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.
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
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.
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