| April
2008
–
The Tradition Continues
ISTA’s tradition of producing outstanding
educational conferences continued with the 2008 Transport Packaging
Forum, held last month at Walt Disney World in Florida. Excellent
technical presen-tations, special events, exhibits, and a full schedule
of networking, social, and recreational activities made this Forum
one of the best ever.
Thanks to the Forum Sponsors for their support! Click
Here for a list and links to individual websites.
The
Program. Twenty-six presentations covered testing
protocols, distribution environment measuring, rail industry challenges,
historical perspectives, package design, usability, sustainability,
management, and much more. Links to updated papers and presentations
as well as the post-conference Q&As have been sent to all
attendees; if you attended but missed the e-mails, contact Lisa
Bonsignore at ISTA Headquarters.
CPLP
Workshops. The day before the Forum officially
started, Certified Packaging Laboratory Professional workshops
were held for both Technician and Technologist
levels. A total of 33 new CPLP certificates were earned, with
a number of people taking both classes. Click
Here for information on the CPLP program, including a list
of the new recipients and who is currently certified. Congratulations
to all CPLPs!
Technical
Council Meeting. A meeting of ISTA’s Technical
Council was held in conjunction with the Forum. Actions included
approval of editorial revisions to Procedure 3A, final approval
of the 6-Series “Member Performance Test” process,
acceptance of a new “Member Performance Test” from
Logitech, and agreement that stroke requirements be added to all
random vibration profiles in ISTA Procedures.
A first draft of ISTA 3B, a new test to simulate the Less-Than-Truckload
(LTL) environment, was reviewed and suggestions were made for
the next draft. A discussion of ISTA’s “Line Extension
Policy” clarified how it might be applied to packages for
products which, although different, have essentially the same
dynamic and other characteristics. It was agreed that ISTA Procedures
should specify fixed (not swiveling) platens for compression tests
performed with testing machines, and that compression “Compensating
Factors” should be clarified and users required to justify
the use of factors outside the recommended range.
Contact Bill
Kipp at ISTA if you would like more details on these items.
St.
Patrick’s Day, Volleyball.
 
The social and recreational activities started
with a St. Patrick’s Day “meet and greet” (some
people really got into it, as you can see -- great getup, Chip!),
followed
by a spirited and exciting volleyball tournament.
Welcome Reception.
The Forum’s opening reception is always something special.
This year’s was held at “Motions” on Pleasure
Island – featuring great food, music, games, and... a chance
to star as the fabulous Dance
Heads (participants
received a video CD of their performance)!
 
Fun
for the Family. This event is always a big hit
with kids and grownups alike. Food, crafts, and pictures with
Mickey! A good time was had by all…
Exhibits. Forty-three
organizations presented their products and services at the Exhibitors
Reception and at an Exhibitors Breakfast. With delicious food
and a relaxed atmosphere, these sessions are very conducive to
business discussions and productive networking. Click
Here for a list of the 2008 exhibitors and links to their
websites.
R. David LeButt Packaging Education
Award. Bill Armstrong of Sealed Air received this
year’s commendation, given for outstanding contribution
to the continuing education of those involved in the field of
packaging. Click
Here for information on the award and on ISTA’s Educational
Foundation.
Bill
Armstrong (with plaque), flanked by previous award recipients
Check the
Forum
website for the 2008 photo gallery, and preliminary information
about next year’s event – April 6-9, 2009 at the JW
Marriott in Summerlin, NV (near Las Vegas).
Back
to top
Unisource
is Latest Sam’s Club Program Sponsor
Unisource Worldwide has become the latest company to sponsor the
ISTA Sam’s Club program. This program, currently underway,
will assist Sam’s Club partners in improving package designs
to meet the goal of reducing packaging throughout their supply chain.
 The
project calls for ISTA to observe and measure the Sam’s Club
distribution environment, analyze the data, develop simulation packaged-product
testing procedures, and provide Sam’s Club suppliers with
technical and educational support. Several Sam’s distribution
centers have already been visited by the ISTA teams, with a good
deal of photo, video, and quantitative data taken. This work will
continue, including anticipated visits to suppliers, distribution
centers, and transportation networks in India and China.
Unisource joins Bureau Veritas, CHEP, Colgate-Palmolive, ConAgra
Foods, General Mills, Hershey’s, Kraft, and Smart Packaging
Systems as sponsors of this important work. Sponsors will be invited
to Data Review sessions, have the opportunity to test their products
in the Protocol Validation phase, participate in a Symposium on
packaging development to meet Wal-Mart sustainability goals, receive
one free registration to ISTA’s next Transport Packaging Forum,
and enjoy other benefits.
Sam’s Club Program sponsorships are still available. Click
Here for complete information on how to become a sponsor, or
directly contact ISTA’s Executive Director, Ed
Church.
Back
to top
ISTA-China
Holds Successful CPLP Workshop
On
March 29, ISTA-China conducted a Certified Packaging Laboratory
Professional workshop at the China Packaging Research & Test
Center (CPRTC) in Tianjin. It was taught in Chinese, and a Chinese-language
exam was administered. A total of 18 new certificates were awarded.
This Technician-level workshop was organized by Lu Binglin,
Li Lin and others from ISTA-China, and the instructor was Han Xueshan,
ISTA’s only CPLP-Professional outside the U.S. Registration
was held the evening before, and a welcome reception was provided
for all attendees.
Names of the new CPLP-Technicians and their affiliations
will be posted soon on the CPLP
Recipients section of the ISTA website.
Back
to top
New
Industry Publication – Pharma-Bio Transport
Pharmaceutical & Medical Packaging News has announced a new
electronic publication, focused on the safe and secure delivery
of pharmaceutical and biological products.
 Pharma-Bio
Transport will cover supply-chain ideas for healthcare, including
hazard protection, insulating and phase-change materials, desiccants,
smart labels, sensors, returnable packaging, tamper evident cases,
specialty logistics services, and many related technologies. The
premier issue (February 2008) is available by Clicking
Here.
Back
to top
Packaging
Law Forum Scheduled for June 17
Packaging World will produce Packaging Law Forum, a one-day seminar
for top management from food and beverage companies, Tuesday June
17 in Chicago. The event will address legal, regulatory and related
topics.
 Packaging
Law Forum presenters include nationally recognized experts, including
individuals from the Food and Drug Administration, Illinois Department
of Public Health, and leading intellectual property attorneys. The
seminar is designed specifically for management personnel, and will
cover a variety of topics of concern to brand owners, such as: food
security and the threat of bioterrorism; food contact materials
developments; emergencies and recalls; patents, trademarks, and
intellectual property issues; noteworthy European legal developments;
nanotechnology; and sustainability and related environmental issues.
For complete information and to register, Click
Here.
Back
to top
Keep
Up-To-Date on Procedure 3A
The
widespread and increasing use of ISTA Procedure 3A, the Parcel Delivery
System Shipment test, has generated some excellent feedback from
users regarding clarifications and editorial improvements. As a
result, 3A has been revised since being published in this year’s
ISTA Resource Book. Be sure to download and use the
current Procedure 3A (February 2008) from the ISTA website.
Up-to-date versions of all Procedures are available to ISTA members
(at no charge) through the Member
Login page of the ISTA website. Click on Procedure Search
and enter the desired Procedure designation. Non-members can purchase
Procedures through ISTA’s E-Market
(click on “E-Market” in the upper right corner of any
www.ista.org web page).
Procedure revisions are tracked and described on the ISTA website.
Click
Here to see change descriptions and current version years for
all ISTA Procedures.
Back
to top
New
at ista.org
Several
new listings have recently been added to the “Job Postings”
section of the ISTA website. This free service can be a valuable
tool for those seeking employment, and to ISTA member companies
with positions to fill.
The Job Postings section is accessible from the “Quick Clicks”
box on the ISTA home page, or by Clicking
Here to go directly to the web page.
Member organizations with job openings may post descriptions on
the ISTA website, with links to more information and/or individuals
to contact. Listings will be kept on the site for approximately
30 days, renewable upon request. E-mail Kathy
Joneson if you would like to post a job opening for your organization.
Back
to top
|
|