Customer Container Handling Challenge 

PDC International, a leading food and beverage manufacturer needed a shrink sleeve orienting solution for an innovative new product — a cup with a straw pressed into a cavity on its side.

The key challenge?

✅ Precisely orient each cup so that the shrink sleeve’s perforated window aligned perfectly with the straw cavity.
✅ Maintain high speeds to meet market demand.
✅ Fit the solution into a compact footprint without adding complexity to the packaging line.

Morrison Solution 

To address these challenges, PDC International reached out to Morrison to assist with container handling in conjunction with their shrink sleeving system. Together, the OEMs delivered a fully integrated system to handle, prepare, and shrink sleeve the unique containers.

✅ PDC R-250 Shrink Sleeve Labeler applied the shrink sleeves with tamper-evident security at high speeds.
✅ Morrison custom orienting system used timing screws to rotate cups so the straw cavity faced the right direction for sleeve application.

The Morrison system was mounted directly inside the PDC machine frame and enclosed within PDC’s guarding. Drives and controls were integrated into PDC’s main electrical cabinet — creating a compact, unified solution.

Construction 

The Morrison orienting system was built using:

Anodized aluminum and stainless steel
Food-grade plastics
Full perimeter guarding

Servo-driven timing screws for precise, repeatable orientation.

Results

The integrated Morrison + PDC solution allowed the customer to dramatically scale production to meet the surging demand for their innovative cup-and-straw product. With precise container orientation, every shrink sleeve was applied with flawless alignment to the straw cavity, providing a consistent, high-quality package that met consumer expectations and has great shelf appeal.

Beyond accuracy, the compact design of the combined system helped maximize valuable floor space without compromising on speed or functionality. Operators benefited from a robust, reliable system that minimized downtime and kept the packaging line running efficiently shift after shift. The end result was a high-performance solution that delivered on every front — precision, efficiency, and the ability to respond quickly to market demand.