NJM and Cal Poly Team Up for a Fully Integrated Line
Packaging solutions are a challenge and need to be learned with hands on experience for students studying to work in the packaging industry after graduation. At this year’s Pack Expo Las Vegas Show, students were able to take on a real “Pack Solution Challenge” to learn how to evaluate a project, find the right line integration solution and present the results to a panel of judges: all for a scholarship to be used for their continuing education. The students who participated are studying packaging in their respective universities and were hoping to ‘bring home a win’ at the Pack Expo Show.
Cal Poly accepted the challenge to work on this real packaging solution with the assistance of NJM Packaging, a real, total line integrator of tablet, powder and liquid packaging lines in the pharmaceutical industry. Here was the challenge:
Develop a packaging solution for a fictional company: “Innovative Pharmaceuticals Inc.” and its new fast-dissolving over-the-counter product.
Prior to the Pack Expo Show, NJM was approached by several different university teams to assist with their projects and we were excited to provide the solution for these Industrial Technology students. Cal Poly students Jeff Norton, Nick Abbatelli, Patrick Salibi and Rebecca Kisch worked with Dan Lapierre, NJM Packaging’s Vice President, to provide a packaging solution for their project. The team worked for weeks leading up to the show to find the equipment needed for the line, what the special options needed for the project were, the speeds they wanted to run, as well as all the specifications needed to develop a valid, operating line for this project. Dan Lapierre says, “… it was a pleasure working with the Cal Poly team in providing them with a real applicable solution. It was with great joy to find out at the Vegas Show that the panel judges selected Cal Poly as the Winner for 2015.”
So the newest 2016 Future Leaders in Packaging goes to: Cal Poly. Great job all!!