LOS ANGELES — Several companies exhibited new optical-media packaging at Replitech North America, held Feb. 20-22 in Los Angeles.
Emplast Inc. introduced DSS-2100, a carry-home polypropylene security frame for digital-versatile-disc-sized packaging.
"Several large retailers want something that will go straight through the checkout," said Phil Sykes, vice president of sales and marketing.
A consumer leaves with the entire package and can recycle the device, which encapsulates the content's edges.
"For a relatively low cost, the retailer can add a dimension of security and put DVDs on the shelf," Sykes said.
The product uses a lock that is compatible with a standard Emplast key, enabling a retailer to adjust inventory as needed.
In addition, Emplast nearly doubled its Chanhassen, Minn., production and warehouse capabilities with a 97,000-square-foot addition that was completed in January. Emplast moved some equipment from its Shakopee, Minn., plant to the Chanhassen facility and will now use the Shakopee site as an interim shipping and storage location.
Another company, Nexpak of North Canton, Ohio, launched different PP DVD cases to house three, four or five discs.
The Alphapak configurations are suitable for holding DVD collector editions, television series and movie-content additions such as soundtracks and video games. The packaging has a patented DVD-approved hub and retains standard DVD-case width and height with a depth of 1.5 inches. Earlier Alphapaks held single or double DVDs.
Centis Inc. of Brea, Calif., showed its QuicLoc technique for storing a 120-millimeter disc in a sleeve or a binder page. Spot welds right above the disc's position in the sleeve hold the item in place even when the package is held upside down or shaken, said Lynne Maestrejuan, marketing manager with the Centis custom products division. QuicLoc reached the market in November.
QuicLoc has a straight-cut sleeve suitable for automatic insertion rather than a safety flap using extra material and posing handling complications. The sleeve is available in polypropylene or vinyl with options for a nonwoven back. The binder can hold up to 20 discs without a zipper or fold-over flap.
Centis employs more than 1,700, has facilities throughout North America and Europe and was known as 20th Century Plastics Inc. until October 1999.
Clear-Vu Products of Westbury, N.Y., has developed a secure ZenithPac for DVDs or gaming or application software. A gaming company will launch the product in October, said Grace Consoli, Clear-Vu vice president of sales.
Standard automation machines can load a ZenithPac, and the retailer inserts an internal locking bar that is removed during customer checkout, which then can be reused. A ZenithPac has double walls on its circumference and knife-proof crossbars. An exhibited sample of Himont polypropylene "is stiff enough to keep its structure once the locking bar is removed," Consoli said.
Clear-Vu, a division of Autronic Plastics Inc., has lined up three licensees to manufacture the product for the Asian, European and North American markets.
Westvaco Corp. has opted to use AGI Media Packaging as the unified identity for its global niche acquisitions. Westvaco decided last year to expand its services to the specialty packaging market and grouped the entities under a common name Jan. 1.
New York-based AGI encompasses Impac Group Inc.'s entertainment packaging business sector in Europe and the United States: DuBois Holdings Ltd. of Corby, England; Sony Music Print of Haarlem, Holland; and Commercial Lithograph of Louisville, Ky.
AGI's high-profile media packaging brands include Digipak and Amaray.
