The Port of New Orleans' Dock Board last week approved building site development in the city's Uptown district for New Orleans Cold Storage (NOCS).

Ajinomoto Food Ingredients LLC said it expanded its North American headquarters in Chicago by adding food product development capabilities.

Media reported that Publix Supermarkets Inc., Lakeland, Fla., plans to build a 970,000-square-foot warehouse and distribution center just north of the Orlando (Fla.) International Airport.

Preferred Freezer Services (PFS), Newark, N.J. said it broke ground for a 280,000-sq.-ft. single-story cold storage warehouse in Shanghai, China.

The Illumination Engineering Society of North America recently gave an "Illumination Award" to Stellar's Michael Vranesh for his work on the Solon, Ohio Customer Innovation Campus of Nestle Professional.

Bemis Company Inc., Neenah, Wis., said it agreed to buy the Food Americas operations of Alcan Packaging for $1.2 billion from Rio Tinto plc.

To expand its Northwest presence, United States Cold Storage (USCS), Voorhees, N.J., has constructed and now opened a 1.8 million-cubic-foot public refrigerated warehouse in Clearfield, Utah.

Atlas Cold Storage and VersaCold, Iceland's Hf. Eimskipafelag Islands (Eimskip) Reykjavik, exited the cold storage business.

Pro-Mach Inc., Cincinnati, said its Wexxar Packaging division acquired IPak Machinery Ltd., a Vancouver, B.C.

Material handling equipment supplier Intelligrated Inc. completed its purchase of FKI Logistex operations in North and South America for an undisclosed amount from the United Kingdom's Melrose plc.