The term “Lean production” was coined by the U.S. scholars  James Womack and Daniel Jones. In their book  (Machine That Changed the World, 1989) they have been the first ones confronting the performances achieved by  the production system of the main car producers worldwide with the ones achieved by the Japanese Toyota, through an in-deep analysis of the reasons leading to a net superiority of this latter when compared to all other competitors.

Since then, it has become an industrial philosophy that – considering the productive process in its whole – aims at minimizing every sort of waste till they are definitely annulled, wastes deriving from  correction, overproduction, motion, material movement, waiting, inventory and process. 

Practicing the  Lean Thinking  within the frame of its own company requires a radical change in the corporate culture that must begin from the top management. A challenge that the companies operating in the packaging industry accept every day. 

Lean production process requires a special attention in terms of safety, so that the elimination of wastes does not lead to increasing dangers. And about an indispensable approach based on a strict inter-dependence between the two aspects,  a subcommittee of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) of Washington has fixed some technical standards  ‘ Technical Report for Machines’ , applicable  to whichever machinery, including the ones of the packaging industry, of course. 

For more info:   www.ansi.org

Sustainability and eco-compatibility of the packaging through the different steps of the value chain: from the raw-material producer to the final consumer.  

This is the main subject ‘Sustainability’ will argue on,  within the frame of  Anuga Foodtec, the international trade fair for food and drink technology, which will take place from 10th to 13th March 2009 in Cologne, Germany.

The event  sounds to be quite interesting for the visitor, who will so be able to get acquainted on the effects produced by the different packaging solutions, on how the food habits may affect the  CO_2,   emissions, on new solutions being studied by the companies operating within this industry.

Always within the frame of  Anuga FoodTec, under the guidance of  Nova Institute
for Ecology and Innovation, a conference of sustainable packaging will also be held on the 12^th March. Experts of the political, industrial and research world will argue on the subject of sustainability, focusing on political conditions, market development, influencing factors, new options and ecological valuations.

For more info. www.anugafoodtec.com

The packaging industry has undergone through the years a growing demand for more and more advanced technological solutions. Mainly the big stores, bound to the cosmetic and chemical products, keep on looking for such filling and capping solutions capable to respond to their diversified requirements in an extremely flexible way.

Ronchi has realized a new family of Fillers that, thanks to a patented device, allow the in-line mixing of perfumes / addictives to the basic product through the same working cycle.

This system contemplates to feed all filling stations with the same basic product to which the different colorations or fragrances are added in correspondence of each single filling station according to the specific Customer’s requirement. Every bottle can then be personalized during the capping operation as well.

The mixed bottles are so  ready to be directly case-packed and sent to the stores.