Pepsico, Keurig leaders judge packaging challenge

By Jenni Spinner

- Last updated on GMT

Related tags Pack expo Pack expo las Problem solving

Leaders from Pepsico and Keurig will help judge the 2013 PACK Solutions Challenge.
Leaders from Pepsico and Keurig will help judge the 2013 PACK Solutions Challenge.
Students headed toward a career in packaging will put their skills to the test in a hands-on competition at PACK EXPO.

Scheduled September 23-25, PACK EXPO Las Vegas 2013​ is bringing student teams from across the US for the fifth annual PACK Solutions Challenge. The teams will pit their abilities against each other, presenting proposals for a fictional processor.

B&R Industrial Automation​ is sponsoring the contest for the third executive year. The teams of future packaging professionals hail from seven schools that work with show organizer PMMI: the Association for Packaging and Processing​: Cal Poly State University, Clemson University, Purdue University Calumet, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rutgers University, University of Florida and Virginia Tech.

Future investment

According to PMMI’s vice president of education and workforce development Maria Ferrante, the competition is designed to expand the future talent pool that packaging professionals have to draw from.

It fosters student interest in the field, provides real-world experience solving problems and creating proposals with detailed rationale and strengthens the next generation of professionals coming into the industry​,” she said.

John Kowal, director of business development for B&R Industrial Automation added that the experience will prove invaluable to competition participants as they move forward in their packaging careers.

The students are required to exercise problem-solving skills, conduct research and present their conclusions in a convincing manner; it’s the same type of situation they will encounter after joining the workforce​,” he said.

Expert judges

The student teams will present their findings on Tuesday, September 24. Their work will be reviewed by a panel of industry experts from leading food and beverage companies, including Pepsico​, Keurig​, and Schrieber Foods Inc.

Further, the teams’ work will be displayed on posters in the Education and Workforce Development Pavilion, beginning Monday, Sept. 23, after 2 p.m. PACK EXPO attendees are encouraged to peruse and vote for their favorite, which will land People’s Choice honors.

For more information about the competition or PACK EXPO, visit the show website here.

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