A National Science Foundation Partnership for Innovation Project in Wisconsin’s Packaging and Printing Industry Cluster
NSF award abstract for project »
This project is focused on developing new packaging and printing products and processes that have superior physical, biological, chemical and smart-sensing characteristics, making it possible to transform supply chain processes, to increase economic potential for commercialization and to increase understanding of necessary changes in the industry. Together, these advances will pose high barriers for foreign competition and enable the creation of high-paying jobs in Wisconsin.
The project team is focusing its efforts in three thrust areas:
- Polymer/Inorganic Oxide Coatings for Improved Packaging Functionality
- Printable Power Systems for Sensing and Auto-ID in Packaging
- Sustainable Packaging, Printing and Plant Operations
This research is funded with a $612,000 grant over a two-year period from the National Science Foundation. Partners in the project include:
- University of Wisconsin-Madison (lead institution)
- University of Wisconsin Stout
- Waukesha County Technical College
- Appleton
- Bemis Flexible Packaging Company
- Great Lakes Packaging Corporation
- Kimberly-Clark
- Kraft
- Menasha Packaging
- NewPage Specialty Papers
- QuadGraphics
- Seneca Foods
- Tosca Ltd.
For project information, contact Dr. Raj Veeramani raj@engr.wisc.edu or 608-262-0861.
A Healthcare Collaborative Project: RFID in Transfusion Medicine Supply Chain
- Funded by the National Institutes of Health
- Scope centers on RFID tracking of end-to-end industry processes — from donation to patient transfusion.
- Participants include 3 independent blood centers, 2 U.S. hospitals and 14 industry and academic supporters.
- Aims include improving patient safety, reducing wasted time, reducing wasted products and improving efficiency across the entire supply chain.
A Healthcare Collaborative Project: Mobile Asset Tracking
- Scope centers on key assets for patient-care services, including capital-intense mobile equipment, critical-care mobile devices and a preliminary assessment of extending use to surgical instruments.
- Participants include 3 U.S. hospitals and 1 academic supporter.
- Aims include reducing capital investment, improving caregiver service, reducing equipment losses and reducing regulatory non-compliance risk.
RFID Industry Workgroup
Upcoming RFID Workgroup meetings »
Radio frequency identification tags are poised to fundamentally change the way organizations track, trace and manage their assets. This will have major implications for various industries including manufacturing, distribution, retail, healthcare and pharmaceuticals. The UWEBI RFID Industry Workgroup includes participants from leading companies in a variety of Wisconsin industries. The industry workgroup
- Analyzes the true capabilities and limitations of RFID technologies.
- Validates the potential business benefits and ROI of RFID.
- Studies successful deployment and adoption of RFID.
- Gains insight into the future evolution of these technologies.
Companies in this workgroup will gain insight from path-breaking ideas and technologies to invent new RFID-based products and services and to improve supply chain management and asset management processes.