2014 ISTA TransPack Forum Recap

by Rich Lindgren, CPP
Chainalytics
With more than 60 years in the package test method arena, International Safe Transit Association successfully hosted another Transport Packaging Forum in Orlando, FL. Again this year, the event brought insightful benefits ranging from success stories and networking to discovering alternative ways to design, test, and simulate field to lab testing.

Truly an international association, bringing attendees together from several companies representing 4 continents that share common bonds between packaging and supply chain challenges, insightful industry presentations and entertaining networking opportunities creates a remarkably powerful forum.

Eric Carlson co-presenting with Jeff Tronnes of Stratasys

New this year, the forum had a Sustainability track, which was a series of speakers with sustainable packaging themed presentations culminating in Sustainability Panel with leaders from AMERIPEN, INCPEN, Sustainable Packaging Coalition and others.

Another common theme was the need for more focus from packaging engineers on their stretch wrap materials and unit load design strategies.  Looking beyond the price per roll or pound of your stretch film, the focus should be on the cost per unit load and its performance.

It is clear that ISTA is continuing to try new wrinkles to bring the attendees something and new and different.  On top of the Sustainable emphasis on day one, the second day also had a discussion panel focused on future trends which created a lot of great discussion from the audience and the panel.  It was an honor to have Eric Carlson from our team at Chainalytics chosen to participate in this panel and he represented us well.

Future Trends Panel

One thing you for sure will want to watch for in 2015 are updates to ASTM D-4169 Random Truck Vibration profiles that should better simulate real world to the lab.  There is a lot of great work out there continuing to evolve and improve testing standards.

If you were not able to attend would like to see Eric's presentation "Story of the Mojo Packaging Development", view it here.

See you at the Transport Packaging Forum in 2015!

The Story of Mojo: Building a Packaging Focus into Product Design | ISTA TransPack 2014 from Chainalytics