Austria is a small country known for its progressive people. It’s the home of Amadeus Mozart, Marie Antoinette, Sigmund Freud, and Arnold Schwarzenegger (as well as snow globes and the world’s only surviving Baroque zoo). Austria’s capital Vienna is consistently ranked as one of the world’s top-five most livable cities for its safety, social services, economic opportunities, public transportation, and urban forested areas.
Vienna is notable as a hub of progress in the packaging industry as well–it’s the birthplace of the EUMOS Symposium for Load Securing, Transport Packaging, and Safe Logistics.
EUMOS (European Safe Logistics Association)
EUMOS is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving safety standards in European transport policy. Representatives at the 2017 Symposium hailed from more than 17 countries, and included police, manufacturers, logistics companies, truck drivers, engineers, and more.
These diverse representatives came together to provided a comprehensive perspective on global challenges in the packaging industry today.
Kyle Dunno traveled to Vienna to represent Atlantic at the Symposium. Kyle heads up testing operations at Atlantic’s Packaging Solution Center. He previously managed Clemson University’s Transport Packaging Laboratory and earned his PhD. in Food Technology with research focusing on evaluating the effects of transportation hazards on package performance and food product shelf life.
When Atlantic decided to invest in the TruMotion Transportation Simulator and the Braking & Impact Test Sled for a more thorough and accurate analysis of transport hazards, we knew Kyle was the ideal person to head up these operations. We are lucky to have him on board and representing us on the world stage.
Kyle Dunno, 3rd from right
A Global Problem: Setting Standards
Kyle’s presence and contribution to the Symposium was timely as representatives gathered to discuss a new EU Packaging Standard that’s currently being drafted.
The standard is about unit load stability and rigidity in packaging. The EU is in the process of updating standards across all member countries to establish a minimum requirement for package containment and shipping. Packages that travel across international borders will be held to consistent standards. The big question is how to define metrics and set these minimums.
Kyle’s presentation was titled “Defining the Distribution Channel to Eliminate Unit Load Failure” and he spoke about Atlantic’s approach to establishing and maintaining standards for safe packaging.
This comprehensive approach includes an on-site audit, analysis & testing, package optimization, and long-term monitoring (learn more about this approach).
Impact and Takeaways
By far, the biggest impact that this approach had at the EUMOS Symposium was to introduce the practical applications of testing to establish packaging standards, and long-term monitoring to accurately maintain those standards.
Atlantic is unique in its resources for testing and analysis as well as in its patented system for monitoring and notifications. These resources are critical to the conversation happening today among the members of EUMOS as they work towards improved safety and efficiency in moving goods throughout Europe.
Our presence at the 2017 Symposium was an amazing and important opportunity to collaborate and discuss global challenges in packaging with international industry leaders who are setting the course for standardization.
Learn More about Atlantic’s Approach to Setting Standards in Packaging