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Students study secrets
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Manufacturing News Center
Four week schedule takes in 17 presentations and visits in hectic
programme for packaging professionals of the future
UK/August 30, 2003/ -- Michigan State University, acknowledged as a
world centre for packaging education, has recently held its Summer School
in the UK. It included 17 presentations by packaging experts as well
as site visits to give an insight into the workings of some of Britain’s
top packaging businesses.
“An excellent opportunity to gather knowledge which will stand them
in good stead for their careers, wherever in the world they may find
themselves in the future,” was the comment from UK co-ordinator, Keith
Barnes, of packaging consultancy Packform Ltd who welcomed the visitors
with a talk on packaging trends and some of the innovations currently
entering the market.
Michigan State University is one of the largest in the USA with more
than 43,000 students and a seven mile long main campus. The Packaging
Summer School students were accompanied on the visit by Professor Theron
(Tee) Downes. Throughout a very busy itinerary, the visitors were set
a wide range of projects designed to stretch their creativity and understanding
of the role and functions of packaging.
Expert presentations included:
- Kevin Vyse who described the far-reaching impacts of the use of advanced
virtual-reality imaging on the design and development of packaging
- Roy Dixon dealt with the special characteristics of retail packaging
including contrasts between retailing packaging in the UK and the USA
- Dr Walter Lewis of the Faraday Partnership at Leeds University described
the pace of innovation which will drive the packaging of the future
- Sean Fortune of design consultancy Siebert Head, gave a thought-provoking
case study demonstrating the critical decision making steps along the
path to the final agreed pack design
- David Jago of Mintel gave an insight into how their GNPD market research
facility is helping assess packaging trends around the globe.
In addition, the Summer School made twelve site visits where they witnessed
many packaging development and production processes including visits to:
- PIRA at Leatherhead where Nick Kernoghan, PIRA Business Manager described
and demonstrated the extensive laboratory and testing facilities.
- The Paper Trail, Academy of Print and Paper, on the former John Dickinson
site at Hemel Hempstead which covered the art and science of paper making
from the earliest days to the latest experimental processes.
- The Britvic Bottling plant at Beckton, East London to witness high
speed filling of some of Britain’s most popular drink brands
- Glaxo Smith Kline at Maidenhead including a tour of the advanced tube
filling, pump packs and mouthwash production facilities for toothpaste
brands such as MacLeans and Aquafresh
- Sealed Air, Kettering – a US owned company known by many of the students
– where the visit ranged from bubble wrap production to the protection
development unit.
- Field Packaging, Boxmore – a talk on the stages of carton production
followed by a tour of the printing & cutting, creasing and gluing lines.
- Amcor Flexibles, Ilkeston – very large scale blown film packaging
production, including printing, laminating and de-metallising.
- Rexam Glass, Barnsley – taking in 1700°C furnaces, 900°C blowing machinery
and 600°C annealing ovens and finishing with the “cool end” quality
checking, packing, printing and palletising.
- David S Smith, Ashton Corrugated, Clay Cross – an expansive tour of
a large scale producer from origination through corrugator, printing,
cut and creasing, palletising and despatch.
- Masterfoods–Pedigree Petfoods, Melton Mowbray – from incoming meat
products through canning, sealing, retorting, labelling and packing
with most processes highly automated and quality controlled.
- Boots pharmaceuticals production including blister form / pack lines,
tablets in tubs, sterile packing for eye drops and a glimpse of tablet
pressing. The visit also took in a 30,000 pallet, highly automated,
robotic warehouse and picking for shop delivery.
The final day of the visit saw the students visit the Headquarters of
the Institute of Packaging in Melton Mowbray in Leicestershire where Head
of Education, Gordon Stewart set a challenging and mind-bending project
which was won by a solution for packaging Viagra in the year 1880 in Dodge
City! At the end of the project, John Webb-Jenkins awarded certificates
to mark both the end of the Summer School and the considerable effort
put in throughout the four weeks by all of the students.
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Source: The
Institute of Packaging,
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