Partnership creates local packaging test lab

Two established testing and inspection equipment makers, Mocon of the United States and Inspection Systems of Australia, have joined forces to establish a certified laboratory in Melbourne to test for permeation, seal strength and leak detection for food and pharmaceutical packaging.

To support the partnership, the local company has established a separate entity, IS Laboratories.

The Melbourne lab will be the first Mocon-certified test facility in Australia and the eighth in the world. For the past several years the US company has actively been pursuing strategic laboratory partnerships in key manufacturing regions around the world.

Inspection Systems director, Brad Grubb, said the new lab's mission would be to provide food and pharmaceutical companies with fast and affordable testing services for their packaging structures.

“Up until now, companies in this part of the world who did not have access to Mocon instrumentation in their own facilities would either have to send their products to other countries for testing or attempt to find a small laboratory which typically has limited capacity,” Grubb said.

“We are pleased to announce the establishment of this new laboratory with its wide range of testing options.”

Services offered will include testing for: oxygen; water vapour and carbon dioxide permeation; burst and pressure strength; and pressure decay.

The lab will also serve as a demonstration facility for Australian and New Zealand companies interested in purchasing Mocon instrumentation for their own internal operations.