Paper Machinery Corp., Milwaukee, wins a 2004 WorldStar Award for the first commercial application of its Barrier Plus™ packaging technology—a preprinted, convolute plastic container.

The World Packaging Organization awards the WorldStars based on the inventiveness, creativity and functionality of the package. The award presentation will take place in Sao Paolo, Brazil, on May 24.

Barrier Plus was developed in collaboration with ProCal, a manufacturing company based in South Gate, CA. ProCal was searching for an innovative solution to differentiate its flower pots within the home & garden and nursery market. Until now, a plastic container featuring high print quality, a barrier design and a variety of sizes and shapes was a combination that hadn't been achieved in a single package. Barrier Plus unites the graphic appeal of paperboard containers with the performance advantages of plastic, says the company.

Along with the Barrier Plus brand, PMC is introducing two new machines, the PMC 1002P and the PMC 1300P, to form the containers. PMC manufactures forming machines for paperboard cups, canisters and custom packages.