Beauty & the Box

Published: May 01, 2002, By Claudia Hine, Senior Editor

For the first time in the history of the Paperboard Packaging Council's carton competition, one entry took the top award — the President's Award — and scored first honors in the Structural/Technical Innovation category.

MeadWestvaco Packaging, Stamford, CT, designed a beverage carrier/dispenser for FridgeMaster and Coca-Cola that the judges consider a standout due to its unique, consumer-friendly features. The strength of the handle and dispenser allows the package to be carried even after it has been opened.

By composing the package's corners with opposing arcs rather than the traditional straight line score, the MeadWestvaco team constructed a tight, strong carton also noteworthy for its design, especially the die-cuts, print quality, and exact registration.

Winners of the carton competition were announced at the association's annual spring meeting March 18 in Washington, D.C.

Gold Award Winners
A total of 21 packages received Gold Awards for meeting demanding criteria during the converting process and demonstrating excellence in meeting the equally demanding needs of consumer product companies and consumers.

Caraustar Customer Packaging Group
Pepperidge Farms' Spritzers Cookies (Ashland, OH, plant); Hershey Foods' Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus confections (York, PA, plant); Nestle's Carnation Instant Breakfast Value Pack (Mentor, OH, plant); and Gerber Products' Take-Along Travel Pack (St. Louis, MO, plant).

Color-Box LLC
Pelahatchie, MS: Osram Sylvania's X2020 Xenarc.

F.M. Howell & Co.
Elmira, NY: Dentsply Professional's Nupro White Gold and Pfizer's Blue Prints for Success.

Green Bay Packaging
Green Bay, WI: Pure Cotton's Purely Cotton Tissue and Ovation Marketing's Note Cards.

Neff Packaging Solutions
Dayton, OH: Procter & Gamble's Head & Shoulders Hair Helmet.

Rock-Tenn Co.
Chick-fil-A's Dinner-to-Go (Stone Mountain, GA, plant); Tyson Food's Chicken Deli and Cranberry Stuffed Breast (Sequatchie Valley, TN, plant); Gourmet Foods' Michael Angelo's Frozen Entrees (Waxahachie, TX, plant); Scotts Miracle-Gro's Garden Feeder (Marshville, NC, plant); and Friskies Petcare's Mighty Dog 12-Pack (Conway, AR, plant).

Smurfit-Stone Container Corp.
Nonni's Food's Nonni's Panetini (Fort Wayne, IN, plant) and Perdue Farms' DeLuca Entrees (Valley Forge, PA, plant).

Somerville Packaging
Sara Lee's Signature Selections Deep Dish Pies (Mississauga, Ont., Canada, plant) and J.E. Seagram & Sons' Captain Morgan (Montreal, Que., Canada, plant).

Thoro Packaging
Corona, CA, plant: Too Good Gourmet's Christmas Cartons.

Judges for the event included Todd Hansen, Promotional Industries, East Hartford, CT; Prof. Kay Cooksey, Clemson Univ., Packaging Science Dept., Clemson, SC; Richard E. DePaul, DePaul Assoc., Williamsburg, VA; Prof. Harold Hughes, Michigan State Univ., East Lansing, MI; James W. Peters, editor-in-chief, BrandPackaging magazine, St. Charles, IL; Jeannie Spitler, designer, Lebanon, OH; and Anthony J. Kipp (non-voting student judge), Michigan State Univ., East Lansing, MI.

For more information contact PPC, 201 N. Union St., Ste. 220, Alexandria, VA 22314; 703/836-3300; ppcnet.org.