The Packaging Industry – Still Growing Strong

At a time when most industries are shrinking, one industry has continued to steadily grow - the packaging industry. Granted, that growth has slowed in the past two years, but it is still moving in an increasing direction. When I first started in this industry over 10 years ago, there were approximately 600 small companies that manufactured packaging machinery. There are now over 1,000. What is amazing about this growth is that it has occurred during a time when quite a few larger corporations have bought up smaller companies, thus consolidating the number of companies in the business. Yet, the number has still grown.

In a way it is not so surprising. The packaging machinery industry is constantly changing. New packaging designs often require new process methods - that translates into new machinery. For example, a number of years ago, skin patches were invented as a delivery system for medication. Once the patches were approved for use by the FDA (in the US), they required new machinery to manufacture and package them. Similarly, thin edible strips that literally melt in your mouth were invented. Again, once this new drug delivery system received approval, it required new packaging and new packaging machinery.

While no industry is completely recession-proof, the packaging machinery industry will continue to thrive as long as there is a need for packaged consumer goods. An ever-increasing world population, will ensure the need for packaged consumer goods well into the foreseeable future.

The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading manufacturer of bottle unscramblers, cappers, orienters, retorquers, lidders, pluggers, pump sorter/placers, scoop feeders, hopper elevators and much more. The company has been in business since 1974 selling to the food, beverage, pharmaceutical, personal care, chemical, household products, automotive and other industries. For more information on NEM, visit their website at www.neminc.com.