• Responding to today’s broad interest in packaging sustainability, the Packaging Machinery Manufacturers Institute (PMMI) has partnered with the Sustainable Packaging Coalition (SPC) to bring attention to the topic at Pack Expo International 2006, October 29 to November 2 at Chicago’s McCormick Place. During the show, the SPC will showcase various components of its vision for a fully sustainable packaging supply chain and provide examples of innovations generated by many of its member companies.

• San Diego, Calif.-based CSB-System International has been chosen as the vendor for Superior Farms’ new ERP systems. About two years ago, Superior Farms embarked on a strategic initiative process where its team of managers and experienced employee owners were tasked with looking to the future and identifying the most significant events and business environment challenges the company could identify in the coming decade. Recognizing its sustained competitive advantage arises from an unrelenting focus on and continuous improvements in product and customer service efficiencies, Superior Farms says it quickly identified the need for sophisticated and flexible computing systems.

• Last month, in response to an ever-changing CPG (consumer packaged goods) retail environment, Chicago-based Information Resources Inc. (IRI) announced the availability of IRI Retail MarketWatch™, a quarterly publication providing retailers visibility into the dynamics currently driving CPG sales. The publication offers current and action-oriented insights on critical category growth, shifting channel dynamics, changing shopper priorities and significant sales opportunities. It also features benchmarking tools along with an overview of the latest retail thought leadership from IRI.

• Evanston, Ill.-based PrintServ Technologies Inc. has changed its name to Prowave Systems Inc. The Prowave name is more in line with the company’s redefined initiative of becoming the premier operations management solutions provider for the manufacturing industry, says Lyle Zickuhr, vice president of operations. To help accelerate this forefront positioning of Prowave, the company has formed strategic partnerships with industry innovators including Microsoft Corp., The Sage Group and Symbol.

• In recent years, food scares around the world have placed food safety at the top of everybody’s agenda. As the only international standard on food safety, ISO 22000 harmonizes practices in the sector and facilitates trade. AFAQ AFNOR International, together with its North American partner QMI Management Systems Registration, has now added this standard to its wide-ranging certification portfolio. AFAQ AFNOR International issued its first ISO 22000 certificates just weeks after the publication of the international standard in September 2005.

• Appleton, Wis.-based WOW Logistics Co. is expanding the refrigerated warehouse sections in two of the company’s Wisconsin warehouse locations. In central Wisconsin, construction is underway to build an additional 65,000 square feet onto the Wisconsin Rapids Cooler warehouse that will offer a total of 236,500 square feet of multi-temperature refrigerated storage. This fully racked section of 10,000-pallet positions is scheduled to be completed in November 2006. In addition, WOW is converting 41,000 square feet of ambient space within its Little Chute warehouse in northeast Wisconsin to refrigerated storage space. This conversion was slated for September 2006 completion.