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.
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Monday, June 24, 2013
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.
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.
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
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.
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.
Monday, June 17, 2013
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.
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.
Friday, June 14, 2013
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.
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.
Monday, June 10, 2013
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.
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.
Monday, June 3, 2013
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.
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.
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