Beyond The Headlines: Walmart leverages Denali’s depacking tech, Ulma’s new flow pack machine

This week in industry news, recycling company Denali implemented its depackaging technology to help Walmart address food waste, Harpack-Ulma introduced its 150-packs-per-minute FM400 horizontal flow machine, and chemical company Dow announced targeted actions to save US$1 billion in costs.

In brief: New solutions and certifications

Denali, a leading organic recycling company in the US, partnered with Walmart to introduce ReCirculate, a compost made from the supermarket chain’s food waste. Denali uses depacking technology to separate organic food from its packaging and to turn it into a clean stream of materials that can be used in products such as compost, soil, fertilizer, and renewable energy.

The Carton Council, Elof Hansson USA, and the Upcycling Group announced a partnership to establish a new recycling manufacturing facility in California, US, by the end of Q3. The facility sets out to transform post-consumer F&B cartons into durable, sustainable building materials. It aims to support regional recycling efforts and help meet the growing demand for sustainable construction materials. The method consists of shredding used gable top and aseptic cartons and bonding them into large, durable sheets.

Harpack-Ulma introduced a 150-packs-per-minute FM400 horizontal flow packaging solution (Image credit: Ulma).Eco Flexibles, a UK lightweight, recyclable, reusable, and compostable solutions provider, received a Grade AA certification in the British Retail Consortium Global Food Safety Standard audit. The achievement underlines the company’s exceptional commitment to quality, safety, and operational excellence. The company says that this certification is “globally recognized as the gold standard for food safety,” strengthening Eco Flexibles’ position as an end-to-end partner in the food packaging supply chain. The certification process examines over 300 operational points, including hygiene protocols, quality control, safety standards, and production efficiency.

In brief: Tech and innovation

Harpack-Ulma introduced a 150-packs-per-minute FM400 horizontal flow packaging solution for food product applications. Its MAP technology was developed to ensure product freshness and improve shelf life through airtight packaging integrity. The FM400’s Long-Dwell sealing head has an orbital movement mechanism that delivers hermetic seals, a stainless-steel body, and a vertical plate. 

German chemical giant BASF switched all of its Europe-based performance materials division plants to renewable electricity. The plants produce engineering plastics, polyurethanes, thermoplastic polyurethanes, and specialty polymers. To achieve the company’s climate targets, the plants are now using electricity from renewable sources such as wind or solar. In total, nine performance materials production sites across Europe have been converted.

Norwalt Automation Group, a specialist in custom-built automation and line integration machinery for complex manufacturing applications, moved to a larger production facility in Tampa, US. The company, based in the city of Randolph in New Jersey, US said that the move is a sign of its rapid growth. This comes less than two years after the opening of Norwalt’s original facility in Tampa. The new facility will provide 28,000 sq ft dedicated primarily to machine and systems integration for the customized, precision-engineered solutions. 

Norwalt’s new facility in Tampa, US (Image credit: Norwalt).In brief: Business developments 

Dow, a chemical company, announced targeted actions to save US$1 billion in costs on an annual run-rate in response to ongoing macroeconomic weakness. The company plans to achieve this by reducing direct costs by between US$500 million and US$700 million. This will be achieved by slashing purchased services and third-party contract labor. Dow also aims to decrease labor costs, including through a workforce reduction of approximately 1,500 roles globally.

Acorn East, an industrial packaging supplies company, and AE Global, a custom packaging authority, announced a consolidation under the AE Global name. This initiative aims to broaden their capabilities in industrial packaging, custom packaging, equipment, and automation. The combined business is moving into 150,000 sq ft in Sunshine State Park, Miami, US, which will serve as the company’s national headquarters.

Kelly Spicers, a US distributor of paper, packaging, wide-format products, and facilities solutions, has acquired Creative Packaging Group, an independent packaging distributor with customers across the Rocky Mountain region. Creative Packaging specializes in supplying its customers with a range of industrial packaging consumables and equipment to support market needs, from production lines to final shipments.