Good Tidings for the Holiday Season

For my last post of 2013, I want to wish everyone a very happy holiday season. I hope you have time to spend with your loved ones and some time to spend in quiet peace. I also wish everyone a very happy and healthy New Year.

May 2014 be a year of new beginnings, growth and prosperity, filled with enough challenges to keep us engaged, enough luck to keep us curious, enough joy to keep us happy, and enough love to keep us centered.

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.

Good News for Pharmaceutical Contract Manufacturers and Contract Service Organizations

Pharmaceutical Processing magazine listed the results of a recent survey they conducted to determine the needs of pharmaceutical companies in the area of contract manufacturers and contract service providers. The good news they report is that79.5% of pharmaceutical manufacturers outsource their manufacturing and service needs and 59% of companies plan to expand their spending on outsourcing in the next 12 months.

When asked what criteria they use when selecting a services provider, they list Technical Staff Expertise, Manufacturing/Services Capabilities and Regulatory History as the top three. To see the complete survey see Pharmaceutical Processing’s Nov/Dec 2013 issue or visit pharmpro.com.

The healthcare industry is predicted to grow faster than other industries over the next decade. The combination of expotential population growth and an ageing population that has an increasing life expectancy will create a worldwide increase in the need for pharmaceuticals.

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.

Tampa Bay Packaging Machinery Companies Open House 2014

The Tampa Bay, Florida area has one very unique characteristic. It is home to many of the best packaging machinery manufacturing companies in the world. It is a phenomenon that the west coast of Florida is home to a very large number of companies that specialize in manufacturing packaging machinery. A dozen or so of these companies have banded together to take advantage of this phenomenon.

The week of February 24-28, 2014 the following companies are opening their doors to their customers for the Tampa Bay Packaging Machinery Companies Open House 2014.
Tri-Tronics, Osgood Industries, Westlund Engineering, Polypack, Inc., Film Source International, ABC Packaging Machine Company, Universal Labeling Systems, Inc., New England Machinery, Inc., MDC Engineering, Allied Flex Technologies, In-Line Filling Systems, and Zepf Technologies.

For more information about this event visit our website: www.tampabaypackaging.com. This is a great chance to come to sunny Florida in the middle of winter and see great packaging machinery as it is being 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.

NEM Trade Shows In 2014

New England Machinery, Inc. has a full schedule of trade shows for 2014. We will start the year off at Interpak in Dusseldorf, Germany. This is the largest packaging machinery trade show in the world and is held every three years. NEM will be displaying our ‘flying yellow bottles’ display at the show this year in Hall 12 #12D52. The show runs from May 8 -14, 2014.

Our next show will be ExpoPack Mexico, June 17-20. NEM will be located in the PMMI pavilion in booth 2120. The show is located in Centro Banamex in Mexico City.

For the Pack Expo International 2014 show, NEM will be located in booth S-3506. This show at McCormick Place in Chicago will take place November 2-5. NEM will be displaying a full line of bottle unscramblers, orienters, and cappers.

Co-located this year with the Pack Expo International 2014 show, will be the Pharma Expo 2014 show running at the same time. NEM will have another booth at this show. Our booth number will be W-629.

To see live demonstrations of world-class packaging machinery, make sure to visit NEM’s booth at any or all of these 2014 shows.

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.

Remember to Thank Your Customers

As the year is drawing to a close don’t forget to say ‘Thank You’ to your customers. Without customers we companies would cease to exist. The easiest and most common form of a ‘thank you’ is a holiday card that wishes holiday cheer along with a word of gratitude. Some companies purchase gifts that they send or hand deliver to their best customers. For small companies or companies that sell to various departments in large companies, the individual gift is not always acceptable or doable.

New England Machinery has come up with a great idea this year to say ‘thank you’ to our faithful customers. We are offering a discount credit towards parts sales. We have sent out an e-mail to all of our customers explaining the discount. This is a great way to let our customers know we appreciate their business.

What other ways do you know about to say ‘thank you for your patronage’?

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 Day

On behalf of everyone at New England Machinery, Inc. we want to wish everyone a very happy Thanksgiving Day. Enjoy some quality time with your loved ones. Take a few moments to ‘count your blessings’ and be grateful for all that is good in your life.

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 Plastic Bottle Industry

For those of us involved in the packaging of plastic bottles, there is great news – the plastic bottle industy is growing! 2013 has seen a 7% rise. That trend is expected to continue. The BRIC markets (Brazil, Russia, India and China) are expected to dominate the global PET market with their demand expected to rise to 47.85% of the global demand by 2020.

PET is widely accepted for water, chemicals, cosmetics and soft drinks. Growth is anticipated in the areas of dairy, juices, sauces, pharmaceuticals, beer and distilled beverages.

Bioplastics will contribute greatly to the rise in plastic bottle usage. Other factors that are increasing the usage of plastic bottles include newer light weighted bottles, recyclability, improved barrier technologies, and greater convenience.

Some interesting facts: the average person uses 167 plastic bottles annually. The amount of the average monthly water bill if tap water cost the same as the cheapest bottled water - $9,000.

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.

Planning for Success in 2014

Although it is hard to focus on next year while still trying to wrap up this year, it is vital to do so. Your company’s success in 2014 will be greatly dependent upon how well you have prepared for it in 2013. Do you have a list of everything you want to accomplish for your department in 2014? Is the list prioritized (i.e. ‘must do’, ‘should do’, ‘would like to do’)? Do you have target dates to accomplish milestones and goals? How will you track those action items and who is responsible for them?

Planning is actually the hardest part of accomplishing a goal. Once you have the planning complete, it is just a matter of following the plotted tasks through to completion (with minor adjustments along the way). Don’t put off the planning for after the holidays. You will be glad to start off the new year with a clear roadmap of where you are going.

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.

Are You Ready for the Holiday Season?

Most people will say that the holiday season does not effect the packaging industry as the products being produced for the season are already made and shipped. But those of us in the industry know better. The holidays are a time when many in packaging and production take extra time off to be with their families. This makes communication harder and active projects may wind up having deadlines missed.

Prepare well in advance. Don’t assume that everyone you will need to speak with or communicate with will be available when you need them over the next several weeks. Look at your workload and try to manage the critical projects now, don’t let items wait as they may get pushed back. Realize that someone you may need to reach in the third week of December may have taken off the last few weeks of the year. If you can get ahead on your projects now, it may save a disaster later. Also, when promising to ‘get back’ to someone in a few days or weeks, ask them if they will be available on the date you plan to get back to them. This may be the trigger that reminds them that they will, in fact, not be available on that date. To be prepared is to be forwarned.

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.

Partnering – The Best Way To Do Business

If you were looking to build a new house would you rather hire the contractor who shows you a great floorplan at a good price and leaves you to make your decision or the contractor who spends the time going over the floorplan and explaining to you why you need certain grades of products based on local regulations?

Every sale of every product should be an opportunity to learn. The majority of purchasers appreciate a seller who takes the time to make sure their customer is getting exactly what they need. Many times the customer may lack a piece of knowledge about what they are buying that can assist them in making the right choice.

The packaging machinery industry is no different than the rest. Many times the buyers of packaging machinery do not know about the latest technologies available and/or how new government regulations may affect them. The manufacturer whose salesperson is generous with their time and expertise and can make recommendations based on knowledge the buyer does not have, is a true partner in this business relationship. Next time your salespeople are meeting with customers, make sure they are well informed about the industry, regulations, and the latest technology so that they can partner with their customers as opposed to just selling to them.

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.

Thank A Vet

In the US today we are celebrating Veterans Day. Although this day comes only once a year, we need to remember every day to thank those individuals who have given so much to allow us to live free. Freedom isn’t free. There are those who seek to deprive others of this vital human condition and fortunately for us, there are those willing to sacrifice life and limb to keep us free.

So take a moment today to say ‘thank you’ to anyone you know who has served in the armed forces.

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.

Focus

Focus is often the difference between success and failure. It is not an easy trait to possess and/or utilize, but it is extremely powerful. Those who possess true unwavering focus, will ultimately win the day. We all have instances in our lives where we determine that we want something to happen. That might be securing the right job, making the big sale, resolving a challenge at work, or hundreds of other circumstances we want to accomplish. The key to making it happen, is focus. Don’t be swayed by obstacles or roadblocks. The challenges will always be there. If you let them channel your attention away from the goal, you will never achieve it.

Use every challenge to learn. When the original road becomes blocked, focus on how to get around the blockage, to find another route. Keep your focus on the ultimate goal. Focus on what you want to happen, not what you don’t want to happen. Remember, it isn’t luck that makes people successful, it is hard work and determination. Add a strong dose of focus to the mix and your goals will come easier.

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 Sets Your Company Apart?

When asked ‘what sets your company apart?’, how do you answer that question? In our case it is a very simple question to answer. Our company is unique in that we don’t just sell products someone else engineered, we sell products that we engineered ourselves. This allows us to make improvements and upgrades to the machines as technology evolves. We are not stifled by having to sell what someone else designed. We can design and re-design our own products, and we do!

Packaging machinery is a rather large industry. There are hundreds of thousands of different types of machines used every day on packaging production lines. However, there are only about a thousand companies that actually design, engineer and build the machines. There are tens of thousands of resellers and distributors as well as companies that assemble the pre-made machine parts, but not that many actually doing what we do.

Being able to make changes to our designs is what allows us to help our customers with specific challenges. It also has allowed us to refine our designs to make them the best in the industry. Our customers asked for versatile bottle unscramblers, and we delivered with numerous models that offer the most versatility in bottle unscrambling. They asked for simple bottle capper designs and we delivered with the widest range of container closing machinery of any company in the world. What sets New England Machinery, Inc. apart from the rest – we design, engineer, manufacture, fabricate, build, tune and test every machine that leaves our plant from a concept in someone’s mind to a finished machine ready for production performance.

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.

Spare Parts and Change Parts – Don’t Skimp To Save Money

We have occasionally discovered that our customers will stop purchasing spare parts because they have found another source that saves them money. In the long run, however, the cheaper parts wind up costing them more money. The parts don’t last as long and/or can cause damage and additional wear and tear on the machinery if they are not made to the correct specifications. You may have heard the expression ‘A penny saved is a penny earned’, well in this case ‘a penny saved is a dollar spent on repair and maintenance.’

We did an experiment at our house with ‘no name’ cheap batteries vs a battery with a well known name and reputation. We put the cheaper batteries in an appliance we use on a timer every day and noted the date they were put in. When they died, we noted how long they lasted, then replaced them with the better batteries and noted the dates again. We discovered that the money we saved on purchasing the cheaper batteries was wasted. We had to replace them twice as fast, thus actually spending more money.

It is the same with machinery spare parts and change parts. When buying them for your company’s machinery, buy only ‘genuine’ spare parts made by the original machinery manufacturer. It will be money well spent.

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.

Word of Mouth Advertising – It Doesn’t Get Any Better Than That.

All very successful companies have one important thing in common – word of mouth advertising helped get them there. I have often tried a product based solely on someone’s verbal recommendation. If I have delayed trying it, but then hear from a second or third person about how good the product is, then I go out of my way to find it and try it. You can’t pay enough money to get this kind of advertising.

If you don’t know whether you have customers who are ‘championing’ your product, here are a few suggestions on how to find out.
1. Send out a survey to your existing customers. Ask them what they like and don’t like about your company and its products.
2. Have your sales team ask every customer they talk to if they can and/or will recommend your company/products.
3. Ask new customers who referred them to your company.

Once you know who likes you and why, ask them if you can quote them on your website and/or other marketing literature. Ask them if you can use them as a reference to potential new customers. A new potential customer is more likely to buy from you if they can speak with someone who is already using your product and is happy with it. The value of a happy customer willing to share their experience is beyond compare.

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.

Why A Compact Unscrambler Part II

Below is the second half of an article I wrote several years ago.

Surprisingly, a little research shows that the purchasers of compact style unscramblers have their own different reasons for choosing this model.

Paul Calabretta is the Sales Engineer for Dairy Conveyor Corporation located in Huntington Beach, California. Dairy Conveyor specializes in assisting dairies in finding the right packaging solutions for their exclusive production applications. Most of their customer’s plants are located in Mexico. Paul believes that the dairy industry has unique production problems due to the evolution of the industry itself. According to Paul, “Most dairies have less space due to the way the industry evolved. These facilities started out in a small room, with one filler, filling 10 gallons per minute. When they wanted to increase their production, they had to make do with what space was available. Also, due to the limited shelf life of their products and to make distribution faster and easier, many of these dairies began in urban areas. As their business grew, so did their neighborhood. Suddenly they found themselves “land locked” with no possible room to expand.”

Paul also speculated on his theory as to the disparity in economics for the dairy industry, “A company will purchase a compact unscrambler due to its small footprint. Real estate is expensive. The economics of the dairy industry are so different than other beverages. In dairy, the cost of the raw product is much more expensive. Other beverages produce a higher gross profit compared to dairy.”

The distillery industry found other reasons to add a compact unscrambler to their production line. Buffalo Trace Distillery is located in Frankfort, KY. Their Production Manager, Richard Kerr shared his thoughts on the benefits of a compact. “The future of the distillery industry is moving more to PET containers. Bottling plants need to be prepared to meet these changes with the best machinery for these new containers. We used to have two separate machines to unscramble and clean our glass bottles. We now have a compact unscrambler that is capable of handling an abundance of bottles. It has an ionized air cleaner integrated into the machine. This accomplishes two tasks at once, and saves us the space of a second machine.”

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.

Why A Compact Unscrambler Part I

I wrote the following article quite a few years ago, but the information is still valid today:

In early fall of 2000 I was invited to attend a Focus Group sponsored by the Packaging Machinery Manufacturers Institute (PMMI). The purpose of the meeting was to research how the packaging machinery industry had changed and was changing. Its most specific goal was to determine how PMMI could better serve its members. During the course of the three-hour meeting all of the participants were asked to define what they felt or believed their customers wanted in packaging machinery. The group unanimously agreed that their customers were looking for better, faster, and cheaper (less expensive) packaging machinery. Defining faster and cheaper was fairly simple, but defining what each customer thought was “better” was quite elusive to the group. As the discussion lengthened on the subject, everyone had varying ideas on what constituted “better”. There was, however, one idea that somewhat integrated the terms better and cheaper (less expensive). That idea was – smaller. If the packaging machinery were smaller, and saved valuable floor space in a plant, then that would definitely be “better”. It would be less expensive for the company because floor space costs money and the company would save money by utilizing less space to accomplish the same tasks. The problem then arises as to how to achieve faster and smaller.

For unscrambling, the answer is a compact unscrambler. Necessity has caused the development of the most cost effective, smallest layout space solution available, for plastic bottle unscrambling called the Compact Unscrambler. These plastic bottle unscramblers offer the smallest footprint in the entire packaging industry. This design was pioneered because of the increased value of real estate on production floors and the lack of available floor space. As the demand grew for companies to produce more and more products at higher volumes with the same plant they have had all along, the need was developed for more compact packaging solutions. Hence, the design and introduction of this revolutionary, one-of-a-kind concept, incorporating two machines into the space of one was developed. The standard, widely used and highly accepted plastic bottle unscrambler was taken and integrated into it is a uniquely designed internal hopper/elevator placed within the unscrambler’s unused airspace.

When comparing the footprint to those unscramblers already in use in today's facilities, it becomes clearly evident the amount of valuable real estate that can be saved by using a Compact Unscrambler. The compact unscramblers are now offered in sizes that start with a 36” “mini” and range up to 72", easily handling containers from small pharmaceutical bottles to large beverage and industrial bottles.

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.

Are You 5 S Compliant?

We had a meeting recently about implementing 5S throughout our company. At first I was not enthused. It just sounded like more work to add to my long list of tasks. We watched a webinar that was a little too repetitive and not really inspiring. But with no choice I began planning. What I didn’t expect, was that as I looked around my office and started seeing some of the useless stuff I had accumulated over the years, I realized that this was a chance to ‘start all over’ and do it right.

We determined as a company that we could not afford to put all work on hold for an entire day to get everything cleaned up, sorted, scrubbed and set up. So I planned out how I would spend 1 hour every day for two weeks working on a different area of my office. The time schedule left me extra days in case an emergency interrupted my schedule. It felt really cathartic and liberating to allow yourself to throw away items you previously believed you might one day need. If you haven’t used it in 5 years, that day is unlikely to ever come.

The real beauty of 5S, though, is to be able to find everything you need right away, because you are now organized. The items you use every day are right at hand and the items you use once a week are close by. Everything else you need is stored nearby without looking messy and is easily and quickly retrieved. And the useless clutter that you don’t need or use, is gone.

If you have not implemented 5S at your place of work I recommend you take the time to do so. The time you save looking for items alone way surpasses the time spent on the implementation.

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.

Innovation – Where Does It Come From

It is easy to become complacent and forget to innovate. We tend to look at solutions to problems that are common to us instead of redefining the problem and/or the solution. A great example of re-defining the solution is the invention of ‘Pringles’ potato chips. A group of college students were asked to come up with a better way to package potato chips. Instead of re-designing the package, they re-designed the product inside the package. The next time you are challenged with a problem at work, don’t think ‘this is impossible’, instead think, ‘what can I change in the equation that will make the solution easier to accomplish’. A stop sign does not have to be octagonal and red, but it does need to catch the attention of the viewer and make them stop. What other visual items would result in the same effect? Does the audience determine the reaction to the visual item? Ask these and a lot of other questions before determining the course of action you will take in solving your next problem. Make innovation a habit as opposed to an exception. 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.

Pack Expo Las Vegas 2013 Here We Go!

Everyone in the packaging industry knows that it's getting close to show time for the Pack Expo Las Vegas 2013 show. I'm here in Las Vegas with our team putting together all the pieces that will make this an outstanding show for New England Machinery. Like most of the machinery manufacturers here, we have brought with us the best machines and newest technology to show off to potential customers. We're excited for the show to start on Monday, Sept. 23. If you haven't made plans yet to come, don't wait any longer. There are amazing machines here to see. Our booth, #C-2914 will feature three of our most popular models as well as our famous 'flying yellow bottles'. We will be hosting a happy hour from 3:30 to 4:30 pm on Monday and Tuesday. Stop by to say hello and see our machines in action. We look forward to seeing everyone here!

In-Line Capping Vs. Chuck Capping – Do You Know The Difference?

There are dozens of methods for closing containers/bottles/packages. These range from cappers to pluggers, lidders, sealers, and many more. But perhaps two of the most competitive and misunderstood methods that compete with one another on a regular basis are the In-Line Capper and the Chuck Capper. Both are used to cap bottles on a production line after the filler. Is one better than the other? Well, that depends...

The quick explanation is that the in-line capper is often less expensive and sometimes takes up less space. However, compared to a chuck capper it can be less reliable. Industries that require accurate torque and properly secured caps will need to look at the chuck capper. It is the age-old difference between cost versus quality. The in-line capper will generally get the job done, but there may be waste and accuracy issues in the process. The chuck capper will get the job done correctly every time.

For more information on the comparison between these capping methods visit New England Machinery’s website at www.neminc.com, click on Downloads and choose the white paper, “In-Line vs. Chuck Cappers”. Hopefully, this will help make the difference more clear.

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 You Need To Know When Buying a Capper Machine

Do you know what questions you should ask when purchasing a capping machine for your production line? I’ve often discovered that when researching a subject, it is the questions I don’t think to ask, that wind up causing me the most problems down the line. Later I will wonder how come I didn’t think to ask those questions, but we all have 20-20 hindsight.

To help production managers research the capper they need to purchase for a new line, New England Machinery has developed a list of the important questions that should be answered in the search. This list is available in a White Paper, free of charge. It is accessible by visiting NEM’s website at www.neminc.com, going to their Downloads section and choosing the white paper entitled “Questions You Need to Ask When Purchasing a Capper”.

We hope this white paper is useful and saves valuable time and money in researching the right capper for the job.

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 Art of Hiring New Employees

I recently read a great article that explained the importance of hiring an employee with the right cultural fit for your organization. It stated that there may be numerous individuals who have all the right qualifications, but if they don’t have the right personality to fit into your corporate culture, it will not be a success and can, in fact, be a huge detriment to your organization.

The most successful companies have a strong team mentality. They step in and assist each other without being asked. They pull together as they are all aware that if one fails, they all fail. Conversely, if one succeeds, they all succeed. To bring in a new employee who wants to ‘be the star’ or wants to work autonomously would cause resentment and ultimately weaken the team. They would not be the right fit for this particular corporate culture. However, if your organization requires minimal or no interaction among employees and thrives on individual over-achievers, then you want to hire the ‘lone wolf’ personality.

Make sure you know what type of personality will best fit your organization when interviewing for open positions. You can train most people to do the tasks required for a job, but you cannot train someone to change their personality. For the new hire to be successful and accomplish the goals you need to reach, be certain they will fit in your culture.

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.

Free Registration for Pack Expo Las Vegas 2013

New England Machinery will be exhibiting at the Pack Expo Las Vegas 2013 show in booth C-2914. We will be highlighting our model NERCC-3, Rotary Capper, our model NEHCPE-48, Compact Unscrambler and our famous ‘Flying Yellow Bottles’ display consisting of our monoblock NEHHLPE-72 Unscrambler and SOE-3/540 Secondary Orienter.

If you would like to register to attend the show for free, please go to the show’s official website at: www.packexpo.com and use the following customer invite code: 59N76.

We look forward to seeing everyone at the show and will be hosting a ‘happy hour’ on Monday and Tuesday evenings starting at 3:00 p.m. in our booth #C-2914. Don’t miss this great event!

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.

PMMI Researches Opportunities and Challenges in Packaging Part III

Earlier this year PMMI (Packaging Machinery Manufacturers Institute released a research report on the opportunities and challenges for the packaging machinery industry. They held focus groups at the end of 2012 and identified 10 top priorities facing the packaging industry. The final four items on the list were:

7. Enabling end users to benefit from innovations in packaging materials used in innovative package designs and packaging operations. Every company wants their product to ‘stand out’ on the shelf in a marketplace. Machinery manufacturers need to work closely with the designers of new packaging to assure that it can be easily and cost effectively produced. A new package design is only good if it can be mass produced utilizing existing or low-cost, highly efficient machinery.

8. Consciously incorporating U.S. strategies and operations into fulfilling end users’ global packaging requirements and global presence. Creating packaging that can be used in multiple countries without changing can save millions of dollars to multi-national companies. The ability to create an O&M manual that automatically translates into any language may not be possible today, but would be invaluable to the company that develops it.

9. Recognizing that packaging creates a marketplace differentiation platform but that machinery purchases use scarce capital and create expense streams. Machinery manufacturers need to develop machines that are versatile throughout a plant. Production plants are looking to buy one machine that can be used for dozens of SKUs. They cannot afford to have machinery that is ‘dedicated’ to one product.

10. Supporting end users’ environmental strategy emphases in response to consumers’ green interest and behaviors. I recently saw a presentation on a new company that is using the roots of mushrooms to create foam containers for biodegradeable packaging. The roots are highly compressed and will form together in pre-formed shapes similar to Styrofoam. The best part is that once in a landfill they will breakdown safely. This is the future not just for packaging, but for the safety of planet earth.

For more ‘information regarding PMMI’s Top to Top Summit Report contact PMMI at www.pmmi.org.

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.

PMMI Researches Opportunities and Challenges in Packaging Part II

Earlier this year PMMI (Packaging Machinery Manufacturers Institute) released a research report on the opportunities and challenges for the packaging machinery industry. They held focus groups at the end of 2012 and identified 10 top priorities facing the packaging industry. The second three items on the list were:

4.                  Recognizing and leveraging accelerated social media usage and its impacts on products and brands. Not since the invention of the printing press has there been a more effective way of promoting products than the new explosion of social media usage. A product that ‘goes viral’ on the internet can make a start up company a multi-million dollar company literally overnight. How is your company leveraging this important opportunity?

5.                  Understanding regulations and managing regulatory compliance at all supply chain levels. The pharmaceutical and food industries are especially affected by constantly changing government regulations. Recent legislation such as Serialization and the Food Safety Modernization Act are just two examples of ever changing regulations directly affecting the packaging industry. How are you keeping up with them?

6.                  Ensuring efficient and reliable machinery manufacturing practices and operations from order placement to start-up functions. Is your company utilizing ERP software to track orders from placement to delivery? Do you use a CRM software to track every sales opportunity? Are you using lean manufacturing techniques to optimize efficiency? If not, your competitors probably are and that will hurt you in the long run.

For more ‘Opportunities and Challenges’ noted in the PMMI report, contact PMMI at www.pmmi.org, or read the next installment in my Part III 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.

PMMI Researches Opportunities and Challenges in Packaging Part I

Earlier this year PMMI (Packaging Machinery Manufacturers Institute released a research report on the opportunities and challenges for the packaging machinery industry. They held focus groups at the end of 2012 and identified 10 top priorities facing the packaging industry. The first three items on the list were:

1. Urgent need to address workforce availability and skill sets at all levels. How is your company dealing with workforce availability? Some geographical areas will be challenged more on this topic than others, but all will be affected in one form or another. The smart companies will invest in growing their workforce from within by assisting in employee education and formulating career paths to help their employees stay happy, focused and challenged for long term employment.
2. Continuing emphasis on sustainability and lean plant level operations as a “new normal” was the second item on the list. It is vital for all companies to identify every opportunity to create their product in the most efficient and effective manner without wasting resources. I recently read about a company that makes its product ‘out of thin air’ literally. They utilize wind turbines to power their plant saving them tens of thousands of dollars annually while helping the environment. Your competitor may be able to build a similar product to yours for less money (thus sell it for less) if they learn to harness ‘free energy’. Don’t let them beat you to the punch.
3. Fulfilling needs of a changing demographic, attitudinal, and behavioral consumer marketplace. Is your company keeping up with your customers’ changing needs? For example, the aging US baby boomer population needs easy to open pharmaceuticals. At the same time, many US families include multiple generations living in the same household, creating a need for harder to open pharmaceuticals for small children. How can these two opposite needs be met in the same packaging?

 For more ‘Opportunities and Challenges’ noted in the PMMI report, contact PMMI at www.pmmi.org, or read the next installment in my Part II 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.

Where Do You Go For Marketing Inspiration?

Marketing requires a constant flow of new ideas. If you continue to market in the same way you always have, you will start to realize that your market share is dwindling. You need to keep up with the latest advances and changes in the field of marketing. However, you also need to keep up with the latest designs and ideas in marketing. Where do you go to get that?

I try to keep current by subscribing and reviewing monthly marketing magazines. I don’t think I’ve ever looked through an issue that I didn’t find something new and interesting that I could use in some format for the company I work for. I also watch design shows on television and visit art galleries. It seems that just when I thought there was nothing much new happening, something I see somewhere surprises me.

Take the time to, as they say, ‘Expose Yourself To Art’. You will be rewarded with a blast of renewed energy and ideas will start to flow.

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.

Make The Time To Keep Up

Someone recently told me that they didn’t have the time to take a course on a new product that was being introduced into their industry. I asked them if they could really afford not to take the time to learn about it. If all of their competitors were making time to learn about the new product that might change something in their industry, they would find themselves way behind in not knowing about it.

Sometimes you don’t know what you ‘don’t know’ and that can be dangerous for you and your company. You will often find in life that you don’t regret the things you did that were not so important as you do regret the opportunities you let pass you by. We don’t always get a second chance to right our mistakes. Find the time to take those courses in your field to learn about something new. It could wind up making or breaking 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.

Communicate With All Your Customers

Today’s workforce is quite diverse. There are the baby boomers who still feel more comfortable reading information in printed format; the X-Generation workers who like to surf the internet; and the Millennium generation who look at tweets, e-mails and fast news sources. So how do you get information about your company and products in front of all the individuals who need to see it? You need to diversify your marketing efforts.

Our company utilizes various forms of marketing to educate our existing and potential customers about our products and new technologies. We send out a direct mail newsletter several times a year, we post a copy of the newsletter on our website, we update our website at least once a week (sometimes more often), we send out postcards several times a year, we purchase display ads, we have a Facebook page, we attend trade shows, we write informative white papers that we distribute via our website, we send out press releases, we offer an open house every winter (in sunny Florida), we send out e-mails to our customers with new information, and, of course, we blog.

If you want to get in front our your customers in today’s market, you need to utilize all the resources that are available. It’s no longer enough to place a print ad in a trade magazine and wait for the leads to come in. You need to be more proactive in getting your word out in all the available forums.

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 Does It Take To Make A Company Great?

I heard a commercial the other day asking “What Does It Take To Make a Company Great?” It made me stop to think. Some qualities that make a company great might depend on the type of company, but other things would be universal to all companies. I believe the following ingredients are required to make a company great:

-Superior customer service.

-Employees who are dedicated to improving their company, not just doing a ‘job’.

-Management that is open to new ideas and encourages employee input.

-Employees who are willing to go out of their way to assist a customer.

-A workforce that embraces, encourages, and epitomizes teamwork.

-Employees who seek out opportunities to learn and improve their craft.

-Employees with a positive, ‘can do’ attitude, who rather spend time solving challenges than grousing about problems.

What are your ideas on ‘what it takes to make a company great?’ Share them with us here.

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.

Pocket-Style Unscrambler Problems

The following information appeared in one of my blogs several years ago. The information is still important enough to share again for those who might have missed it the first time.

New England Machinery (NEM) received a call from a customer who had a problem.  They were using a pocket-style bottle unscrambler to feed their containers.  The containers were being fed to the unscrambler from another room via an overhead bucket system.  Occasionally the employee filling the buckets would put the wrong containers into them.  As they traveled through the plant overhead, no one could tell what containers were in the buckets until they were emptied into the unscrambler.  At that point it was too late to stop them from jamming up the unscrambler.

It would then take the company hours to lock out the machine and clean out the wrong containers.  In many instances, the incorrect containers damaged the pockets and the pockets then needed to be replaced.  The replacement parts were very expensive and took a long time to get from the manufacturer. 

So the company turned to NEM for a solution to their problem.  NEM built them its model NEHHLPE-72.  This unscrambler is a real ‘work horse’.  It handles their containers with ease giving them the production speed they need.  But most importantly, now when an employee makes a mistake and sends the wrong containers to the unscrambler, the worse that happens is one of the containers gets jammed in the exit to the bowl.  The operator only needs to open the door (which automatically stops the machine), pick out the jammed bottle and remove any incorrect size bottles, close the door, and push a button to re-start the machine.  It can all be done in minutes, with no costly damage to any part of the machine.  Removing the incorrect bottles is easy as the sorting bowl is at floor level.  No ladders are required to get the components out of the machine.

The customer is very happy with NEM’s solution to their problem.  A linear-style bottle unscrambler (like the model NEHHLPE-72), has a lot of advantages over a pocket-style unscrambler.  They have a smaller footprint, don’t require tag-out to clear jams, they positively control the bottles, are simpler to adjust and changeover with minimal changeparts, can accommodate a large range of container sizes and shapes with easy adjustments, integrates well with any conveyor, is gentle non-marring of containers, some models can integrate an ionized air rinser, and some models offer an integrated hopper elevator to reduce floor space utilization.  The linear-style bottle unscrambler is also less expensive.  To learn more about the comparison of a pocket-style unscrambler versus a linear-style unscrambler, contact NEM at (941) 755-5550 or visit the website at: www.neminc.com

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.

Why Think Outside The Box?

One of the courses I took in college was designed to teach us how to ‘Think Outside The Box’. I wasn’t sure why this was important, but I was game to learn more. At the first class we were shown a film with very quick images that would appear and disappear and no explanation. The pictures were designed to shock you into seeing the average item in a different way. For example it would flash the image of a playing card. The card might be the 4 of hearts, but the color on the card was black, not red.  I recently opened a magazine that had what looked like a photo of an apple with a slice cut out. The slice was laid out beside the apple so you could see the inside. Instead of showing the expected white core and seeds, it appeared to be an orange on the inside.

The ‘photo’ was an eye catcher. It was a great marketing tool that made me stop on that page and read what the article was about. Sometimes we need to shock people to get their attention. This picture did that without offending anyone or being outrageous. It was simple, clean, and very eye-catching. It proved that you can make people stop and think if you just use a little imagination.

I encourage all individuals to use their imagination to see something a little different now and then. It is the only way to innovate and we need innovation to move society forward.

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 It Isn’t Broke – Should You Fix It?

We’ve all heard the saying, “If it isn’t broke, don’t fix it.” Most humans dislike change. They especially don’t like change when it is strictly for the sake of change. In the average mind, if you change something, there better be a really good reason for making that change.

In reality it is change that creates progress. We would not drive automobiles if the inventor of the auto didn’t want to create a better method for mobility than horseback riding. As a manufacturer of packaging machinery, our company is always being asked to assist in packaging new product designs. Someone has come up with a ‘better’ way to package their product and needs a machine to allow them to mass produce the new product. Fortunately for them, New England Machinery thrives on new challenges.

Our company’s willingness to ‘fix something that isn’t broke’ has allowed us the ability to offer dozens of different models of packaging machinery. With a strong Engineering Department and the enthusiasm to ‘think outside the box’, we’ve helped thousands of customers package their products better and faster. Sometimes it is better to fix what isn’t broken.

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.

Wishing All Americans A Happy 4th of July

We Americans don’t often take the time to think about all the freedoms we enjoy. Our ancestors gave their blood, sweat, tears and lives so that we can live in a country that allows us to disagree with the policies and ideas of our leaders. We can write about our discontent and talk about it without the fear that we will be incarcerated or worse.

This 4th of July take a few moments to think about all the sacrifices that have been made to give us this country with all its imperfections, but most importantly, to revel in our ability to enjoy it, freely.

Happy 4th of July, America.

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.

Why Use Servo?

We have recently been answering questions for a few of our customers about the use of servo motors. So I thought this might be a good time to re-print a previous blog about them.

For pharmaceutical companies, the validation process is never easy or simple. Many of our customers were looking for technology to assist them in this process. But they were not able to find the help they needed. Well, their search is finally over. Servo bottle cappers can fill their needs with ease.

One important aspect of the validation process is the torque applied to every cap. A servo capper precisely measures the torque applied to each and every cap and can feed that information back to the operator in real-time. The information can also be stored or printed and saved as part of the validation process. How does it work? Unlike standard motors, the servo motor used in the bottle capping process has its own ‘intelligence’ and can respond back on what it is actually doing.

The servo motors offer versatility in allowing recipe-driven format changes (for different products), torque control, the ability to sense and reject mis-torqued caps, and to document torque values. Accurate set points, via a touch screen, provide the ability to monitor applied torque and inspection/rejection of applied torque. The servo motors also allow the generation of histograms of torque curves for the individual spindle heads which can be used for calibration and/or troubleshooting.

A few companies now offer servo bottle capping, but New England Machinery’s (NEM) servo capper offers more than just servo-driven bottle capping heads. Their servo bottle capper design eliminates mechanical cams in the machine. All motion is pure servo with a totally programmable electronic cam. The NEM servo bottle capper can handle a variety of different closures including sports caps, child resistant, continuous thread, hinged, tilt-top, twist top, metal lug, tamper evident and more. Application torque parameters and bottle height changes are accomplished by selecting menu driven electronic parameters. Changing cap sizes is easily done by simply removing and replacing the collets. All mechanical guides and stars are located using a new compact design quick change tool-less fastener system. The cappers touch screen offers control and information regarding the machine’s functions such as status lights, fault alarms, individual head torque controls, hopper elevator, cap sorter, machine turret speed, and other options including real time data for verification of operating parameters and statistical process control. The screen can also be configured to display applied torque values to the operator for process validation. Call NEM at (941) 755-5550 for more information about their servo bottle capping machines.

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.

Prepare Now For Trade Show Season

Now is the perfect time to start preparing for your 2013-2014 trade show season. First, make a list of the things that need to be done to make your fall and winter shows the best they can be. The list might include updating your booth properties, looking for new advertising venues, purchasing new marketing materials, etc. Make sure to put due dates on each item so that you will have a guide by which you can know what needs to be done by certain dates.

Build extra time into your due dates. I remember the year I ordered new chairs for our booth that were listed as ‘in stock’, and would be delivered within 14 days. The chairs were delayed twice and it took over a month for them to finally arrive. When you receive new items for your booth, make sure to inspect them thoroughly before packing them off to the show. It would be too late to find something wrong with them if they are unpacked for the first time while setting up for the show.

The earlier you can work on these items, the more smoother your set up will be and the better your show will be.

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 Do You Keep The Team Informed?

Like most manufacturing companies, we have numerous departments that handle different tasks required to make our product. We have systems in place for communicating the details that must be shared between departments to get the job done correctly. But oftentimes the information on the ‘Big Picture’ is not as easily communicated to everyone. So how does a company resolve this dilemma?

Some companies hold regular company-wide meetings where everyone joins together and is informed about what is going on. This is great for sharing news that will affect every employee (such as changes in health insurance coverage). But it takes a lot of time away from the work day and there are usually some individuals who miss the meeting due to vacation, business travel or sick time.

Our company gets the news out with an internal newsletter. We receive input from the managers of every department and put all the news in writing. The newsletter is distributed to all employees and they can take it home and enjoy it at their leisure. The newsletter allows us to congratulate milestones and individuals who put in extra effort. It informs everyone about upcoming trade shows and marketing plans, new technologies being released by Engineering, the latest production machinery purchased to improve manufacturing and the happy news we all love to hear about – births, weddings, graduations, etc. If your company doesn’t have an internal newsletter, I recommend you start one. It is well worth the time spent putting it together and getting it 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.

Parts and Service – Easier Than It Use To Be

When something in our house broke down when I was young, my father would take it apart, replace what was broken, and it would run as good as new. So when we were looking to buy a new appliance, my parents always wanted to know the availability of parts and, if needed, service from the manufacturer. This was long before the internet and consumers were dependent upon the manufacturer to be responsive and stock the parts needed. If the product was manufactured ‘overseas’, it was doubtful you would be able to get spare parts. Service was most often hard to find or non-existent.

Today OEM’s are much more cognizant of the importance of good after market sales. They want to keep the customer happy throughout the life of the product. That requires easy availability of spare parts and service. Most companies have web sites that allow their customers to contact them regarding spare parts and/or service. In some cases, they can even order the parts immediately.

New England Machinery is one of the companies that strives to give our customers what they need to be successful. That includes having first class spare parts and customer service departments. We stock over a million dollars in parts so that they are available when the customer needs them and can be sent overnight. For our customers who don’t have in-house maintenance personnel, we offer Preventive Maintenance Contracts that ensure the customer’s NEM machine will be kept well-maintained. Good service is one of the important ingredients in making a great 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.

Trade Shows – To Exhibit or Not To Exhibit

How do you know when and where to spend your company’s limited marketing dollars on trade shows? The answer is not an easy one. It will depend on a lot of input from different resources.

First you need to determine what is your reason for exhibiting at a trade show? Is it to sell product at the show? Is it to find new potential customers? Is it to brand your name or product? Once you know why you are going, you need to determine which shows will best help you accomplish that goal. This will require research into the various shows available to you that cover your industry/product. Look at the shows past visitor counts. Is the show growing or dwindling? Also, look at the titles of the visitors. Are these the individuals you need to meet?

We recently determined that a show we had previously attended regularly, was really no longer promoting the type of products we sell. Our product line is designed for production facilities and the show in question had started promoting more of the process end of the packaging industry. Thus, we determined that the show was not the best show for our products and we were better served by putting our money into other shows.

Another important step is to track your success at each show. Keep statistics on how many visitors stop by your booth at every show. Track the number of quotations you create as a result of those visits, and the number of actual sales you get as a result of a visitor from the show. Compare these statistics from one year to the next. Watch for downward and upward trends that are not a result of something unforeseen (like a hurricane during the show affecting travel), or a major change in the economy. Also, note whether you spent more money on pre-show advertising from one year to the next.

The compilation of these statistics will make it easy to determine which shows are worth the money 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.

Sustainability Is For All Businesses

I previously wrote this blog in February, 2010, but the message is still important today.

As a marketer, I’m always looking for new ways to promote the company I work for. Like most marketers, I want our message to be current and focused on the interests of our target markets. Sometimes it’s not possible to match our company’s competitive advantages with the latest ‘trends’. But other times, there’s a ‘perfect fit’.

You can’t read the internet or newspaper headlines today without seeing an article on sustainability or green initiatives. My initial reaction was that this just didn’t pertain to our company. We build packaging machinery. How could we change or do anything (other than recycling our waste) that would help the environment? Fortunately, I decided to ask around the company to see what I could find. I was in for a big surprise.

To look at an NEM unscrambler, capper, orienter, or other product, you wouldn’t know that these machines are built utilizing green initiatives. After all, it looks like any other machine constructed with metal, plastic, wires, and motors. It’s what you don’t see, though, that makes the big difference.

NEM utilizes a very ‘green’ process for powder coating its main plates. The process requires low energy, no solvents and no water. This new method is clean and environmentally friendly.

All NEM machines are designed with fractional horsepower motors that use less energy. Another important NEM energy-saving design criteria allows the machines to automatically turn off both compressed air and power when in an idle state to save on these resources.

NEM’s plant and offices recycle all of the cardboard, plastic, and scrap raw materials used. We’ve also installed energy efficient light bulbs.

NEM is continually looking for ways to decrease our ‘environmental footprint’. If you know of a product or manufacturing process that might be beneficial to NEM, please share it with us. You can call us at (941) 755-5550. We only have this one planet to pass on to future generations. Let’s all work together to keep it clean and healthy.

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

What Does Your Name Sell?

If you are a new company just starting out your name alone won’t sell much. Over time if you make and sell a good product that brings value to those who purchase it, your name will gain recognition and grow worth. Having a good name and reputation in business can make or break a company. When times are tough, the companies with the good reputation will ‘weather the storm’ better than those who have no reputation, or worse, a bad reputation.

This fact is continually brought to my attention when I meet someone new who tells me that they have heard of our company and its great reputation. They already have a good impression about not just the company I work for, but this seems to transcend to everyone who works here as we have chosen to work for a reputable organization. It goes a long way toward gaining their trust in selling our product.

Make sure your company’s reputation helps sell your products. Always give good customer service and don’t promise what you may not be able to deliver. The best advice is the saying “under promise and over deliver.” No one will ever complain about that.

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.

Container Closing The NEM Way

There are thousands or possibly tens of thousands of ways to contain a product, have access to it and be able to re-close the container securely. In the packaging machinery industry we get to see it all. There are simple bottles with twist on and off caps, there are cans with lids that snap on and off, there are bottles with pumps or triggers that twist on and off, but also deliver the product via the end of the pump, nozzle or spray tip. There are screw on caps that snap open closed and caps that are pushed into the container and have a top that opens and closes. There are also thousands of more different types of containers and closures available.

Most companies that assist production plants by supplying machines to secure the closures on the containers, specialize in a particular type of closing machine. New England Machinery (NEM) offers numerous types of closing machines for different requirements. For example, NEM offers lidders for snap on lids, chuck cappers to screw down caps, snap on cappers, pump sorter/placers for finger, lotion and trigger pumps and more. In each category of closing machinery, NEM has several different models to cover the varying needs of the production line. For example, they offer chuck cappers from a single head machine to multiple head machines.

When it comes to bottle or container closing/capping, New England Machinery is the expert with close to 40 years experience in all types of products.

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 Bottle Unscrambler Experts

There are dozens of companies that manufacture bottle unscramblers. They compete in a world-wide market. Most of the machines they sell are good products. Obviously, some are of better quality than others. New England Machinery (NEM), however, has a vast competitive edge in the bottle unscrambler market. NEM was started by packaging engineers who worked on production lines over 40 years ago. They worked with the unscramblers on a daily basis and knew that the available machines at that time were not the best way to get the job done.

After designing and selling their first unscrambler to Schering-Plough pharmaceuticals, these engineers immediately went back to the drawing board to design and re-define bottle unscramblers. Nearly forty years later, they are still at it. Unlike their competitors who offer only 2-3 different models, NEM offers over a dozen different model bottle unscramblers each one uniquely designed for different production requirements.

If you want the exactly right bottle unscrambler for your production line, don’t settle for one that ‘should do the job’, insist on buying the one designed to do the job. Buy an NEM bottle unscrambler.

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 Power of Being Positive

Have you ever wondered why some people are luckier than others? Well, guess what, it isn’t luck, it’s a combination of determination, positive thinking, and hard work. We create our own luck. I know about an individual who was working as a temp in a nearby company. She was over qualified for the position, but since the previous company she worked for had shut down with no notice, she was grateful to get the work. Although the work was so easy for her she could have ‘slacked off’, she did not. She gave 110% every minute of every day. After being there for 3 months she was offered a prized position at the company, which she readily accepted. When others heard that ‘the new girl’ had gotten the great job before it was even announced that it was open, they felt that she was ‘lucky’.

It wasn’t luck that won her the position, it was her skills, knowledge, experience and most importantly, her hard work and determination to always do her best that got her the great job.

If you want to improve or change your situation in life, don’t wait for ‘luck’ to intervene, it won’t ever happen. Make your own luck. Take inventory of your situation and decide what you need to do or have to make it better. Then set a course of action to achieve or acquire those things (education, skills, etc.). Expect a roadblock or two to show up along the way. Don’t give up. Chart a new course around the obstacle. Ask others for advice on how to get there. Your attitude will determine whether you get there or not. It isn’t luck.

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.

Persistence Pays Off in Sales

It is not always the smartest or most convincing salesperson who wins the sale, sometimes it’s the one with the most persistence. Another way of looking at it is to consider it continual reinforcement. In a busy work environment, we don’t always have the time to meet with our vendors. When we do need to meet with them, too often it is an immediate need. So which salesperson is it that you will call? The one who continually reminds you that he/she is there for you.

The continual visits, phone calls and/or e-mails allow the salesperson to gently remind their customers that they are there and actively engaged in the business of selling. I may not always have the time to take their calls or stop what I’m working on to visit with them, but when I do need something from one of my vendors, I call the ones who try to stay in touch on a regular basis. The ones that only contact me once a year or less leave me feeling less important than their other customers (which maybe I am, but I want a vendor who feels I’m important to them).

So, if you want to be successful in selling packaging machinery, you need to touch base with your customers and potential customers on a regular basis. Remember, they may not need you today, but you want them thinking of you tomorrow when the next big project comes up.

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 Does a Bottle Orienter Do?

It is quite fascinating to visit a production plant and see the products that seem to magically appear on store shelves actually come to life. The unscrambler usually starts the line feeding the containers in single file onto the conveyor to make their way to the filler, labeler, case packer, truck and eventually the store. But what happens if the container has to be placed on the conveyor with the same side facing out each time?

There are many situations where the unscrambler simply stands the container on the conveyor without heed to orientation. When this occurs and makes a difference due to filling or labeling requirements, the production line needs a bottle orienter. There are many different methods of properly orienting a container on a production line.

Orienters are often called ‘secondary orienters’. This is because the act of the unscrambler standing the container up on the conveyor is considered primary orienting. It is orienting the bottle with the opening on top and the closed end placed on the conveyor. The orienter (or secondary orienter) then turns any containers that are not aligned in the proper position. This could be turning bottles necessary to align an off-set neck to be all in the same direction. It could be turning bottles to allow the bottle handles to all face the same direction. Or, in the case of display packaging, it might be required to turn a certain number of bottles in one direction and the equal number of the next set of bottles in the other direction so that the case packer can place them in a carton in a specific way.

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.

Bottle Unscramblers, Cappers, Orienters, Lidders and Much More

I’ve spent some time recently interviewing applicants. One of the first questions we ask them is what do they know about us. It shows us if they have ‘done their homework’ in preparing for the job interview. Most of them are surprised to discover that our company has such a broad range of products. We have always been known to have the best bottle unscramblers, but in researching our company they discover all the other great products we manufacture and sell.

One of our competitive advantages is that our sales personnel can walk into a production plant and assist the company in filling a wide range of packaging machinery needs. Our long list of products covers numerous industries as well. With almost forty years of packaging machinery design experience, New England Machinery is well known for our creative, innovative, and cost saving equipment. We didn’t invent packaging machinery, but we have perfected 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.

Sell Your Customer Success

In the packaging machinery industry customers are spending anywhere from a few thousand dollars to a million dollars or more to purchase the right equipment to make their packaging line run the best it can. Many companies who make packaging machinery are interested only in selling their products. They want to convince every potential customer that their machine will ‘do the job’. But will it?

A good packaging machinery manufacturer will take the time to fully review the customer’s ultimate objective. They will evaluate all the options and determine what is truly in the customer’s best interest, even if it is not their machine. Sometimes, the project may be doable, but the timeframe is unrealistic. Taking on a project when you cannot meet the customer’s deadline is a recipe for failure.

All packaging machinery manufacturer’s truly want to help their customers get the equipment they need to run their lines. The good manufacturers will work closely with the production company and set a path for total success. On occasion that may require turning down a project for which the manufacturer cannot meet all the requirements. Make sure the company you deal with doesn’t take shortcuts or oversell their capabilities. If you are a machinery manufacturer, take care to give your customers the total solution so next time they need machinery, you’re the first company they call.

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 Importance of Being Earnest” in Hiring

In the 1890’s Oscar Wilde wrote a play entitled “The Importance of Being Earnest” it was a farce about Victorian social mores. However, the title comes to mind when dealing with the process of interviewing and hiring personnel. In order for the process to be a total success, both the interviewer and interviewee need to be earnest about themselves and their expectations.

I’ve known potential candidates that present themselves in an unrealistic light in an effort to get hired. I’ve also heard interviewers paint a brighter picture of the open position in order to entice the candidate. These actions are a disservice to all.

Candidates need to present themselves in the best possible manner, but don’t oversell what you can’t deliver. If the company is looking for someone to do heavy data input, be realistic about your speed and accuracy in typing. You don’t want to win the job and then disappoint the company. Also, think about the work that you will be doing, the actual tasks involved in the position. Is this what you really want to spend your day doing? If not, be polite and explain that you don’t think this is the right fit for you. The company will appreciate your honesty and may call you back for a position that better fits you at a later time.

Interviewers need to be honest in describing the company, position, required tasks and, most importantly, the corporate culture. If the environment is fast-paced, let the candidate know. They may prefer a slower pace environment. If the job requires 90% customer contact, let them know. They may prefer little customer contact.

Although it is important to fill critical positions quickly, it is more important to fill them correctly. Too much time and energy is spent in the interviewing, hiring, and training process to find out they were not the right fit and you need to start all over again.

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.