Machines Italia

A contest promoted by CONFIDA, the Italian Vending Association, will reward the best packaging solutions for vending machines

Vending machines are increasingly all-present in railway stations, waiting rooms, schools, common areas in shopping malls, offices, etc. The visual impact of the products is a very important factor and is often key in influencing product choice just as the customer is about to insert a coin in the slot. Packaging therefore becomes a crucial element, and not just in terms of product appearance: besides its ability to catch the eye, other key elements include “machinability”, a terms which refers to the package’s compatibility with the machine’s inner mechanisms as well as the logistic processes involved.  

During IPACK-IMA 2012 a special contest promoted by Confida (the Italian Vending Association) will reward the best packaging solution designed for the vending channel. The contest is called "Packaging for Vending" and will involve top-notch designers and manufacturers of packaging solutions, both with prototypes and existing products which will compete in two different categories. The increasing importance of packaging in products intended for the vending channel calls for a growing cooperation between companies active in packaging design and manufacturing and those involved in the vending business.

The contest will take place on one of the world’s top stages for packaging solutions: IPACK-IMA is the standard-setting international exhibition for packaging, processing, industrial logistics technology and materials, held from February 28^th to March 3^rd 2012 at Fiera Milano.

Subscription requests to the contest "Packaging for Vending" will be filed by February 20^th (further details and subscription forms are available at www.confida.com). The competing products will have to be submitted by February 28^th at CONFIDA’s stand (hall 9, stand D118) on IPACK-IMA’s opening day.

The winners will be selected on March 2^nd – the second-last day of IPACK-IMA – by a jury made up of experts and Confida’s top managers; the prize-giving ceremony will take place on the same day during the convention “Packaging for Vending”. The winning packaging solutions of both categories will be displayed at Venditalia 2012, the global vending exhibition on schedule on May 9-12 at Fieramilanocity where IPACK-IMA will also participate with a stand.

The history of technology, inventions, machinery, instruments, in Italy is a history of excellence. It is the history of creativity and ingenuity, of that mark of geniality, which has always identified the country and projects it into the future.

Today the future transcends boundaries more than ever: exponential acceleration of research and technology on the one hand and pushed toward internationalization on the other. A future in which the specifications and the identity and the abilities of the country increase to their maximum, their value consisting of innovation, well being and opportunity for all.

Machines Italia (a project by the Italian Trade Commission), in collaboration with Federmacchine, has created the initiative Italian Technology Awards (ITA) with the aim of spreading and sharing the successes of Italian technology in foreign markets. This year's program will run from July 3rd to the 16th, comprised of mechanical engineering students and faculty from the US, Russia, Brazil, Mexico and India.

The first week will be a full-week certification program offered by Italy's leading mechanical engineering and research center, Polytechnic of Milan, while the second week will be comprised of visiting companies within the ITA participating sectors.

The Polytechnic program will be comprised of engineering elements, global business strategies and practices, mechanical design and engineering, selected tours of leading Italian research centers and in-depth discussion and course work with engineering students and professors from other countries which are part of this international award program. Upon conclusion of the second week, students will be awarded a certification of completion by the University.

Both the faculty and student experiences will offer strong opportunities for educational and career enhancements.

Photos from the 2011 program are available here on the Machines Italia Flicker Account: http://flic.kr/s/aHsjw1eZjU