Forum Early Bird Registration Ends January 30th
Save $200 on Your Registration Fee and Have a Chance at Winning a Three Night Stay at the JW Marriott Resort & Spa in Las Vegas

Join us April 6-9 in Las Vegas for the next Transport Packaging Forum! The Forum provides quality presentations and case studies on the latest techniques, ideas and advancements of sustainable transport packaging and the physical distribution of products. Click here to view the entire program. You won’t want to miss this exceptional program and the valuable networking opportunities.

Win a Three Night Stay

The Early-Bird rate ends Friday, January 30th. If you register by January 30th you not only save $200 on your registration fee but your name will be included in a drawing to win a three night stay at the hotel where the Forum will be held. If you win you may use the three free nights during the Forum or at another time of your choice. Click here to check out the hotel, it's beautiful!

Exhibiting Opportunities at the Forum

The Forum provides two excellent opportunities for attendees to meet packaging suppliers, equipment manufacturers and laboratories on exhibit – an evening Exhibitor Reception and a Breakfast with Exhibitors the following morning. Exhibiting at the Forum presents an opportunity for your company to make new contacts and reinforce previous relationships. Exhibiting your products and services at the Forum will be a powerful, cost-effective and convenient way to target the transport packaging industry. Contact Meredith Dougherty at ISTA Headquarters today if you are interested in exhibiting. Booth space is limited and is assigned on a first-come basis.

Become a CPLP while Attending the Forum

CPLP workshops are an optional extra event at the Forum, providing a fast-track approach to becoming an ISTA Certified Packaging Laboratory Professional. Held before the conference officially starts, the Workshops can lead to certification as a CPLP Technician, Technologist, or both.

The Technician class will be conducted on Sunday April 5 from 8:00 to 12:30, followed by the Technologist class from 1:00 to 5:30. Each session will consist of presentation of the material, discussion, and Q&A. Lunch will be provided to all attendees between sessions. The exams will be administered on Monday morning, April 6. Although the Workshops are open to everyone, the exams can only be administered to ISTA members.

You can register for these Workshops when you register for the Forum, or sign up for them separately. Fees are $695 for one class, or $1250 for both. Discounts are available for multiple people from the same organization.

Click Here to register, or call ISTA at 517-333-3437 for assistance.

Click Here for complete information on the CPLP program.

Sam's Club Project Update

About a year ago, after the introduction of the Wal-Mart Sustainable Packaging Initiative, ISTA and Sam's Club entered into an innovative program to develop customized packaged-product performance tests. It was recognized that packaging reduction must coexist with the need to retain adequate product protection, since product waste and damage are obviously contrary to Sam's Club/Wal-Mart sustainability goals. The program called for ISTA to observe and measure the Sam's Club distribution environments, analyze the data, and develop simulation testing protocols accurately tailored to those specific environments. With a clearer understanding of the hazards of distribution, and by utilizing tailored simulation laboratory tests, Sam's Club partners can better design packages that meet the goal of packaging reduction while still ensuring adequate performance.

Much was accomplished in 2008. ISTA teams visited six different distribution centers (DCs), both import and domestic; two different overseas suppliers, one in India and one in China; seaports in India and China; and several Sam's Club stores. Operations were observed during each visit, extensive photos and videos were taken, and documentation was developed to characterize the environments. In addition, two sea containers in India and one in China were instrumented, and the entire journeys from overseas suppliers to import DCs in the U.S. were measured.

Early in January 2009, a meeting of ISTA staff, team members, and several program sponsor representatives was held in East Lansing to write a first draft of the testing protocols. This was an extremely productive three-day session, and preliminary test plans were developed reflecting the various scenarios specific to Sam's Club distribution. Once these protocols are finalized, the program will move on to actual testing validation using sponsor's products.

Sam’s Club Test Development Program sponsorships are still available from ISTA. The latest company to become a sponsor is SGS U.S. Testing. They join our other sponsors: Bureau Veritas, CHEP, Colgate-Palmolive, Color-Box, ConAgra Foods, General Mills, Hershey's, Kraft, Sealed Air, Smart Packaging Systems, and Unisource.

Exclusive Benefits to Sam’s Club Sponsors:
• Participation in the Test Protocol Validation phase utilizing your company’s products which is to start very soon.
• A live session to review, first-hand, the results of the analysis of the data collection presented by the project experts and attended by Wal-Mart representatives.
• Participation in a symposium to provide expertise in the development of packaging to meet Wal-Mart sustainability goals.
• Participation in a Webinar during the validation phase of the program.
• Opportunity to showcase case studies of successful efforts toward sustainable packaging.
• One free attendee registration to the next ISTA 2009 Transport Packaging Forum.
• Opportunities to network with ‘key’ leaders involved in sustainable packaging initiatives at various events such as the ISTA Forum, the Symposium and the Live data analysis session.

Corporate Sponsorship: $10,000
Your financial support will allow ISTA to measure and observe the Sam’s Club distribution environment, analyze the data, develop packaged-product test procedures and provide Sam’s Club suppliers with technical and educational support.

How to Sign Up as a Sponsor
You can sign up or request more information online at by clicking here or by calling Ed Church at 517-333-3437 Ext. 211.

New Rack Transport Stability Team Established
A team has formed with the focus of producing voluntary industry-wide test procedures and criteria for shipping large IT products on casters, cushioned or regular pallets, and/or shipping crates. The project goal is to improve transportation stability for products such as racks and storage systems when shipped, relocated or returned. The project may include test procedures for caster robustness, as well as static and/or dynamic stability.

If you are interested in becoming an active participant of this important project please contact either Paul Koning of ISTA (517-333-3437) or June Andersen, PhD of IBM Corporation (408-956-3419).

For more information click here.

Current Participating Team Members Include:

It's Time to Renew Your ISTA Membership for 2009
ISTA Membership dues invoices, which were mailed last November, must be paid no later than January 31 to avoid a lapse in member benefits. Easy online renewal is available to Delegates through the ISTA Member Center – CLICK HERE to login!

ISTA is one of the only international organizations that certify labs, professionals and packaged-products; providing industry recognized third-party credibility. Member packaged-products, tested by certified professionals to ISTA procedures in certified labs, are more fit to ship and they make better packages; i.e. less material, more environmentally friendly, more cost effective, and which provide adequate protection.

Your membership renewal is an investment in yourself, your company and the industry. In our continuing effort of distributing confidence, worldwide™, the ISTA Staff, Board of Directors and our many volunteers continue to work on several projects of importance to our members:
• ISTA Project 3B, a test procedure for the Less-than-Truckload environment
• Sam’s Club Project, an in-depth study of the distribution system within Sam’s Club stores worldwide, resulting in a customized test procedure
• International Transport Packaging Forum and China Symposium, our premier educational events each year
• Expansion of educational and membership development, bringing the best minds together and having expert resources from across the globe

We in the ISTA community have the absolute ability to make a difference; reducing distribution damages, improving delivered product quality, qualifying and certifying optimized sustainable packaging solutions. There are success stories waiting to be realized and we encourage your continued support of ISTA’s ongoing efforts to provide you, our members, with the tools to achieve that success.

Direct and online support to you and your company’s transport packaging challenges are readily available when you need that assistance. ISTA staff and an extensive network of fellow members are here for you during times of both uncertainty and prosperity.

Members in good standing receive a complimentary copy of the 2009 ISTA Resource Book, which will be mailed in February to member Delegates. This is a must-have reference for anyone who works in distribution, package design, testing, and damage prevention. Don't risk a loss of benefits – renew today!

Online renewal is easy. Simply login to the Member Center on the ISTA website, click Pay Dues and follow the steps. You can review the invoice as well as print a payment confirmation. ISTA accepts checks, Visa, MasterCard, American Express and wire transfers – contact Meredith Dougherty with any questions or for assistance in paying your dues.

New ISTA Test Report Forms for 2009
ISTA has updated the test report form templates for 2009, adding several new fields that will be required information. The test report forms are available to members through the online Member Center. They currently are offered in a Word for Windows format, however PDF forms will soon be made available as well.

The new test reports include all the information ISTA will be asking for starting in 2009, including the new fields of:

• Product Description – in addition to a Product Name, a detailed product description will now be required.
• Product Condition Before Testing – Noting any damage to the product prior to the start of a test.
• Package Condition Before Testing – Noting any damage or fatigue to the packaging prior to the start of a test.
• Product Condition After Testing – Noting any damage that has occurred during the testing.
• Package Condition After Testing – Noting any damage that has occurred during testing. This information, used with the Product Condition After Testing, will help the lab determine if the Package Degradation Allowance and Product Damage Tolerance criteria have been met.

Members can login to the ISTA Member Center to download the new test report forms in Word. Custom forms, created by the lab, are also accepted by ISTA, however all information requested on the ISTA test report form must also be included in the customized form. Please contact Meredith Dougherty if you have any questions! Meredith may also be reached by calling 517-333-3437 ext 217.

Advertising Opportunities in the i-News or ista views
Advertising in the ista views or i-News can help with your marketing efforts to best deliver your message to our members, your target audience. ista views is our high-quality digital publication and is published four times a year. I-News is our electronic newsletter which highlights the latest top-of-the-page news and is published eight times a year. Please contact Kathy Joneson (517-333-3437 ext. 214) to discuss these advertising options.

Click here to learn more about how the digital format of our publications provides enhanced opportunities for advertisers.