new closure alcoa closure systems international csi, a world leader in closer design, manufacturing and application systems, has introduced a 28mm xtralok minia specifically designed carbonated beverage closure that delivers a total packaging system cost savings by reducing closure and pet bottle finish weight and increasing product freshness. the xtralok mini closure is a lightweight, twopiece design that contributes to reducing a bottlers overall cost of operations. when applied to the alcoadesigned short height bottle finish, pet bottle finish weight is reduced by 27 per cent while maintaining all the same performance parameters as previous generation bottle finishes. on the inside, the closure design uses the companys xt liner, which maximizes seal integrity and product freshness under all environmental conditions. the mini closure also delivers superior application performance in bottling operations, which means improved uptime and higher throughput for bottlers. hourglass shaped can crown food europe, a subsidiary of crown holdings, inc. crown of philadelphia, pa., has won the 2006 uk packaging award in the metal packaging category for the distinctive waistliner lowcalorie foods can. the hourglass shaped can, specially developed for crosse & blackwell, one of premier foods leading canned food brands, also received a highly commended rating in the technical innovation category. the uniquely shaped package visually reinforces the healthy living theme of the waistliner brand. the threepiece cans include an eole iii steel easyopen end for greater convenience and decorative shrink sleeving for outstanding shelf appearance. sleever launches first internet portal in shrink sleeves sleever international, the leading provider of sleeving solutions globally, has launched the first fully featured internet portal in the sleeving industry. the new portal is designed to provide detailed uptotheminute information for packaging users and specialist journalists and to form a starting point on the internet or all those who need the best in packaging expertise. the new portal will include news items, updated regularly, on the latest developments including corporate changes, and technological advances in products and equipment as well as a large and growing database giving all the technical information visitors need to make the right sleeving decisions. making it count new from baumer electric inc. of burlington, ont., comes the parcon, a new reflective technology that can count items as small as 0.5mm. able to detect, count, sort and measure, the parcon work with tiny items like seeds, pill or small hardware items. a teachin feature allows it to also sort differentsized objects. packing system improves traceability, productivity  sealed airs latest prioritypak system packages products, scans bar codes, weighs items and applies shipping labels, ensuring the each product can be identified, the company claims. guaranteeing complete traceability is becoming increasingly important to food producers and processors due to pressure from retailers, consumers and regulations, including the eu general food law. certainty of providence can provide defense against counterfeiting, contamination, bioterrorism, and can ensure a controlled product recall. counterfeiting and contamination can undermine consumer trust in the quality and safety, but a controlled product recall can restore that confidence while limiting costs.  events           dec. 1416  orlando flexpackcon 2006, flexible packaging conference by the society of plastics engineers spe. at renaissance orlando resort at seaworld          jan. 811 chicago promat 2007, international material handling and logistics show and conference by the material handling industry of america          jan. 30 feb. 2 moscow interplastica 2007, international trade fair for plastics and rubber industries by messe dsseldorf.          jan. 31 feb. 3  shanghai cosmoprof shanghai 2007, beauty industry products and services exhibition by cosmoprof asia ltd. at shanghai new international exhibition centermembers          shailesh sales corporation          jaldoot material handling pvt. ltd.          technoshell          micro marketing inc. offers          pen bottles for pharmaceuticals          black hdpe bag as per fda          25mm screw caps as per fda for pet bottles          book for fda packaging regulations and dmf application details for anda     testing facilities in india to test all the packaging materials using high quality testing instruments emails          news@packagingconnections.com          press@packagingconnections.com          offers@packagingconnections.com          exhibitions@packagingconnections.com          jobs@packagingconnections.com  enjoy packagingthe editor
