A Very Happy Holiday Season To All

On behalf of everyone at New England Machinery, Inc., we wish a very merry holiday season to one and all. We hope you can take some time as the year draws to a close to spend with your family and friends, appreciate your good fortune, reflect on how you can improve in the coming year, and just relax and enjoy the end of 2014.

We wish a very healthy, happy and prosperous 2015 to all as we look forward to another great year with much more and better challenges and opportunities!

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.

White Papers Help Educate Your Customers

White Papers are a great resource for educating your customers and prospective customers. It allows them the opportunity to learn about a subject without feeling the pressure of a salesperson hoping to sell them a product. Then, when they are ready to buy, they know what questions to ask and will understand the answers and concept of the technology being discussed.

New England Machinery recently released a White Paper on ‘Why Do I Need an HMI?’ We discovered our customers had a lot of questions regarding HMI’s and wanted to know more about them. We offer the paper for free on our website so that our visitors can take advantage of this learning opportunity.

What subject/topic might make a good white paper for your company? Ask one of your company experts to write it up. You can never offer your customers too many opportunities to learn more about your products and services.

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?

Unless you are first to market with a brand new product that never existed before, you are competing with other companies that are offering the same product as yours. So it’s vitally important to be able to define what it is that makes your company and/or its products better than the others. Why should potential customers buy from you instead of the others? To be successful, you must be able to answer that question with real, concrete advantages.

For New England Machinery, it is really easy. We actually have a long list of advantages. To give you an ideas of what I mean, here are just a few of ours: 1. Our machinery is built to last a lifetime. The machines are so well constructed that they are highly valued on the secondary market. 2. We were founded by packaging engineers and continue a strong tradition of continual R&D, upgrading existing technologies, and refining our designs. 3. We offer the largest line of products by one company. We don’t just sell a model to a customer that will work for them, we sell them the right model that was designed for their specific application.

NEM offers a lot of other advantages, but this should give you an idea on how to start looking for the advantages at your company. Or, if you are looking to purchase, make sure the company you are buying from has clearly defined why you should choose them and/or their 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.

New England Machinery To Exhibit at First Pack Expo East Tradeshow

A Brand New Show! 2015 will be the start of PMMI’s Pack Expo East show. It will be held in Philadelphia, PA from February 16-18 at the Philadelphia Convention Center. NEM plans to be there in booth 925. We are looking forward to showing off our new Pharma-Grade unscrambler. This machine was designed with slanted and curved lines to eliminate flat surfaces (a requirement for clean room and sanitary applications). All material handling surfaces are completely FDA compliant.

The model NEHCPCL-36 includes a fully integrated hopper elevator so that the components are completely covered through the unscrambling process and an integrated ionized air rinser.

NEM will also be exhibiting our model NEMIRS. The NEMIRS is a stand-alone inspection-rejection system. The modular design allows it to be moved from line to line. This versatile machine can inspect using proximity switches, photo-eyes, limit switches or vision system. It can detect skewed caps, missing caps or foil liners, down bottles, miss-coded or un-coded bottles and can be a part of a Track & Trace or Serialization system.

NEM offers full or partial Track & Trace systems through our printer, vision and software partners. Come see us at Pack Expo East to learn more, or give us a call at (941) 755-5550.

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.

Continual Improvement – Use For Everything

Continual improvement is what allows some companies to evolve and grow while others flounder and die. No company can afford to ‘rest on its laurels’ and expect that their business and customers will never stop coming. All industries change over time. It is the companies that continually look to improve on everything that will identify potential threats and new opportunities and jump on them when they need to be there.

A great example of this is that our company holds post-trade show meetings. We take time from everyone who attended the show’s busy post-show schedule and have them communicate their thoughts and ideas about the show. We discuss what we did right, what we could have done better, what we may have done wrong, and how each of these items can be improved upon. We actively solicit new ideas that we can try in the future. We encourage everyone to speak freely and bring suggestions on what they think would improve upon what we do. This quest for continual improvement has led to amazing growth for our company and as long as we are willing to evolve and change with the industry, we will continue to thrive.

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 Are You Keeping Your Customer’s Informed?

Are you keeping your customers up to date on your company’s latest developments? How do you tell them when you have made improvements on your machinery? If we were all exactly the same it would be easy to inform your customers when there is something new to tell them. But we all are different, so it will take more than one method to get the word out.

Some of your customers will want to read about it in an e-mail. Others may want you to call to tell them about it. There are still other customers who rather you take the time to stop by and see them on a regular basis to keep them up to date. As you get to know your customers you will get a feel for which method of communication works best for each of them and their schedules. Whichever method works best make sure you keep a list of each customer’s preference so that when the time comes to communicate something new and important, you will be sure to get it to them in the method that will be most effective for 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.

Happy Thanksgiving

On behalf of everyone here at New England Machinery, Inc. we wish to thank our wonderful customers, suppliers, sales reps, business organizations, partners and friends for their business and assistance this past year. We have had a phenomenal year and owe it all to everyone who touches our business and daily lives. We wish all a very Happy Thanksgiving and hope you are able to spend time with family and friends.

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 Back!!! The Tampa Bay Packaging Machinery Manufacturer’s Open House!

Every February a conglomerate of packaging machinery manufacturers open their doors to visitors from around the world. The Tampa Bay area of Florida is home to dozens of packaging machinery manufacturers. A large number of us have decided to take advantage of this phenomena, much to our customer’s delight. The last week in February, we all open our doors to visitors who wish to see what we do and how we do it. Located within a couple hour’s drive from one another, a production plant manager can spend a week in sunny Florida and visit over a dozen different manufacturers to identify the equipment they need for their plant.

This year New England Machinery, Inc. will once again join the group with an Open House from February 23 to 27, 2015. Make your plans to visit the Tampa Bay area to see all types of packaging machinery including, unscramblers, cappers, orienters, hopper elevators, fillers, form/fill/seal, labelers, case packers and much more. If you want more information, give us a call at (941) 755-5550.


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.

Time To Plan for 2015

It’s hard to believe but another year is almost over. The holiday season is upon us and we will be ringing in the new year before we know it. This is a great time to start preparing for 2015. Make a list now of all the things you hope to accomplish next year. What things do you want to have completed by this time in 2015? Once you have your list, put together the tasks required to achieve your goals. Put due dates down for every task that will have some ‘wiggle room’, but will still allow you to meet your objectives on time.

Once your plan is complete keep it in a location where you can look at it at least once a week to remind you of where you are at and where you are going. If you follow through with all the tasks, you’ll be happy to realize that 2015 turned out to be a productive year. All it takes is planning and follow through.

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

We’re Back From The Show

This year’s Pack Expo and Pharma Expo were fabulous shows. We met with a lot of great people, were able to show our latest models and are anticipating a busy 2015. We want to thank everyone who worked hard to make the shows a success for NEM and especially thank our customers for their support. Without our terrific customers, we could not continue to do what we love to do best – build great packaging machines.

We are now all hard at work following up with our show visitors and making sure they have the information they need to make important decisions. We are also starting to prepare for our next show, the all-new Pack Expo East 2015 in Philadelphia, to be held February 16-18. NEM will be in booth #925. If you missed us in Chicago, come see us in Philly!

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.

See You At The Show!!!

I will be traveling for the next two weeks to Chicago to set up for the Pack Expo International and Pharma Expo shows. New England Machinery, Inc. will have a booth in both shows, so we will be busy. If you are planning to come to the show, please stop by one or both of our booths. We will be in the South Hall in 3506 and in the West Hall in 629. We plan on having a lot of new surprises along with our fabulous machinery.

Please ask for me. I enjoy meeting my readers. This year we have a brand new special presentation to share with our visitors that you won’t want to miss!

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.

Visitors – What Are Your Post Show Plans?

My last blog suggested to trade show visitors that they should have a pre-show plan on what booths they want to visit and prepare a walking schedule in advance. Well, what about a post-show plan? What do you do with all the information you have when you return. You might want to take some time to write up a synopsis of each booth of interest you visited and what you learned at that booth. Try to do this as soon as you can upon returning to work after the show. A few weeks later and you won’t remember as much.

You will be grateful later on that you have the written reference material to remind you of what companies you visited and what they had to offer that was of interest to you. You can put it in a 3-ring binder and add pocket pages to hold the flyers and printed material you picked up at the show. Don’t wait for the exhibitors to contact you if you are in need of information in a hurry for an upcoming project. They may have hundreds of visitors to contact and may not get to you right away. Get the most out of your visit to the trade show by planning ahead and following up on your return.

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.

Visitors To Trade Shows - Do You Have a Show Plan?

To those who plan to visit the upcoming Pack Expo International and Pharma Expo to be held at McCormick Place in Chicago November 2 – 5 this year, I am asking if you have a plan in place? As a visitor you may think this is a strange question. In reality it’s really an important one. Most attendees are there for a reason. They are going to the show in the hopes of finding new technology or an answer to a need at their production plant. But if they arrive at the show without pre-planning their visit, they may be wasting valuable time and resources.

If you seriously need to learn about new technologies and machinery, do a little research prior to leaving for the show. Use the internet or packaging machinery magazines, to find out who will be there and what machines and new technologies they will be exhibiting. Then find their booth number and make a notation of it. Once you have a list of everyone who advertised to have what you want to see, plot out your walking strategy to make sure you can stop by those important booths. It is easy to become distracted at shows and spend a lot of time looking at something that is interesting, but isn’t the reason you are there. Make your trip to the show pay off with the results you need and your management expects.

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.

Plan Ahead – It Does Make a Difference

Most people say they are too busy today to plan for tomorrow. In business this could be a critical mistake. Be aware that your best competitors may not make that same mistake and you may one day wonder how they got so far ahead of you. Planning ahead takes discipline, time and effort. It requires deep thought into what your want to happen and the steps you need to take now to make sure that takes place.

Planning requires specific targets be set, with milestone dates pre-determined to track the progress of the plan. The plan must be flexible and adjust to unforeseen roadblocks that require a deviation in the course.

A well thought out plan can increase your sales, improve your operating efficiencies, cut costs, or take your company to the next level. It’s up to you where you want to go with your company, but without a good plan that is well administered, it will never happen. You will just keep talking about where you want to go and wondering why you just can’t seem to get there.

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 Isn’t Measured Doesn’t Happen

If your organization is having difficulties in accomplishing goals, it may be due to the fact that the tasks required to reach those goals are not being measured. For example, if you want to increase your sales by 10%, what tasks need to take place to make that happen? Will it require a 10% increase in sales calls, or a 10% increase in quotes? Whatever steps are necessary, must be documented and measured. This is then communicated to the individuals who perform the tasks and they should ‘buy in’ to the change in requirements.

This is where it is important not to ‘drop the ball’. Follow through on measuring the increase in tasks. Are they really increasing the amount of calls? How is this being measured? Are the individuals accountable for performing the required tasks? If management does not take the time to measure and discuss the results with the persons responsible for performing the tasks, then nothing will change and your goals will not be met. Just remember, ‘what isn’t measured, doesn’t happen.’

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.

Is Your Business a ‘Professional’ Organization?

Does your company project a professional persona? Would individuals who deal with your company (i.e. customers, vendors) describe it as a professional company? Professionalism in business is not restricted to law firms, banks and investment firms. It should describe every business organization.

Your company does not have to be large or sophisticated to be professional. A ‘professional’ organization treats everyone with respect, honesty and integrity. It deals with everyone in the same manner regardless of whether they are a vendor, a customer, or a service provider. Professionalism is more a manner of dealing with business associates and situations than it is a designation due to what you are selling. A business can be professional whether it sells goods, offers services, provides health care, builds and sells products like packaging machinery, or any other means of conducting business.

Professionalism should be a part of every company’s standard practices and Mission Statement. The bottom line is that if every employee follows the ‘Golden Rule’ and treats others the way they want to be treated, the company will be a ‘Professional Organization’.

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 Saying ‘Thank You’ in Business

When you receive a gift or someone does something nice for you in your personal life, you thank them. A formal written thank you is the overall best method to acknowledge your appreciation, but a phone call, e-mail or face to face communication of thanks is also acceptable.

In our business lives, we often take for granted that when someone helps us with a project or gives us information we need to get our job done, it is all part of their job to do so. Assuming that the other individual is being paid to ‘do their job’ and that they don’t need to be thanked for it, is a wrong impression.

We all like to know that our efforts are appreciated by those around us. Job satisfaction goes way beyond the simple receipt of a paycheck. As a matter of fact, statistics show that most people consider a paycheck as low on their list of what motivates them to do their jobs. Recognition by others is very high up on that list. So the next time someone helps you in any way, don’t forget to thank them. If they continually assist you, day after day, a written communication explaining your gratitude for their help goes a long way to making their day better and keeping them motivated to continually support 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.

NEM’s 2015 Trade Show Schedule

New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM) is planning a busy 2015 trade show schedule. We will start off the year at the all new Pack Expo East 2015 to be held February 16-18 in Philadelphia, PA. NEM will be located in booth 925 at that show.

In June, we will be at the Expo Pack Mexico Show from the 16-19 at Centro Banamex in Mexico City. NEM’s booth is located in the PMMI pavilion in #2320.

September you will find us at the Pack Expo Las Vegas 2015 show held at the Las Vegas Convention Center. The show will run from September 28-30. NEM will be located in booth C-3800.

Simultaneously running from Sept. 28-30 at the Las Vegas Convention Center will be the Pharma Expo 2015 show. NEM will be located at that show in booth N-304.

We are excited to be exhibiting at these great shows in 2015. Make sure to stop by our booth if you are attending any or all of these shows. We love to see everyone and just say ‘Hi’ even if you are not looking for machinery.

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.

Do You Offer Formal Training for New Hires?

While interviewing recently, I was surprised to be asked if we offer training for new employees. I took it for granted that all companies had a formal training program for their new hires. The individual I was interviewing told me about several positions he had started in the past in which he was expected to learn everything he would need to know about the company and his position on his own. Evidently, no one had the time to train him and there was no formal program in place to assist in the training.

To me, this is a recipe for failure. If you take the time, effort and expense to recruit and hire a new employee, you need to ‘follow through’ and make sure they start off with a strong foundation. They need to know the companies, products, services, policies, common practices, procedures, methodologies, etc. along with the tasks that will be expected of them. If you want long term success, you need to invest in short term foundation building, and training a new employee is what will give you that important base for them to grow on.

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.

New England Machinery at NEW Pharma Expo 2014

For the first time ever, PMMI is starting a new trade show geared specifically for the Pharmaceutical/Nutriceutical industry. The first show will be co-located with the Pack Expo International 2014 show and they will both run from Sunday, November 2 through Wednesday, November 5 at McCormick Place, Chicago, IL.

New England Machinery Inc. will have a booth at the Pharma Expo 2014 show. We will be located in booth W-629. We will have our Pharmaceutical Capper and Unscrambler in the booth along with some special surprises! If you would like to attend, give us a call at (941) 755-5550 for a complimentary registration code. The code will allow you to register for free to attend the show. We look forward to seeing everyone there and show off our beautiful line of pharmaceutical equipment. Make sure to plan on stopping by our booth in the West hall #629.

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.

New England Machinery at Pack Expo International 2014

The Pack Expo International 2014 trade show is coming up soon. It will start on Sunday, November 2 and run through Wednesday, November 5 at McCormick Place in Chicago. New England Machinery will be there in booth S-3506 to exhibit our latest packaging machinery designs as well as celebrate our 40th Anniversary.

We have a terrific line-up of equipment we plan to take and some new surprises to unveil at the show. If you wish to attend, NEM can assist you in registering for free. Contact our office at (941) 755-5550 to get the Complimentary Code that will allow you to register without charge to attend the show. You can also schedule an appointment with one of our Sales Managers to meet at the show.

Whether you are beginning a new packaging line, refurbishing an old one, or just want to see the latest in packaging technology, this is a must go to show. Mark your schedule to stop by NEM’s booth in the South Hall at 3506 to help us celebrate 40 years in business!

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 Capping, Lidding, Plugging, Pump Placing and More

Container closing is an important part of every production line. If the product is not contained properly, it can leak, become contaminated and ultimately costs the producer money. There are as many methods of closing a container as there are types of closures. With over forty years of experience in the packaging machinery industry, New England Machinery has developed numerous products to close containers.

NEM offers a full line of cappers including rotary chuck cappers in single and multi-head models, servo cappers (for precise, recordable applied torque), lidders (for cans, cups, etc.), pluggers for inserting pibas, plugs or caps inside the openings, pump placers, for sorting and placing finger, lotion or trigger pumps onto containers, and ancillary products such as cap tightener/retorquers. If you need to close a container and want to make sure it is done effectively and efficiently, contact NEM.

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.

About Our Website

Have you visited our website lately? Our web address is: www.neminc.com and it is a really great website. We have gotten hundreds of compliments on it. The website offers everything you need to know about New England Machinery’s products. They are easy to find via several drop down lists. It offers interesting case studies depicting challenges that some of our customers have brought to us and how we have resolved them. There are White Papers that assist in educating the reader on various topics. There are videos of our equipment running, a calendar of NEM upcoming shows, and copies of our newsletters.

We are currently working on some new features for the website and will be announcing them in the coming months. So make sure to visit it frequently to keep up with the latest information on NEM and our products and initiatives all designed to help our customers keep their packaging machinery lines running efficiently and effectively.

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 To Take the Best Bottle Unscrambler and Make It Better

In my last blog I noted how New England Machinery is an expert on plastic bottle unscramblers. So how did they take the world’s best unscrambler line and make it better? They monoblocked it with their line of secondary orienters! Now we can offer our customers a space-saving footprint that allows them to feed bulk containers, unscramble the containers, place them on the production line, and secondary orient them all in a smaller footprint. They can save on valuable floorspace and accomplish the proper feeding and line placement of the containers.

What is even better, is that New England Machinery can offer various models of bottle unscramblers and secondary orienters in different combinations. This gives us an exceptionally broad range of options for our customers. We are not limited to one or two designs, we actually have dozens of combinations. One size does not fit all in the packaging machinery industry. For customer-centric innovation, New England Machinery is unsurpassed.

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’s a Bottle Unscrambler?

I will never forget my first interview at New England Machinery. The gentleman who interviewed me explained that the company designed and built (among other machinery) bottle unscramblers. I know I must have had a very confused look on my face as at that time in my life I had no experience with the packaging machinery industry. I had a lot to learn, and fortunately for me, some really outstanding teachers to educate me on the products I would be marketing.

I would soon learn that a bottle unscrambler allows a production plant to empty bulk containers of plastic bottles into a hopper, which feeds the unscrambler. The unscrambler literally ‘unscrambles’ the bottles and stands them upright onto the conveyor where they are transported to the rest of the production line for filling, capping, labelling, and finally packed in a case that is put on a skid, that is transported to the product’s next step in its journey to the consumer.

I would eventually learn that not all unscramblers are alike. There are dozens of different types of unscramblers and dozens of companies that build and/or sell them. What is most impressive about New England Machinery is that the company doesn’t just sell the machines, it has a history of innovation in designing and improving them. No company knows more about bottle unscrambling than New England Machinery. We have become such experts at it that others come to us with their most difficult challenges. We have successfully ‘unscrambled’ raw cucumbers, sausages, frozen ice cream containers, filled cups of food, and a host of other products. If you are in need of a bottle unscrambler, look for a supplier who knows what they are selling because they design them as well.

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 Is Required To Sell Successfully?

I recently learned about the three states of being that we all need to be content. These are: To do, to have, and to be. If we are looking to sell a product, we need to have that product fulfill each of these three states of being in order to make sense to the purchaser. In our case this is quite easy to explain. If our customers do buy one of our packaging machines, they will have an efficiently running production line and they will be content and happy as a result.

It can also be used in the pre-purchase process. If a customer does request a quotation from New England Machinery, they will have the information they need, and they will be able to make an informed decision.

See if this makes sense for your organization. It is a simple formula that works as long as all three criteria are met.

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.

Service is a Key Component to Success in Packaging Machinery

Your company might make the best machinery in the world, but if your customers can’t get good help when they need it, the machinery is worthless. Even great machines built entirely in a poka-yoke (a Japanese term that means "mistake-proofing") design, will require service questions or assistance at one point or another. This is where customer service is key. Usually, by the time the customer is calling for assistance, they are in a real need for help and/or answers. Is your company ready to be there for your customers?

I’m fortunate to work for a company that puts a high value on customer service. Our service technicians are trained for many months before they are sent to a customer’s facility. Customers need to be assured that the technician sent to them will not only be able to assist them, but also be able to inform and teach them about their machinery. Personality is another important requirement in a service technician. A service tech is the representative of the company and needs to have a friendly, can-do attitude in dealing with customers. Again, our company receives rave reviews about our service technicians competency and attitude. Having great service is the ‘icing on the cake’ that helps to make the final sale. Make sure your service is everything your customers expect it to 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.

Please Be Patient With Us

All of our customers have extremely busy schedules. I have yet to meet a customer who has loads of time to talk to me. In this busy global economy we are all struggling to perform to our highest capabilities and need to get answers quickly. There are times, however, when the need to get something quickly conflicts with the need to get it right. When we prepare a quotation for one of our packaging machines, we need to be sure that the model and options we are quoting are exactly right for the customer’s application. That requires our asking a lot of questions. On occasion, we have had customers tell us that we are asking for too much information, or we are taking too long to prepare a quotation for them. We ask that they be patient. We are truly striving to offer them the solution to their needs that will be exactly right.

Too often, in a rush to just ‘make it happen’, a production company will make a quick decision to purchase a machine that was quoted quickly, so they can move forward with their project. Don’t make a costly mistake. Make sure to question the supplier about all the functions on the machine and the options they offer and/or suggest. Make sure you are comparing apples to apples when reviewing competing quotes. The difference in the two machines might be the difference between a machine that will get the job done, but take longer to do it, or longer to changeover, or cost more to operate. Sometimes, having patience pays off. Usually, the company that asks more questions and takes longer to prepare a quotation, is the one that will offer the better choice. So, please be patient with us, we want to get it right 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.

We Don’t Just Sell Packaging Machinery

We don’t just sell packaging machinery, we sell more efficient production lines. When a customer gives us a purchase order, they are not just buying a new machine for their production line, they are purchasing greater efficiencies for their plant. The end result of their purchase is the ability to produce more of their product in less time. They don’t really care that they are getting the latest in technology, or that the quality of the machine will outlast their working at that plant, they really only care about the output on their lines. It doesn’t matter to them that they will receive the right model machine for their specific application or that the machine was custom tooled to work flawlessly with their components. They aren’t thinking about the outstanding customer service they will receive. All they really want to know is that their new packaging machine will decrease their downtime and increase their output, thus improving their bottom line.

Our company keeps that concept in mind whenever we prepare a quotation for a customer. We take the time to determine which of our models will give this customer exactly what they want. It is the end result that really matters to your customers and that is what they need you to deliver.

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.

Can I Place Pumps and Continuous Thread Caps Using The Same Machine?

That’s a great question, and the answer is, yes. New England Machinery (NEM) has a pump sorter/pump placer machine that will also place continuous thread (CT) caps on containers. This saves production plants from having to purchase two separate machines when they are filling the same product into both pump containers and capped containers.

The same machine that sorts pumps, inserts them (even with curved dip tubes) into filled containers and securely tightens them down, will sort CT caps, place them on filled containers and securely tighten them down as well. It is a fabulous machine that allows the versatility needed on many production floors that do not have the money and/or the space to add another machine. With the ever-growing number of SKU’s being produced at today’s production facilities, this machine comes in greater demand. For more information on this product, contact NEM at (941) 755-5550.

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.

Communication – It Needs To Come In Different Forms

I had a great discussion today with a media salesman about the different forms of communication available to promote your products. He told me that the company he works for offers different forms of advertising and that the subscriber list for each of the different forms has very little crossover (less than 15%). Their company offers hard copy magazines, an online magazine, e-mail newsletters, white papers, and videos.

We talked about why there were so many different options. I thought about books and the fact that I love to read and usually read several books a week. I have a friend who also loves books, but never reads them. He only purchases audio books and loves to listen to a good book. A relative of mine loves movies and can recite lines from books that were made into movies. We all love a good story, but our methodology for acquiring the story is coming from three different forms of communication, reading, hearing or watching. So when you start to plan your advertising campaign, make sure to include several different forms of media. You don’t want to miss out on a whole potential audience because you think you are duplicating your efforts needlessly. Remember the less than 15% crossover in media subscribers. For every type of media you don’t include, you are missing 85% of that audience entirely.

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.

Hire An Intern – Help Them and You

The best part about bringing in an intern in the summer is the inflow of new ideas into the company. Internships obviously help the student gain valuable experience that they can use to improve their resume. It is also a great learning experience for them. If it is a paid internship it helps the student to cover their expenses while completing their education. But the not so obvious benefits are those that come to the company that hires them.

Interns come to your company with a new set of eyes and ears. They also come with the latest ideas and technologies that are being taught in our schools. Their input can be a breath of fresh air to a stagnant company. They may question why you do something the way ‘its always been done’, and have a really good suggestion for doing it differently. It isn’t necessarily because they are smarter, it may just be that they are seeing it from a different perspective. Don’t judge them by their youth, they may have some valuable ideas to share, that you’ll never learn if you don’t take the time to listen.

I recommend you hire a summer intern and see what new ideas come walking in your door, even if it’s just for a few months.

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.

Do You Offer Regular Product Training for Sales Personnel?

Most companies only remember to give their sales personnel product training when they are first hired and when a new product is introduced. If that is all your company is doing, you may want to consider more training on a regular basis for all sales employees, even the ones who have been with your company for years.

It is always beneficial to reinforce the knowledge base of your sales personnel. A regular training session (maybe one hour per month) allows them to ask questions about products they may be a little ‘shaky’ on, it may enlighten them on a new way of presenting a product that had not occurred to them, and it allows them to share stories with each other on what the customers are saying when they are ‘out in the field’.

Holding regular training sessions for your sales force may be the most important improvement your company makes this year. You won’t see an immediate benefit, but I guarantee you’ll see a long term benefit.

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 Does a Company Grow Successfully?

Every so often I like to take a moment and look back at our company and remind myself of what it was like when I started versus where it is today. I remember being so happy at being offered a position at a great company. I thought that the company and job couldn’t get any better. I was wrong. As they say there is always room for improvement, and when you stop and look back, you are often surprised to see that it happened.

Some companies are changed overnight by buyouts and an infusion of cash, but the really good companies change slowly over time. They set a course for where they want to be in 2 years, 5 years, 10 years, etc. They then plot out the steps they need to take to get to their desired level and start taking those steps day after day, year after year. There are rarely any ‘AHA’ moments, just small improvements in many areas over a period of time. It isn’t until several years have gone by and you look back that you can fully appreciate the breadth of those changes. It is sometimes referred to as ‘continual improvement’. On a day to day basis, continual improvement may seem like a small change that doesn’t make a big difference. But take enough small changes over a long period of time and you now have significant improvements that make a really positive impact.

Try making small improvements in your own work area. Set up a schedule on what small things you want to change and determine when you will implement each one over a period of time. You’ll be surprised one day when you look back and see how those small changes have added up to a real improvement.

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 is Your Repeat Business Rate?

I once read an article about an entrepreneur who started a business, grew it into a multi-million dollar company and then hired a staff to run it and spent his time pursing other interests. The only information he insisted on getting from the company was a daily report that listed the number of sales of repeat business versus new business. This he claimed would tell him all he needed to know about the health of the company.
He knew that as long as he kept his percentage of repeat sales to existing customers even (or close to) the percentage of sales to new customers, his company would continue to grow and stay healthy. How does this work?

If you start to sell more to new customers than to existing customers - that means you are losing your existing customer base. Not a good thing. Either they are no longer happy with your product or service, or your competitor(s) are taking them away with better products or less expensive products. You cannot let this happen for too long, or you will be out of business. This is a strong indicator that your business is in serious trouble.

Conversely, if your sales to existing customers increases significantly over sales to new customers, you are not going to see your company grow. Sales will quickly start to flatten out and eventually less and less orders will come in. Your business needs a constant stream of new customers to stay healthy. Over time your existing customers will go out of business or be bought out by another company that only buys from your competitor. You need new customers to become existing customers.

If you keep check of this important ratio balance, you will have a strong and growing business.

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 Case for ‘Case Studies’

Everyone loves a good story. The best public speakers use stories to keep their audience engaged in their presentations. We all like to hear about someone else’s problems and/or issues and how they dealt with them. It allows us to learn a lesson on how to avoid the same thing from happening to us. So our company recently decided to use real life stories about challenges faced by our customers and how we helped them resolve those problems.

We originally started out by adding one ‘Case Study’ to each of our monthly e-newletters. The stories were a hit so we added a section to our web site that also carries Case Studies. We are telling a different type story each month covering the various industries and machinery types that we handle. Each month we add a new one to the list. This is a great opportunity for us to let our customers and potential customers know more about our capabilities and, hopefully, offer them some ideas on how they can resolve some of their daunting challenges. To read New England Machinery’s Case Studies, visit our website at: www.neminc.com. Or contact us at (941) 755-5550 to be added to our monthly e-newsletter or bi-annual paper newsletter, NEM NEWS & VIEWS.

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 an HMI on Packaging Machinery

We asked our Electrical Engineers why a customer should spend the extra money to purchase an HMI with their packaging machinery. We were all a bit surprised to learn about all the really great features and value the HMI adds to the machinery in both functionality and time-saving benefits.

Here are a few of the items they mentioned: For use on bottle unscramblers, cappers and orienters, an HMI allows the operator to make changes to the speeds of the machine without entering the control panel. This is a great safety feature. An HMI also allows changes to the timers without getting online with a program. It also allows the ability to read the machine status while the machine is running. Another great capability for orienters is that it allows the operator to make changes to the amount of rotation being performed.

For a full list of benefits of adding and HMI to your next packaging machine, visit NEM’s website at www.neminc.com and view their upcoming July 2014 newsletter, ask your packaging machinery salesperson, or contact an NEM representative at (941) 755-5550.

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

A Happy July 4th To All

This will be a short week for me, but it is an important one for our country. Friday marks the anniversary of America’s hard won freedom. The day will be celebrated across the country with picnics, parades, fireworks and fun. But we all need to keep in mind that this freedom we so take for granted was not accomplished easily and that ‘freedom isn’t free’. We who are blessed enough to live here need to always remember that this country was conceived, designed and created by brilliant men with strong moral and ethical values. But more importantly, this country’s freedom and the freedom of many other countries was only truly acquired at the cost of the lives of thousands of brave men and women. Their sacrifice allows us to take a day and enjoy and celebrate the freedom for which they paid the ultimate price. Happy 4th of July America! Thank you to all the heroes who made and continue to make it happen.

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 Best ‘Summer Read’ For Managers

An acquaintance recently suggested I read the book “Creating Magic: 10 Common Sense Leadership Strategies from a Life at Disney” by Lee Cockerell. It was probably the best advice I have received in many years. The book should be required reading for all business school students.

Reading the book gave me new ideas on almost every page. Most books I ‘archive’ after I have finished reading them on my Nook. This book will stay on my ‘desktop’ forever. I know I will go back and re-read it several times as I think the ideas, suggestions and recommendations are all extremely valuable.

If you want to improve yourself and your company, I highly recommend you get a copy and read it. It is great advice about real companies, real employees and real managers and how a manager can become a leader that will be respected and followed through good times and bad times.

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.

Packaging Machinery Shows

We were fortunate to have recently exhibited at the Interpack 2014 show in Dusseldorf, Germany, and I have just returned from the Expo Pack Mexico 2014 show. Trade shows are an excellent opportunity to allow manufacturers to ‘show off’ their latest and greatest machines and technologies. It gives potential customers a ‘one stop’ shop for all of their production line needs. It also offers them a number of choices for whatever machinery they are seeking.

The shows were also a great opportunity for us to ‘touch base’ with acquaintances both old and new and network within our ‘packaging machinery’ community. I was pleased to even meet a few of my blog followers who came by to meet me! This year’s Expo Pack show even featured a seminar that gave packaging machinery buyers the ability to meet with and hear from a few of our customers. We were able to ask them questions, and more importantly, hear from them on their concerns and needs from packaging machinery suppliers/manufacturers.

I look forward to this fall’s show season. It promises to bring us all together once more for more opportunities to meet, greet, learn and share what is near and dear to all of us – the packaging industry!

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 Does Your Company Handle Mobile Devices?

Our ability to communicate is changing rapidly. From the time that Alexander Bell first patented the telephone in 1876 until the introduction of cell phones in the 1970’s, the basic telephone did not change much in 100 years. In the past thirty years we have seen the introduction of the internet, tablet devices, and cell phones that can connect to anything and everything that has ‘electronic messaging’ capability. You can now be at home or in another country and monitor a machine running at your production plant.

Along with all these amazing capabilities comes problems. Securing all this information from people you don’t want to have it, is a serious concern. You must also guard it against others who can cause malicious damage. All of this is a big challenge for small companies that cannot afford to staff an IT Dept. Yet to compete with the larger companies, they need to have a certain amount of communication capabilities.

How does your company handle these challenges? What levels of communication do you allow and how do you keep up with all the changes in the industry?

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.

Packaging is a World-Wide Industry

If you are in the business of manufacturing packaging machinery, you had better be prepared to compete in a world-wide arena. Twenty years ago, only the large companies were selling packaging machinery world-wide on a consistent basis. Today it is a requirement. All of the large consumer goods manufacturers have plants throughout the world. Often times they want to standardize with one manufacturer throughout all their facilities. This requires having the ability to build and export to foreign locations. Not that big of a deal.

Small manufacturers can find a plethora of assistance in exporting from their local economic development councils. Every state has a Department of Commerce branch that is more than willing to assist in getting started with exporting. Don’t wait for the government representative to come knocking on your door to tell you they are here to help you, contact them and get the assistance you need. Your tax dollars are paying for it, so take advantage of what they have to offer.

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 Packaging Industry – A Great Place To Be!

In my career I have had the good fortune to have worked for a number of different industries of varying products and services. My past employers include manufacturing, insurance, education, real estate development, advertising and consulting work. In manufacturing I’ve worked for pharmaceutical companies, a leather producer, environmental equipment manufacturer and, of course, a packaging machinery manufacturer. All of them have their pros and cons, but I believe that only the packaging machinery manufacturer has the ability to stand the test of time.

The packaging industry has been growing since man first learned how to produce more items than they needed, and discovered the value of bartering. With the world population growing at an incredible rate, the need for consumer goods will escalate accordingly. Products must be contained and secured properly in order to fill the supply demand. Hence packaging has a secure and growing future.

For me, it is also an interesting industry. As New England Machinery sells to the food, beverage, pharmaceutical, personal care, chemical, household products and other industries, I get to see new products all the time. Visiting our customers is especially enjoyable. Until I started working in this industry I took for granted the products I purchased in a grocery store. Only now can I fully appreciate the involved process it takes to get those products onto the store shelves. So if you are looking for an interesting and long-term career, contact a packaging machinery manufacturer. It is a great place to 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.

NEM at ExpoPack Mexico 2014

New England Machinery will be exhibiting at the ExpoPack Mexico 2014 show June 17-20 at Centro Banamex, Mexico City. We will be located in booth 2120. Our booth will feature our latest model, the NELPSO. This machine is a monoblock bottle unscrambler with secondary orienter. It offers a space-saving design with high speeds and quick changeover.

The machine will be paired with a model NEDP gap transfer that will be turned at an angle and sped up to ‘throw’ the bottles exiting the NELPSO into the air returning them to the hopper elevator that feeds the NELPSO. Known as NEM’s ‘Flying Yellow Bottles’ display, the exhibit is always a crowd pleaser.

If you plan to be in Mexico City during those dates, don’t miss the show and be sure to stop by NEM’s booth #2120 to say hello. We love to meet our customers and make new friends as well.

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 Makes Happy Employees?

Our company is very picky about who we hire. We want individuals who will fit in with our corporate culture. We look for ‘the glass is half full’ minded people. If we surround ourselves with individuals who have the same up-beat, can-do personality, we can move mountains. We have been fortunate to find a dedicated group of people who share our vision and want to be here to help grow the company, while securing our own futures.

We have superior management that truly cares about our employees and their families, a great benefits package, and employees are encouraged to improve ourselves through continued learning opportunities and internal advancement.

While there will always be days at work that are ‘challenging’ I have been at New England Machinery for 14 years and have no interest in going elsewhere. Compared to some of our other employees, I’m a new comer. We have quite a few employees who have been with the company for 20 plus and 30 plus years.

So in answer to ‘what makes us happy?’ - It is having the opportunity to be productive every day, in an atmosphere that encourages us to be our best while allowing us to support ourselves and our loved ones. You can’t ask for more than 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.

Superior Customer Service – What Does it Take?

I wrote this blog four years ago, but it is still important information today. What makes a company stand out when it comes to Customer Service? Responsiveness probably ranks as Number One. How quickly are your customers calls answered? How quickly are their needs resolved? Number Two would probably be Quality. How do your customers rate the quality of the service they receive? Are their issues resolved to their satisfaction? Number Three might be Communication. Does your Customer Service Dept. communicate well with your customers? Are they thorough at answering questions and explaining procedures? Do they communicate the available dates and times and costs for service visits? The Fourth would be Follow Up. Does your Customer Service Dept. follow up with the customer to make sure all issues were satisfactorily resolved?
How do you know if you are meeting the above criteria? Listen to your customers. If you don’t hear them saying anything, then ask them. When I first started working for New England Machinery, I sent out a questionnaire to over 3,000 customers. The questionnaire focused primarily on our sales processes and Sales Dept., however, there was one or two questions asking about our Service Dept. I was totally surprised by the responses we received. The majority of the responses pertained to our Customer Service Dept. and were all extremely positive. They raved about our Parts Dept. manager and how well she took care of their needs. The accolades continue to pour in over ten years later. There is no substitute for good customer service. It is the main ingredient in creating repeat customers.
Find out if your Customer Service Dept. measures up. Ask your customers what they think and really listen to what they say. If it’s not what you want to hear, then you need to make changes. Don’t delay. Every day you are not performing to your customer’s satisfaction, you are at risk to losing valuable customers. In this economy every single customer counts.
The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery manufacturer of bottle unscramblers, cappers, orienters, retorquers, lidders, pluggers, pump sorter/placers, scoop feeders, hopper elevators and much more. The company has been in business since 1974 selling to the food, beverage, pharmaceutical, personal care, chemical, household products, automotive and other industries. For more information on NEM, visit their website at www.neminc.com.

A New England Machinery Customer’s Testimonial

We at New England Machinery are blessed to have a really great team of employees. We know it, but it is especially great to hear it back from our customers. We recently received an e-mail from Dr. Z. of Weber Scientific after a service visit by one of our service techs. Dr. Z was more than happy with the service visit. In his own words:

“S. did an absolutely tremendous job for us. I never expected to get so much done, and the machine is running better than I have ever seen it run. It is exceeding my expectations. Since S. was gracious and patient enough to allow me to work in the vicinity, I learned a lot about all aspects of the machine and its maintenance. At the end of the day we found that our packing team was having difficulty keeping up with bottles coming down the line. I have never seen this before, and this is definitely attributable to improvements in the unscrambler. I can’t say enough good things about S.”

We appreciate the Doctor’s kind words. We know we have the best employees, but it is always great to hear it reconfirmed by our customers.

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.

Solving A Complicated Packaging Production Line Challenge

As a design and manufacturing company, we are often asked to ‘do the impossible’ by a customer with a difficult challenge. So we were not surprised when a large company came to us with a new request.

A major manufacturer of household cleaning products needed to unscramble 11 different containers (all different shapes and sizes bottles from 100 ml to 5 liter) and secondary orient 7 of them, with speeds from 90 to 150 cpm. They had limited floor space so could not fit two separate machines on the production line.

NEM built them a monoblock unscrambler/orienter (our model NELPSO). This machine combines the ability to feed, unscramble and secondary orient in a space-saving footprint. Three separate applications resolved with one simple answer.

The manufacturer was so pleased with the performance and space saving benefit, that they ordered a total of three machines for three different lines. NEM took a complicated challenge and came up with a simple, cost-saving and space saving solution. We take our customers’ production line challenges to heart and work hard to make them successful.

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.

Building Relationships in Packaging

How important is building relationships in the packaging machinery industry? Vitally! Relationships are critical to the buying and selling of packaging machinery. A production plant must keep their packaging lines running efficiently. The decision to purchase a new machine is based on need and ROI. As in most industries, there are numerous available products that claim to accomplish the task required of the new machine. The final purchase decision may depend on a single individual, or a committee charged with finding the solution. In either case, the amount of money being spent, combined with the importance of getting the exactly right machine, require a strong level of ‘comfort’ that the final decision is correct.

No two packaging lines are exactly alike, so it is not always possible to compare a machine that works exceptionally well for one company’s packaging line and assume it will do the same for another. The purchaser is often dependent upon the salesperson to have the knowledge of what model machine and what options on the machine will exactly fill their production line needs. This requires a level of trust that is only possible when the salesperson has proven themselves to the buyer. The purchaser and seller need to have built a relationship that now becomes a partnership in the process of commissioning the machinery that will be a success for both parties. They are in effect co-dependents needing to be assured that each will deliver the requirements to complete the sales process, machine build, installation, and successful startup to complete the cycle.

None of the above would ever begin to start without a strong relationship between the buyer and seller. You may take a chance and purchase a $200 tool that is recommended to help you do your job from someone you don’t know well, but you won’t put your job on the line, risk hundreds of thousands of dollars, and the ultimate failure of a non-producing, down production line, without having a solid relationship with your salesperson.

Visit NEM’s website at www.neminc.com for a link to an interview regarding this topic between the author and Kevin Price, radio host of The Price of Business. The Price of Business is the longest running show of its kind in Houston, it is on Bloomberg’s Home in Houston, Business Talk 1110 AM KTEK.

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 Makes New England Machinery A Great Company?

I was recently interviewed for a magazine article about New England Machinery's products and innovation. I was joined by several of our Engineers as the magazine was dedicated to controls and electronics. We were asked what allowed our company to be successful for over forty years. We explained that our company was founded with a new concept of bottle unscrambling that truly was better than what the competition was doing.

The interviewer kept asking what makes our machines last longer and be so valued even on the secondary market. After some thought we realized that there were several reasons why our company has succeeded and continues to grow.

First it must start with a superior product. In the case of New England Machinery we have a basic patented design that has stood the test of time with its exceptional efficiencies in bottle unscrambling.

Second we have put together a strong, dedicated team of employees who truly care about the quality of each and every machine we build. No machine leaves our facility without extensive testing and quality review.

Third, we design and build our machines from ‘scratch’ right here in our own facility. We have a fully equipped machine shop, and welding and fabrication departments. We can control our own resources. We don’t depend on outside vendors to meet deadlines and are not subjected to vendor price increases. We have our own purchasing department and can pick and choose the best quality raw materials.

Fourth, we practice continual improvement. We don’t depend on our past successes to allow us to grow. We spend time, effort and expense in making sure our employees take advantage of every opportunity to learn about new technologies and market trends. The changes of today are the future of tomorrow.

Fifth, we have been fortunate to have outstanding management. Our company leadership has charted a course that has seen us through several economic recessions, changes in industry regulations and market trends and allowed us to prosper and grow through it all.

Finally, and possibly most importantly, we conduct our business with unwavering values and ethics. We treat our customers, suppliers, competitors and co-workers with respect and honesty.

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.

New England Machinery Offers Service Contract Special

They build first quality packaging machinery. Now, in honor of their 40th Anniversary, New England Machinery is offering a Service Contract Special. Customers who purchase a service contract between April 1, 2014 and June 30, 2014 will receive an additional 10% discount on travel time and service rates.

NEM offers customized service contracts designed to fit the individual customer’s specific needs. The service contracts cover such needs as budgeted annual maintenance, operator training, maintenance training, single to multiple machine maintenance, equipment commissioning, technical support, equipment repair, machinery evaluation/audit, and equipment upgrades.

This great service increases the machinery’s efficiencies and life. It also decreases downtime due to improper maintenance. Now, for a short time, all these great benefits are being offered along with a 10% discount on travel time and service rates. A great special to offer our company’s great customers.

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

A Day For Saying ‘Thank You’

Today is officially ‘Professional Administrative Assistant’s Day’. Originally started out as ‘Secretaries Day’ back when offices actually had secretaries, the title has changed to be more in line with current office titles. The position has evolved as technology changed the way we do business, but the underlying tasks are still very much the same. The Professional Administrative Assistant is the one person in the office that makes sure everything run smoothly. She or he answers the phones, makes appointments, reminds everyone when to be where, makes travel arrangements, answers countless inquiries a day, knows where everything is at in the office, orders office supplies, changes the toner in the copier, greets visitors, creates spreadsheets, enters data, keeps the filing system straight, and anything else that needs to be done to coordinate the functions of the business. It’s no wonder we have a day designated to say ‘thank you’ to these individuals.

I suggest you don’t stop at thanking the Administrative Assistant. Thank everyone who assists you in any way to get your job done. Is there a graphics designer, research assistant, or IT professional who regularly helps you? Say thank you to everyone, it will let them know you appreciate their efforts even if you don’t always take the time to say so. Want to make their day extra special? Bring in a box of donuts, cupcakes, or candy to share with your co-workers. Pick up a packet of fancy pens and hand them out or gift cards to coffee shops or fast food restaurants. It needn’t be expensive, it’s that you remembered to do it that counts.

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.

Ethics and Values in Business

Most companies claim to practice strong ethics and values in their business dealings, but do they really practice what they preach? When working with a customer that is totally dependent upon your company’s knowledge base and expertise, do you sell them only what they really need, or do you sell them as much as you can? It is easy to get carried away in recommending your products and start up-selling the higher margin add-ons, but if the customer doesn’t really need them, you are doing them a disservice and not really practicing good ethics.

In the long run, the companies that hold to their ethics and sell only what the customer truly needs, will find they have a strong, loyal and growing customer base. It doesn’t take a company long to figure out when they were sold a product or service that is truly not necessary to meet their needs. These customers will think twice before coming back for a second sale.

I’m proud to work for a company that lives the ethics we preach. I’ve often heard management ask a salesperson the question, “What is the best solution for this customer? Don’t over-sell them something they don’t need.” I guess that is why we have a strong customer base that repeatedly purchases from us for the past forty years.

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 Solves A Customer’s Container Lidding Challenge

A customer came to New England Machinery with a challenge. They needed to lid paper stock (cardboard) containers. These non-rigid containers needed to be lidded at 120 containers per minute with the lids applied gently enough not to damage the cardboard rims, yet securely enough to keep the food product inside fresh. They also had five different sizes of containers. NEM built them a model NESOL, Snap On Lidder. It handled all five sizes of containers, gave them the speed they required, and most importantly, applied the lids precisely, gently, and securely.

New England Machinery is known for its strong engineering background. We are often asked to solve production line challenges that other packaging machinery manufacturer’s turn away. While we don’t’ profess to ‘do it all’, if it is within our core competencies, we will do our best to make it happen.

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 At Interpack, Dusseldorf, Germany

New England Machinery (NEM) will be exhibiting at the Interpack 2014 show in Dusseldorf, Germany. The show starts on May 8 and runs through May 14. NEM plans to display their monoblock unscrambler/secondary orienter at the show. The display will include NEM’s famous ‘flying yellow bottles’ which has been a fan favorite at shows for many years.

The NELPSO unscrambler/orienter feeds bulk containers, unscrambles them and secondary orients, all within the same machine frame. This saves valuable floorspace, time and money for production facilities. To see this machine in action, visit NEM at the Interpack Show in Hall 12 booth #12D52.

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 Introduces Line Inspection Rejection System

New England Machinery recently introduced its latest model the NELIR, inline inspection rejection system. This system will automatically identify and eliminate containers on a production line that can cause jams or problems. The NELIR can detect down bottles, upside down bottles or misaligned bottles. Once detected the errant bottles are rejected using an air blower, diverter arm, or pusher cylinder to a table, collection bin or transferred to an existing removal system.

The unit is modular and self-contained. It can be easily mounted to a conveyor or, with an optional free-standing frame, it can slide up to an existing conveyor. Depending on the inspection requirements, the NELIR can use photo eyes, proximity switches, limit switches or a vision system. It can keep up with the production line speed and is adjustable for different line speeds up to 450 cpm (depending on container size and inspection requirements).

The benefit of the NELIR is the flexibility it provides to be able to immediately mount it anywhere on the line where potential problems can occur and/or move it around the production plant accordingly.

For more information on this or any other New England Machinery product, give them a call at (941) 755-5550.

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.

Packaging Machinery Decision Making Research

A recent survey conducted by Packaging World magazine/Summit Media Group gives insight into the buying cycle and processes used by those needing packaging machinery. The survey brought light onto the timeline of when the buyers do their research (early, sometimes even before the need arises). It also noted where the buyers look for information.

Two-thirds of packaging machinery buyers research machinery on the internet. In the early stages of looking at machinery (often before it is even determined as a need), the buyers are looking at magazines, going to trade shows, reading trade media and newsletters, conferring with peers, and browsing the internet. In the later stage, when they know there truly is a project, their focus narrows to peer consultation, supplier websites, search engines, sales persons and trade shows.

It is imperative for the successful supplier to ‘be where your customer is looking’. Educate your potential customers about you and your products and services so that when the time comes for them to need your products, they know exactly where to look.

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.

Packaging Machinery Buyers Decision Making Timeline

I recently attended a seminar hosted by Packaging World magazine. They had completed a comprehensive study of over 500 packaging machinery buyers and 200 suppliers. The seminar covered numerous topics pertaining to the packaging machinery buying cycle. Perhaps the most interesting statistics they discussed examined how and when packaging machinery buyers learn about the products they need.

Most projects that require the purchase of packaging machinery are vetted long before the Purchase Order is written. Forty-six percent of buyers look at machinery when there is not even a project. When there is a new project starting to shape-up, seventy-three percent of buyers actively look for information about it. This is still in the infancy stages of the project, long before there is funding available. The survey went on to uncover that by the time the project is actually funded, close to 80% already knew who they would choose as their supplier.

Not surprisingly it is up to the suppliers to make sure their product is kept front and center in the mind of potential purchasers. How is that best accomplished? Read my next blog.

For more information on the Packaging World survey, contact Healthcare Packaging Summit Media Group, Inc. at (312) 222-1010.

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 Continuing to Educate and Train Existing Employees

An important but often overlooked strategy for maintaining your workforce as your most valuable asset, is to continually train and educate them. The benefits far outweigh the costs. Employees gain greater knowledge, capabilities, self-assurance, sharpen their skills, and generally appreciate the time, attention and expense of an employer who continues to educate/train them.

You may not have to bear the burden of the entire cost. There are numerous incumbent worker training grants available throughout the US. While they all require the employer to ‘have some skin in the game’ by paying some of the cost, many of the grants will cover the lion’s share of the expense. Take advantage of this great opportunity to grow your workforce through greater knowledge and greater attrition.

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.