Pack Expo/Process Expo team up to provide a bevy of new equipment and solutions for the ever-efficient manufacturer.

Pack Expo, one of the largest trade shows in North America, will team up with Process Expo from October 5-7 at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas. Converting & Package Printing Expo, which also will co-locate with Pack Expo, will showcase the latest in printing, coating, slitting and other modern finishing processes.

Andrew Abraham, vice president ofOur Own Brandsfor Supervalu stores, will be this year’s keynote speaker at Pack Expo, taking over for Mike Witynski, who was named president of Shaw’s Osco and Star Market. Abraham will challenge packaging suppliers, contract packagers and designers to bring innovative technologies and concepts to the private label sector.
 
Additionally, Doug Palmer, vice president,Our Own Brands of The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co., will provide insight into the evolution of store brands and examine evolving consumer perceptions of the market.

Palmer’s address, which will be delivered on October 5, is titled “Future of Retailer Packaging and Branding - the A&P Story,” and will explore key elements needed to launch and sustain a strong retail brand, such as quality product, innovative packaging and the brand itself. Several case studies will be cited, including the introduction of Atlantic & Pacific’sVia Romaproduct line, to demonstrate how to build value into a private brand.

“The A&P story will offer a first-hand account of how one retailer is changing consumer perception of private label with the implementation of sound branding strategy that not only differentiates the product but also attracts people to the store,” says Charles D. Yuska, president and CEO, PMMI and sponsor and producer of Pack Expo.

Closing the program on October 7 will be Steve Ryder, store design and planning director, Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market, and Kevin O’Donnell, founder, thread collaborative. The duo will provide a behind-the-scenes look at how Fresh & Easy has established itself in the United States and its commitment to engage consumers in new ways.

A sampling of the conference, which will be held in five concurrent tracks on October 5-6 and three concurrent sessions on October 7, includes digital package printing, sustainability, economics, the legal landscape, coding and material alternatives. Additionally, there will be 52 individual presentation sessions covering a broad spectrum of packaging market topics from design and branding to emerging technologies and operational issues.

Pack Expo is expected to deliver an audience of more than 21,000 purchasing decision makers representing a wide range of industry end-users, including food and beverage/wine, bakery and snack and more.

Attendees can register for the keynote addresses and the entire conference atwww.packexpo.com.Registrants who submit forms before September 24 will be charged $55 per session; after that date, and on-site, the cost will increase to $75.

At Process Expo, speakers will address food safety issues that are raising several eyebrows as to how to prepare, plan and execute when faced with recalled products.

Attendees also can learn how to increase production time while lowering cost, reduce packaging without compromising safety, lower turnover time, discover new developments in “green” and sustainable equipment and find additional sources of revenue or business-to-business contacts. Furthermore, the tradeshow will feature state-of-the-art equipment in bakery, beverage, confectionery, dairy, fruit and vegetable, meat and pharmaceutical sectors.

Additionally, it will attract buyers representing every market segment of the food industry from the United States and from more than 75 countries. Visitors come to see and purchase the latest in food processing equipment, air and liquid handling, engineering/architectural design services, cooling/freezing and instrumentation/controls.

The convention will open with a keynote speech from Jeff Wooster, senior value chain manager at Dow Chemical Co., discussing the hidden sustainability benefits of plastic packaging.

Other topics include, how digital printing plays a role in brand packaging, sustainability package case studies, introductions of high-barrier, biodegradable packaging, value-added facts and what the future has in store for the packaging industry.

Scott Lucas, executive director of packaging, North America for Interbrand, will close the convention with a discussion on building recession-proof store brands.

Interested participants will be able to visit more than 1,200 exhibitors, learn from industry experts in more than 50 conference sessions, view working demonstrations and industry innovations and attend all three shows for the price of one.

Attendees can register for the show atwww.myprocessexpo.com. Registrants who submit forms before September 24 will be charged  $30; after that date and on-site, the cost will increase to $60.