Celebrating its 10th year, March’s 2017 Converters Expo boasted about 20 percent more exhibitors combined with an impressive growth in attendees.

Here’s a closer look at some of these products and innovations. Think of it as a little sneak peek of what to expect at the Forum this June.

From a greenfield operation to a growing, thriving converter, USC Bag Manufacturing LLC has come a long way in a relatively short period of time.

Now celebrating its 20th year, the Global Pouch Forum will be held June 14-16 at the Intercontinental Hotel in Miami, Florida. Known for its strong educational agenda, excellent networking opportunities and extensive flexible packaging exhibition space, the forum attracts a large attendance each year.

Flexible Packaging recently caught up with Dennis Carespodi, Oracle Packaging director of technology, for an update on the converter’s extrusion capacity and capabilities.

In the May installment of Roundtable, we sit down with Scott Fuller- CMD Corp., Danford Anderson- Hudson-Sharp Machine Co., Sanjay Amin- Mamata Enterprises, Inc., James Russell- Modern Manufacturing, Raul Matos- Karlville Development, and Mike Greely- Totani America.

Contract converters can help their clients – converters and printers – control their overhead costs and speed time to market. They can also leverage their expertise in particular processes, so that their clients can better hone in on what they’re good at.

Aptar Food + Beverage’s flip-top for the Daisy Brand Squeeze-Flexible sour cream pouch is one of the more notable fitments integrated into flexible packaging.

Impak Corp. has named veteran machinery engineer Tod Cooper as product manager for its machinery division.

It’s an odd-numbered year, which means it’s an ICE USA year. The biennial trade show returns to Orlando, Florida’s Orange County Convention Center from April 25-27. The following week, about 2,000 miles west, FTA InfoFlex will be held at the Phoenix Convention Center May 1-2.