The updated In-Shell packaging design showcases the Wonderful Pistachios brand logo more prominently, while the addition of a new “Protein Power” logo reinforces the health benefits of pistachios. 

The shrink film bundler was designed and manufactured to package liquid soaps and cleansers for a contract packer that manufactures under license for well known brands.

Quantum Design will exhibit the KTI and CTC product lines this Fall at Label Congress 2021.

The ACP-722 RRP offers one of the smallest footprints currently available, being up to 50% smaller than equivalent casepacker models.

The new campaign forms part of the wider #LEVELUPWITH7UP platform that has been rolled out across various regions worldwide – solidifying 7UP as a versatile plus-one to any gathering.

As part of the brand refresh, the Somersby tree has been redesigned to make it more iconic, with a simplified, more recognizable shape that is naturally uplifting. Its canopy with its distinctive shape can flex to aid flavor navigation.

In addition to full-wrap labeling, MULTIVAC offers two other high-quality and sustainable packaging solutions for fresh produce trays. 

While packaging undeniably offers utility in protecting and preserving products through the supply chain, the days of shrink film, oversized plastic bags, and non-recyclable plastic trays are surely over.

From March onward in a live and convenient setting, customers will be able to learn all about MULTIVAC's innovative labeling and inspection solutions. This time the focus will be on high-quality and sustainable solutions for the closure sealing and labeling of fruit and vegetable trays.

Retailer is first nationwide to carry Bolthouse Farms' compostable bags for organic baby carrots.

Global produce company will debut the reusable plastic containers in select Texas markets.

Representatives of leading European fruit and vegetable supply chain organizations, gathered by Pro Food at the Fruit Logistica trade fair in Berlin, reiterated the need for a non-ideological, data-driven approach.

NOVA Chemicals tested its ASTUTE™ plastomers against other blends and found it achieves higher oxygen transmission rates, clarity, and stiffness in breathable films, resulting in fresher food and reduced waste.

While some groups say that fresh produce packaging is unnecessary and should be removed, British Apples & Pears Limited says the protective and shelf-life enhancing properties of packaging should be considered.

The Environmental Packaging Awards, now in their second year, celebrate innovations and individuals making significant strides in sustainability within the packaging industry.

The brand currently includes blueberries, blackberries, raspberries and strawberries.

This bold rebranding, themed “Modern Roots,” disrupts the conventional produce market by combining modernity with authenticity, bringing a fresh, dynamic, and innovative spirit to their products.

Vidre+ is revolutionizing the supply chain seamlessly without any reorganization of current operating practices, by making every existing type of fresh produce packaging and label functional and adaptable into a smart version with adjustable protection against the negative effects of ethylene.

Ossid, a ProMach brand, is a leading manufacturer of sustainable, efficient tray packaging, flow wrapping, thermoforming fill seal, industrial scale and labeling machinery for the food, e-commerce and medical device industries.

British Sugar needed an extremely compact and flexible case packing and palletizing solution to be implemented within a tight plant area that would be capable of handling multiple pallet and format types.

CPG companies are turning to warehouse automation solutions such as palletizers and mobile robots, according to the PMMI report.

Dorner and Garvey, both Columbus McKinnon brands, recently showcased the AquaGard GT Conveyor at PACK EXPO Las Vegas.

Attendees are invited to visit stand C100 to witness the renowned FT120 Flow Wrapper in action, now featuring the latest integrated sealing module designed for horizontal sealing.

Ammeraal Beltech is designing belts to meet the demands of smarter, faster, and highly precise operations.

Visitors to Dynamic Conveyor’s booth will be able to see the S Series in action during the event, taking place at McCormick Place in Chicago, IL.

The egg brand is using the redesign to celebrate spring and attract more customers.

Novel packaging solutions are driving a projected expansion of 4.3% from 2020-2028.

In the vast meat and seafood sector, packaging practices and innovations require continuous attention. Strict hygiene and quality standards impact all aspects of the packaging process. Recent developments in the industry have focused on ease-of-use, versatility, and sustainability.

The METTLER TOLEDO C35 AdvancedLine Checkweigher is designed to deliver precise weighing results on a stable weighing platform resistant to high-pressure washdown and most caustic detergents.

Loma Systems designed and engineered the X5 SideShoot X-ray machine specifically for the inspection of taller food products.

The LOMA® team will engage with customers and provide insights into its diverse range of industry-leading metal detection, X-ray inspection, and checkweighing solutions.

The tortillas are made without preservatives but have a shelf life of six months thanks to their protective carbon dioxide and nitrogen atmospheres – provided that the thermoformed packaging is absolutely airtight.

The company’s CV35 ‘combination’ system, which integrates a checkweigher with vision inspection, detects and rejects under- and overweight packages to ensure that legal weight requirements are met and to reduce product giveaway.

Around half the sheetfed offset presses Heidelberg sells go to packaging customers, and the folding carton market is a strategic growth segment for Heidelberg.

New Mid-Web flexo press without solvents for flexible packaging is suitable for indirect food contact, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, shrink sleeve and in-mold labels, and can also be configured for folding cartons and paperboard.

Company will highlight its complete portfolio of sustainable solutions for the packaging and narrow web, tag and label markets.

Owned and operated by seasoned industry experts, APC boasts one of the largest teams of knowledgeable employees and support technicians of any graphics equipment distributor in the Northeast, Carolinas, Mid-Atlantic and Midwest.

Cultivating Our Future: Student Shadow Program Fuels Industry Interest jhammond@desti… Tue, 07/30/2024 - 18:28

Are you feeling the urge to refresh your music studio? Here are a few ways to make your music teaching space feel clean and organized.

Recently, we asked, "What's one thing you wish you knew before starting your own private music studio?" Here are some of the comments we received.

A note via Bank of America economists on expectations and wariness on US October CPI data due Wednesday at 8.30 am US Eastern time.

BoA expect core CPI to show an increase of 0.3% m/m month

• holding at 3.3% y/y
• would be the third consecutive month with a 3.3% core reading

BoA say that looking ahead, the rise is inflation tilted to the upside:

• "We see pro-growth fiscal policy, tariffs, and tighter immigration as potential sources of upside inflation risk over the coming years if they are implemented"

Higher inflation to come would slow/halt/reverse (you can pick more than one ;-)) Federal Reserve rate cuts.

Justin had the news from the People's Bank of China here:

• PBOC governor will maintain yuan exchange rate at a reasonable, balanced level

PBOC governor Pan Gongsheng emphasized the Bank will not let the yuan plummet without a fight:

• Will step up countercyclical adjustment
• Should resolutely guard against the risk of exchange rate overshoot

With the surging USD after Trump's win the yuan is just one of many weaker currencies:

Comments from the Minneapolis Fed President in conversation with Yahoo Finance.

• Contacts are optimistic
• We have to wait and see what the new government policies are, we will have to wait and see
• A one-time tariff increase in transitory but it can become tit-for-tat, right now we're all just guessing
• Immigration could have a big effect but we will have to see what will happen
• New lease inflation takes a couple years to work its way through
• We have good confidence that the housing piece of inflation will get to normal levels, though it may take a year or two
• The labor market has been surprisingly resilient, it's a good labor market
• The economy looks like it's in a strong position
• If we saw inflation surprise to the upside between now and December, that might give us pause
• Probably not enough time for jobs to surprise on the upside
• Productivity looks like it's been stronger, which could mean a higher neutral rate
• If so, we may not cut as much
• We all agree that we're above neutral now
• The rise in long-term yields doesn't look like it's about long-term inflation expectations
• I think we're modestly restrictive right now. I thought we were putting two feet on the brakes but in hindsight we were only putting one foot on the brake
• My judgement is that we still have a long ways to go in shrinking the balance sheet
• Ultimately the economy will guide us in terms of how far we need to cut rates

Kashkari is candid and is oftentimes dovish but he sounded less like someone who wants to keep on cutting. His comment about one foot on the brakes was helpful in illustrating how he sees the economy and rates. The interesting discussion is about neutral right now and how close the Fed wants to go. He also touched on a longer timeline to get inflation all the way back to 2% and that should keep the Fed in the high 3s assuming no sharp slowdown in the economy. Of course, the Fed curve is also pricing 3.80% as the terminal rate.

More records are reached today:

• Dow industrial average closes over 44,000 for the first time ever
• S&P index closes above the 6000 level the first time ever
• NASDAQ index closes at a new record level as well

For the Russell 2000 it lasts record close was back on November 8, 2021 at 2442.21. The index closed at 2434.97 after reaching an intraday high of 2441.72 just short of the record closing level.

The final numbers are showing:

• Dow industrial average +304.14 points or 0.69% at 44293.13
• S&P index up 5.81 points or 0.10% at 6001.35
• NASDAQ index is up 11.99 points or 0.06% at 19298.76
• Russell 2000 up 35.33 points or 1.47% at 2434.97

For the Russell 2000, its high intraday level reached 2458.85 on November 10, 2021. For the year, the Russell 2000 is now up 20.12%. That has now surpassed a down industrial average gain of 17.52%.

The S&P index is now up 25.82% in 2024 while the NASDAQ index is up 28.56%.

The EURUSD is pushing against its 2024 low at 1.0601. A break below that level would open the door for further downside momentum. A move to new laws would take the price to the lowest level since November 2, 2023.

There is not a lot support technically until a swing area near 1.05158 and 1.05316.

China-based Construction Machinery and Equipment (CME) with the data from earlier this week. In October China's excavator sales are estimated to have reached 16,791 units:

• that's +15.1% y/y

More notably, excavator sales in the Chinese domestic market are estimated at 8,266 units

• +21.6% y/y
• Excavator sales to the export market +9.46% y/y

For the January-October 2024 period this year, China's excavator sales are estimated to have increased by 0.47 percent year on year

• domestic market +9.8% y/y
• export market -7.41% y/y

Is this a sign of green shoots for the economy in China?

There has been plenty of stimulus announcements, that the market has been disappointed with. But, are thye having an impact?

Barclays has issued a note suggesting that the re-election of Trump is unlikely to significantly impact oil market fundamentals in the near term.

The bank believes that current market dynamics are relatively stable and does not foresee major shifts tied to potential changes in U.S. leadership.

Barclays is recommending a long position on December 2025 Brent call spreads. The bank notes that volatility has recently decreased, and it perceives market sentiment as overly focused on downside risks, or the "left tail." In contrast, Barclays believes the risks are more balanced, especially in light of recent improvements in oil market fundamentals and the possibility of a more confrontational geopolitical landscape.

Warped Games, an indie game studio consisting of web3 and veteran game developers who have a legacy in creating player-focused games like LEGO Universe, Jumpgate, and Dragons and Titans, is on a mission to onboard millions of players to expand the Warped Universe, an immersive blockchain-powered game where players’ actions and decisions shape the environment and influence each season’s direction. After extensive exploration, Warped Games selected Sui as the blockchain to support this ambitious vision, thanks to its player-friendly approach and innovations in the Move language.

The announcement of Warped Games becoming an official partner with Mysten Labs arrives at a pivotal moment for blockchain gaming. With games like "Off The Grid" making strides toward mainstream adoption, this new collaboration marks another significant step in expanding blockchain gaming’s reach to a wider audience.

James Wing, Head of AAA Gaming Partnerships for Mysten Labs, commented on the official partnership: "Warped Games embodies what is exciting about this industry - founders and products that are built with passion to boldly address the wants of modern gamers. We are tremendously excited to partner with our friends at Warped and aid them in their journey to pioneer a new age of games on Sui."

Warped Universe: Empowering Players

Player empowerment is at the core of Warped Universe’s design. Here, players will be able to engage in PvE action in single-player or co-op mode, with an innovative multi-genre design giving players the flexibility to choose between turn-based or real-time genres across both ground and space gameplay. Players will also get to choose missions that influence the broader “meta-game,” affecting the balance of light and gravity for all, leading to wild and chaotic scenarios as each season aims to build a unique solar system in the Universe. This level of control redefines what it means to participate in a player-driven virtual world.

Breaking Barriers to Blockchain Accessibility

One of the largest obstacles facing blockchain adoption today is its intimidating complexity for newcomers. Traditional blockchain experiences involve managing seed phrases, navigating wallets, high fees, slow speed, and unfriendly, often intimidating transactions—barriers that can alienate potential users. Sui’s design eliminates these hurdles by offering a seamless, user-friendly blockchain experience required by games like Warped Universe, aiming to appeal to a mainstream gaming audience.

With Sui’s zkLogin feature, players can access the blockchain and create wallets using familiar credentials, like passkeys or existing logins, removing the need for seed phrases and technical know-how. For those who prefer greater control, Warped Universe will also allow players to connect their own self-custodied wallets, giving them the option to manage their assets independently. This accessibility empowers users to focus on what matters most—the game experience itself.

Enhanced NFT Utility with Move

Sui’s Move language and object model empower Warped Universe to create NFTs that go beyond static assets, offering dynamic, context-rich tokens that evolve with each player’s journey. Sui treats each asset as an individual, on-chain object with unique IDs and customizable fields, allowing NFTs to reflect player progression and deepen in-game immersion.

Innovations extend to the use of closed-loop tokens for in-game purchases and season pass NFTs, which act as "time capsules", allowing players to revisit exclusive content from past seasons. With each season in Warped Universe serving as a self-contained story arc, these season passes aren’t just NFTs—they’re gateways to the game’s evolving history, creating lasting value and enhancing player ownership.

Kiosk: Marketplace Re-Imagined

Kiosk is a decentralized system designed for commerce applications on the Sui network, similar to traditional markets where vendors sell goods or services from small, standalone booths. Just like in those markets, where individual sellers operate their own kiosks, owning the products on display and managing their own sales, with Kiosk, shared objects are owned by individual parties who store assets and may list them for sale as well as utilizing custom trading functionality, such as royalties and the ability to rent assets.

Walrus: Re-Defining Digital Ownership in Warped Universe

As Warped Universe expands, decentralized storage will play a crucial role in ensuring the authenticity and accessibility of in-game assets. Mysten Labs’ Walrus protocol is set to support this need, providing a secure and efficient way to store raw data and media files—such as images, audio, video, and other game assets—at low cost without compromising performance. Unlike traditional NFTs, which often store metadata off-chain on platforms like IPFS or AWS, Walrus enables both the NFT and its metadata to be stored in a decentralized manner. This integration introduces new ways for players in Warped Universe to experience genuine ownership of their digital assets, giving them the ability to store in-game captures or statistics, and creating a more immersive and reliable player-driven experience.

High Performance, Scalability, and Environmental Responsibility

In Warped Universe, players aren’t just playing a game; they’re building and defending entire solar systems each season, with their achievements and digital assets minted and transacted on-chain in the background. This model requires a blockchain capable of handling high transaction volumes both efficiently and affordably. Sui’s high throughput and low transaction costs make this possible, providing fast, cost-effective, and seamless on-chain transactions that support a robust gaming economy.

Sui also prioritizes environmental sustainability by using a delegated proof-of-stake (DPoS) consensus model rather than energy-intensive proof-of-work. With its efficient Directed Acyclic Graph (DAG) architecture, Sui can process large transaction volumes with minimal environmental impact—aligning perfectly with Warped Games’ vision of a sustainable, responsible gaming ecosystem.

“With Sui, we can create an immersive, evolving on-chain gaming ecosystem where players can own, modify, and evolve assets without compromising the gaming experience,” said Adam Straney, Managing Director at Warped Games. “This approach lets us build an interconnected universe on a blockchain that’s fast, scalable, and environmentally responsible, supporting our vision of an accessible, seamless player-owned economy. Gamers can focus on having fun, with blockchain as a supportive tool rather than the centerpiece."

Looking Ahead with Warped Universe and Sui

Currently, the blockchain element in Warped Universe is the $WARPED token, an ERC-20 token designed to give holders a voice in game design, seasonal voting, discounts, potential rewards, and exclusives. While specific plans for the token’s future are yet to be announced, the Warped Universe team is committed to keeping current holders top of mind as they explore expanding to the Sui blockchain. Plans for the WARPED token, on-chain assets, skins, seasonal passes, and other elements will be shared in due time—stay tuned for updates.

As Warped Universe continues to develop, the teams at Warped Games and Mysten Labs are dedicated to working closely together to explore practical blockchain integration in games, enhancing player ownership, scalability, and immersive gameplay. Together, through Warped Universe and the Sui blockchain, they’re building a unique, player-driven experience that showcases the future of blockchain gaming.

About Warped Games

Warped Games (https://warped.games/) is an indie game studio dedicated to creating immersive, player-driven gaming experiences with a focus on blockchain integration. Known for pushing the boundaries of web3 technology, the team behind Warped Games combines industry veterans from both gaming and tech to bring innovative worlds like Warped Universe to life.

About Mysten Labs

Mysten Labs is a technology company focused on advancing blockchain infrastructure to support next-generation applications. Founded by experts in distributed systems, Mysten Labs developed the Sui blockchain, a high-performance, user-friendly platform designed to make blockchain technology accessible and scalable for mainstream audiences.

• Headline CPI reading not telling us that underlying inflation dynamics have been vanquished
• Services inflation is pretty sticky
• Energy prices are more likely to go up than down
• Sees more volatility and upward bias to some inflation drivers

Do keep in mind that Mann is arguably the most hawkish member among the BOE policy committee. So, her comments here are not as striking as they might seem to be.