Research in the Packaging sector

We carried out observational work in four companies. These were two producers of packaging materials (company A = adhesive papers, and company B = food-wrapping films), and two companies that use packaging materials to pack their products (company C = bakery products, and company D = pharmaceuticals).

We have gone on to develop learning opportunities with Company B, which focuses on helping the shopfloor operators of a large plastic extrusion machine to understand the mathematical relationships that are embedded within the interconnected elements of the extrusion line, its inputs (raw plastic) and outputs (very thin but high strength plastic film for wrapping food and other products), and its computer-based control system.

We have also had a lot of collaborative contact with the Institute of Packaging [www.iop.co.uk], a professional membership body and training provider for the UK packaging industry.

Learning opportunities in this sector

Extrusion process simulation

Publications about this sector

Company A (adhesive film):

  • Hoyles, C., and Noss, R. (in press). "The meanings of statistical variation in the context of work". in Lesh, R., Hamilton, E. & Kaput, J. (Eds.) Mathematical Abilities needed for Success beyond School in the 21st Century. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Company B (plastic film extrusion):

  • Kent, P., Bakker, A., Hoyles, C., & Noss, R. (2005). "Statistical reasoning in the workplace: Techno-mathematical Literacies and learning opportunities". In D. Hewitt (Ed.), Proceedings of the British Society for Research into Learning Mathematics, 25, 2, . Available online: http://www.bsrlm.org.uk/IPs/ip25-2/BSRLM-IP-25-2-7.pdf
  • Noss, R., Bakker, A., Hoyles, C., & Kent, P. (in press). “Situating graphs as workplace knowledge”. To appear in Educational Studies in Mathematics.

Company C (bakery):

  • Bakker, A., Hoyles, C., Kent, P., & Noss, R. (2006). "Improving work processes by making the invisible visible". Journal of Education and Work, 19, 4, 343-361. A preliminary version of this paper is available: " Techno-mathematical Literacies in the workplace: Improving workplace processes by making the invisible visible", paper presented at the TLRP Conference, Cardiff, November 2004.
    Available online: www.tlrp.org/dspace/handle/123456789/199.

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