By using fibre derived from the sugar beet in convenience foods like meatballs, hamburgers and meat loaf, a juicier end product with better consistency is obtained.

Tracking and recovery of stolen vehicles and other valuable goods can now be carried out quicker and more reliably with a new wireless positioning system. Using the existing GSM cellular networks, CellPoint Systems' positioning technology is designed for fleet and asset management, security, tracking, rental services, emergency services, insurance applications and more. The system, which is believed to be a world first of its kind, has been in commercial operation in South Africa for more than 20 months. It has now been launched on the world market by CellPoint Systems AB of Stockholm, Sweden.

With its new vibration balancing system, Electrolux-Wascator has managed to make its industrial washing machine operate more quietly than an ordinary domestic washing machine.

The SlipOver concept developed by ABB Kabeldon of Sweden, is aimed at simplifying and increasing the quality of jointing, connecting and terminating work for power cable systems.

More and more service companies are looking for tools to help them increase the effectiveness of the services they provide. Reterm has therefore developed ServIT, a comprehensive production management system intended for mobile field service use. According to the company this system makes administration, service technician tasking and vehicle usage more efficient. Completely open and Windows-based, it can utilise links via almost any type of network.

A new paperboard with higher tearing strength will give the chocolate manufacturer Kraft Freia Marabou in Sweden lighter and stronger chocolate boxes. Performa 350 g/m2 light-weight paperboard from Enso Paperboards in Finland will replace the Solid Bleached Sulphate, SBS, packaging based on 380 g/m2 paperboard currently used by the sweet company. The new paperboard is reported to meet critical odour and taste criteria required for such packaging.  The change will involve the entire annual production of the assorted chocolates, Aladdin and Paradis, in the most popular 500 g packs. Production of the ranges is located to the chocolate manufacturer's largest production site north of Stockholm.

ABB Flexible Automation has launched FlexPalletizer, a standardized automatic pallet handling, loading and unloading system. The system enables consumer goods manufacturers to rapidly adapt their palletizing function to meet changing packaging and product requirements.

The latest model from Atlas Copco Construction Tools completes the company's solid body breaker range. With a power of 600 joules and a weight of 290 kg, the new model offers one of the highest power to weight ratio's in its class, says the company.

The world's most advanced continuous production line for all concrete elements needed to build a house frame. This is how Finnish Acotec Ltd. describes its new universal prefabrication system, called Acotec Combi. The unit offers the entire functionality of the company's previous three lines. Thus, it can produce both non-reinforced and statically reinforced wall elements and slabs with a production speed up to 80 m2/h.

Patents have been granted in Europe and the USA for a plastic coating that can be used in packaging material both for liquid and dry food stuff cartons. Called Ensobarr, the new barrier coating created by Enso Paperboards is said to give packaging board superior protective qualities than conventionalplastic-based barrier layers and has comparable performance to aluminium foil. It is also reported to make the packages easier to recycle than conventional packages made of thick polymer or aluminium laminates1. The coating, now available for a range of packaging applications also meets the latest German monomaterial criteria that suggests a maximum limit of 5 per cent weight of other than the main material2.