One of the most unique characteristics about New England Machinery (NEM) is its breadth of product lines. NEM has no comparable competitor that manufactures all the same products. The large line of products gives NEM an advantage in its ability to provide resolution to many of the major needs at the beginning of the production line. With close to forty years of experience, and relying on its core strength of engineering design and in-house manufacturing capabilities, NEM is the ‘go-to’ packaging machinery manufacturer for thousands of companies world-wide.
Over the years NEM has both developed new models while updating other products to include the latest technologies. The result is a model available for specific requirements that exactly serves the purpose and needs of the customer.
When other machinery manufacturers fail to get the job done, NEM is the answer. I’m proud to work for a company that builds quality equipment and more importantly, stands behind its 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.
Monday, April 29, 2013
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Happy Administrative Professional’s Day
Don’t let today pass by without thanking anyone who helps you at work. It need not be the person with the ‘Administrative Professional’ title, it might be the person who empties your trash, delivers the mail, processes checks, makes travel reservations, or the security person who helps keep you safe.
Today remember to say ‘thank you’ to the individuals who make a difference day after day. Take note of your co-workers whose efforts make your life a little easier and better. Let them know they are not ‘taken for granted’. Acknowledge your gratitude in some small way. If you work in a large company or department and can’t afford to give them all a gift, write little short personal thank you notes and give them out with a single piece of candy. Remember, it’s not the monetary value of what you give to others, it’s the value of your time and attention to them when they don’t expect 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.
Today remember to say ‘thank you’ to the individuals who make a difference day after day. Take note of your co-workers whose efforts make your life a little easier and better. Let them know they are not ‘taken for granted’. Acknowledge your gratitude in some small way. If you work in a large company or department and can’t afford to give them all a gift, write little short personal thank you notes and give them out with a single piece of candy. Remember, it’s not the monetary value of what you give to others, it’s the value of your time and attention to them when they don’t expect 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.
Monday, April 22, 2013
Show Your Appreciation
This coming Wednesday, April 24 is Administrative Professional’s Day. It is the one day per year set aside to show your thanks and appreciation to the individuals who help you all year. The day originated as Secretaries Day. However, the term ‘secretary’ has been replaced with other titles such as ‘Administrative Assistant’, hence the change in nomenclature. Regardless of what they call it, don’t let the day slip by without at the very least saying ‘thank you’ to everyone who helps you get the job done.
This year you might want to do a little more than say ‘thank you’. Here are my ideas on what you can also do: Give gift cards to local coffee shops, lunch stops, nail salon, or gas cards; Pick up special pens (the women in our office like different colored gel pens); Small plants or flowers for desks; A box or pastries, doughnuts, cake, candy or cookies; Take a picture of them and put it in a nice frame for their desk; A special coffee mug; Buy all the ‘fixings’ for an ice cream sundae party; and last, but not least, don’t forget to buy a card and take a few minutes to hand write your thanks inside.
If you have any other great ideas on how to show your appreciation for the individuals who help you every day, 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.
This year you might want to do a little more than say ‘thank you’. Here are my ideas on what you can also do: Give gift cards to local coffee shops, lunch stops, nail salon, or gas cards; Pick up special pens (the women in our office like different colored gel pens); Small plants or flowers for desks; A box or pastries, doughnuts, cake, candy or cookies; Take a picture of them and put it in a nice frame for their desk; A special coffee mug; Buy all the ‘fixings’ for an ice cream sundae party; and last, but not least, don’t forget to buy a card and take a few minutes to hand write your thanks inside.
If you have any other great ideas on how to show your appreciation for the individuals who help you every day, 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.
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Do You Check References?
When looking to purchase an expensive item or use a new service provider, do you ask for references? I was surprised recently when I made reference calls for a new service provider we were considering. One of the references told me that she had never made reference calls to check on potential new vendors, but thought it was a good idea to do so.
It’s more than a good idea, it’s really important and you never know what you are going to learn. One of the calls I made was enlightening as to other potential vendors in our area. The person I spoke with started telling me his ‘horror’ stories about the previous vendors he had dealt with. He did give an excellent rating to the company we were considering, but one of the companies with which he had a bad experience was a company we were also considering using.
When you are getting ready to make your reference calls, be prepared. The people you will be speaking with are doing you a favor so keep it short. Have a list of no more than 5 questions prepared. Don’t just ask if they are ‘happy’ with the product/service. Ask how it has improved theirr company or what additional value it has brought them. Ask if the company was responsive and timely in dealing with them. Also ask if there was anything they would do differently if they were entering into a purchase with this vendor again.
It’s easy to take shortcuts and forego checking references. But it’s not smart. You may be missing valuable information.
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.
It’s more than a good idea, it’s really important and you never know what you are going to learn. One of the calls I made was enlightening as to other potential vendors in our area. The person I spoke with started telling me his ‘horror’ stories about the previous vendors he had dealt with. He did give an excellent rating to the company we were considering, but one of the companies with which he had a bad experience was a company we were also considering using.
When you are getting ready to make your reference calls, be prepared. The people you will be speaking with are doing you a favor so keep it short. Have a list of no more than 5 questions prepared. Don’t just ask if they are ‘happy’ with the product/service. Ask how it has improved theirr company or what additional value it has brought them. Ask if the company was responsive and timely in dealing with them. Also ask if there was anything they would do differently if they were entering into a purchase with this vendor again.
It’s easy to take shortcuts and forego checking references. But it’s not smart. You may be missing valuable information.
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery manufacturer of bottle unscramblers, cappers, orienters, retorquers, lidders, pluggers, pump sorter/placers, scoop feeders, hopper elevators and much more. The company has been in business since 1974 selling to the food, beverage, pharmaceutical, personal care, chemical, household products, automotive and other industries. For more information on NEM, visit their website at www.neminc.com.
Monday, April 15, 2013
The Food Safety Modernization Act
On January 4, 2011, the Food Safety Modernization Act was signed into law. The new law establishes guidelines and regulations to insure a higher level of food safety in the United States. As with most laws, the regulations governing them are many. Some of the regulations are still under advisement with the FDA and have yet to be refined and defined.
The FDA recently held a series of public meetings for the purpose of soliciting comments on the proposed rules. Comments were heard from the general public (requesting strong rules with few or no exemptions), from trade associations (looking for specifics to the final rules), from small businesses concerned about the added cost burden of regulatory compliance, and from large industry leaders concerned about how the regulations would be governed for imported food and ingredients.
The final rulings are to be completed by May 16, 2013. If you wish to have your concerns brought to the FDA’s attention prior to the ruling, feel free to contact them. The true beauty of living in the United States is that an individual can freely add their voice to government regulators without fear of reprisal, and it might make a difference in the end result.
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 FDA recently held a series of public meetings for the purpose of soliciting comments on the proposed rules. Comments were heard from the general public (requesting strong rules with few or no exemptions), from trade associations (looking for specifics to the final rules), from small businesses concerned about the added cost burden of regulatory compliance, and from large industry leaders concerned about how the regulations would be governed for imported food and ingredients.
The final rulings are to be completed by May 16, 2013. If you wish to have your concerns brought to the FDA’s attention prior to the ruling, feel free to contact them. The true beauty of living in the United States is that an individual can freely add their voice to government regulators without fear of reprisal, and it might make a difference in the end result.
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery manufacturer of bottle unscramblers, cappers, orienters, retorquers, lidders, pluggers, pump sorter/placers, scoop feeders, hopper elevators and much more. The company has been in business since 1974 selling to the food, beverage, pharmaceutical, personal care, chemical, household products, automotive and other industries. For more information on NEM, visit their website at www.neminc.com.
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Continuing Education In All Fields
Many fields require licensed professionals to take continuing education courses on a regular basis in order to keep their license. This is obviously important for the medical field, where everyone wants their medical care providers to be up to date on the latest techniques, drugs, testing, etc. to keep them healthy or make them better. It is also obviously important for your CPA to know the latest changes in the tax code in order to prepare your tax returns properly. But what about all other fields?
Wouldn’t every field benefit from employees taking at least one class per year to learn more about changes, trends and benchmarking in their industry? Imagine the benefits to your organization if every employee took a couple hours (or a full day) to learn about how others do it differently in their same line of work. It is an expensive undertaking to the company both in terms of the cost of the course and the loss of each employee’s productivity for that period of time. However, the payback should more than make up for it if even half of the employees come back more motivated and with one or more great ideas for improvement.
This is also a great way to determine the level of dedication each employee possesses. If an employee is not happy to spend some time learning more about their field, most likely they are no longer mentally engaged in the business. Try it at your company and let me know how it works for you.
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.
Wouldn’t every field benefit from employees taking at least one class per year to learn more about changes, trends and benchmarking in their industry? Imagine the benefits to your organization if every employee took a couple hours (or a full day) to learn about how others do it differently in their same line of work. It is an expensive undertaking to the company both in terms of the cost of the course and the loss of each employee’s productivity for that period of time. However, the payback should more than make up for it if even half of the employees come back more motivated and with one or more great ideas for improvement.
This is also a great way to determine the level of dedication each employee possesses. If an employee is not happy to spend some time learning more about their field, most likely they are no longer mentally engaged in the business. Try it at your company and let me know how it works for you.
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery manufacturer of bottle unscramblers, cappers, orienters, retorquers, lidders, pluggers, pump sorter/placers, scoop feeders, hopper elevators and much more. The company has been in business since 1974 selling to the food, beverage, pharmaceutical, personal care, chemical, household products, automotive and other industries. For more information on NEM, visit their website at www.neminc.com.
Monday, April 8, 2013
What Your Customers Want
PMMI recently released the results of a study they undertook in the pharmaceutical and medical device industries. One of the items that came out of the research was that production plants are looking for their machinery vendors to ‘partner’ with them. They want the OEMs with which they conduct business to assist them in the validation process, to offer easy to use machines, to understand their need for specialized equipment and to support their aging equipment.
All pharmaceutical and food production plants in the US are subject to FDA rules and regulations. For the pharmaceutical industry they are required to ‘validate’ their production lines. OEMs can greatly assist in the validation process by supplying documentation on the machines they build, show proof of good manufacturing processes, and assist in the FAT, IO, OQ and PQ of their machines.
Time is money and for production lines the money is made when the machines are running at full capacity. Production plants want machines that are flexible, quick to changeover, efficient, reliable, and safe to operate.
No two production facilities are alike. Therefore, the machines on those production lines need to be as unique as the products they produce. One size does not fit all in the world of consumer product production. OEMs need to offer numerous, sometimes custom designed machines to give the production plants the right machines for their needs.
In today’s lean manufacturing climate many production plants do not have maintenance personnel. Operators are expected to keep their machines maintained. OEMs can offer preventive maintenance contracts to assist in keeping the machinery clean, safe, reliable, and in good repair. Training of operators should be a part of the contract as well.
These are the best ways to support your customers’ needs.
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.
All pharmaceutical and food production plants in the US are subject to FDA rules and regulations. For the pharmaceutical industry they are required to ‘validate’ their production lines. OEMs can greatly assist in the validation process by supplying documentation on the machines they build, show proof of good manufacturing processes, and assist in the FAT, IO, OQ and PQ of their machines.
Time is money and for production lines the money is made when the machines are running at full capacity. Production plants want machines that are flexible, quick to changeover, efficient, reliable, and safe to operate.
No two production facilities are alike. Therefore, the machines on those production lines need to be as unique as the products they produce. One size does not fit all in the world of consumer product production. OEMs need to offer numerous, sometimes custom designed machines to give the production plants the right machines for their needs.
In today’s lean manufacturing climate many production plants do not have maintenance personnel. Operators are expected to keep their machines maintained. OEMs can offer preventive maintenance contracts to assist in keeping the machinery clean, safe, reliable, and in good repair. Training of operators should be a part of the contract as well.
These are the best ways to support your customers’ needs.
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery manufacturer of bottle unscramblers, cappers, orienters, retorquers, lidders, pluggers, pump sorter/placers, scoop feeders, hopper elevators and much more. The company has been in business since 1974 selling to the food, beverage, pharmaceutical, personal care, chemical, household products, automotive and other industries. For more information on NEM, visit their website at www.neminc.com.
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Problem Solving Packaging Challenges
One of the unique abilities of the company I work for is that we don’t just build identical ‘widgets’. Although we have a large and diverse product line, we also possess the ability to custom design solutions to packaging line challenges.
Our energetic sales force works hard to visit as many of our customers and potential customers as they possibly can. Twice a week we hold a ‘projects review’ meeting in which our sales force presents the packaging line challenges they have uncovered to our engineers and machine builders.
The meetings are lively and extremely informative. We discuss each project individually and determine the best method to resolve the customer’s issues. This is a great way to run a packaging machinery manufacturing business. We are not just selling customers our bottle unscramblers, cappers, etc., we are partnering with them to build resolutions to their specific problems.
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery manufacturer of bottle unscramblers, cappers, orienters, retorquers, lidders, pluggers, pump sorter/placers, scoop feeders, hopper elevators and much more. The company has been in business since 1974 selling to the food, beverage, pharmaceutical, personal care, chemical, household products, automotive and other industries. For more information on NEM, visit their website at www.neminc.com.
Our energetic sales force works hard to visit as many of our customers and potential customers as they possibly can. Twice a week we hold a ‘projects review’ meeting in which our sales force presents the packaging line challenges they have uncovered to our engineers and machine builders.
The meetings are lively and extremely informative. We discuss each project individually and determine the best method to resolve the customer’s issues. This is a great way to run a packaging machinery manufacturing business. We are not just selling customers our bottle unscramblers, cappers, etc., we are partnering with them to build resolutions to their specific problems.
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery manufacturer of bottle unscramblers, cappers, orienters, retorquers, lidders, pluggers, pump sorter/placers, scoop feeders, hopper elevators and much more. The company has been in business since 1974 selling to the food, beverage, pharmaceutical, personal care, chemical, household products, automotive and other industries. For more information on NEM, visit their website at www.neminc.com.
Monday, April 1, 2013
How Do You Keep It Fresh?
It is important to keep your company image fresh and updated. If your image never changes, it gives the impression that the company is ‘stuck in time’ and not current with the latest technology. This is especially important for an engineering and design company. If you want your customers to recognize you as being a high tech leader, you must project that image in everything you do.
So, how do you keep your image updated? First you look to see what is ‘hot’ in other areas, such as art, fashion, architecture and entertainment. Color and design are perhaps two of the most important elements you should note. For example, in the sixties everyone was using ‘harvest moon’ yellow and ‘avocado’ green in art, design, architecture, clothing, etc. See what colors are making the news now. Also, look for design elements in architecture and furnishings. At this point you are probably wondering how this will help your company. It’s simple, take those colors and use them in your marketing material (flyers, print ads, newsletters). Use the same colors and designs to update your website, Facebook and any other online accounts you have.
Next, take the architecture and furnishings designs and use them in your trade show booth design. Your trade show booth needs to be updated at least once every five years. Some of the changes need not be expensive, but the money will be well spent if it gives your potential customers the impression that you are up on the latest looks, colors and designs. Keeping it fresh is not hard it just takes a little time and observation.
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.
So, how do you keep your image updated? First you look to see what is ‘hot’ in other areas, such as art, fashion, architecture and entertainment. Color and design are perhaps two of the most important elements you should note. For example, in the sixties everyone was using ‘harvest moon’ yellow and ‘avocado’ green in art, design, architecture, clothing, etc. See what colors are making the news now. Also, look for design elements in architecture and furnishings. At this point you are probably wondering how this will help your company. It’s simple, take those colors and use them in your marketing material (flyers, print ads, newsletters). Use the same colors and designs to update your website, Facebook and any other online accounts you have.
Next, take the architecture and furnishings designs and use them in your trade show booth design. Your trade show booth needs to be updated at least once every five years. Some of the changes need not be expensive, but the money will be well spent if it gives your potential customers the impression that you are up on the latest looks, colors and designs. Keeping it fresh is not hard it just takes a little time and observation.
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery manufacturer of bottle unscramblers, cappers, orienters, retorquers, lidders, pluggers, pump sorter/placers, scoop feeders, hopper elevators and much more. The company has been in business since 1974 selling to the food, beverage, pharmaceutical, personal care, chemical, household products, automotive and other industries. For more information on NEM, visit their website at www.neminc.com.
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