Kickstart: What clever mothers and dairy packaging have in common

Let's begin with a true story from my childhood. I grew up on a small farm. We had our own dairy cows, chickens, pigs ... all the "Old MacDonald Had a Farm" favorites. So I knew where milk came from. I also knew those cows hung out in some filthy places, and I informed my mother at the age of 5 or 6 that I would not, under any circumstances, be drinking any milk they produced. I wanted mine from a jug from the store, a place I could trust.

My mother, who typically would not put up with any such demands, agreed. And each day at dinner, she'd pour my milk out of a jug. Only after I said how much I enjoyed it did she reveal that she had, in fact, been placing milk from our cows into that jug. So yes. Mom won that day.

Which is a long way to go to note that I understand what Aurora Organic Dairy is doing with its milk bottling line in Columbia, Mo., where it has installed a Sidel Aseptic Combi Predis line to produce PET bottles for its milk: creating a bottle that can appeal to more consumers.

Aurora, based in Colorado, already was using more traditional cartons and high density polyethylene jugs. In 2019, it began offering low-acid, shelf-stable organic milk in PET containers ranging from 8 ounces to 32 ounces. As an organic dairy farm, Aurora already believed it had a premium product, but with the new containers it can help convince consumers of that, too.

"We're seeing growth opportunities and customer interest in aseptically bottled mik ... in PET," said Aurora Chief Customer Officer Jason Lee. "These observations have opened the door for unique private brand products to stand out on the shelf."

First up, some scheduling news. Chinaplas 2020 has a new date, in August.

Apple Inc. made headlines Feb. 17 when it reported it would miss its earnings expectations because it is both having problems making iPhones and other electronics in China, while its sales in the region are also down because consumers aren't going out to buy new ones.

In the auto field, the Beijing Auto Show has announced it will postpone its 2020 event, originally scheduled for April 21-30, until a later, unspecified date.

China is the world's biggest auto market now, and the shows in Beijing and Shanghai, which trade off every other year, have seen global vehicle introductions.

The virus is also at the heart of a Volkswagen Group decision to postpone restarting production of VW and Skoda vehicles made by its SAIC-VW Chinese joint venture until at least Feb. 24, rather than the earlier date of Feb. 17.

But in one piece of good news, workers at Munich-based sunroof supplier Webasto AG's headquarters are now back at the office. The company had eight of its workers contract the virus, via a China-based coworker who unknowingly carried it to Germany on a business trip. The exposure forced the company to close its headquarters for two weeks.

I've been editing some of the reporting coming out of our Processor of the Year coverage (the winner will be named Feb. 26 at the Executive Forum) and one common trait? There are some amazing young people in the industry working at those companies, and some employers who are encouraging them to dream big.

Plastics News' annual roundup of Rising Stars gives us a chance to spotlight the work they're doing. They don't need to be executives or hold a title. We've profiled people just getting started in the industry, as well as those with a few years under their (metaphorical) belt.

One of the questions we're asking in this year's nomination form is about sustainability. This is a big topic that will need some big ideas and people with a fresh perspective to help find solutions.

Here are the basics: Rising Stars are people age 35 and younger involved in the plastics industry, you can nominate yourself or someone else can nominate you and we'll profile the stars in the April 13 issue of PN.
You can read more about it from Editor Don Loepp here or go straight to the nomination form.