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.

Registration takes place in the Imperial Foyer.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.