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.