New England Machinery will be shut down starting Friday December 21 until Tuesday, January 2 to allow our employees time to enjoy the Holidays with their families and friends. We also want to take this opportunity to wish a very happy, peaceful holidays and healthy, prosperous 2013 to one and all.
Take some time this holiday season to ‘count your blessings’ and enjoy life’s simple pleasures. Pay forward some nice gesture that someone did for you. Have a little more patience with those around you and remember that they are not deliberately trying to annoy you. Compliment someone’s positive actions. Communicate your affection with loved ones. Sometimes it is our smallest gestures that make the most difference in someone’s life. Just sharing a genuine smile with someone who is feeling down can help lift their spirits. You will find that the more positive energy you expend, the happier you personally will feel, and it will catch on to those around you!
My personal, warmest wishes to everyone for a wonderful holiday season and a great 2013!
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery 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.
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Sunday, December 16, 2012
Preparing for 2013
Two years ago I made some suggestions for making New Year’s resolutions that would help you to improve your work life. That blog was a hit with many of you. Some even added their own suggestions. Let’s try doing it again and see what new ideas we can conceive for 2013.
Resolve to read a certain number of books on your chosen profession in 2013. Research which books you will read right now and write down their names, or better yet, go online and order them so you will have them before the start of the year.
Resolve to arrive at work early or leave late one day at the end of this year or the beginning of 2013. Spend that extra time at work organizing your workspace. Clean out old paperwork you no longer need and prioritize the rest as to when you will work on them.
Volunteer to help out on a committee that may require your personal time (i.e. a fund raising event your company sponsors).
Resolve to say ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ more often to the people you work with. This is especially important when asking them to do something, even if it is part of their normal job. It’s a simple matter of polite manners that goes a long way in getting cheerful cooperation.
Sign up for night classes on a topic of interest that is related in some way to your job (i.e. communication, learning new software, finance).
What other job/work-related resolutions can you think of that would make the work environment more pleasant and/or assist in developing your career?
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery 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.
Resolve to read a certain number of books on your chosen profession in 2013. Research which books you will read right now and write down their names, or better yet, go online and order them so you will have them before the start of the year.
Resolve to arrive at work early or leave late one day at the end of this year or the beginning of 2013. Spend that extra time at work organizing your workspace. Clean out old paperwork you no longer need and prioritize the rest as to when you will work on them.
Volunteer to help out on a committee that may require your personal time (i.e. a fund raising event your company sponsors).
Resolve to say ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ more often to the people you work with. This is especially important when asking them to do something, even if it is part of their normal job. It’s a simple matter of polite manners that goes a long way in getting cheerful cooperation.
Sign up for night classes on a topic of interest that is related in some way to your job (i.e. communication, learning new software, finance).
What other job/work-related resolutions can you think of that would make the work environment more pleasant and/or assist in developing your career?
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery 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.
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Assistance in Expanding Your Markets
The US Dept. of Commerce is tasked with assisting US companies to expand their sales into foreign markets. They offer a number of services that help small businesses to research and understand markets in countries all over the world.
Their services include researching the market in a chosen country to determine if a particular product line is a ‘good fit’ for that country and if there are enough potential clients. They also assist in finding potential sales representatives, distributors, and/or partners.
One of the other services they offer is to periodically plan Trade Missions to various countries. These allow representatives of a US company to travel accompanied by other US firms and select politicians, to a foreign country for the purpose of opening up new business opportunities. Our company has participated in several of these Trade Missions over the years. They have been a great experience and opened doors that would have been more difficult without the introduction supplied by the Trade Mission. I recommend contacting your local Department of Commerce to see how they can assist you in expanding to new foreign markets.
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery 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.
Their services include researching the market in a chosen country to determine if a particular product line is a ‘good fit’ for that country and if there are enough potential clients. They also assist in finding potential sales representatives, distributors, and/or partners.
One of the other services they offer is to periodically plan Trade Missions to various countries. These allow representatives of a US company to travel accompanied by other US firms and select politicians, to a foreign country for the purpose of opening up new business opportunities. Our company has participated in several of these Trade Missions over the years. They have been a great experience and opened doors that would have been more difficult without the introduction supplied by the Trade Mission. I recommend contacting your local Department of Commerce to see how they can assist you in expanding to new foreign markets.
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery 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.
Monday, December 10, 2012
What Makes Your Company Special/Different Than Its Competition?
I have heard this question asked many times to sales and marketing people. It is sad to sometimes hear the answers they give. Some of the responses I have heard include “Our product is better.”, but they don’t say how it is better, or “Our product is a higher quality.”, but they don’t describe the difference in quality. In today’s highly competitive marketplace it is important to be able to answer this question quite specifically.
Is your product truly the only one of its kind in the marketplace? If not, did your company start out by making a copy of another product, but are offering it at a lesser price? If you copied an existing product but improved upon it, how is it improved? Does your product outlast the competition? Is it faster, quieter, sturdier, smaller, larger, prettier, does it work differently, is it easier to operate, does it do more, does it run more efficiently and/or cost effectively, or is it less expensive to buy? If you want to be successful at selling your product, you must be able to choose how your product is different than your competition and then list all the advantages of owning one of yours instead of one of theirs.
When you can effectively answer the question of what makes your product special, you will be able to sell much more of it.
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery 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.
Is your product truly the only one of its kind in the marketplace? If not, did your company start out by making a copy of another product, but are offering it at a lesser price? If you copied an existing product but improved upon it, how is it improved? Does your product outlast the competition? Is it faster, quieter, sturdier, smaller, larger, prettier, does it work differently, is it easier to operate, does it do more, does it run more efficiently and/or cost effectively, or is it less expensive to buy? If you want to be successful at selling your product, you must be able to choose how your product is different than your competition and then list all the advantages of owning one of yours instead of one of theirs.
When you can effectively answer the question of what makes your product special, you will be able to sell much more of it.
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery 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.
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
The World of Container Orienting
What in the world is ‘orienting’? It is the turning of containers on a production line so that all the containers are facing the direction required. In most cases it is done to make sure all the containers are heading into the filler or labeler with the same side of the container facing in one direction. Sometimes, however, it is done to correctly place containers into a case for shipping. In this situation, the containers may need to arrive at the case packer with three containers facing one way and the next three facing the other way with this configuration repeating over and over. No matter what it is used for, orienting is a function that is needed in many, if not all, production plants.
How is it done? Well, it can be done in numerous ways, such as mechanically, or electronically. In order for the orienter to know which containers to ‘orient’, it must be able to ‘sense’ or ‘see’ how the containers are aligned as they arrive at the machine. It then must be able to rotate only the containers not facing in the correct position. The amount of rotation can vary from 90° to 180 or 270°, depending on the shape of the container.
With all these options and requirements, it can be complicated for the uninitiated. New England Machinery (NEM) takes out the complication by offering numerous models of orienters. Since there are so many variations in orienting needs, NEM has designed different models each offering a unique means of sensing and turning the containers. It’s nice to know that there is a company that truly understands the complexity of packaging lines and designs machinery to handle those requirements.
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery 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.
How is it done? Well, it can be done in numerous ways, such as mechanically, or electronically. In order for the orienter to know which containers to ‘orient’, it must be able to ‘sense’ or ‘see’ how the containers are aligned as they arrive at the machine. It then must be able to rotate only the containers not facing in the correct position. The amount of rotation can vary from 90° to 180 or 270°, depending on the shape of the container.
With all these options and requirements, it can be complicated for the uninitiated. New England Machinery (NEM) takes out the complication by offering numerous models of orienters. Since there are so many variations in orienting needs, NEM has designed different models each offering a unique means of sensing and turning the containers. It’s nice to know that there is a company that truly understands the complexity of packaging lines and designs machinery to handle those requirements.
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery 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.
Monday, December 3, 2012
Changes for the Pharmaceutical Industry – Part III
What is the value of Serialization/Track and Trace? Serialization and Track and Trace seem like a lot of work and expense to implement. However, the system will benefit both manufacturers and consumers. Currently, counterfeit drug sales are valued at $205 billion and this number is quickly growing. These are sales that should be going to legitimate pharmaceutical companies. Not only are the lost revenues hurting the pharmaceutical companies, but the counterfeit drugs often are labeled to resemble legitimate drugs from a reliable company. If the drug does not work, or worse, harms a patient, the legitimate manufacturer is blamed and must prove it was not their drug, a process that is extremely time consuming and expensive.
The cost to humans is incalculable. It is reported that at least 2,000 deaths per day are a result of counterfeit drugs that were either useless placebos, or worse, deadly compounds. Once serialization/track and trace is nationally implemented, US consumers can verify that the pills in the bottle they purchased were in fact manufactured by the correct company and that the contents have not been recalled or compromised.
Yes, serialization/track and trace is a time consuming, expensive system to implement, but the value will be worth the investment.
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery 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.
The cost to humans is incalculable. It is reported that at least 2,000 deaths per day are a result of counterfeit drugs that were either useless placebos, or worse, deadly compounds. Once serialization/track and trace is nationally implemented, US consumers can verify that the pills in the bottle they purchased were in fact manufactured by the correct company and that the contents have not been recalled or compromised.
Yes, serialization/track and trace is a time consuming, expensive system to implement, but the value will be worth the investment.
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery 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.
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Changes for the Pharmaceutical Industry – Part II
What is required of setting up a Serialization/Track and Trace system? For the serialization portion the pharmaceutical manufacturer will need to determine how they want to set up the Serial ID numbers based partly on required formats and standards and incorporating their own customization. They will then need to acquire the software capable of generating and tracking the serial codes. The software will need to interface with printers, vision systems and other equipment.
The next step will include creating and tracking the parent-child aggregation of the packaging. For example, when a single bottle of pills is boxed and placed in a carton with other single bottles of pills. Those individual serial codes must be included as the ‘children’ of the case/carton which will have a ‘parent’ code. The cases/cartons will then need to be included under the pallet’s ‘parent’ code.
As the product is fully coded and ready to leave the manufacturing plant, the product codes will need to be registered as to the date and time they left the facility and where and when they are delivered to their next stop. As the product travels through the supply chain, it must be ‘received’ at each stop and the data sent back to the originating facility. When it finally reaches the end user, (a consumer or hospital dispensary), the individual who is to consume or dispense the individual dose, should be able to scan the serial code and verify that this dose is traceable back to its inception at the original production plant.
What is the value of Serialization/Track and Trace? Read my next blog to find out.
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery 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.
The next step will include creating and tracking the parent-child aggregation of the packaging. For example, when a single bottle of pills is boxed and placed in a carton with other single bottles of pills. Those individual serial codes must be included as the ‘children’ of the case/carton which will have a ‘parent’ code. The cases/cartons will then need to be included under the pallet’s ‘parent’ code.
As the product is fully coded and ready to leave the manufacturing plant, the product codes will need to be registered as to the date and time they left the facility and where and when they are delivered to their next stop. As the product travels through the supply chain, it must be ‘received’ at each stop and the data sent back to the originating facility. When it finally reaches the end user, (a consumer or hospital dispensary), the individual who is to consume or dispense the individual dose, should be able to scan the serial code and verify that this dose is traceable back to its inception at the original production plant.
What is the value of Serialization/Track and Trace? Read my next blog to find out.
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery 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.
Monday, November 26, 2012
Changes for the Pharmaceutical Industry
Every company needs to keep current with their industry changes. No company can afford to be ‘looking the other way’ when a new trend, regulation or technology enters their industry. The regulation that will make a significant impact on the pharmaceutical industry is serialization and track and trace. California is placing a firm deadline on serialization and track and trace for all pharmaceuticals sold in that state starting in 2015 and requiring full implementation by 2017. There will be no time extensions. The FDA is currently at work on national requirements for serialization and track and trace.
These requirements have spawned a new industry of companies that specialize in the development of software that will allow pharmaceutical manufacturers to implement a system that works for them. One of the best results of all the requirements is the partnering of different companies offering software and hardware that will allow pharmaceutical manufacturers to easily implement a system.
New England Machinery (NEM) is one of the companies that is willing to partner with the software and hardware supplier of choice to implement serialization and track and trace on their packaging machines. NEM’s unscramblers, cappers and other equipment can be very simply integrated into a full “Serialization/Track and Trace” production line. The ability of NEM’s machinery to integrate with any vendor gives the pharmaceutical companies the freedom to choose the system and software that works best for their facility.
What is required of setting up a system? Read my next blog to learn more.
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery 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.
These requirements have spawned a new industry of companies that specialize in the development of software that will allow pharmaceutical manufacturers to implement a system that works for them. One of the best results of all the requirements is the partnering of different companies offering software and hardware that will allow pharmaceutical manufacturers to easily implement a system.
New England Machinery (NEM) is one of the companies that is willing to partner with the software and hardware supplier of choice to implement serialization and track and trace on their packaging machines. NEM’s unscramblers, cappers and other equipment can be very simply integrated into a full “Serialization/Track and Trace” production line. The ability of NEM’s machinery to integrate with any vendor gives the pharmaceutical companies the freedom to choose the system and software that works best for their facility.
What is required of setting up a system? Read my next blog to learn more.
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery 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.
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Thank You from New England Machinery
On this eve of Thanksgiving Day in the US, everyone at New England Machinery wishes to say a heartfelt THANK YOU! Thank you to our hard-working vendors. They make great efforts to supply us on time with the materials we need to build our machines. Thank you to our local support agencies. They assist us in finding employees, offering educational opportunities, and keeping us informed on local topics of interest. Thank you to our banking and insurance partners. They keep our company and employees’ interests in finance and risk well covered. Thank you to the transportation companies that bring us our materials and safely deliver our machines. Thank you to the Sales Representatives, System Integrators, and OEM’s who assist us in promoting and selling our packaging machinery. Thank you to our wonderful customers, without who we would cease to exist. Thank you to our excellent owners who provide us a great opportunity to do what we enjoy most – building machines. And last, but not least, thank you to our employees who strive to give their best each day so that we can all succeed together.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL!
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery 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.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL!
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery 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.
Monday, November 19, 2012
Communication Changes
Less than 30 years ago there were a lot fewer options for promoting one’s business. The choices included, direct mail, newspaper and magazine advertising, radio and television advertising, trade shows and good old-fashioned door to door and telephone soliciting. For those who had a product to sell locally, you could print out flyers and place them on cars in parking lots. You could also promote your products through sponsorships of golf tournaments or banners at sporting events. Finally, there were promotional items you could imprint your company name on and give away, such as pens, mugs, etc.
Today the choices include all of the above plus, websites, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, QR Codes, E-Mail, Blogs, Wikis, RSS Feeds, White Papers, Linked In and more. To keep up with it all would require a large marketing department and an extremely large budget. So how do you promote your company with limited resources?
The key to getting it right is to first research which of the promotional opportunities is best for your company based on your target audience. If your customer base is senior citizens, then you can probably cross off Twitter, QR Codes and Linked In. But, unless you do the research, you won’t know for sure. Many seniors have the time to spend surfing the internet and may find you there. So start with basic customer research and find out what they are reading and where they are looking for new products. Once you know where your customers are, you know where to place those limited resources.
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery 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.
Today the choices include all of the above plus, websites, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, QR Codes, E-Mail, Blogs, Wikis, RSS Feeds, White Papers, Linked In and more. To keep up with it all would require a large marketing department and an extremely large budget. So how do you promote your company with limited resources?
The key to getting it right is to first research which of the promotional opportunities is best for your company based on your target audience. If your customer base is senior citizens, then you can probably cross off Twitter, QR Codes and Linked In. But, unless you do the research, you won’t know for sure. Many seniors have the time to spend surfing the internet and may find you there. So start with basic customer research and find out what they are reading and where they are looking for new products. Once you know where your customers are, you know where to place those limited resources.
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery 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.
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Time to Plan for 2013
Although we still have more than a month left to 2012, it’s really the ideal time to start planning for 2013. The sooner you start, the better your plans will be as you will have more time to revise them, tweak them, and make them perfect. The best way to start planning is to put something down in writing. Start with generalities and you can later fill in more specifics.
If your job requires creating a budget for the new year, start by listing the things you know you must have, then add the things you would like to have in the budget. Give the ‘like to haves’ a number corresponding to how important they are to you. For example if you would like to have a new employee to assist in your department, but you would also like to have a new computer for two existing employees, determine which one means more to you and give them a number from 1 to 10 (10 meaning you really want that the most). Once you have completed your list and numbered them, put the cost to your budget down for each one. When you are done you can trim it down to where it needs to be by cutting out the ones with the lowest numbers first until your budget aligns with what you can get approved.
If you are planning projects, use the same numbering system as above. First list the projects that must be completed, then add the projects you would like to have completed. In this instance you can leave everything on the list, but you can put the more important projects up higher in the list and give them dates with the must do’s and most important should do’s highest on the list and with the earliest start dates. Keep in mind that you may not get to the items on the bottom of the list if the higher status items take longer than anticipated.
Planning is the easy part. Implementing is the harder part of the equation. But if you have a good solid plan with realistic dates and/or costs, you stand a much better chance of getting them done.
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery 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.
If your job requires creating a budget for the new year, start by listing the things you know you must have, then add the things you would like to have in the budget. Give the ‘like to haves’ a number corresponding to how important they are to you. For example if you would like to have a new employee to assist in your department, but you would also like to have a new computer for two existing employees, determine which one means more to you and give them a number from 1 to 10 (10 meaning you really want that the most). Once you have completed your list and numbered them, put the cost to your budget down for each one. When you are done you can trim it down to where it needs to be by cutting out the ones with the lowest numbers first until your budget aligns with what you can get approved.
If you are planning projects, use the same numbering system as above. First list the projects that must be completed, then add the projects you would like to have completed. In this instance you can leave everything on the list, but you can put the more important projects up higher in the list and give them dates with the must do’s and most important should do’s highest on the list and with the earliest start dates. Keep in mind that you may not get to the items on the bottom of the list if the higher status items take longer than anticipated.
Planning is the easy part. Implementing is the harder part of the equation. But if you have a good solid plan with realistic dates and/or costs, you stand a much better chance of getting them done.
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery 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.
Monday, November 12, 2012
The Best Way To Improve
What’s the best way to improve yourself and your company? Be critical. Give yourself an honest critique. Ask others for their input. Request that they be blatantly honest. We need brutal honesty to see what we may want to overlook. It is not an easy concept to accept. We all naturally want to think we are doing the very best we can, but we can’t improve if we refuse to see where we might make changes.
During our recent trade show I took notes on things that we could change and/or improve upon at the next show. After we returned home we had a meeting to not only discuss these items, but to discern if there were other items not on my list that we could change and/or improve upon to make ourselves better at the next show.
The time to look at this list and determine what we can and will do is right now while it is all still fresh in everyone’s mind. Also, this gives us the most time to utilize in implementing these changes. Don’t squash any new ideas just because they may sound too hard or too expensive to implement. Ask everyone to think harder about those ideas and see if they can come up with an easier and/or less expensive way to get the same end result. Great ideas usually start with a small concept that takes on a life of its own. Start one at your company today.
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery 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.
During our recent trade show I took notes on things that we could change and/or improve upon at the next show. After we returned home we had a meeting to not only discuss these items, but to discern if there were other items not on my list that we could change and/or improve upon to make ourselves better at the next show.
The time to look at this list and determine what we can and will do is right now while it is all still fresh in everyone’s mind. Also, this gives us the most time to utilize in implementing these changes. Don’t squash any new ideas just because they may sound too hard or too expensive to implement. Ask everyone to think harder about those ideas and see if they can come up with an easier and/or less expensive way to get the same end result. Great ideas usually start with a small concept that takes on a life of its own. Start one at your company today.
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery 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.
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
It’s the Follow Through That Counts
Although I’m not a golfer, I’ve heard it said that it’s the follow through on your golf swing that makes a big difference in where your ball ultimately lands. If you immediately stop swinging when you hit the ball, it will fall short. The same is true for most things we endeavor to undertake. In business I see it a lot with meeting new people or attending a seminar filled with new information.
Our company just recently spent an enormous amount of time, energy and money to attend the Pack Expo International 2012 trade show. We were fortunate that all the pre-show hard work and marketing paid off in bringing in a great number of leads. Now, though, is where the follow through will make the difference in the real success of the show. Our team needs to re-contact every visitor (usually several times) to determine what and/or how we can help them improve (or start up) their packaging lines. If we fail to follow through, we have wasted a valuable opportunity and we will fall short.
The same goes for attending a seminar. When you go back to work after the seminar, if you put away all the material without attempting to implement something new you learned, you have fallen short. If you meet someone new at a networking event who has the potential to assist you in your work/business, make sure to contact them after the meeting. If not you may be missing the chance to work with another company in expanding yourself and your company. Don’t stop short, follow through.
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery 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.
Our company just recently spent an enormous amount of time, energy and money to attend the Pack Expo International 2012 trade show. We were fortunate that all the pre-show hard work and marketing paid off in bringing in a great number of leads. Now, though, is where the follow through will make the difference in the real success of the show. Our team needs to re-contact every visitor (usually several times) to determine what and/or how we can help them improve (or start up) their packaging lines. If we fail to follow through, we have wasted a valuable opportunity and we will fall short.
The same goes for attending a seminar. When you go back to work after the seminar, if you put away all the material without attempting to implement something new you learned, you have fallen short. If you meet someone new at a networking event who has the potential to assist you in your work/business, make sure to contact them after the meeting. If not you may be missing the chance to work with another company in expanding yourself and your company. Don’t stop short, follow through.
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery 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.
Monday, November 5, 2012
Thank You To All
I want to take this opportunity to say Thank You to everyone who assisted us in having a great Pack Expo International 2012 show. It was a complete team effort on everyone at our company. Many of our employees selflessly worked long hours to make sure that everything was done and ready in time to ship. There is not an individual or department within our company that does not assist in some way to make it all happen.
A successful trade show is the direct result of team effort. No one or two individuals could possibly pull off the incredible amount of work required to do it right. I’m fortunate that New England Machinery has a staff that is dedicated to making it all happen for the good of the company and more importantly, for the good of our customers.
It is definitely team effort that marks the difference between a good company and a great company. Thank You, Team New England Machinery!
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery 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.
A successful trade show is the direct result of team effort. No one or two individuals could possibly pull off the incredible amount of work required to do it right. I’m fortunate that New England Machinery has a staff that is dedicated to making it all happen for the good of the company and more importantly, for the good of our customers.
It is definitely team effort that marks the difference between a good company and a great company. Thank You, Team New England Machinery!
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery 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.
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Time To Close Up Shop
Today is the last day of Pack Expo International 2012. It was a great show! New England Machinery had a record breaking number of visitors. We will be busy in the following days working with our customers to help them resolve their packaging machinery needs.
The show was a great opportunity for us to show our customers and prospective customers what we do and how we do it. We were able to enlighten some visitors on the full breadth of our capabilities.
Trade shows are an important part of our marketing initiatives. When we return home from this show, we will all meet to discuss the show and make notes on how we can make our exhibit even better next time. By striving to outdo ourselves each time, we stay at the top of our game. It’s what makes our company a leader.
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery 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.
The show was a great opportunity for us to show our customers and prospective customers what we do and how we do it. We were able to enlighten some visitors on the full breadth of our capabilities.
Trade shows are an important part of our marketing initiatives. When we return home from this show, we will all meet to discuss the show and make notes on how we can make our exhibit even better next time. By striving to outdo ourselves each time, we stay at the top of our game. It’s what makes our company a leader.
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery 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.
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Ready, Set, Go – Pack Expo International 2012
This year marks my 7th Pack Expo International show. I never get bored or blasé about the packaging shows. Every show is different with new things to see and learn. Currently we are working industriously putting things together. In a few short days this exhibition hall will be transformed into a wonderland of machines, displays and people all competing for the attention of the droves of company representatives here to see what’s new.
We at New England Machinery are showing off some new display concepts this year as well as new machines and capabilities. We have taken the best and made it better and are now ready to proudly present it to our customers.
If you have an opportunity to visit the show, please don’t miss it. It is a great experience even if you have nothing to do with packaging. For those lucky individuals who are in the packaging industry, it is a ‘must see’. Please stop by our booth #1442 at the show and say hi. I’m always thrilled to meet fans of my blog and would love to show you the best packaging machinery at the show!
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery 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.
We at New England Machinery are showing off some new display concepts this year as well as new machines and capabilities. We have taken the best and made it better and are now ready to proudly present it to our customers.
If you have an opportunity to visit the show, please don’t miss it. It is a great experience even if you have nothing to do with packaging. For those lucky individuals who are in the packaging industry, it is a ‘must see’. Please stop by our booth #1442 at the show and say hi. I’m always thrilled to meet fans of my blog and would love to show you the best packaging machinery at the show!
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery 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.
Monday, October 22, 2012
The Show Must Go On – Pack Expo That Is
I leave Florida early tomorrow morning to start setting up our booth for the Pack Expo International 2012 show at McCormick Place in Chicago. It is always a busy time for the companies preparing for the show with a myriad of last minute items that need attention. You try and remember to pack and take everything you need and/or might possibly need. You also try to foresee possible emergency situations and be prepared to handle them.
I distinctly remember one show where a forklift operator was transporting a large, heavy machine down an aisle and somehow lost the machine off the side of the forklift. The sound reverberated throughout the huge hall. Fortunately, no one was hurt, but the company planning on exhibiting a beautiful new machine in perfect working order, now had to come up with another plan. No one can plan for an emergency of that magnitude, but we do try to come up with creative ideas when the best laid plans go south.
For some individuals, emergency contingency planning brings out the best in them. For me, I always hope for smooth sailing and little to no last minute drama. Regardless, the show will open on Sunday, October 28 at exactly 9:00 a.m. and we will be ready to show off the very best of New England Machinery.
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery 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.
I distinctly remember one show where a forklift operator was transporting a large, heavy machine down an aisle and somehow lost the machine off the side of the forklift. The sound reverberated throughout the huge hall. Fortunately, no one was hurt, but the company planning on exhibiting a beautiful new machine in perfect working order, now had to come up with another plan. No one can plan for an emergency of that magnitude, but we do try to come up with creative ideas when the best laid plans go south.
For some individuals, emergency contingency planning brings out the best in them. For me, I always hope for smooth sailing and little to no last minute drama. Regardless, the show will open on Sunday, October 28 at exactly 9:00 a.m. and we will be ready to show off the very best of New England Machinery.
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery 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.
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Big Company – Small Company – Which is The Better Workplace?
There are pros and cons for working at both large corporations and small businesses. But having worked for several large corporations and several small companies the one thing I can say for both is that you cannot generalize about a company based solely on its size.
I worked for one multi-national company that had a wonderful corporate culture. I later took a job at one of their competitors and thoroughly disliked the corporate culture at the second company. Unfortunately, many years later the second company bought out the first one and merged the two companies.
I have worked at small companies that folded when the economy changed. I have worked for other small companies that did very well in a difficult economic environment. Some companies require an employee to work in a structured environment while others need employees to be flexible. Size does not seem to make a difference.
There is one clear thing that you can depend on finding at any company, large or small. That ‘thing’ is change. No matter what profession or place of work you are in, you can absolutely depend on change. So learn to be flexible and you will find your life much easier and your job much more rewarding.
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery 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.
I worked for one multi-national company that had a wonderful corporate culture. I later took a job at one of their competitors and thoroughly disliked the corporate culture at the second company. Unfortunately, many years later the second company bought out the first one and merged the two companies.
I have worked at small companies that folded when the economy changed. I have worked for other small companies that did very well in a difficult economic environment. Some companies require an employee to work in a structured environment while others need employees to be flexible. Size does not seem to make a difference.
There is one clear thing that you can depend on finding at any company, large or small. That ‘thing’ is change. No matter what profession or place of work you are in, you can absolutely depend on change. So learn to be flexible and you will find your life much easier and your job much more rewarding.
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery 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.
Monday, October 15, 2012
Creating And Using SOP’s – The Right Way
One of the most useful undertakings a company can begin is to require all employees to create SOP’s (Standard Operating Procedures) for every task they perform. It is also one of the most daunting. Some individuals will write a ‘book’ describing one simple task. Others will write three sentences they think will cover a complicated-time consuming job. So how do you get them right? You require that every SOP be tested by someone who knows nothing about the task to see if they can successfully complete it using the written instructions only. If they can’t, the SOP needs to be re-written until it works.
Once completed properly, it is very simple for someone to cover for an employee out sick or on vacation. The replacement has the SOPs to tell them exactly what to do and how to do it. Every time a new task is taken on by an employee, they should be required to create an SOP for that task and test the SOP on a fellow employee.
Don’t forget that the SOPs need to be revised as time goes by. They should be reviewed and tested at regular intervals (i.e. once a year or once every 18 months). SOPs are also great to have for training new employees. If it seems like too big a task to take on, try starting small and building it up. Ask each employee to start working on their SOPs and require one completed per week. By the end of 6 months they should be all completed or nearly done.
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery 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.
Once completed properly, it is very simple for someone to cover for an employee out sick or on vacation. The replacement has the SOPs to tell them exactly what to do and how to do it. Every time a new task is taken on by an employee, they should be required to create an SOP for that task and test the SOP on a fellow employee.
Don’t forget that the SOPs need to be revised as time goes by. They should be reviewed and tested at regular intervals (i.e. once a year or once every 18 months). SOPs are also great to have for training new employees. If it seems like too big a task to take on, try starting small and building it up. Ask each employee to start working on their SOPs and require one completed per week. By the end of 6 months they should be all completed or nearly done.
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery 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.
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
The Future of US Industry
I had the pleasure recently of participating in Career Day for the University of Florida’s Engineering Dept. It was rewarding to see the future industry leaders excited and engaged in learning more about the world of business that they will inherit. I participated in a panel that answered questions ranging from what recruiters are looking for when choosing the candidates they hire, to what are the changes we are currently undergoing in our fields of business. The event included representatives of several fortune 100 companies seeking to recruit new trainees. I was pleased to hear all the companies encourage the students to voice their ideas and suggestions to the companies that eventually hire them. Without exception, the company representatives all stated that they need the new viewpoints, thoughts and opinions of the younger generation to keep their companies progressing. My personal opinion is that when a company stops growing, it starts to die. Injecting new, fresh ideas is the lifeblood of every strong company.
Later in the day we were able to meet one-on-one in a casual networking social event that gave us the opportunity to have a more personal dialog with individual students. The event was well attended and one of the organizers informed me that they only advertized it to the students through the Engineering Dept.’s Facebook page, a fact that highlights the difference between that generation and the more mature (I don’t want to say ‘older’) industry representatives who attended via personal e-mail invitations.
I recommend all companies to assign someone to spend at least one (much more if possible) day per year at such an event. It is a win-win for both the companies that participate and the students eager to get a glimpse into their future life’s work environment.
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery 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.
Later in the day we were able to meet one-on-one in a casual networking social event that gave us the opportunity to have a more personal dialog with individual students. The event was well attended and one of the organizers informed me that they only advertized it to the students through the Engineering Dept.’s Facebook page, a fact that highlights the difference between that generation and the more mature (I don’t want to say ‘older’) industry representatives who attended via personal e-mail invitations.
I recommend all companies to assign someone to spend at least one (much more if possible) day per year at such an event. It is a win-win for both the companies that participate and the students eager to get a glimpse into their future life’s work environment.
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery 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.
Monday, October 8, 2012
De-mystifying Serialization and Track and Trace – PART II
In my previous blog I started to explain how serialization and Track and Trace work. Here is the completion of my explanation in a very basic format.
Track and Trace also requires the capability of tracking each individual unit of sale backwards through the process by simply scanning the serialization code on the unit. The database should allow the pharmacy dispensing the product to be able to scan the unit and tell where that unit has been since its inception and even the exact batches of raw materials used to make it.
There can be much more information required to be tracked inside this system. For example, some companies require a double blind serialization system where two independent employees set up the same serial numbers for a batch of product and the system makes sure they ‘match’, thereby catching a potential mistake by one individual. The system may also require passwords for access to some or all of the data.
This is a very simplified description of a complicated software process and each company will need to set its own parameters for data creation, storage, collection, interaction and retrieval. If you want to see how New England Machinery can assist our customers in adding Track and Trace to the beginning of the packaging line, or inclusion in an existing system, please stop by our booth (#1442) at the Pack Expo International 2012 show, Oct. 28-31, McCormick Place, Chicago, IL.
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery 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.
Track and Trace also requires the capability of tracking each individual unit of sale backwards through the process by simply scanning the serialization code on the unit. The database should allow the pharmacy dispensing the product to be able to scan the unit and tell where that unit has been since its inception and even the exact batches of raw materials used to make it.
There can be much more information required to be tracked inside this system. For example, some companies require a double blind serialization system where two independent employees set up the same serial numbers for a batch of product and the system makes sure they ‘match’, thereby catching a potential mistake by one individual. The system may also require passwords for access to some or all of the data.
This is a very simplified description of a complicated software process and each company will need to set its own parameters for data creation, storage, collection, interaction and retrieval. If you want to see how New England Machinery can assist our customers in adding Track and Trace to the beginning of the packaging line, or inclusion in an existing system, please stop by our booth (#1442) at the Pack Expo International 2012 show, Oct. 28-31, McCormick Place, Chicago, IL.
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery 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.
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
De-mystifying Serialization and Track and Trace
There are countless articles available on the internet now on Serialization and Track and Trace. California has enacted laws that require compliance starting in 2015. The FDA is now working on creating national legislation that will include some form of Serialization and/or Track and Trace.
To put these programs into simple terms, Serialization is the numbering in sequence (or serial numbers) on individual units of sale of controlled substances (i.e. pharmaceuticals). This allows the manufacturer to be able to tell by the serialization code exactly when and where that unit was produced down to the individual batch. Track and Trace takes it a good bit further. Track and Trace requires the manufacturer to create a database that tracks the product from the raw materials state, through creation of consumable unit, individual packaging, aggregate packaging, shipping, warehousing, re-distribution, to final sale (to end consumer) and/or use (in hospital).
For ‘The rest of this story’, see my next blog.
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery 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.
To put these programs into simple terms, Serialization is the numbering in sequence (or serial numbers) on individual units of sale of controlled substances (i.e. pharmaceuticals). This allows the manufacturer to be able to tell by the serialization code exactly when and where that unit was produced down to the individual batch. Track and Trace takes it a good bit further. Track and Trace requires the manufacturer to create a database that tracks the product from the raw materials state, through creation of consumable unit, individual packaging, aggregate packaging, shipping, warehousing, re-distribution, to final sale (to end consumer) and/or use (in hospital).
For ‘The rest of this story’, see my next blog.
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery 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.
Monday, October 1, 2012
Completing Your Trade Show Exhibit
When planning your trade show exhibit you most likely consider the items you will take to display. This may include backdrop, flooring, display items such as shelves, counters, tables and chairs. You may also be bringing samples of your products to demonstrate and/or show off to potential customers. You will include marketing material such as flyers and handouts. But what else are you including in your planning?
The most obvious other planning will include utilities, i.e. lighting and computer hookups. You will plan on who will set up the booth, who will be working the booth the days the show is open, and who will be taking it back down and packing it up. You may also be considering purchasing items to ‘give away’ as promotional products to help keep your company’s name in front of your customers after they have returned back home from the show. You will also have planned pre-show advertising to announce to your potential customers that you will be there.
But what else can you plan to make a difference at the show? How about pulling your team together with matching shirts? It makes it very easy for your booth visitors to recognize your booth personnel versus other visitors when your personnel are all wearing the same shirt with your company logo on it. It is a nice added touch that makes your booth look more professional and team focused.
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery 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.
The most obvious other planning will include utilities, i.e. lighting and computer hookups. You will plan on who will set up the booth, who will be working the booth the days the show is open, and who will be taking it back down and packing it up. You may also be considering purchasing items to ‘give away’ as promotional products to help keep your company’s name in front of your customers after they have returned back home from the show. You will also have planned pre-show advertising to announce to your potential customers that you will be there.
But what else can you plan to make a difference at the show? How about pulling your team together with matching shirts? It makes it very easy for your booth visitors to recognize your booth personnel versus other visitors when your personnel are all wearing the same shirt with your company logo on it. It is a nice added touch that makes your booth look more professional and team focused.
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery 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.
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Partnering Helps Build Business
When our company exhibits at a trade show we like to show our machinery in action similar to the way it will be running in the packaging production plants. In order to do so we need assistance from other companies. New England Machinery has been very fortunate to have worked with some great companies that are willing to help us promote our products, while getting additional exposure for their own.
For example, Shell Oil Company has generously donated their yellow Pennzoil containers every year so that we can use them to demonstrate our unscrambler and secondary orienter. Over the years our booth at the shows became so famous for the yellow bottles that we actually bought matching yellow shirts for our staff to wear. At past shows Enercon has allowed us to use their induction sealer machine so that we can demonstrate how our retorquer retightens caps loosened after induction sealing.
This year for the Pack Expo International 2012 show in Chicago along with Shell Oil Company’s Pennzoil containers, we are also fortunate to be receiving pharmaceutical bottles from SKS. This will allow us to demonstrate a pharmaceutical line that starts with an unscrambler, shows our capper capabilities and inspection/rejection system. We will also be showing how we can assist in starting the Track and Trace serialization coding on virgin containers entering the production line. Come visit our booth #S-1442 to see the other great companies that have partnered with us to put on a really exciting show!
Through the generosity of these companies New England Machinery can highlight our equipment in a realistic setting and demonstrate the fine products of our partner companies as well - increasing exposure and building business for us all.
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery 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.
For example, Shell Oil Company has generously donated their yellow Pennzoil containers every year so that we can use them to demonstrate our unscrambler and secondary orienter. Over the years our booth at the shows became so famous for the yellow bottles that we actually bought matching yellow shirts for our staff to wear. At past shows Enercon has allowed us to use their induction sealer machine so that we can demonstrate how our retorquer retightens caps loosened after induction sealing.
This year for the Pack Expo International 2012 show in Chicago along with Shell Oil Company’s Pennzoil containers, we are also fortunate to be receiving pharmaceutical bottles from SKS. This will allow us to demonstrate a pharmaceutical line that starts with an unscrambler, shows our capper capabilities and inspection/rejection system. We will also be showing how we can assist in starting the Track and Trace serialization coding on virgin containers entering the production line. Come visit our booth #S-1442 to see the other great companies that have partnered with us to put on a really exciting show!
Through the generosity of these companies New England Machinery can highlight our equipment in a realistic setting and demonstrate the fine products of our partner companies as well - increasing exposure and building business for us all.
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery 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.
Monday, September 24, 2012
Are Your Packaging Machines Treated Right?
Most production plants have scaled back in recent years and are running as lean as possible to effectively compete in the world economy. This sometimes leaves a gap in the area of routine machinery maintenance. Some companies cannot afford to keep on full time maintenance workers. This is an opportunity for the manufacturers of the machinery to offer routine service plans that will assure the proper, timely maintenance of the machinery without the cost and overhead of retaining maintenance personnel.
Just like any other mechanical and electrical machinery, packaging machinery needs regular maintenance performed on them to keep them running efficiently and to reduce downtime. You have heard the expression ‘An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.’ This is especially true for machinery. Keep it well-maintained on a regular basis to prevent expensive and unnecessary breakdowns.
New England Machinery recognized this need and offers the owners of NEM equipment preventive maintenance programs that are customized to fit their requirements. Check with your packaging machinery manufacturer to see if they can offer this valuable service to your company.
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery 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.
Just like any other mechanical and electrical machinery, packaging machinery needs regular maintenance performed on them to keep them running efficiently and to reduce downtime. You have heard the expression ‘An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.’ This is especially true for machinery. Keep it well-maintained on a regular basis to prevent expensive and unnecessary breakdowns.
New England Machinery recognized this need and offers the owners of NEM equipment preventive maintenance programs that are customized to fit their requirements. Check with your packaging machinery manufacturer to see if they can offer this valuable service to your company.
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery 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.
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Do You Help Your Customers Define Their Needs?
When a customer is searching for new packaging equipment do you assist them in defining their needs, or try to sell them your equipment? Hopefully, you are helping them define their needs. In the long run, this will benefit everyone.
Our company has put together several questionnaires that we send to companies that have contacted us in need of packaging machinery. Each questionnaire covers a different type of machine, depending on what the end user is hoping to accomplish (i.e. they want containers capped or bulk containers sorted and placed on the production line). The questionnaire covers everything they could possibly consider for both their current need and potential future need for that equipment. In many cases the customer is reminded by the questionnaire to check on something they may have overlooked in their search for the right equipment. They may determine that some of the questions are not important to their needs and that is fine, but now it won’t come up later as being forgotten.
We find this method of ‘selling’ a win-win situation. By the time the customer is ready to place their Purchase Order they are confident that they are making the right decision having covered every possibility and looked at all the options.
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery 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.
Our company has put together several questionnaires that we send to companies that have contacted us in need of packaging machinery. Each questionnaire covers a different type of machine, depending on what the end user is hoping to accomplish (i.e. they want containers capped or bulk containers sorted and placed on the production line). The questionnaire covers everything they could possibly consider for both their current need and potential future need for that equipment. In many cases the customer is reminded by the questionnaire to check on something they may have overlooked in their search for the right equipment. They may determine that some of the questions are not important to their needs and that is fine, but now it won’t come up later as being forgotten.
We find this method of ‘selling’ a win-win situation. By the time the customer is ready to place their Purchase Order they are confident that they are making the right decision having covered every possibility and looked at all the options.
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery 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.
Monday, September 17, 2012
Manufacturing Job Openings in Manasota Area Are Hard to Fill
We have all heard lately that the unemployment statistics in the US are high, particularly for the past several years. What is interesting is that in our geographical area, manufacturers are having a very difficult time finding qualified employees to hire. I recently attended a meeting of manufacturers based in the Sarasota/Bradenton Florida area. We are all struggling to find employees with the experience and qualifications we need. There has even been a Gap study performed to determine the specific areas of need and how to best fill these workforce requirements. The study will be revealed to the public soon and an action plan to resolve the workforce deficit will be undertaken. But, it will undoubtedly take time to correct.
In the meantime, we manufacturers are looking at recruiting employees from other areas of the country that may have unemployed workers with the skills and experience we require. New England Machinery is currently looking for experienced employees to fill positions in our Mechanical Design Engineering, Human Resources, Accounting, and Sales Departments. We also need qualified Service Technicians, Machinists and Machine Builders. If you are moving to the Bradenton, FL region and are experienced in any of these positions, stop by and fill out an application.
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery 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.
In the meantime, we manufacturers are looking at recruiting employees from other areas of the country that may have unemployed workers with the skills and experience we require. New England Machinery is currently looking for experienced employees to fill positions in our Mechanical Design Engineering, Human Resources, Accounting, and Sales Departments. We also need qualified Service Technicians, Machinists and Machine Builders. If you are moving to the Bradenton, FL region and are experienced in any of these positions, stop by and fill out an application.
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery 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.
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Are You Keeping Up In Your Field?
The only constant in this world is that there will always be change. No matter what your area of expertise I can guarantee you that it is evolving even as you read this blog. I am an avid reader of books and thought that would be the one thing that could never change. Books have been around for centuries. The only major change was when the printing press was invented so that scribes no longer had to hand copy them. Well, now we have virtual books on computers, touchpads, and phones, not to mention audio books for the visually impaired and those who rather listen than read.
If you want to stay on top of your game you need to keep up with the changes in your industry and profession. The best way to do this is to take courses on both. I recommend attending at least one class per year on the latest technology in your industry and another class on the latest changes in your field of profession. Don’t shrug off all seminars as a waste of time because the company sponsoring it is trying to sell you something. The value you get from the new information is well worth the price of admission and/or time you spend attending. I have never attended a webinar or seminar that I did not learn at least one new thing.
Keep on top of your career and you will be the one that everyone goes to for information. It will also make you more valuable to your employer. But more importantly, it will make you more confident in yourself and your abilities.
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery 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.
If you want to stay on top of your game you need to keep up with the changes in your industry and profession. The best way to do this is to take courses on both. I recommend attending at least one class per year on the latest technology in your industry and another class on the latest changes in your field of profession. Don’t shrug off all seminars as a waste of time because the company sponsoring it is trying to sell you something. The value you get from the new information is well worth the price of admission and/or time you spend attending. I have never attended a webinar or seminar that I did not learn at least one new thing.
Keep on top of your career and you will be the one that everyone goes to for information. It will also make you more valuable to your employer. But more importantly, it will make you more confident in yourself and your abilities.
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery 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.
Monday, September 10, 2012
Are Your Employees Cross-Trained?
Smaller companies often have individuals who are cross-trained to take over for someone who is out sick or on vacation. Companies who do not cross-train are missing out on a great learning opportunity. Everyone thinks their job is the hardest in the company. They don’t understand when someone in another department takes a ‘long time’ to get something done that they think should have taken only minutes to complete.
I’ve been fortunate to have been asked to assist in other departments when they are short handed. It has given me a whole new perspective on other people’s jobs and responsibilities and the true effort they need to do their jobs. We’ve all heard the old saying that we should not criticize another until we have ‘walked in their shoes’. This holds true for their work shoes as well.
Cross-training also enlightens you on how the company’s processes flow and how the work a person does in one department effects other individuals and their jobs in another department. I highly recommend cross-training for all companies. It will also add value to your organization by increasing the number of trained employees you have for the various positions.
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery 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.
I’ve been fortunate to have been asked to assist in other departments when they are short handed. It has given me a whole new perspective on other people’s jobs and responsibilities and the true effort they need to do their jobs. We’ve all heard the old saying that we should not criticize another until we have ‘walked in their shoes’. This holds true for their work shoes as well.
Cross-training also enlightens you on how the company’s processes flow and how the work a person does in one department effects other individuals and their jobs in another department. I highly recommend cross-training for all companies. It will also add value to your organization by increasing the number of trained employees you have for the various positions.
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery 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.
Friday, September 7, 2012
Educate Yourself for Free
There is a plethora of free educational information available on the internet. I wish the internet had been as large and accessible when I went to college. Paper research would have been a breeze. No more spending hours at the library. No matter what your topic, field, or area of interest, there is more information out there available for free than ever before.
White papers are a great example of one source of free information available to everyone. Most companies offering white papers require the visitor to ‘sign in’ giving up information such as name, e-mail address and affiliation. Depending on the level of interest in the information, it might be a very small price to pay for this free information that might otherwise take you hours to research on your own. The internet also offers up newspaper and magazine articles on millions of topics. Then there are the blogs like mine that inform while offering opinions in the process. If you are doing research, look for opposing views or alternatives on the topic/subject. This will help in making sure the information you get is balanced.
A word to the wise, however, not all of the information on the internet is accurate. So be careful to double check all data and references to make sure it is correct and from a reliable source.
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery 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.
White papers are a great example of one source of free information available to everyone. Most companies offering white papers require the visitor to ‘sign in’ giving up information such as name, e-mail address and affiliation. Depending on the level of interest in the information, it might be a very small price to pay for this free information that might otherwise take you hours to research on your own. The internet also offers up newspaper and magazine articles on millions of topics. Then there are the blogs like mine that inform while offering opinions in the process. If you are doing research, look for opposing views or alternatives on the topic/subject. This will help in making sure the information you get is balanced.
A word to the wise, however, not all of the information on the internet is accurate. So be careful to double check all data and references to make sure it is correct and from a reliable source.
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery 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.
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Are Americans Changing The Way They Eat?
The home improvement industry has seen a significant increase in home improvement and do-it-yourself purchases over the past decade. Much of this growth can be attributed to the new television networks and shows that inspire home owners to try their hand at improving their living space. The same is happening in the food industry. The increase in networks and shows dedicated to cooking and innovative edible concoctions has encouraged individuals to try their hand at new culinary feats.
Today’s cooking shows do not cater to the simple ‘home cooking’ many Americans were raised on. These shows take great pains to introduce new ingredients and combine elements not previously paired. Add to this effect the need for more potent spices to entice the aging baby-boomers diminishing taste buds, and you have a steady growth in exotic spices, vegetables, fruits and other ingredients that were little known or appreciated in previous generations.
The American palate appears to be changing and food producers are offered a great opportunity to take advantage of this new trend. Consequently, product packagers will need to monitor this trend to keep in touch with the evolving needs for new packaging products and methods.
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery 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.
Today’s cooking shows do not cater to the simple ‘home cooking’ many Americans were raised on. These shows take great pains to introduce new ingredients and combine elements not previously paired. Add to this effect the need for more potent spices to entice the aging baby-boomers diminishing taste buds, and you have a steady growth in exotic spices, vegetables, fruits and other ingredients that were little known or appreciated in previous generations.
The American palate appears to be changing and food producers are offered a great opportunity to take advantage of this new trend. Consequently, product packagers will need to monitor this trend to keep in touch with the evolving needs for new packaging products and methods.
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery 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.
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
With Education Everyone Wins
The entertainment industry has finally found a way to educate and entertain us at the same time. If you have ever watched “How It’s Made’ you will see how cleverly they are teaching production methods in a non-educational format. The products being made vary greatly, but the manufacturing process is still fascinating to watch. Partly this occurs due to the fact that they compact what may be a long production time into a few minutes segment.
I was especially excited watching the show one day when they showed one of our company’s bottle unscramblers at work. It was very satisfying to see a machine that our company had built from scratch doing its job perfectly on national television. The show helps shed light on the packaging industry that most consumers take for granted. When a consumer goes to a store and chooses products to purchase, they never give a second thought as to what it takes to produce and package those products.
If you have never seen the show, take some time to watch it. It covers many industries and product lines and is enlightening. You will not take the products you buy for granted after getting an appreciation on how they are made.
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery 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.
I was especially excited watching the show one day when they showed one of our company’s bottle unscramblers at work. It was very satisfying to see a machine that our company had built from scratch doing its job perfectly on national television. The show helps shed light on the packaging industry that most consumers take for granted. When a consumer goes to a store and chooses products to purchase, they never give a second thought as to what it takes to produce and package those products.
If you have never seen the show, take some time to watch it. It covers many industries and product lines and is enlightening. You will not take the products you buy for granted after getting an appreciation on how they are made.
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery 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.
Monday, August 27, 2012
It’s All In The Delivery
If your boss came up to you and said: “You need training. I’m sending you to take a class to learn how to do your job better.” you would probably be upset and hurt. However, if your boss came up to you and said: “I’ve just learned about a course you might be interested in taking. It covers your area of expertise and might offer some new insights for you.” you would be much more amenable to taking the class.
I recently overhead an employee telling another employee that they “had to give them the paperwork they needed right away.” The co-worker on the receiving end of the declaration was in the middle of another task and answered back with a short flip comment. The first employee came to me to complain about the other’s flip comment. Fortunately, I had heard the entire exchange. I pointed out to the first employee that their method for requesting the paperwork lacked tact and consideration. They had demanded, instead of asked for it. I suggested that in future they ask for a co-worker’s help in getting what they need to complete their assigned tasks.
My advice for a happy work environment is: Ask, don’t demand. Say please and thank you at all times. Practice smiling while speaking, it will make the delivery come across much more pleasantly. Never forget the ‘Golden Rule’, do unto others...
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery 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.
I recently overhead an employee telling another employee that they “had to give them the paperwork they needed right away.” The co-worker on the receiving end of the declaration was in the middle of another task and answered back with a short flip comment. The first employee came to me to complain about the other’s flip comment. Fortunately, I had heard the entire exchange. I pointed out to the first employee that their method for requesting the paperwork lacked tact and consideration. They had demanded, instead of asked for it. I suggested that in future they ask for a co-worker’s help in getting what they need to complete their assigned tasks.
My advice for a happy work environment is: Ask, don’t demand. Say please and thank you at all times. Practice smiling while speaking, it will make the delivery come across much more pleasantly. Never forget the ‘Golden Rule’, do unto others...
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery 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.
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
When A Bargain Is Not A Bargain
We have all done it – purchased a ‘knock off’ at a bargain price instead of paying more for the ‘original’. In some cases the ‘knock-off’ worked just as well and/or held up as well, but there are also many cases when we regret our ‘bargain’ and wish we had been smarter in our purchase.
This came up recently when we had a customer contact us that the parts they purchased for our machine did not hold up. They broke apart almost immediately after putting them to use on the machine. I took the call from the customer and was stunned to think that our parts would be/could be inferior. I promised the customer I would check into his problem and get right back to him. I then contacted our customer service and parts departments and organized a meeting to discuss the customer’s problems. It turned out that the customer had not purchased parts from us in several years. The inferior parts had been purchased elsewhere. This company had saved a few dollars on spare parts that wound up costing them thousands of dollars in lost production and downtime, not to mention the possible damage to the machine if the parts caused a malfunction.
So beware of bargains. Make sure that you are truly getting the exact same product and/or quality for the lower price, or pay the extra dollars up front so you can truly save serious dollars with increased production and decreased downtime.
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery 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.
This came up recently when we had a customer contact us that the parts they purchased for our machine did not hold up. They broke apart almost immediately after putting them to use on the machine. I took the call from the customer and was stunned to think that our parts would be/could be inferior. I promised the customer I would check into his problem and get right back to him. I then contacted our customer service and parts departments and organized a meeting to discuss the customer’s problems. It turned out that the customer had not purchased parts from us in several years. The inferior parts had been purchased elsewhere. This company had saved a few dollars on spare parts that wound up costing them thousands of dollars in lost production and downtime, not to mention the possible damage to the machine if the parts caused a malfunction.
So beware of bargains. Make sure that you are truly getting the exact same product and/or quality for the lower price, or pay the extra dollars up front so you can truly save serious dollars with increased production and decreased downtime.
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery 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.
Monday, August 20, 2012
How Do You Prevent Seasonal Slowdown?
Many businesses and industries see a seasonal slowdown in their sales. This creates a domino effect throughout the company. These companies are forced to cut hours, cut pay and sometimes cut employees knowing that in a few months they will be trying to re-hire once the sales start coming back in. So how can you avoid putting your company in this position?
The answer may lie in finding a new market for your product with a different ‘season’. For example swimsuits sell best in the US in early spring and throughout the summer. As the summer wanes the sales of swimsuits goes with it. However, summer is just beginning to get underway in South America. Their season is opposite the US. So look to them to balance out your sales cycle. What about a company that depends on US sales and a recession hits that industry in the US? Again, look to a foreign country that is having an upward sales growth in that product. If your product line is entirely seasonal, for example you only produce Christmas lights, try producing a line of patio lights for back yards in summer. A small US flag manufacturer almost went out of business several years before 9/11 as US homeowners were no longer purchasing flags for their houses. One employee came up with the idea of designing decorative flags to hang outside the house. The idea caught on and saved the company.
Think of ways of re-purposing your product(s) and/or finding new markets to keep your sales healthy all year long.
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery 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.
The answer may lie in finding a new market for your product with a different ‘season’. For example swimsuits sell best in the US in early spring and throughout the summer. As the summer wanes the sales of swimsuits goes with it. However, summer is just beginning to get underway in South America. Their season is opposite the US. So look to them to balance out your sales cycle. What about a company that depends on US sales and a recession hits that industry in the US? Again, look to a foreign country that is having an upward sales growth in that product. If your product line is entirely seasonal, for example you only produce Christmas lights, try producing a line of patio lights for back yards in summer. A small US flag manufacturer almost went out of business several years before 9/11 as US homeowners were no longer purchasing flags for their houses. One employee came up with the idea of designing decorative flags to hang outside the house. The idea caught on and saved the company.
Think of ways of re-purposing your product(s) and/or finding new markets to keep your sales healthy all year long.
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery 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.
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Attend PackExpo International 2012 - Free
As exhibiting members of PMMI’s Pack Expo International 2012 trade show, we are offering free registration to the show. We have a limited number of free passes available. Call us at (941) 755-5550 and ask for the code that will allow you to register for free admission.
What will you see at the show? The very latest in new machinery, packaging products, and new industry trends. What can you do at the show? Attend conferences about the packaging industry, meet potential suppliers/vendors, and network. If you are in any way involved in the packaging industry, Pack Expo International 2012 is a must attend show. The show starts on Sunday, October 28 and runs until October 31 at McCormick Place, Chicago, IL.
If you want to see the best unscramblers, cappers, orienters and more, make sure to stop by New England Machinery, Inc.’s booth #S-1442. I will be there and would love to meet my blog fans. Make sure to ask for me.
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery 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.
What will you see at the show? The very latest in new machinery, packaging products, and new industry trends. What can you do at the show? Attend conferences about the packaging industry, meet potential suppliers/vendors, and network. If you are in any way involved in the packaging industry, Pack Expo International 2012 is a must attend show. The show starts on Sunday, October 28 and runs until October 31 at McCormick Place, Chicago, IL.
If you want to see the best unscramblers, cappers, orienters and more, make sure to stop by New England Machinery, Inc.’s booth #S-1442. I will be there and would love to meet my blog fans. Make sure to ask for me.
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery 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.
Monday, August 13, 2012
Don’t Forget To Say Thank You
As simple as it sounds, a sincere ‘Thank You’ at the right time can make a big impression. What is even more impressive in today’s e-mail dominated business communication world, is to send a hand-written, personal thank you note. When someone does something extra for me or our company, I take a few short minutes to pick up a pen and note card and write a short ‘thank you’.
A packaging industry magazine wrote a really nice article about our company when I first started working here. I had not solicited the article and it took me completely by surprise. I quickly wrote a heart-felt thank you to the editor and journalist who wrote the article. That prompted a personal call from the magazine. They said that no one ever thanked them for articles, let alone took the time to personally write a thank you. They were impressed. It got me off to a good start in this new (to me) industry and was a good lesson to keep in mind.
If you want to stand out in your customer’s minds, send them a hand-written thank you for their business. It let’s them know that you don’t take their business for granted and really do care that they chose your company over the competition.
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery 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.
A packaging industry magazine wrote a really nice article about our company when I first started working here. I had not solicited the article and it took me completely by surprise. I quickly wrote a heart-felt thank you to the editor and journalist who wrote the article. That prompted a personal call from the magazine. They said that no one ever thanked them for articles, let alone took the time to personally write a thank you. They were impressed. It got me off to a good start in this new (to me) industry and was a good lesson to keep in mind.
If you want to stand out in your customer’s minds, send them a hand-written thank you for their business. It let’s them know that you don’t take their business for granted and really do care that they chose your company over the competition.
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery 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.
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Diversification – It’s All About Balance
Ask any good investment specialist and they will tell you that your financial portfolio should be diversified. As the saying goes “It’s not smart to put all your eggs in one basket.” Diversification is important for more than just managing your finances. A recent magazine article I read suggests that small companies need to be multi-dimensional in order to stave off the larger corporations from crushing them. A slightly diversified product line is just the trick. A large corporation can copy your one product and probably even improve it, but it becomes much harder if you have numerous products and/or product lines.
Marketing is another area where diversification can pay off. Don’t put together a great website and believe that it will deliver all the business your company needs. Even if it is optimized to the max, you are still missing potential customers that do multi-media research. Consider adding in some direct mailing, a magazine ad or two, a trade show, e-mail blast, and the never to be replaced face-to-face visit by a salesperson. I once assisted a company in starting their first ever internal marketing dept. We had a very limited budget, but used a tried and true method for determining where to spend our dollars and get the biggest benefit. Within three months of implementation the phones started ringing like never before. One caller told me “I’m seeing your company everywhere all of a sudden.” That’s what marketing is all about – starting a buzz because you are perceived to be everywhere, and therefore, must be the best.
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery 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.
Marketing is another area where diversification can pay off. Don’t put together a great website and believe that it will deliver all the business your company needs. Even if it is optimized to the max, you are still missing potential customers that do multi-media research. Consider adding in some direct mailing, a magazine ad or two, a trade show, e-mail blast, and the never to be replaced face-to-face visit by a salesperson. I once assisted a company in starting their first ever internal marketing dept. We had a very limited budget, but used a tried and true method for determining where to spend our dollars and get the biggest benefit. Within three months of implementation the phones started ringing like never before. One caller told me “I’m seeing your company everywhere all of a sudden.” That’s what marketing is all about – starting a buzz because you are perceived to be everywhere, and therefore, must be the best.
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery 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.
Monday, August 6, 2012
Team Building – It Works for Everyone
We recently held a golf tournament restricted to company employees only. The company set up the teams with 2 things in mind. One was to even out the teams with the same mixture of experienced and new players and the second was to put individuals together that did not normally work together. It was a great opportunity for employees to get to know someone they only saw in passing at the company.
Other companies do similar team building exercises. My sister worked for a large pharmaceutical company. The company signed up several departments to spend two entire workdays assisting Habitat for Humanity building new homes. The employees were given the choice to work their normal job at the company, or join the group building homes. They were paid their normal salary/hourly wage whichever they chose to do. My sister (an Executive Administrative Assistant) spent the two days painting doors and trim. She learned some new skills and got to know other employees a lot better. She said she felt closer to the employees she worked with building homes after they were back in their normal job.
There are consulting firms that specialize in assisting companies with team building exercises, but any company can do it without spending the money on consultants. All that is required is to find an opportunity to take the employees away from the normal workplace and have them work together to achieve an end result that is beneficial and/or uplifting. Sporting events and volunteer work are always good team building exercises. What does your company do?
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery 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.
Other companies do similar team building exercises. My sister worked for a large pharmaceutical company. The company signed up several departments to spend two entire workdays assisting Habitat for Humanity building new homes. The employees were given the choice to work their normal job at the company, or join the group building homes. They were paid their normal salary/hourly wage whichever they chose to do. My sister (an Executive Administrative Assistant) spent the two days painting doors and trim. She learned some new skills and got to know other employees a lot better. She said she felt closer to the employees she worked with building homes after they were back in their normal job.
There are consulting firms that specialize in assisting companies with team building exercises, but any company can do it without spending the money on consultants. All that is required is to find an opportunity to take the employees away from the normal workplace and have them work together to achieve an end result that is beneficial and/or uplifting. Sporting events and volunteer work are always good team building exercises. What does your company do?
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery 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.
Thursday, August 2, 2012
More on New Ideas – Part III
We were searching for new backdrop ideas for the Pack Expo shows we attend every year. After a fun search and some really great ideas, we discovered a product that will do everything we want it to do. The material is aluminum-skinned lightweight plastic that comes in 4’ x 8’ sheets. The outer layer looks like brushed aluminum. We are making stands to attach to either side of the sheets to hold them upright as a ‘wall’ along the back. Show regulations require our backdrop to be no more than 4’ high for up to 4 feet on either end of the booth so as not to block our neighbors’ booths. On the first 8’ high panel on either side of the booth we will have our logo engraved into the panel so it will look 3-dimensional.
We are excited about the new look. The best part of the process, though, was getting together with other employees from different departments and soliciting their thoughts and ideas. We all experience life a little differently and have unique perspectives to bring to brainstorming sessions. Don’t forget to tap into that reserve of talent that you may not even realize you have.
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery 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.
We are excited about the new look. The best part of the process, though, was getting together with other employees from different departments and soliciting their thoughts and ideas. We all experience life a little differently and have unique perspectives to bring to brainstorming sessions. Don’t forget to tap into that reserve of talent that you may not even realize you have.
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery 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.
Monday, July 30, 2012
More on New Ideas – Part II
In search of new ideas for a backdrop for our booth at the upcoming Pack Expo Chicago 2012 show, I searched ‘Exhibitor’ magazine. Some of the unique ideas I saw included using a plain white wall and allowing visitors to write on it, graffiti style. Another interesting idea was to create cartoon drawings of your products on the back walls. I brought these ideas to a brainstorming session that included individuals from other departments in our company.
We talked about a lot of different mediums and graphic ideas. We decided we needed a product that could be put up and taken down easily, and would be re-usable from show to show. That would mean it had to be ‘modular’ as our booth is rarely the same size and configuration at each show. We sent an employee to Home Depot and Lowe’s to see what products he could find in large sheets. We also tasked our Purchasing Agent with asking our vendors what large sheets of plastic or other products they could suggest.
We got back some really great products. One was a lightweight 4’ x 8’ sheet of foam that could be painted any color. We also got samples of aluminum-skinned lightweight plastic that also came in 4’ x 8’ sheets. To find out what we used and how it will look, read my next and final blog on New Ideas.
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery 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 http://www.neminc.com/.
We talked about a lot of different mediums and graphic ideas. We decided we needed a product that could be put up and taken down easily, and would be re-usable from show to show. That would mean it had to be ‘modular’ as our booth is rarely the same size and configuration at each show. We sent an employee to Home Depot and Lowe’s to see what products he could find in large sheets. We also tasked our Purchasing Agent with asking our vendors what large sheets of plastic or other products they could suggest.
We got back some really great products. One was a lightweight 4’ x 8’ sheet of foam that could be painted any color. We also got samples of aluminum-skinned lightweight plastic that also came in 4’ x 8’ sheets. To find out what we used and how it will look, read my next and final blog on New Ideas.
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery 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 http://www.neminc.com/.
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
New Ideas – Keep Them Coming
Every year we attend PMMI’s main packaging trade show in either Las Vegas or Chicago. We are always looking for new ideas to make our booth stand out from the rest and portray a ‘professional’, ‘high tech’ look. Several years ago we decided to ‘go green’ and do away with the expensive and wasteful carpet rental. In its place we purchased laminate ‘oak’ flooring. We are able to re-use the flooring at each show by putting it down (the planks snap together) and taking it back up at the end of the show. It has saved us thousands of dollars in rental and saved the environment from all the thrown away carpet at the end of the show.
We also came up with the idea of putting up vertical blinds in the back of the booth as opposed to the wrinkled curtains the show hangs up. We built our own stands to hold them and they worked well for several years. We discovered that the blinds are not as re-use ‘friendly’ as we had hoped as the blinds tend to break at the top after one or two uses and they get bent if not carefully handled. So this year we wanted a ‘new look’. We contacted several show houses and display companies. They were all offering one version or another of the new stretch material with graphics printed on it. I subscribe to ‘Exhibitor’ magazine and scoured the photos of other exhibits to get new ideas. We brought in some other employees to ‘pick their brains’ as to what we could do differently for the back of our booth.
Read my next blog to find out what great idea we came up with after a brainstorming session of individuals from different departments.
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery 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 http://www.neminc.com/.
We also came up with the idea of putting up vertical blinds in the back of the booth as opposed to the wrinkled curtains the show hangs up. We built our own stands to hold them and they worked well for several years. We discovered that the blinds are not as re-use ‘friendly’ as we had hoped as the blinds tend to break at the top after one or two uses and they get bent if not carefully handled. So this year we wanted a ‘new look’. We contacted several show houses and display companies. They were all offering one version or another of the new stretch material with graphics printed on it. I subscribe to ‘Exhibitor’ magazine and scoured the photos of other exhibits to get new ideas. We brought in some other employees to ‘pick their brains’ as to what we could do differently for the back of our booth.
Read my next blog to find out what great idea we came up with after a brainstorming session of individuals from different departments.
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery 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 http://www.neminc.com/.
Monday, July 23, 2012
Bring in New Ideas – New Life
We recently had our in-house graphic artist/videographer/web designer leave for a 3-week vacation. As we needed some of these services while he was gone, we hired an outside vendor to assist us in his absence. We wound up getting more than we bargained for. What he brought to the table was a fresh perspective and new ideas.
It is so easy for all of us to do our jobs ‘the way we’ve always done them’. Even if we are doing our absolute best to do it right, it doesn’t mean we aren’t missing something that a new viewpoint can bring to it. This is one of the reasons we enjoy hiring new people who are not necessarily from our industry. They tend to see everything just a little differently. Don’t be quick to squash their ideas and enthusiasm because ‘this is the way we’ve always done it.’ Take the time to consider what they have to offer. Like the saying, “If nothing changes, nothing changes”, we can’t get better without change, and change requires new ideas.
If you want to bring some new ideas to your position, consider bringing in some consultants who do what you do and ask them for their suggestions on what else you might do to improve your company’s performance. Your company may even consider hiring them for one or two projects if their ideas are really great.
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery 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 http://www.neminc.com/.
It is so easy for all of us to do our jobs ‘the way we’ve always done them’. Even if we are doing our absolute best to do it right, it doesn’t mean we aren’t missing something that a new viewpoint can bring to it. This is one of the reasons we enjoy hiring new people who are not necessarily from our industry. They tend to see everything just a little differently. Don’t be quick to squash their ideas and enthusiasm because ‘this is the way we’ve always done it.’ Take the time to consider what they have to offer. Like the saying, “If nothing changes, nothing changes”, we can’t get better without change, and change requires new ideas.
If you want to bring some new ideas to your position, consider bringing in some consultants who do what you do and ask them for their suggestions on what else you might do to improve your company’s performance. Your company may even consider hiring them for one or two projects if their ideas are really great.
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery 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 http://www.neminc.com/.
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
QR Codes – Are You Using Them?
I am noticing them everywhere I look nowadays. QR (Quick Read) codes. They are the ‘funky’ looking little squares that have tiny black blocks in them looking like a strange crossword puzzle. If you have a smart phone, you can download a free ‘QR’Code reader app that will allow your phone to scan the code. It will then take you to a site that might be a video to watch, a free offer for something, a coupon you can use, a company’s website or any number of different things.
We have come up with some great uses for this little code for the packaging machinery industry. We realized that if we put it on the packaging machines we build and sell, such as a bottle unscrambler, the QR code can direct the individual who scans it to a user manual for that model unscrambler. Another great idea is to put different codes on each salesperson’s business card. The scan will open up a video of the salesperson introducing himself or herself and giving a brief description of who they are and what they sell. We put them on our flyers to direct the user to a video of the packaging machine in action.
What ideas do you have on how to make the most of this new technology? What other innovative ways can we use QR codes to communicate with others?
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery 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 http://www.neminc.com/.
We have come up with some great uses for this little code for the packaging machinery industry. We realized that if we put it on the packaging machines we build and sell, such as a bottle unscrambler, the QR code can direct the individual who scans it to a user manual for that model unscrambler. Another great idea is to put different codes on each salesperson’s business card. The scan will open up a video of the salesperson introducing himself or herself and giving a brief description of who they are and what they sell. We put them on our flyers to direct the user to a video of the packaging machine in action.
What ideas do you have on how to make the most of this new technology? What other innovative ways can we use QR codes to communicate with others?
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery 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 http://www.neminc.com/.
Monday, July 16, 2012
Are You Prepared for Economic Changes?
I recently participated in a webinar conducted by an economic specialist who is predicting the slow US economic recovery to continue until about mid-2013. The economist broke the growth down by various sectors (i.e. pharmaceutical, personal care, beverage). While all of the sectors are expected to continue with some growth through mid-2013, they are all moving at different rates and will top out at different times.
The sectors with the strongest 2012 growth are predicted to be Durables, Hardgoods, Components and Parts with an anticipated growth rate of 4.8%. They are followed by Chemicals and Cleaning Products at 4.2%, Beverages at 3.9%, Personal Care at 3.5%, Pharmaceutical at 2.6%, and Food at 2.2%.
Interestingly enough, the economist shows a downturn in 2014 that will have all sectors in negative growth except for Pharmaceutical which is predicted to have a 3.3% positive growth. The reasoning behind the growth in pharmaceuticals is the aging baby-boomers who will continue to need pharmaceuticals in ever-growing quantities.
How will these economic trends affect your company? Are you taking full advantage of the current growth trend? Will you be positioned properly for the 2014 dip? What steps are you taking now and/or will take to make the most of the economic trends?
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery 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 http://www.neminc.com/.
The sectors with the strongest 2012 growth are predicted to be Durables, Hardgoods, Components and Parts with an anticipated growth rate of 4.8%. They are followed by Chemicals and Cleaning Products at 4.2%, Beverages at 3.9%, Personal Care at 3.5%, Pharmaceutical at 2.6%, and Food at 2.2%.
Interestingly enough, the economist shows a downturn in 2014 that will have all sectors in negative growth except for Pharmaceutical which is predicted to have a 3.3% positive growth. The reasoning behind the growth in pharmaceuticals is the aging baby-boomers who will continue to need pharmaceuticals in ever-growing quantities.
How will these economic trends affect your company? Are you taking full advantage of the current growth trend? Will you be positioned properly for the 2014 dip? What steps are you taking now and/or will take to make the most of the economic trends?
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery 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 http://www.neminc.com/.
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Get Organized To Get Ahead
Like most people, I often find myself searching for critical items in a rush. I know the general location of what I want, but can’t put my finger on it exactly and wind up wasting valuable time trying to find it. This is especially evident on my desk. I’m in the middle of working on one project and someone comes in with something else that needs immediate attention. I put aside what I am working on to deal with the second matter and sometimes a third matter comes along. Before you know it, my desk is buried with numerous pieces of paper all needing to be handled as soon as possible. I get frustrated and don’t know where to start.
Organization is the key. I spent one evening putting all the papers into piles. If a project had more than one paper, it went into a folder that I named. Then I added stacking trays on my desk. The bottom tray holds reference material that I want kept close at hand. The second tray holds long term projects, the third tray holds short term projects and the top holds projects that need to be handled ‘yesterday’. Every morning I review what is in every tray and determine the priority of what to work on that day. I check to see what deadlines some items have to make sure I don’t let any pass by.
This may not be the answer to everyone’s organizational needs, but it really helped mine. What other organizational ideas do you have to share? If we were able to save 5 minutes a day by being more organized, we would gain over an hour and a half each month to get more done!
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery 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 http://www.neminc.com/.
Organization is the key. I spent one evening putting all the papers into piles. If a project had more than one paper, it went into a folder that I named. Then I added stacking trays on my desk. The bottom tray holds reference material that I want kept close at hand. The second tray holds long term projects, the third tray holds short term projects and the top holds projects that need to be handled ‘yesterday’. Every morning I review what is in every tray and determine the priority of what to work on that day. I check to see what deadlines some items have to make sure I don’t let any pass by.
This may not be the answer to everyone’s organizational needs, but it really helped mine. What other organizational ideas do you have to share? If we were able to save 5 minutes a day by being more organized, we would gain over an hour and a half each month to get more done!
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery 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 http://www.neminc.com/.
Monday, July 9, 2012
Winners Have An Attitude of Success
Individuals who are successful at reaching their goals are not ‘born lucky’. They are either born with the right attitude or have learned how to cultivate an attitude of success. Believe it or not, it comes right down to the ‘glass is half full/half empty’ attitude that makes a direct difference on winning and losing. If you believe you are a winner and deserve to reach your goals, you will. If you think of yourself as ‘unlucky’ and not capable of achieving success, you won’t ever get there.
You cannot change your biological attributes (without surgical assistance), but you can change your attitude. Only you can control how you think. If you find yourself having self-doubts or thinking negatively, stop immediately and change the direction of your thought. Imagine yourself as capable and successful. Picture yourself already being where you want to go in your life. Do it every day. When others around you start speaking negatively, change the direction of the conversation to a positive tone.
The difference between successful companies and companies that struggle but never get ahead is often simply a matter of corporate culture. Be a part of the successful culture in your company. Imagine that you work for a company that is highly successful and constantly winning all the business away from its competitors. Project that winning attitude when you speak with customers, vendors, and other employees. If every employee in the company believed that their company was the best and getting better every day, it would indeed become a reality.
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery 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 http://www.neminc.com/.
You cannot change your biological attributes (without surgical assistance), but you can change your attitude. Only you can control how you think. If you find yourself having self-doubts or thinking negatively, stop immediately and change the direction of your thought. Imagine yourself as capable and successful. Picture yourself already being where you want to go in your life. Do it every day. When others around you start speaking negatively, change the direction of the conversation to a positive tone.
The difference between successful companies and companies that struggle but never get ahead is often simply a matter of corporate culture. Be a part of the successful culture in your company. Imagine that you work for a company that is highly successful and constantly winning all the business away from its competitors. Project that winning attitude when you speak with customers, vendors, and other employees. If every employee in the company believed that their company was the best and getting better every day, it would indeed become a reality.
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery 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 http://www.neminc.com/.
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Amazing Times – Amazing Technology
I remember watching futuristic television shows as a child that depicted machines that would talk to us and tell us things we needed to know. At the time it was too far-fetched to believe. We could not imagine that wireless communicators would actually become a reality. We live in amazing times.
I was invited to a meeting at our company the other day in which our Engineers were describing how our bottle unscramblers and cappers (and other machines) can be programmed to tell us who was running the machine at what times, what products they were running, if the machine was stopped, it can also identify by codes exactly which containers went through it and at what exact time. The full list of items that the machine can tell us is truly amazing. The machines can also be told what to do by touching the screen. We can set it up to run different containers at different speeds all by the touch of a finger tip. Add a wireless printer and you can print out lists of all the information you want. The machines can be set up to allow only certain individuals to have access to make changes. So an operator will have different access than a service technician who will have different access than an engineer.
We are fortunate to have all this technology at our disposal. Now we need to start taking full advantage of all it can do for us.
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery 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 http://www.neminc.com/.
I was invited to a meeting at our company the other day in which our Engineers were describing how our bottle unscramblers and cappers (and other machines) can be programmed to tell us who was running the machine at what times, what products they were running, if the machine was stopped, it can also identify by codes exactly which containers went through it and at what exact time. The full list of items that the machine can tell us is truly amazing. The machines can also be told what to do by touching the screen. We can set it up to run different containers at different speeds all by the touch of a finger tip. Add a wireless printer and you can print out lists of all the information you want. The machines can be set up to allow only certain individuals to have access to make changes. So an operator will have different access than a service technician who will have different access than an engineer.
We are fortunate to have all this technology at our disposal. Now we need to start taking full advantage of all it can do for us.
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery 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 http://www.neminc.com/.
Monday, July 2, 2012
Packaging Industry Trends – Part III
Consumers are requesting – and getting – more user-friendly packaging. Packaging experts have developed a plastic/aluminum product that will allow consumers to take frozen foods and microwave them in the same container. The special aluminum assists in browning the food similar to regular ovens. Other plastics combine with unique glues to allow unsealing the product, removing some of it and re-sealing it closed.
In another area of matching consumer demand, some manufacturers are putting their products in smaller portions. This is especially in demand for the growing senior population that does not want the large portions.
Safety of packaging can be noted with the advent of such new inventions as a capsule carton that cannot be opened unless both sides are squeezed in at the small buttons on the side at the same time, a process that a child would not be able to do.
Traceability is now taking hold world-wide in the pharmaceutical and nutriceutical industries in an effort to stem the tide of counterfeit products. Researchers have developed a data ‘chip’ inclusive of an antenna that can be ‘welded’ into the film that is adhered to a container/bottle. This allows the product to be traced from inception through purchase by consumer. These ‘electronic labels’ can be used for multiple purposes including shipping, stocking, inventory and if the store is equipped with shopping carts that have a small computer attached, the computer can ‘read’ the code as the item is placed in the cart and give the consumer a running total on the price of the item in the cart as well as send the signal to the cash register upon checkout without having to remove the item from the cart.
We are on the verge of some amazing changes to the way we package and purchased our products. If you know of something new, share it with us. We all enjoy learning about new technologies that are changing our lives.
he author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery 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.
In another area of matching consumer demand, some manufacturers are putting their products in smaller portions. This is especially in demand for the growing senior population that does not want the large portions.
Safety of packaging can be noted with the advent of such new inventions as a capsule carton that cannot be opened unless both sides are squeezed in at the small buttons on the side at the same time, a process that a child would not be able to do.
Traceability is now taking hold world-wide in the pharmaceutical and nutriceutical industries in an effort to stem the tide of counterfeit products. Researchers have developed a data ‘chip’ inclusive of an antenna that can be ‘welded’ into the film that is adhered to a container/bottle. This allows the product to be traced from inception through purchase by consumer. These ‘electronic labels’ can be used for multiple purposes including shipping, stocking, inventory and if the store is equipped with shopping carts that have a small computer attached, the computer can ‘read’ the code as the item is placed in the cart and give the consumer a running total on the price of the item in the cart as well as send the signal to the cash register upon checkout without having to remove the item from the cart.
We are on the verge of some amazing changes to the way we package and purchased our products. If you know of something new, share it with us. We all enjoy learning about new technologies that are changing our lives.
he author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery 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.
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Packaging Industry Trends – Part II
Product safety is a big concern to both the packaging industry and the consumers who buy their products. Problems such as food contamination, spoilage and product counterfeiting are growing world-wide issues. Packaging has been used as a barrier to keep consumable products safe since man first began trading goods. Plastics have taken over as the main material used to keep consumables safe from external influences such as heat, dust, air, water, sunlight, and contamination by touch. It has also been used to keep in flavor, color, vitamins and minerals.
Newly developed plastics are allowing packagers to keep their products safer than ever before. There are now plastic films that have anti-corrosion properties. These will keep the products from corroding in extreme conditions. There are other plastics that keep fruits and vegetables fresher longer by allowing the bad gases to release into the air outside the plastic barrier, while keeping out the air that will cause them to spoil faster.
Some packages (such as on frozen foods and fish) have temperature detection labels on them. If the label turns a certain color it warns the consumer that the product was exposed to a temperature that was too high and the product may not be ‘safe’. Known as ‘intelligent’ packaging, it informs the consumer whether the product was handled properly prior to purchase.
Follow my next blog (Part III) to continue learning more about the latest trends in packaging.
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery 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 http://www.neminc.com/.
Newly developed plastics are allowing packagers to keep their products safer than ever before. There are now plastic films that have anti-corrosion properties. These will keep the products from corroding in extreme conditions. There are other plastics that keep fruits and vegetables fresher longer by allowing the bad gases to release into the air outside the plastic barrier, while keeping out the air that will cause them to spoil faster.
Some packages (such as on frozen foods and fish) have temperature detection labels on them. If the label turns a certain color it warns the consumer that the product was exposed to a temperature that was too high and the product may not be ‘safe’. Known as ‘intelligent’ packaging, it informs the consumer whether the product was handled properly prior to purchase.
Follow my next blog (Part III) to continue learning more about the latest trends in packaging.
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery 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 http://www.neminc.com/.
Monday, June 25, 2012
Packaging Industry Trends – Part I
Some of the latest trends in the packaging industry have been on-going initiatives that are evolving over time. For example, environmentally-friendly packaging products have been on the rise for the past 10 years. Product producers are searching not only for ways to make their packaging more ‘green’, but they are also looking to cut the cost of packaging. Some new lighter weight films and other innovations are assisting in both these areas. For example, as opposed to using shrink wrap to contain loose boxes on skids, there are now anti-slip blocking disks with small hooks on both sides that penetrate the cardboard on the cartons to keep them in place. Large wire-wrapped plastic containers are now available that will hold the same amount as 5 large drums, thus compacting the product down from 5 containers to one.
Another innovation cutting down on both packaging costs and waste is the creation of Retail Ready Packaging. These come in various forms. For the bakery industry it is utilizing plastic trays that stack and can have wheels attached to the bottom to allow the products to be placed on the trays in the factory, delivered to the stores and rolled out to the display floor without any additional packaging. The trays are switched out every day and re-used. Another form of Retail Ready Packaging is used when the factory places the products in shelf ready cardboard boxes. The boxes are printed on the outside with consumer-pleasing graphics and information. They are pre-scored to open across the top and partway down the front to display the individual products inside the boxes ready for the consumers to take out.
What other trends are changing our packaging world? Visit my next blog to learn about other changes and innovations that are making a difference.
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery 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 http://www.neminc.com/.
Another innovation cutting down on both packaging costs and waste is the creation of Retail Ready Packaging. These come in various forms. For the bakery industry it is utilizing plastic trays that stack and can have wheels attached to the bottom to allow the products to be placed on the trays in the factory, delivered to the stores and rolled out to the display floor without any additional packaging. The trays are switched out every day and re-used. Another form of Retail Ready Packaging is used when the factory places the products in shelf ready cardboard boxes. The boxes are printed on the outside with consumer-pleasing graphics and information. They are pre-scored to open across the top and partway down the front to display the individual products inside the boxes ready for the consumers to take out.
What other trends are changing our packaging world? Visit my next blog to learn about other changes and innovations that are making a difference.
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery 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 http://www.neminc.com/.
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