Foss North America Inc., Eden Prairie, Minn., has announced the launch of the MilkoScan™ FT2, a new analyzer that allows dairies to improve analysis operations with significant benefits to business, including the ability to save thousands of pounds of raw material in annual production.

Deerfield, Ill.-based Stagnito Communications Inc., a division of Ascend Media LLC, announced in February a co-location agreement between its BrandPackaging magazine “Packaging that Sells IV Conference” and Pack Expo International. Pack Expo International will be held at Chicago’s McCormick Place, October 29 to November 2. The packaging conference will take place concurrently November 1 to 2.

Plastic Suppliers Inc., Columbus, Ohio, has won the FTA’s Environmental Excellence Award in the category of Innovative Technology for its EarthFirst® PLA film product. Made from corn, the innovative film is environmentally friendly, compostable and does not rely on oil as a resource. For more information, visit www.earthfirstpla.com.

Dairy.com, Dallas, announced in February the completion of its acquisition of DairyCareers. Focused exclusively on the dairy industry, DairyCareers offers a range of services from traditional recruiting to Internet-powered solutions. Its unique technology platform enables employers to post job openings directly to an industry job board. DairyCareers is offering free, unlimited job posting to all dairy industry employers throughout 2006. For more information, visit www.dairycareers.com.

Cannon Equipment, Rosemount, Minn., and Mission Controls, Costa Mesa, Calif., have announced an agreement to form a strategic alliance to bring dramatically improved production processing and technology solutions to America’s fluid milk manufacturing industry.

Farmingdale, N.Y.-based Seal-It Inc. has been named to the Div 500 list of “Top Owned Businesses” and “Top 500 Women-Owned Companies in the USA” by DiversityBusiness.com. Seal-It has also been chosen by WE Women’s Enterprise USA Magazine as a “Top 100 Women-Owned Business in the USA.” Additionally, Seal-It has been named by Crain’s New York Magazine as a “Top 25 Women-Owned Business.”

Blackhawk Automation Inc. has expanded operations in order to better serve the needs of its client base. The new facility, located in Madison, Wis., has a total of 55,000 square feet, about 25 percent of which is the Blackhawk’s assembly area used for testing case packing, palletizing, robot and conveying solutions. The company says the new space gives Blackhawk a better means of demonstrating large (more than 100 feet in length) automated packaging and material handling systems than its previous location in a small shop in Sun Prairie, Wis.

Thermo Electron Corp. has partnered with the Department of Food Science and Nutrition at the University of Minnesota in a two-year research project to investigate factors that control food safety and quality. The objective of the project is to investigate laboratory techniques and technologies that are used to analyze food by periodic sampling, and determine how they can be developed into on-line process instruments. 

Cryo-Trans Inc., Owings, Md., has placed an order for 429 new state-of-the-art refrigerated boxcars from The Greenbrier Companies Inc. Cryo-Trans officials attribute Greenbrier’s expertise in building these highly specialized cars and its reputation for innovative, quality products as reasons for placing the recent order with Greenbrier. Greenbrier has built or modified more than 1,000 railcars for the frozen-foods market since the mid-1980s. Shells for the 429 new railcars will be provided by Greenbrier’s railcar facility in Sahagun, Mexico.

Olathe, Kan.-based Systems Material Handling Co. has moved into a new 275,000-square-foot headquarters in Olathe. The facility houses a modern design and engineering department, a sophisticated warehouse and distribution center equipped with state-of-the-art inventory control, and a semi-automated packaging and shipping area.