News stories related to packaging from the last week or so.
BarTender Cloud Designer
I have a long history with Seagull’s BarTender label software – one of my most popular ever blog posts covered a set of MIL-STD-129 templates I had made in BarTender years ago.
I’ve been frustrated, however, that being a Windows app, I couldn’t use BarTender on a Mac unless I messed with Parallels and installed Windows on my Apple computers.
The new cloud app runs on Seagull’s servers and allows labels to be designed in most web browsers.
Check out the Seagull/BarTender site for more info.
Man Killed by Industrial Robot
Are robots taking over the world and killing everyone?
Not yet, but there is a report from South Korea that an industrial robot being used for a palletizing application has crushed and killed a worker in a vegetable packaging plant.
While this kind of event is rare, it highlights just how important it is to implement proper safety systems as part of any automation project.
There are lots of sites to read more, including at the BBC.
How to Pack More Pineapples
How can you reduce the amount of packaging needed for your pineapples?
Supermarket chain Sainsbury’s, came up with a rather obvious solution – chop off the large crown of leaves so more pineapples fit in the shipping cases.
From this post on Sainsbury’s site – this change will make a large reduction in packaging waste.
A good idea, but how will customers be able to pick up their pineapples now? 😀
Are Compostable Coffee Cups Really More Sustainable?
We all know that replacing single use plastic with compostable products makes sense, right?
This video from ABC Australia looks at the rise of compostable coffee cups and asks how many find their way to landfills.
This is often because the products are not as compostable as the manufacturers claim, so they are not accepted at composting facilities.
Are Tires (Tyres) Killing all the Fish?
It’s a tough life for salmon, returning to freshwater to spawn.
A lot of them don’t make it, but for years, scientists have tried to determine why large numbers die for no apparent reason.
It seems that a lot of these deaths can be traced to a substance used in the manufacture of automotive tires, 2-anilino-5-([4-methylpentan-2-yl]amino)cyclohexa-2,5-diene-1,4-dione, or 6PPD-quinone for short.
As tires wear, they deposit 6PPD on the roads, from where it gets washed into waterways. Nearly all tires contain this substance.
You can read more on this topic here: OPB article.