Packaging
PackBox Forum: solutions for packaging professionals
Monday 06. May 2013 - Eight well-known industry partners on board New PackBox theme: Trainees and Careers Inspiring triad of inspiration - innovation - information
It is located at the centre of exhibition activity – and can’t be missed. The PackBox in hall 4 enters its second round at FachPack 2013.
From 24-26 September, some 1,500 exhibitors (2012: 1,466) in the Exhibition Centre Nuremberg will again answer (almost) all questions on the packaging process chain. The PackBox Forum, which is dedicated to the triad of inspiration – innovation – information, promises sound and entertaining added value in terms of information exchange, knowledge transfer and networking. So the expected 37,000 packaging specialists from Germany and the neighbouring countries (2012: 36,986) have something to look forward to!
The premiere of the PackBox Forum in 2012 was a success right from the start. The unusual, stylish and open architecture not only catches the eye, but also invites visitors to enter and stay. At least, this was what the interested audience of 2,570 thought about the 34 presentations and panel discussions on the whole spectrum of products at the last exhibition. Many others also used the relaxing lounge area around the PackBox for networking, talks or simply for a quiet break over a cup of coffee or a snack.
Also on board: eight well-known industry partners
The PackBox Forum continues its success story in 2013. The players in the second round are: bayern design, Bund Deutscher Verpackungsingenieure (bdvi – Association of German Packaging Engineers), Deutsches Verpackungsinstitut (dvi – German Packaging Institute), Deutscher Flexodruck Fachverband (DFTA – German Flexographic Printing Association), the magazines PackReport and Verpackungs-Rundschau
(VR – Packaging Review), Fraunhofer-Institut für Materialfluss und Logistik (IML – Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics) and Verein zur Förderung innovativer Verfahren in der Logistik (VVL – Association for the Promotion of Innovative Logistic Processes).
3 days x 3 different themes = a variety of new ideas
The PackBox opens three theme windows every day – at 10:00, 12:15 and 14:30 – each with several concise info slots like discussions, presentations, short talks or panel discussions. The “content” of the PackBox is as extensive and varied as the range of products at the exhibition for packaging, technology, processing and logistics.
Tuesday: start the day with breakfast in the PackBox
VVL starts the first day of the exhibition well – namely with a cosy breakfast. Buttered pretzels and coffee encourage a lively chat; for example about innovations in packaging logistics. How can load units be given optimum protection against theft or damage? When does it make sense to pack in stretch film or use hooping or marking technologies? The use of auto-ID solutions in packaging logistics is another focus. RFID tags record goods and pallet electronically – “Quo vadis euro pallet?” is the title of the relevant brief presentation. VVL also deals with automatic concepts for material logistics. At midday the staff of the magazine VR Verpackungs-Rundschau take over the microphones at the PackBox Forum. A panel discussion on migration is planned with top speakers. Food is packaged in a wide range of materials of plastic, paper, cardboard and metal, which means substances can migrate from material components to the food. The discussion focuses on migration-proof materials and coating technologies. bayern design continues from this with its umbrella theme of “New positions in packaging design – groundbreaking and sustainable design as shown by brand, material and added value”. Five short statements are devoted to the widely varied facets of packaging design: e.g. its future role, the question of why real luxury is often a matter of (packaging) detail, sustainable, cross-generation design solutions or packaging design as an opportunity for small and medium enterprises.
Wednesday: between hope and reality
Packaging logistics also starts the second day at the PackBox Forum. The motto of the Fraunhofer IML theme window is “Packaging in the logistic conflict between requirement, innovation and implementation”. It begins light, smart and safe – according to the title of the first presentation on technology integration for loading aids of the future in the air cargo industry. Other themes cover the special requirements of packaging in the cooling chain and in the mail order trade, and apps for packaging logistics. The magazine PackReport then takes over with three highly interesting presentations focused on packaging design and packaging machinery: “Packaging sells brands – the importance of the packaging for the brand”, “The seven deadly sins of packaging design” and the “The Weihenstephan protocol – How packaging communicates”. The latter takes a close look at the requirements of automation solutions from the viewpoint of the users of packaging systems. DFTA has devoted the afternoon to “The packaging goes colourful”. Package printing – what’s the situation? This examines the general market requirements for package printing and the conflict between design (hope) and printing (reality). Other discussion themes include nanoparticles in packaging, biodegradable coatings and direct print or preprint.
Thursday: Careers in the packaging industry
In the PackBox at the beginning of the third day of the exhibition, dvi attempts to achieve “The balancing act between eco and cost”, i.e. the diverse requirements imposed on the packaging. Other themes include “That little something extra does the trick – possibilities for packaging using phosphates” and FSC or PEFC certification. The morning ends with the packaging highlights of the German Packaging Award 2013. bdvi takes over at midday with “High-tech packaging – packaging high-tech”. This covers topics like social media & packaging, the optimization of packaging and packaging design through software-supported evaluation, colour communication, digital fluting and punching of folding boxes. And packaging design stories will be told too. In the afternoon, the PackBox Forum is devoted for the first time to “Trainees and Careers”. Students, prospective packaging engineers, designers and logistics specialists as well as “packaging newcomers” from sectors such as mechanical engineering or economics are very welcome. Personnel consultants with experience of the industry report on exactly what packaging companies expect from their new employees – and vice versa. Here anyone toying with the idea of working for the packaging industry in future finds out more about the possibilities for training and qualifications. What are the general career prospects like for packaging experts? A current bdvi survey provides information on this. Finally, three selected bachelor and master theses will be presented by the students in a 10-minute presentation on each thesis. Here (but not only here) it should be really cosy – after all, the PackBox offers space for an audience of 200. The conference language is German.