In a period where budgets are extremely tight and layoffs are being made, many companies find it difficult to justify assigning resources to innovation.

Soft-fruit containers made with MONOAIR™ cushion technology now include square, large rectangular and standard versions.

In this article, AMERIPEN’s Dan Felton offers additional insights on a recent study gauging consumers’ understanding of the role of packaging in food waste reduction.

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.

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.

Company is expanding its palletizing range with the introduction of the high-performing RoboAccess_Pal S.

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.

Rethceif is a manufacturer of automated form-fill-seal packaging and robotic palletizing equipment.

Strapping systems can be a great solution for packaging temperature-sensitive products by providing load breathability, which is essential for maintaining cold temperatures in transit.

Sidel has delivered a central palletizing system composed of eight robotic cells connected to 28 packing lines at Unilever’s nutrition factory in Ploiesti, Romania, for savory brands including iconic Knorr.

The CVGM series mini vacuum chamber was designed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Erik Bronander brings life-long experience in packaging, including nutraceutical and pharmaceutical industry experience to lead the team.

The Top Wrap and Top Close labelers offer two high-quality and resource-saving solutions for the closing of fresh produce trays with labels.

Although the CIP process is very effective, streamlining its automation and simplifying the process for all of a facility’s tubular drag conveyors has been a priority for leading innovators in the industry.

A variety of conveyor technologies were implemented to smoothly transport beverage cans between different processing machines in the line. 

Emmepi Group says the objective of the acquisition is to further increase its geographic manufacturing footprint, enhancing its ability to offer a totally integrated solution, aligning with the demands of customers globally.

Bumble Bee Seafoods has been recognized by NOSH.com’s annual “Best Of” Awards for the bold and fresh redesign of the brand’s iconic tuna cans, pouches and snack kits.

SideDrive Conveyor provides sanitary spiral and long-run transferless conveyors for virtually any application.

The plan includes four core strategies intended to create better earnings for groups involved in the meat and poultry supply chain.

The new technology will enable producers, retailers and consumers to tell in real time whether the contents of a sealed food package are contaminated.

The goal of the rebrand is to engage directly with health-conscious consumers as they increasingly seek high-quality and ethically sourced beef products. 

Created by PKG Brand Design, the new brand logo connects directly to the Bumble Bee company heritage.

The PowerPak 1000 has been specially developed as an entry-level machine for the thermoforming segment and offers advanced functions previously reserved for machines in the higher performance range.

The fully servo-driven HQ Series counting & dispensing machines are designed to provide 100% accuracy for primary or secondary packaging of candy, confectionary and chocolate as well as non-food products.

Advances in sophistication, quality and ease of use have made x-ray machines an indispensable tool for food safety.

AV Print Inspector offers whole-label inspection, including image matching, code reading and color detection, at speeds up to 80 meters/minute.

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

Techlan, with the help of ISRA Vision, developed its Re-Liner, a silicone release material that is 100% recycled, and can be reused up to 10 times in a circular system.

Company’s PCS700-IOT performs high-speed pressure and gas measurement for carbonated, nitrogen-dosed and hot-filled beverages to detect leaks and optimize the process.

Antares Vision Group systems are part of DIAMIND, the integrated ecosystem of solutions connecting physical products with digital identities.

Reporting by Packaging Strategies over the last several months reveals the innumerable applications of inspection/detection/vision equipment.

Torus Group, known for its strong portfolio in measurement for metal and rigid packaging in the food and beverage industries, has recently expanded into plastic packaging and medical devices.

In a recent video, Domino, a leading manufacturer and distributor of digital printing and product identification solutions, caught up with Label King to learn more about the company, their vetting process for adding digital printing, and the impact digital has had on their business. 

Acquisition adds significant capabilities to the Inovar platform, which includes industry-leading pressure sensitive, roll-fed, and RFID label capabilities.

The TLMI Printing Excellence Awards celebrate outstanding printing and converting achievements in the North American Label and Packaging Industry.

The Virginia State Corporation Commission was created by the Constitution of 1902. Its responsibilities include issuing charters of incorporation, policing financial industries such as banking and insurance, regulating rates that common carriers charge for freight and passengers, and enforcing the laws that govern rates charged by such public utilities as electric and telephone companies. Because the commission promulgates regulations, operates regulatory agencies, and hears appeals on some kinds of administrative matters, it exercises legislative, executive, and judicial functions and has sometimes been referred to as the fourth branch of state government. The commission consists of three members who serve six-year terms, one term expiring every second year. The governor appointed members from to 1903 to 1919; voters elected members from 1919 to 1928; and the General Assembly named members after 1928. If a vacancy occurs when the assembly is not in session, the governor appoints a new member. The first commissioners took office on March 1, 1903.
Wed, 13 Jan 2021 11:26:11 EST

Registration Now Open for Destinations International Fall 2024 Conferences: Advocacy Summit, Social Inclusion Summit and Business Operations Summit dbreisch@desti… Wed, 07/10/2024 - 18:22

In the summer months, scheduling music lessons flexibly is possible. How do you want to schedule your summer music lessons?

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.

We know from talking to hundreds of music teachers over the years that students' practicing habits are always a point of discussion. We've seen parents fall into a whole range of attitudes. Here are a few that we've seen.

Do you have a set of values that guide your teaching and the way you've set up your studio? Here are some ideas to get you started.

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.

0900 GMT / 0400 US Eastern time: Olli Rehn, Governor of the Bank of Finland, and Bank of England Chief Economist Huw Pill speak on a panel at a conference organised by UBS in London

As Governor of the Bank of Finland Rehn is a member of the European Central Bank monetary policy board, the Governing Council.

Thus we'll get policy/economy comments relevant for the ECB and BoE for this one.

Richmond Fed Pres. parking is speaking and says:

• Fed is in position to respond appropriately regardless of how economy involves.
• US economy looks pretty good
• Labor market is resilient.
• From here, labor market mighty be fine or may continue to weaken.
• Inflation might be coming under control or might risk getting stuck above Fed 2% target.
• Feds focus may turn to upside inflation risks or to downside employment risks, depending on how economy develops.

The market is pricing a 65% chance of a 25 basis point cut in December. That is down over the last week or so (it was in the high 70%s last week).

US yields are higher but off their highest levels:

• 2-year 4.314%, +6.1 basis points
• 5-year 4.269%, +7.6 basis points
• 10-year 4.370%, +6.3 basis points
• 30 year 4.516%, +3.7 basis points

The price of crude oil is trading down $-2.20 or -3.12% at $68.20. That's the lowest level since October 30.

The price reached a peak on Thursday at $72.84. That the price briefly above its 38.2% retracement of the move down from the July high at $72.59. However on Friday, the price fell below its 100-hour moving average near $71.50 and in trading today, fell and stayed below its 200-hour moving average at $70.52. It would take a move back above the 200-hour moving average to hurt the bearish bias.

On the downside, the price is approaching a swing low going back to October 18 at $68.13. Move below that level and traders will start to look toward a rising trendline near $68.10. The low price from October 29 comes near $66.69.

Meanwhile, gasoline prices in the US are down -11.36% on the year at $3.19 (average price for all grades of gasoline). Prior to Covid, the price was around $2.78. The low at the depth of Covid reached $1.87. The current level is near the lows from the end of 2023 and start of 2024 near $3.17.

Retail Gasoline prices for all grades of gasoline

Last week, the preliminary Michigan consumer sentiment index rose to 73.0. With gas prices continuing to move lower and the Trump victory, what will that do to sentiment? The high for the Biden administration reached 86.5 with the low at 50.2 in June 2022. That corresponded with the high in gasoline prices.

Fundamental Overview

The puzzling weakness in the US Dollar following Trump’s victory looks more and more like it was just a “sell the fact” reaction. The greenback is now back in the driving seat, and we might also be seeing some pre-positioning into a potentially hot US CPI report tomorrow.

At the latest Fed’s decision, Fed Chair Powell said that they expect bumps on inflation and that one or two bad data months on inflation won’t change the process. This keeps the 25 bps cut in December in place even if we get higher inflation readings.

The market though is forward-looking, and the rise in Treasury yields showed that the market sees risks to the inflation outlook. Moreover, the red sweep could increase those fears if the progress on inflation stalls, or worse, reverses.

USDJPY Technical Analysis – Daily Timeframe

On the daily chart, we can see that USDJPY continues to consolidate above the key 152.00 support zone maintaining a bullish bias. If we were to get another pullback into the support, we can expect the buyers to step in once again to position for a rally into the 160.00 handle. The sellers, on the other hand, will want to see the price breaking lower to pile in for a drop into the 148.00 handle next.

USDJPY Technical Analysis – 4 hour Timeframe

On the 4 hour chart, we can see that we have a minor upward trendline defining the current bullish momentum. The price recently bounced near the trendline and we can expect the buyers to keep leaning on it, while the sellers will look for a break lower to gain more conviction for a bigger correction to the downside.

USDJPY Technical Analysis – 1 hour Timeframe

On the 1 hour chart, we can see that we have a minor support zone around the 153.40 level. This is where the buyers are stepping in with a defined risk below the zone to position for the continuation of the uptrend. The sellers, on the other hand, will want to see the price breaking lower to target a pullback into the trendline. The red lines define the average daily range for today.

Upcoming Catalysts

This week is a bit empty on the data front with the most important releases scheduled for the latter part of the week. Tomorrow, we have the US CPI report. On Thursday, we get the latest US Jobless Claims figures. On Friday, we conclude the week with the US Retail Sales data.

See the video below

Fundamental Overview

Bitcoin is now up almost 30% since the election day as the bullish momentum in the cryptocurrency exploded following Trump’s victory. This shouldn’t be surprising given that Trump vowed to make the US the crypto capital of the planet.

Moreover, it looks like the US economy continues not only to do well but also re-accelerating amid the Fed’s easing and the expectations of expansionary fiscal policies like tax cuts and deregulation.

Bitcoin, alongside Dogecoin and stocks like Tesla and Coinbase, have been the top beneficiaries of Trump’s victory given their direct connection to Trump. For now, there’s no real top in sight as we would likely need a contractionary monetary policy or a notable slowdown in the economy.

The risk going forward is the Fed. If the central bank starts to mention the need of more tightening, then we could see some big corrections in all risk assets. That day though looks to be at least a couple of months away for now.

Bitcoin Technical Analysis – Daily Timeframe

On the daily chart, we can see that Bitcoin is now trading near the 90K level. The 100K level is the natural target, something that has been talked about a lot. That doesn’t mean it cannot go any higher than that though. For now, it’s a momentum play and despite the obvious nervousness one can get seeing the euphoria in the air, there’s no negative catalyst in sight that could reverse the trend.

Bitcoin Technical Analysis – 4 hour Timeframe

On the 4 hour chart, we can see that we have an upward trendline defining the current bullish momentum. That’s now far away from the current price and it’s unlikely that we will see a pullback into it in the near term unless we get a very hot US CPI report tomorrow.

If we do get there though, the buyers will likely lean on it to position for a rally into new highs, while the sellers will look for a break lower to increase the bearish bets into the next major trendline around the 75K level.

Bitcoin Technical Analysis – 1 hour Timeframe

On the 1 hour chart, we can see that we have another minor upward trendline defining the bullish momentum on this timeframe. The buyers will likely keep on leaning on it to position for further upside, while the sellers will look for a break lower to increase the bearish bets into the next trendline.

More aggressive buyers, might pile in already on the break of the recent high around the 90K level targeting the 100K level. The red lines define the average daily range for today.

Upcoming Catalysts

This week is a bit empty on the data front with the most important releases scheduled for the latter part of the week. Tomorrow, we have the US CPI report. On Thursday, we get the latest US Jobless Claims figures. On Friday, we conclude the week with the US Retail Sales data.

Fundamental Overview

TSLA is now up more than 40% since the election day as the bullish momentum in the stock exploded following Trump’s victory. This shouldn’t be surprising given that Elon Musk bet big on Trump and the market is now rewarding it.

It looks like the US economy continues not only to do well but also re-accelerating amid the Fed’s easing and the expectations of expansionary fiscal policies like tax cuts and deregulation. Moreover, the manufacturing cycle might be in the early innings of a growth phase, so those are all positive macro factors for the stock.

Tesla, like Coinbase, Bitcoin and Dogecoin, have been the top beneficiaries of Trump’s victory given their direct connection to Trump. For now, there’s no real top in sight as we would likely need a contractionary monetary policy or a notable slowdown in the economy.

The risk going forward is the Fed. If the central bank starts to mention the need of more tightening, then we could see some big corrections in all risk assets. That day though looks to be at least a couple of months away for now.

TSLA Stock Technical Analysis – Daily Timeframe

On the daily chart, we can see that TSLA broke above the resistance zone around the 270.00 level and exploded higher as Trump’s victory became clear. The stock is now trading around the 359.00 level in pre-market. The target should be the all-time high around the 414.50 level but that doesn’t mean it cannot break through and reach new highs.

TSLA Stock Technical Analysis – 4 hour Timeframe

On the 4 hour chart, we can see that we have an upward trendline defining the current bullish momentum. That’s now far away from the current price and it’s unlikely that we will see a pullback into it in the near term unless we get a very hot US CPI report tomorrow.

If we do get there though, the buyers will likely lean on it to position for a rally into new highs, while the sellers will look for a break lower and below the previous resistance now turned support to increase the bearish bets into new lows.

TSLA Stock Technical Analysis – 1 hour Timeframe

On the 1 hour chart, we can see that we have another minor upward trendline defining the bullish momentum on this timeframe. The buyers will likely keep on bidding the stock up with a defined risk below the trendline, while the sellers will look for a break lower to start targeting a pullback into the next trendline.

Upcoming Catalysts

This week is a bit empty on the data front with the most important releases scheduled for the latter part of the week. Tomorrow, we have the US CPI report. On Thursday, we get the latest US Jobless Claims figures. On Friday, we conclude the week with the US Retail Sales data.

Fundamental Overview

The puzzling weakness in the US Dollar following Trump’s victory looks more and more like it was just a “sell the fact” reaction. The greenback is now back in the driving seat, and we might also be seeing some pre-positioning into a potentially hot US CPI report tomorrow.

At the latest Fed’s decision, Fed Chair Powell said that they expect bumps on inflation and that one or two bad data months on inflation won’t change the process. This keeps the 25 bps cut in December in place even if we get higher inflation readings.

The market though is forward-looking, and the rise in Treasury yields showed that the market sees risks to the inflation outlook. Moreover, the red sweep could increase those fears if the progress on inflation stalls, or worse, reverses.

On the GBP side, this morning we got the UK labour market report and although the data was mostly mixed, it leant more on the dovish side. Overall though, it didn’t change anything for the market or the BoE.

GBPUSD Technical Analysis – Daily Timeframe

On the daily chart, we can see that GBPUSD broke through the support zone around the 1.2840 level and extended the drop as more sellers piled in. The natural target should be the swing low at 1.2665 level. That’s where we can expect the buyers to step in with a defined risk below the level to position for a rally back into the 1.28 handle.

GBPUSD Technical Analysis – 4 hour Timeframe

On the 4 hour chart, we can see more clearly the break of the support which was defining the range between the 1.2840 support and the 1.3040 resistance. If the price retests the support now turned resistance, we can expect the sellers to step in with a defined risk above the level to position for a drop into the 1.2665 level next. The buyers, on the other hand, will want to see the price breaking higher to position for a rally back into the 1.3040 resistance.

GBPUSD Technical Analysis – 1 hour Timeframe

On the 1 hour chart, we can see that we have a minor downward trendline defining the current bearish momentum. The sellers will likely keep on leaning on it to position for new lows, while the buyers will look for a break higher to pile in for a rally into new highs. The red lines define the average daily range for today.

Upcoming Catalysts

This week is a bit empty on the data front with the most important releases scheduled for the latter part of the week. Tomorrow, we have the US CPI report. On Thursday, we get the latest US Jobless Claims figures. On Friday, we conclude the week with the US Retail Sales data.

The USDCAD moved higher in the Asian session and extended above the highs over the last few weeks between 1.3945 and 1.3958. The high price extended to 1.39664 but fell short of the 2022 high which came in at 1.3977.

The inability to move higher turn the buyers to sellers, and the price has rotated back down toward the close from yesterday's trade where buyers have stalled the fall.

On the downside, the next major target comes against the rising 100 and 200 hour moving averages between 1.3908 and 1.3911. It would take a move below that area to increase the bearish bias with the 100 bar moving average on a four hour chart the next downside target at 1.38868.

On the top side, getting back above 1.3945 and 1.3958 would have traders looking again toward the 2022 high at 1.3977. Get above that level opens the door for further upside potential.

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USDCAD Summary

The USDCAD rose in the Asian session, approaching 2022 highs.

Key Points:

1. Broke above recent highs (1.3945-1.3958).

2. Reached 1.39664, shy of 2022 high (1.3977).

3. Buyers turned sellers, and the price fell.

Outlook:

Bullish Scenario

Move above 1.3945, 1.3958, and 1.3977 confirms further upside.

Bearish Scenario

Break below 1.3908-1.3911 (100/200-hour MA) and 1.38868 (100-bar MA) increases bearish bias.

Levels to Watch:

• Resistance: 1.3945, 1.3958, 1.3977

• Support: 1.3908, 1.3911, 1.38868