pack expo always provides immediate feedback on current market developments and presciently indicates where the packaging market will be in the near future.by ben miyares, packaging sherpa, contributing editorlast month&rsquos pack expo international was no exception. a visible outcropping of inventive flexible packaging formats and childresistant features for flexible packaging were hallmarks of this year&rsquos show, and they tell us a lot about where marketplace needs are.statistics released on the opening day of the show by pmmi, the association of packaging & processing technologies, owneroperator of the show, indicate that packaging machinery shipments grew 6 to 7.9 billion in 2013 and are expected to continue to advance at that pace this year with food 34, beverages 22, and pharmaceuticalsmedical devices 13 continuing to account for the lion&rsquos share of demand.early tabulations put attendance at the chicago show at over 48,600&mdash6.5 above the 2012 exhibition when hurricane sandy hurt attendance. based on the preliminary show attendance figures and the backlog of orders its members are experiencing, pmmi is projecting &ldquoa conservative&rdquo 5 to 6 annual growth in demand for packaging equipment in 2014 and 2015.why the spike in interest in cr technology for flexibles 34 years after the passage of the poison prevention packaging act mandated cr devices for &ldquotoxic household substances&rdquo marijuana legalization and the release by the medical journal pediatrics of a major study of childhood poisonings related to soluble laundry detergent pods are two likely reasons.pack expo opened just two days before midterm elections, during which voters in several states and the district of columbia voted to legalize marijuana use, and just as the study of 17,000 childhood injuries related to the pods concluded that &ldquolaundry detergent pods pose a serious poisoning risk to young children. this nationwide study underscores the need for increased efforts to prevent exposure of young children to these products, which may include improvements in product packaging and labeling, development of a voluntary product safety standard, and public education. product constituent reformulation is another potential strategy to mitigate the severity of clinical effects of laundry detergent pod exposure.&rdquo pwgo.to1254lightweight plastic containers and flexible packaging options dominated the containerpackage exhibits at what used to be a showcase for rigid packaging systems years ago. this year, fewer than a handful of displays focused on cans, and glass container choices vials, ampules were visible primarily in the pharma expo hall and the showcase of packaging innovations display.some of the new childresistant flexible packaging developments that might find their way from the show to flexible pouches of pot or pods, included&bull the childguard&trade slider from reynolds presto products co., a zipper opener with a locking cr hasp see schematic&bull the cannapaq&trade pouch from ppi technologies fitted with either presto&rsquos childguard slider or a canoemounted &ldquopress and turn&rdquo cr screw closure see photo, and&bull from itw zippak, the securelok&trade child deterrent pouch with a patentpending flap developed by technipac inc. that extends down to hide the pouch&rsquos zipper opening from curious kids. 
