A special, intensive workshop organized by NOVA Chemicals. Join NOVA Chemicals, other members of the caps and closures supply chain and the American Chemistry Council for an educational and engaging forum at this year’s Plastics Caps & Closures Conference. Spend the afternoon learning about the entire lifecycle of a closure, from the market dynamics that drive resin supply and demand and how resin manufacturers design quality resins specifically for the caps and closures market, to what happens when there is a problem in the field and finally what happens to the closure after it has been used by consumers.

Sponsored by The Dow Chemical Company Located in the Rouge Room at the Fairmont Chicago, Millennium Park.

Registration takes place in the Imperial Foyer.

Breakfast will be served in the Exhibit Hall area of the Imperial Ballroom.

Located in the Imperial Ballroom at the Fairmont Chicago, Millennium Park

Yumbutter crafts delicious nut and seed butters in go-anywhere pouches. Two entrepreneurs launched the company, using unique flavor combinations and multi serving pouches as a convenient way for consumers to get their protein and healthy fats on the go. Hear the Yumbutter story from one of its "chief revolutionaries" and how the company is using innovative pouch packaging and closure design.

The CEO of one of the more active manufacturers in the caps and closures market will discuss trends in tool design. The focus will be on the use of advanced tooling techniques to provide molded-in functions, such as sealing and lining of closures.

Michigan State University’s School of Packaging is working with the Centers for Disease Control to stem the accidental overdose of medications by children through more effective closures. Laura Bix, the lead project manager for Michigan State, will discuss the work being done and the need for industry collaboration.

Learn from one of the leading market research companies how the caps and closures market is evolving and what it is headed in terms of end markets, materials, competition and growth opportunities.

In a business-oriented presentation on bringing products to market more effectively, Sarah Marshall of NOVA Chemicals will discuss the leveraging of modeling and simulation for fast and effective commercialization of new closure designs and resins.

Drawing in his 38 plus years of designing caps and closures, legendary closures designer Richard Gross - designer of the first plastics bottle cap for Coca-Cola Co. - will share some critical lessons learned in the development and introduction of new closure designs. The three areas to be covered will include selective innovation, the three main elements of design and key activities in the design -to-production process.

A forward-thinking discussion on the demands being placed on caps and closures to address sustainable end-of-life issues and the needs of brand owners and municipalities. The session will feature insights from the closures purchasing manager at Nestlé Waters North America and from Resource Recovery Systems, a leading consultant in lifecycle management and sustainable design.

As found in a new study conducted by Trucost for the American Chemistry Council (ACC), the environmental costs of using plastics in consumer goods and packaging is about four times less than if other materials were used. Or, replacing plastics in consumer products and packaging with a mix of alternative materials would increase environmental costs from $139 billion to $533 billion annually. The ACC’s Emily Tipaldo will discuss the implications of the report for packaging producers.

CSP Technologies has focused its work on product protection solutions for greater consumer experiences. Its latest breakthough is a gas-scavenging technology that is build directly into an induction sealed, tamper-evident screw cap. Learn about the use of technologies that enhance flavor and performance in new closures applications and how this is being used to drive the closures market.

Join the closures experts from Berry Global to answer questions on end market segments and closures development in such areas as food and beverages, personal care and health care. Submit your questions through an online survey prior to the event and have them answered live on stage by industry experts with decades of combined experience.

Receive an update on the Bottle Zone, the newly launched packaging section at NPE in 2018.

Sponsored by NOVA Chemicals. Located at the House of Blues Chicago. Transportation to the House of Blues from the Fairmont is provided. Buses will be running from 6 p.m. - 8:45 p.m.

Breakfast will be served in the Exhibit Hall area of the Imperial Ballroom.

Located in the Imperial Ballroom at the Fairmont Chicago,Millennium Park.

Water.io, an Israeli company, has transformed the industry in Europe with its smart cap solutions that convert ordinary, disposable water bottles and other beverage bottles into “smart bottles.” Company co-founder Yoav Hoshen will discuss the evolution of smart and intelligent closures in the consumer market and what is on the horizon that will affect how customized closures are developed.

True partnership can be defined as an alternative to blame. Alex Hoffer of innovative closures molder Hoffer Plastics will offer an example of how partnerships resolved issues of leaking pouches in horizontal form-fill-seal manufacturing and cap and fitment design are critical to the solution.

The path to creating a one-piece, integrated funnel for industrial lubricants was a tricky one for Southeastern Packaging Technologies, the creators of FunLPro. CEO Bryan Crosby will explain the journey, the company's recent successes and how it conquered manufacturing challenges, including that of automating a factory to allow for quick turnaround.

Millennials. The aging population. Circular economy & sustainability initiatives. Evolving food tastes. Growing popularity of on-line shopping. Leveraging the impact of these and other key forces shaping the caps & closures market presents significant opportunities, and are critical for competitiveness and growth.

Performance requirements of packaging components like closures and materials like HDPE are ever increasing as industry moves towards lighter weight components driven by sustainability targets. The challenge gets compounded with shorter design cycles and a need to continuously bring new products to the market. To support these trends and committed to advancing packaging science, Dow Chemical is applying state-of-the-art simulation, materials testing and application testing capabilities to support the development of the next generation of closures.

Hear from a panel of finalists for Plastics News’ prestigious Plastics Caps & Closures Innovation Award on how their new products have influenced the industry’s direction. Learn who is this year’s award winner in a special presentation.

The frequent public announcements of M&A transactions in the plastics and packaging sectors often spur questions pondering whether such deals, in fact, create value. Many do, and some do not. This discussion explores the rationale, strategic positioning and value-creation initiatives that have come from M&A transactions in the plastics and packaging segments. The discussion will also cover a strategic overview of the packaging and plastics industries, and how today's dynamics present opportunities and challenges to entrepreneurs in the industry.

There has been an explosion of growth with digital printing in the plastic caps and closures industry over the past decade. In this arena of digital printing, major advancements have emerged to satisfy customer demands. The creation of machines for increased production speeds and the formulation of low migration inks are a few of the industry upgrades. This presentation will spotlight enhancements in speed, print quality, variable-data printing and overall display.

While plastics has many benefits, it ultimately becomes waste with staying power in landfills and oceans. Riverdale Global will introduce a new nano-technology that uses a a liquid additive that instantly alters the polymer structure of plastics during processing, yielding a finished product that provides the same performance and shelf life as a standard counterpart but then is reduced to biodegradable wax, eliminating 98% of the centuries-long process involved in natural degradation.

Drawing from his 15+ years of experience in RFID development and manufacture, Gary Burns will outline how the IOT (Internet of Things) trend toward connecting everyday items to the internet will revolutionize the caps and closures market. Gary led the directive at eAgile to bring their eSeal product line to the marketplace providing brand owners in the over-the-counter pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, cosmetic and chemical industries with an unprecedented level of supply chain visibility along with a proven methodology for providing brand and product security against counterfeiting, tampering and diversion.

This joint presentation from iD Additives and Sumitomo (SHI) Demag focuses on increasing production efficiency of injection molded custom closures by light weighting resin, limiting warp, reducing cooling time and reducing the overall cycle time through the use of foaming agents in high speed machinery. A case study will be presented which shows how foaming agents can be used in high speed machinery to give customers better quality parts and greater savings without sacrificing physical properties that are often a result of thinning the walls.