After voting for the products before the show, attendees at Pack Expo International this week in Chicago saw the most innovative solutions across various categories, which won the 2024 Technology Excellence Awards. Produced by PMMI, The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, the Technology Excellence Awards recognize the best innovations in packaging and processing being shown for the first time at a Pack Expo event.
The winners in each category are:
General Packaging & Processing: Fogg Filler Co.’s PF Series Pressure Filler (pictured at top). This is a hybrid system combining contactless electronic metering with closed-loop controls for CIP/SIP cleanability, resulting in a simpler, more hygienic filling process. By using fixed stainless-steel tubes instead of flexible hoses, it reduces temperature loss in hot-fill products and minimizes moving parts for easier maintenance.
Food/Beverage: Food Radar. Food Radar developed the patented Food Radar technology to detect in foods the low-density foreign bodies, such as plastic, rubber, and wood, which traditional methods often miss. Using low-power microwaves and measuring dielectric properties, the system quickly identifies contaminants in emulsions and pumpable products, activating a fast pneumatic rejection.
Sustainability: Plastipak Packaging Inc.’s PPK Natura. The company claims it’s the world's first PET resin made from waste carbon emissions, using LanzaTech’s carbon capture technology. This sustainable resin, suitable for food, personal care, and pharmaceutical packaging, reduces greenhouse gas emissions without needing land or food resources. And it can be fully recycled, keeping carbon in a circular cycle.
Personal Care/Pharma: Pace Packaging’s Omni-IR. The Omni-IR series is a linear unscrambler designed for high-speed container handling, meeting diverse manufacturing needs. Suitable for various plastic and fiber containers, it efficiently processes up to 650 bottles per minute across industries like personal care, beverages, automotive, and household products.
More than 100 qualified products entered the competition. After weeks of review by top industry professionals, the entries were narrowed to three finalists in each category. Voting began online on Oct. 28, and the finalists were displayed at Pack Expo International.
