In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, SleeveCo Inc., Dawsonville, Ga., is offering complete support for a family of up to five for the next four months, including a house, job and other necessities. SleeveCo employees will assist the family with school registrations, healthcare, applications for replacement of all important documentation and licenses, and other needs. “The government and emergency agencies have their hands full right now and will for a long time to come. It is just the beginning of a long road of recovery and rebuilding,” says David Johnson, president and chief executive officer of the sleeve-label manufacturer. “We would like to help as many families as possible get off to a successful new start. If this works out well, we will continue to sponsor families until the time when relief and recovery efforts subside. It is time for Americans and my fellow colleagues in the packaging industry to band together, reach out and show our unity as a nation.” Information about the family will be posted at www.sleeveco.com.  

MicroAnalytics Inc., Arlington, Va., has announced FlotillaSoft as its new distributor of TruckStops Routing & Scheduling Software and OptiSite Distribution Planning Model in Mexico. Both systems are used by logistics operators to reduce the cost of distribution through optimization.

The European Commission has approved Tetra Laval’s acquisition of Simonazzi from the SIG Group. Present in 20 countries, Simonazzi designs, produces and sells filling and labeling equipment in addition to complete bottling lines for packaging liquid foods in plastic and glass bottles as well as drink cans. These activities will be integrated into Sidel, one of Tetra Laval’s three industry groups, upon closing of the acquisition.

Rice Lake, Wis.-based Johnson Refrigerated Truck Bodies has redesigned its Web site, www.johnsontruckbodies.com, providing expanded access to comprehensive information about the company and its products, and enabling visitors to request quotes online, make competitive comparisons, view cost-breakouts of Johnson leases and more. The redesigned site, which went live in August, is organized by market or product for simpler navigation — a key initiative of the redesign. The new site also features links to request or download literature on products or market-specific capabilities, view available in-stock bodies and even request a quote for any of Johnson’s line of fiberglass refrigerated truck bodies.

Portola Blow Mold Technologies announced in August that it will consolidate all of its business operations at the existing Portola Packaging Inc. facility in New Castle, Pa. Over the next four to six months, Portola Allied Tool, Portola Dairy Fabrication, Portola Technical Service and the new Reciprocating Screw Machine businesses will move to the 60,000-square-foot New Castle facility.

In June, Outlook Group Corp., Neenah, Wis., announced an agreement with Ossian, Ind.-based Aviso Packaging LLC. The equipment and services provided under the agreement, combined with Outlook Group’s flexible packaging capabilities, will bring new packaging technology to the cheese industry. The new technology is designed for the packaging of natural cheese for the retail and foods service markets.

Manteno, Ill.-based Zip-Pak, an ITW Company, has announced the purchase of London’s Supreme Plastics Ltd.’s reclosable division, comprising its resealable zipper and resealable bag business, including the associated technology portfolios. Zip-Pak will also acquire Supreme Plastics’ plant in Whitby, England.

Victor, N.Y.-based Ecovation Inc. has finalized an agreement to take over waste stream treatment operations at CoolBrands’ North Lawrence, N.Y., facility. The company will incorporate its patented Mobilized Film Technology (MFTSM ) to pretreat waste streams and produce renewable fuel for use in the plant.