Third time's a charm for Canon's WestPack: growth for the West Coast trade show is expected to continue, even coming so soon after Pack Expo International

Food & Drug Packaging, Dec, 2004 by Pan Demetrakakes

AT-A-GLANCE

 What: WestPack 2005

 When: Mon.-Tues., Jan. 10-11
       10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
       Wed., Jan. 12
       10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Where: Anaheim (Calif.)
       Convention Center

WestPack has been going great guns under Canon. In its third go-round since being taken over by Canon Communications LLC, the West Coast packaging trade show is expected to attract 12,000 visitors to see more than 400 exhibits. WestPack is scheduled for Jan. 10-12, 2005, at the Anaheim (Calif.) Convention Center.

The show is part of package that includes four other co-located shows: Medical Design & Manufacturing (MD&M) West, PLASTEC West, Pacific Design & Manufacturing, and Electronics West. The four shows--which can be accessed for the price of one admission--feature leading suppliers and service providers hi packaging, plastics processing and more.

Collectively, the four shows will feature a dozen special product pavilions, including general packaging, cosmetics/personal care packaging and pharmaceutical/nutraceutical packaging. Other pavilions will be dedicated to enterprise software, computer-aided design, mold building, automation technology and more.

"The whole co-location of these shows presents a great opportunity to buyers from the initial design stages right up to the finished packaging," says Dan Cutrone, customer and media relations manager for Canon Communications. "The event is on quite a growth path."

WestPack comes on the heels of Pack Expo International, the biennial trade show of the Packaging Machinery Manufacturers Institute, which was held last November. That's not a problem, Cutrone says, because of WestPack's regional nature.

"We are well aware of Pack Expo and the fact that for some of our exhibitors, there was a choice that had to be made," he says. "But we were confident that over the years ... at WestPack they were able to see buying representatives of companies that just weren't making the trip to Chicago. Certainly there's enough business on the West Coast for these exhibitors."

Medical conferences scheduled

The MD&M show also will feature conferences on medical packaging:

9 a.m.-noon, Monday, Jan. 10: Consultant Douglas Stockdale will chair a "Packaging Update: Engineering" session. Presentations will include: "How Package Engineers Can Help Medical Device Development," by Jan Gates, senior packaging engineer, Guidant Corp.; "Packaging for Drug Device Combinations," by Hal Miller, president, PACE Solutions LLC; and "Design Basics: Thermoform Trays for Medical Packages," by Don Handrow, development project leader, Prent Plastics.

1-4 p.m., Monday, Jan. 10: A "Packaging Validation and Compliance" session will include presentations on "Medical Device Sterile Package Testing & Standards Update" by Curtis Larsen, DuPont; "Heat Seal Qualifications" by James Wise, Westpak Inc.; "Sterilization Validation of Packaging: Gamma, E-Beam, EtO and Steam" by Douglas Stockdale; and "Design and Development of Folding Cartons and Corrugated Shippers for Medical Devices" by Ed Quoss, Fibre Containers.

9 a.m.-noon, Tuesday, Jan. 11: Stockdale will chair a session on "Medical Packaging Update by Packaging Design." Presentations will include: "Materials Basics for Flexible Sterile Packages" by John Ozcomert, Rexam; "The Role of RFID in Medical Device Manufacturing and Packaging" by Matthew Ream, Zebra Technologies; "Qualification of Thermoform Strays for Medical Packages" by Mike Johnson, Prent Plastics; and "Equipment Considerations for Tray Sealing" by Mike Mcleoad, packaging consultant.

14 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 11: A session on "Packaging Validation and Compliance" will include presentations on "Shelf Life Qualification: Accelerated and Real Time" by Pat Nolan, chief operating officer, DDL; "Risk Assessment Program for Sterile Packaging" by Hal Miller, president, PACE Solutions LLC; "Physical Testing of Package Performance: Test Protocol Selection and Implementation" by Bill Kipp, technical consultant to International Safe Transit Association (ISTA).

For More Information:

Canon Communications LLC 800-827-8323; www.westpackshow.com