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Sensor vision investment can yield rewarding ROI
Saving money and improving efficiency is the goal of discreet vision sensors.
Many in the packaging community see vision systems as a major financial investment that's especially tough to justify in a difficult economy. "Discreet" vision sensors, however, can provide manufacturers with multiple benefits for an investment in the neighborhood of $2,500.
Employed on packaging lines, these sensors can help companies reduce both planned and unplanned downtime by increasing efficiency and saving costs. That was the message from Mark Sippel, product marketing manager, object identification and photoelectrics for Balluff. Sippel discussed, "Reducing Planned/Unplanned Downtime with Vision Sensors" at a Tuesday morning Conference at Pack Expo 2009 session.
He presented two brief case history stories on how vision sensors produced benefits for both a dairy and a pharmaceutical company. Sippel noted that historically, pharmaceutical/medical product makers have lagged behind other industries in the use of vision-based technologies, "not because of concerns about the technology, but due to potential regulatory or validation issues."
Those concerns, Sippel suggested, may be changing as pharmaceutical firms face increased cost pressures. In his pharmaceutical case history, Sippel described how a vial and cap manufacturer had manually inspected cases that contained up to 200 vials/case. That was a tedious process, and at a cost of $500 to ship each case of vials, manual inspection became unsatisfactory. Since employing vision sensor technology, the manufacturer is now keeping production rates at a higher level, with reduced labor costs.
Sucrets cartons challenge kids to contemplate global warming By Anne Marie Mohan
New Sucrets ICE product is co-branded with Ice Age animated film characters for cause campaign directed at kid-inspired solutions to global warming.
As corporate social responsibility becomes a key market differentiator for consumer packaged goods companies committed to sustainability, a slew of cause campaigns have emerged that cleverly employ packaging and product attributes to engage the consumer in greater environmental or social awareness.
One example is Purina Cat Chow, which has partnered with the Susan G. Koman for the Cure breast cancer organization in the Purina Cat Chow Connected for the Cause campaign. The program uses a dedicated Web site and limited-edition pink packaging to convey its message. Another example, Procter & Gamble's Dawn dish detergent, employs endearing wildlife images on its bottles to promote its Everyday Wildlife Champions program.
Just in time for winter cold season, Sucrets® has now launched its Save the Polar ICE Caps! Challenge in collaboration with Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment's Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs characters. Elements of the campaign include new Sucrets ICE single-serve frozen ice pops packaging decorated with Ice Age characters; a call to action for kids to draw and describe what they would do to save the polar ice caps from global warming; and a Web site with lots of links for environmental education.
"From big ideas like solar-powered cars and windmills, to simple ideas like energy-saving light bulbs and reusable shopping bags, we want kids to use their imaginations while thinking through a real-world issue affecting them today and undoubtedly in the future," says Mike Tukdarian, president, Insight Pharmaceuticals, the makers of Sucrets ICE. "Participating in the Save the Polar ICE Caps! Challenge is an opportunity for kids to learn more about the ways to slow down the environmental effects of global warming, and to win a chance to see these lessons come to life."
Contest entries will be displayed online, where five finalists will be chosen via public vote to take place in early 2010. The grand prize winner will receive a visit to their classroom by an animator from Fox's Blue Sky Studios, who will create a still-scene image of the winner's submission.
Says Joe Ames, executive director of Global Marketing Partnerships for Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, "This is another great example of how entertainment marketing can really make a brand stand out in a cluttered retail and advertising marketplace."
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