 800/760-8119; micromotion.com.