Taking its customer-centric approach from the exhibit halls to the conference rooms, PMMI, the Reston, Va.-based organizers of Pack Expo 2011, announced the session lineup for Pack Expo 2011.


Taking its customer-centric approach from the exhibit halls to the conference rooms, PMMI, the Reston, Va.-based organizers of Pack Expo 2011, announced the session lineup. Pack Expo 2011 is scheduled to take place Sept. 26-28 at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas.

Creating a customer-centric conference
“PMMI’s customer-centric approach to the Pack Expo tradeshow is resulting in an event that feels tailored to attendees’ specialties,” says Maria Ferrante, vice president, education and workforce development for PMMI. “The conference program is an opportunity to take that approach even further. We’re partnering with no fewer than five leading industry organizations to develop programming that speaks to professionals in those areas.”

Conference partners come from a variety of disciplines and viewpoints within processing and packaging:
•    The Alliance for Innovation & Operational Excellence (AIOE)
•    Converting & Package Printing (CPP)
•    The Institute of Packaging Professionals (IoPP)
•    The International Society of Beverage Technologists (ISBT) and
•    The Reusable Packaging Association (RPA)

Consumer packaged goods’ participation strengthens programming
“This year’s program is much different and one of the strongest I can remember,” says Ferrante, noting a lineup that includes topics such as sustainability, food safety, the Food Safety Modernization Act, serialization and project management. “Our partners played a large part in that, as did some of their members, many of whom are from major consumer packaged goods companies (CPGs).”

These CPGs include:
•    Coca-Cola
•    ConAgra Foods
•    General Mills
•    Kellogg Co.
•    Land O’Lakes, Inc.
•    Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc.
•    Procter & Gamble
•    Smithfield Foods

Below is the complete conference program, as of July 18.
Monday, Sept. 26
9-10 a.m.
M01 - IOPP: Innovate for Positive Results on Costs and Profits
Speakers: Craig Sawicki, chief creative officer, TricorBraun; Ernie Groeb, president/CEO, Groeb Farms

Value relates to both the cost of something and its importance. In this presentation, explore a real-life example of the benefits of innovative packaging. Key takeaways will answer the following points: Why is good design an important basis for a value-added package? How can there be a resolution of the tension between innovation and cost savings? How should collaboration take place?

M06 – AIOE: Real World Project Management: A Cross Industry Perspective on Best Practices in Managing Complex Projects – Part 1
Speakers: Keith Gibbs, corporate manager of technical services, commissioning, qualification and construction quality programming, Yonkers Industries; Dave Konak, director of engineering, engineering and facility planning, Pfizer Global Manufacturing; John Honey, associate director, facilities engineering, Genentech, Inc.

Whether you’re managing capital projects in the food and beverage or confection industries, the drivers and issues that make projects complex are consistently represented. This session will look at case study examples and project management best practices on how to plan and execute successful projects through highly interactive exercises that focus on managing scope, schedule, budget, quality and safety.

Topics will explore effective work breakdown structure development, managing communication, documentation and project execution planning activities, as well as the individuals and teams tasked with executing that project. The session will also focus on risk management, schedule management, quality risk management and cost management from concept through commissioning and qualification.

M11 – CPP: Considerations to Further Lean and Sustainability Initiatives in the Converting Environment
Speaker: Bill Denizen, general manager, Smyth Companies, LLC

Packaging and label converters are continuously looking for ways to make their businesses more profitable, efficient and green. Lean manufacturing techniques have become more widely accepted and are a critical part of achieving these goals. This session will provide personal accounts from packaging and label converters who have implemented lean and sustainability initiatives in their facilities to enhance their production environment. Equipment and consumable providers will also discuss technology advancements available today, which make attaining these lean goals even more achievable.

M17 – ISBT: Introduction to Beverage Packaging
Speaker: Michelle Parikh, senior engineer, Materials Engineering and Packaging, LLC

The mission of the Packaging Technology Technical Committee of the ISBT is to provide guidance on voluntary standards, specifications and technologies for the packaging and closure manufacturers and end users of the beverage industry. The Packaging Technical Committee will present an introduction to the world of beverage packaging. This course will review the domestic and international package mix. Participants will learn for each package category the terminology, key performance criteria and recommendations for handling and distribution from best practices and standards in use around the world.

10:15-11:15 a.m.
M07 – AIOE: Real World Project Management: A Cross Industry Perspective on Best Practices in Managing Complex Projects – Part 2
Speakers: Keith Gibbs, corporate manager of technical services, commissioning, qualification and construction quality programming, Yonkers Industries; Dave Konak, director of engineering, engineering and facility planning, Pfizer Global Manufacturing; John Honey, associate director, facilities engineering, Genentech, Inc.

Whether you are managing capital projects in the food and beverage or confection industries, the drivers and issues that make projects complex are consistently represented. This session will look at case study examples and project management best practices on how to plan and execute successful projects through highly interactive exercises that focus on managing scope, schedule, budget, quality and safety.

Topics will explore effective work breakdown structure development, managing communication, documentation and project execution planning activities, as well as the individuals and teams tasked with executing that project. The session will also focus on risk management, schedule management, quality risk management and cost management from concept through commissioning and qualification.

M12 – RPA: Reusables 101 – Phase Two Concept Acceptance – Part 1
Speaker: TBD

Part two of a four-part curriculum being developed by the Reusable Packaging Association to help end users make more informed decisions about moving to reusable packaging solutions in the supply chains. Part one was presented during Pack Expo International 2010.

11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
M03 – IOPP: Packaging Line Layout – Answering the Pertinent Questions
Speaker: John Henry, president, Changeover.com

Success or failure of a packaging line design depends on the designer having the right information, which is attainable only by asking the right questions. This presentation will discuss some of the questions that must be addressed early in the design process, such as facility space, workforce issues and required line capacity. Other areas of discussion: Why all departments, including package design, materials/purchasing, quality, engineering, manufacturing and others, need to be involved from the very beginning? In addition, it will discuss the impact of package design on line design and some simple questions to ask to avoid expensive and unnecessary complications, as well as the need-to-know capabilities of existing packaging line equipment before locking in package design.

M13 – RPA: Reusables 102 - Implementing a Sustainable Reusable Transport Packaging System
Speaker: TBD

Part two of a four-part curriculum being developed by the Reusable Packaging Association to help end users make more informed decisions about moving to reusable packaging solutions in the supply chain. Part one was presented during Pack Expo International 2010.

M19 – IOPP: The Importance of Non-destructive Package Testing
Speaker: Oliver Stauffer, international business development manager, PTI Inspection Systems

This session will explore package-inspection technologies and options that are available for non-destructive testing. Subject matter will address the advantages and benefits of implementing a non-destructive inspection method, focusing on the issues of cost, test method (subjectivity versus hard data), sampling and market trends in the food industries.

12:45–1:45 p.m.
M04 – AIOE: Update on the Food Safety Modernization Act and What Some CPG Companies Are Doing To Comply With It
Speaker: Leon Bruner, senior vice president, scientific and regulatory affairs and chief science officer, Grocery Manufacturers Association

It's safe to say that the new Food Safety Modernization Act is a work in progress. In this session, hear the latest on requirements, guidance, regulations, foreign supplier verification and more. Also hear from some CPG manufacturers on how they are trying to stay ahead of the curve as the FSMA continues to take shape.

M14 – CPP: The Cost of Sustainability
Speaker: Giancarlo Caimmi, commercial director, Nordmeccanica; Guido Kollbach, technical director, Henkel

Sustainability may involve investments on new equipment and new technologies, but can also be an aggravation in costs for the converter. In almost every case, sustainability can be regarded as a significant saving in production costs. Energy saving in machinery is, at the same time, a sustainable approach and a cost savings: energy efficient equipment will pay back for the extra cost very quickly and will generate savings for its entire life. On the other end, adhesive formulation can help in many different ways to reduce pollution, waste and energy consumption. A variety of alternative solutions for sustainability in machinery, process and adhesives will be discussed with real life examples.

M20 – IOPP: The Five Faces of Innovation: Integrating from Concept to Customer
Speaker: Dan Balan, president, Intraqq Inc.

The challenge for companies is integrating their multiple perspectives of innovation. This is why we need a framework, one that clearly integrates concept to customer. The “five faces of innovation” is a new platform and framework for innovation.

2–3 p.m.
M05 – AIOE: Food Safety Guidelines: Process Validation In Low-Moisture Foods
Speaker: David Anderson, food safety manager, Del Monte Foods; Lisa Lucore, manager, food safety, W.K. Kellogg Institute

The AIOE Product Safety Solutions Group is developing guidelines for process validation in the manufacture of low-moisture foods to ensure the continued production of safe, quality food. In this session, PSSG team members (manufacturers, suppliers and food safety experts) will present the latest results of their project.

M15 – IOPP: Sustainable Packaging: What's Next?
Speaker: Scott Vitters, sustainable packaging director, The Coca-Cola Co.

Coca-Cola is at the leading edge of sustainability and packaging. This discussion will outline where Coca-Cola and the packaging industry are heading on the sustainability front, and offer ideas on how to leverage sustainable packaging to drive future business success.

M21 – IOPP: The Perfect Ingredients for Packaging Innovation
Speaker: Ronald deVlam, chief executive officer and global managing partner, Webb deVlam

This session will discuss the approach of being design/branding oriented, including areas such as where to draw inspiration from and using the brand, business and consumer as a platform for innovation.

3:15–4:15 p.m.
M16 – AIOE: Going “Green”: From Should to Good
Speaker: Bill Statelman, manager, corporate packaging engineering, Interbake Foods; Shankar Rama, director, business consulting, consumer products and retail, Siemens PLM Software; Bill Gill, assistant vice president, Smithfield Foods

CPG companies vary considerably in where they currently are on their sustainability journey. Whether you’re just beginning or looking to improve your journey, there are some key lessons learned to help you avoid potholes along the way. In this session, hear from a panel of manufacturers on how to build a top-notch sustainability program with few resources.

Tuesday, Sept. 27
9–10 a.m.
T01 – AIOE: Workforce Development: Are Competency Models The Way To Go?
Speaker: TBD

More and more, leading consumer products companies are expanding their view of manufacturing competency well beyond just technical training to include business acumen, culture building and leadership. These competency models allow workers to develop multiple skill sets necessary for fueling the industry’s future competitiveness. In this session, team members from the AIOE Workforce Development Solutions Group will share just how their companies are leveraging competency models to create a more robust workforce and improve their operations.

T06 – IOPP: Packaging HACCP: What to Expect from a Supplier, and How Suppliers Can Initiate a Sustaining Program
Speakers: Suzanne Matuszewski, global sustainability and regulatory compliance manager, Graham Packaging; Barry Novak, packaging manager, Quality & Regulatory Compliance

Learn the basics of HACCP (Hazards Analysis and Critical Control Points) and who should use it and why. This presentation will include a discussion of HACCP models and approaches, walking attendees through an HACCP model overview developed by IoPP’s Food Safety Alliance for Packaging Technical Committee.

T11 – RPA: Managing and Protecting your Reusable Packaging Assets - Part 1
Speaker:  TBD

This session is designed to help end users of reusable packaging to understand the issue of product loss and to develop and better manage their valuable reusable resources. From a simple paper-and-pencil accounting system to complex RFID solutions, managing reusable assets is an important part of the supply chain system. This session will feature an end-user panel and additional “best practices” to help users deal with the theft or loss of assets.

T16 – CPP: Choosing UV/EB – What Printers Say
Speaker: Don Duncan, director of research, Wikoff Color Corp.

Hear the reasons different printers chose to implement UV or EB technology, based on their comments made during interviews. The basis for the choices include waste management, response time, pressroom flexibility and issues concerning food packaging. Also hear about advantages and disadvantages of different ink chemistries for both lithographic and flexographic printing.

10:15–11:15 a.m.
T02 – IOPP: Compensation – Providing the Value that Justifies the Money
Speaker: Dennis Gros, president, Gros Executive Recruiters

This lively and engaging session will bring to life the statistics revealed by the annual IoPP salary survey of packaging professionals. Where and how are they providing the value that employers want, and how are they justifying their salaries?

T07 – AIOE: Product Security in Today’s Challenging Global Manufacturing Environment
Speaker: Rana Saoud, special agent/program manager, outreach and training unit, National IPR Coordination Center, Department of Homeland Security; Matthew Rhodes, Procter & Gamble

There are numerous challenges facing CPG manufacturers today, especially sustainable sourcing, counterfeiting and economic adulteration. In this session, a panel of manufacturers, suppliers and regulatory experts will address these and other similar challenges and share some of their best practices in assessing and managing the risk associated with each.

T12 – RPA: Managing and Protecting your Reusable Packaging Assets - Part 2
Speaker: TBD

This session is designed to help end users of reusable packaging to understand the issue of product loss and to develop and better manage their valuable reusable resources. From a simple paper-and-pencil accounting system to complex RFID solutions managing your reusable assets is an important part of your supply chain system. This session will feature end-user panel and additional “best practices” to help users deal with the theft or loss of assets.

T17 – CPP: Using Offline Finishing to Enhance the Converting Workflow
Speaker: Michael D’Angelo, vice president, Business Unit Web Feed, Bobst Group, North America, Inc.; Natalie Menzies-Spradlin, vice president, Ample Industries; Pallavi Joyappa, director of operations, Emerals Packaging, Inc.

Offline finishing has become more and more important to converters, with high-quality, finished rolls critical to profits and securing future business. Technologies in finishing systems have undergone significant advancements in control systems and web management capabilities, making them an even more critical piece in the converting environment. This session will provide insights from narrow- and mid-web label and packaging converters into how they have utilized offline finishing to better enhance the print workflow. Finishing system suppliers will also be on-hand to provide technology updates.

11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
T03 – PMMI U: The Power of Blended Learning: Integrating Online and Traditional Training for Real Results
Speakers: Carrie Robb, human resources manager, learning and development, Estee Lauder Cosmetics Ltd.; Tanja Gostic, engineering supervisor, Estee Lauder Cosmetics Ltd.

Combining the power of consistent, repeatable online courses with highly effective classroom learning engages learners and produces tangible results on the manufacturing floor. Participants will hear a case history of one company who is successfully implementing a blended learning approach using e-learning courses in conjunction with their own in-house training and are seeing results on the plant floor.                

T08 – IOPP: Understanding Third-Party Auditing Certification
Speaker: Tim White, vice president, quality, Berry Plastics

This session will focus on third-party food safety packaging auditors and lend meaning and value to the abbreviations they use: GFSI, SQF, BRC, FSSC, ISO. Who is behind them, and what do you need to know to comply and make the best food safety assessment?

T13 – AIOE: Sustainability: Tracking Gate-to-Gate From The Point Of Manufacture Upstream
Speaker: Jarod Cook, director, environmental services, Del Monte Foods; Bill Snow, technology group manager, SPX Flow Technology; Lisa Shambro, executive director, Foundation for Strategic Sourcing

Consumer products companies are frequently asked by retailers to comply with sustainability scorecards to help ensure “green” practices and satisfy consumer demand for “green” products. In turn, these CPG companies are looking upstream to their suppliers to do the same. In this session, team members from AIOE’s Sustainability Solutions Group will share findings from their research into just what some manufacturers and suppliers are doing to meet their “green” requirements and push “green” manufacturing even further upstream.

T18 – CPP: UV/EB for Food Packaging - Can/Should/Must We?
Speaker: Don Duncan, director of research, Wikoff Color Corporation

UV and EB printing technology for food packaging is a white-hot issue in 2011. With the discovery of some UV ink residues in food, which was found in Europe a few years ago, more governmental activity, in the form of regulations and more active interest, has been a great concern to printers. Large consumer product companies also have taken an active stance, sometimes in the absence of complete information, to produce lists of acceptable and unacceptable ink raw materials for food packaging. Here’s a balanced view of all the issues.

12:45–1:45 p.m.
T04 – PMMI U: Closing the Skill Gap – Finding, Training and Retaining the Right Workers for Your Operations
Speaker: Keith Campbell, Campbell Management Services LLC

Hiring, training and retaining the right employees with the right technical skills can be a challenging and often costly investment. Learn about industry resources designed to help develop your workforce. This session will discuss the role PMMI’s Mechatronics Certificates have in promoting skill standards required in today’s manufacturing environment as well as a model being developed within the state of Pennsylvania on how the work being done there can apply across North America.

T09 – IOPP: Food Safety and Packaging: The Hazards, Recalls and New Strategies
Speaker: Kimberly Harvey, senior director, global packaging quality and sustainability, Kellogg Co.; Wynn Wiksell, packaging quality/regulatory operations manager, General Mills

Topics TBD.

T19 – ISBT: Introduction to Beverage Processing
Speaker: Suneet Khanna, engineering manager, Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc.

The mission of the Beverage Processing Technical Committee is to share the basics/best practices of beverage processing industry, review new/traditional processing techniques, assemble standard guidelines and provide global specifications. In this introduction, the Beverage Processing Technical Committee will present fundamentals of beverage processing. The course will review the process - functions, options and some definitions. Handling of major raw materials for beverages such as water pre-treatment and purification, HFCS receiving and storage and super sack unloading and liquefication. Participants will also learn basics of pasteurization and ingredients blending.

2–3 p.m.
T05 – AIOE: Core Metrics That Make Operational Reliability Reliable
Speaker: Peter Hock, senior director of continuous improvement, ConAgra Foods; Mark Hanley, asset reliability manager, Land O’Lakes, Inc.

There is considerable quantity and variability in metrics used by CPG companies to measure operational reliability making product-to-product, company-to-company and plant-to-plant comparisons difficult. The AIOE Operational Reliability Solutions Group is working on guidelines for using a core set of metrics to enable more meaningful comparisons and improving overall efficiency. In this session, a team of ORSG members (manufacturers and suppliers) will present results of their work-to-date.

T10 – IOPP: Required Packaging GMPs (Pre-Requisite Programs): One Voice from the CPG Companies
Speakers: Suzanne Matuszewski, global sustainability and regulatory compliance manager, Graham Packaging; Tim White, vice president, quality, Berry Plastics Co.

Good manufacturing practices are an essential component of any approach to food packaging, but many individual companies have separate learnings. This presentation aggregates those best practices into a solid prerequisite program. Areas to be covered include quality systems policies, traceability and recall, pest control, documentation and record control, allergen awareness, foreign materials and defect control, process control, line clearance, cleaning and sanitation, preventative maintenance and more.

T20 – IOPP: Responsible Packaging by Design Process Guide
Speaker: Ed Church, president, International Safe Transit Association
The International Safe Transit Association created a process to provide a voluntary standard with a detailed approach to package design that will have a direct impact on reducing product damage and improving the environmental performance of the packaging value chain for packaging professionals.

The design protocol will provide a logical, sequential, step-by-step process for creating a package that meets the objectives of sustainability. It is intended to be “LCA and LCT driven,” and assesses the packaging in the context of the product and its functional role, which includes all three packaging levels:
•        Primary or consumer unit packaging
•        Secondary or merchandizing unit packaging
•        Tertiary or transport packaging
 
This session will review the steps, starting with establishing the scope and finishing with implementation steps for the new design.

T21 – IOPP: Meet the Press
Speakers: TBD

A cross-section of editors in the packaging press will discuss and invite audience participation on trends and topics of importance to packaging professionals today.

Wednesday, Sept. 28
10:15–11:15 a.m.
W02 – IOPP: What’s Coming Down the Packaging Pike?
Speaker: Pat Reynolds, vice president/editor, Packaging World magazine

This session will look at a variety of trends and technologies. For starters, there’s Manufacturing 2.0, the emergence of a manufacturing scene in which real-time data lets CPG companies respond to demand signals from the marketplace rather than filling warehouses in the hope that the marketplace needs product “soonish.” What about sustainable packaging, where biopolymers have become the fair-haired boy? Personalized packaging is an emerging concept driven by Walmart’s belief that the days of one-size-fits-all packaging are gone. How will eye-tracking technology, digital printing and printed electronics change the packaging landscape? It will also touch on emerging technologies like in-pack microwave pasteurization, electron-beam sterilization and pulsed-light sterilization. These technologies offer food and beverage marketers a host of shelf life, nutrition and sustainability advantages over current best practices.

11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
W03 – IOPP: The Mobile Moment of Truth: Packaging, Retail & the Engaged Customer
Speaker: David Luttenberger, vice president/packaging strategist, Global Packaging Advisory Service, Iconoculture

Armed with increasingly intuitive and apped-out mobile devices, consumers have gone from passively absorbing mobile content to actively pursuing deeper interaction at retail and beyond. As a result, packaging has emerged as a primary connection point between brands and the engaged consumer experience. Power brands of the future must rise to the mobile marketing challenge and tap these quick response technologies in tandem with packaging design and marketing to engage with the empowered, inquisitive and ever-mobile consumer. Key takeaways from this session will include a deep and clear overview of quick-response codes/tags and how brands and retailers are using them, live demonstrations and best-in-class examples of mobile tagging of packaging and originally developed rules of engagement for mobile marketing for packaging.

12:45–1:45 p.m.
W04 – IOPP: Trends in Contract Packaging and the Drivers Behind Them
Speaker: Chris Nutley, board director, Contract Packaging Association

Where and how is the contract packaging industry continuing to grow? Who is using contract packagers, and what new strategies are they employing? Product manufacturers considering using contract packaging for the first time or deciding whether to increase their use of contract packaging services can learn the need-to-knows in this highly informative presentation.

For Pack Expo exhibitor and attendee information, travel arrangements, airfare discounts, registration links and more, go to www.packexpo.com.