Reston, Va.-based PMMI, The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, reported that the 20th anniversary of its Pack Expo Las Vegas tradeshow not only was a milestone event, but it also was a record-breaker.

NORD Gear Corp. offers its Screw Conveyor Package, a compact, reliable and cost-effective alternative to traditional screw conveyor drives, the company says.

In Styx’s 1983 hit “Mr. Roboto,” the band sings, “Thank you very much, Mr. Roboto; For doing the jobs that nobody wants to.” Little did the band know, robots eventually would take on an immense amount of jobs that warehouse workers find repetitive and boring.

Various robotic concepts and designs have been developed and applied in many industries for almost a century.

Wilkens-Anderson offers its VSM II video seam monitor: a high-resolution camera and monitor to inspect can double-seam cross sections.

Highlighting its Freightliner Trucks Business Class M2, Daimler Trucks North America LLC’s Freightliner trucks offer the M2 106 and M2 112, which both feature best-in-class visibility with a 2,500-square-inch windshield and have numerous manual, automated and automatic transmission choices, the company says.

Douglas Machine Inc. integrated its Vectra cartoner with dual Fanuc M-3iA Delta robots to reduce the time and number of parts required for changeover.

Hollywood has shown both the endearing side of robots, such as in Walt Disney’s “Wall-E,” and the more feared versions from the “Terminator” franchise.

This fall, PMMI, the Reston, Va.-based Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, will host Pack Expo International 2014 from Nov. 2 through 5 at McCormick Place in Chicago.

Reston, Va.-based Packaging Machinery Manufacturer’s Institute (PMMI) used its presence at interpack to address the top trends and challenges impacting the North American manufacturing sector. Kicking off the week-long tradeshow May 8-14 in Düsseldorf, Germany, the Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies discussed topics including reduced dependence on foreign oil, “Made in the USA” products, robotics, innovations in traceability technologies and retail-ready packaging at its press conference.