In search of new ideas for a backdrop for our booth at the upcoming Pack Expo Chicago 2012 show, I searched ‘Exhibitor’ magazine. Some of the unique ideas I saw included using a plain white wall and allowing visitors to write on it, graffiti style. Another interesting idea was to create cartoon drawings of your products on the back walls. I brought these ideas to a brainstorming session that included individuals from other departments in our company.
We talked about a lot of different mediums and graphic ideas. We decided we needed a product that could be put up and taken down easily, and would be re-usable from show to show. That would mean it had to be ‘modular’ as our booth is rarely the same size and configuration at each show. We sent an employee to Home Depot and Lowe’s to see what products he could find in large sheets. We also tasked our Purchasing Agent with asking our vendors what large sheets of plastic or other products they could suggest.
We got back some really great products. One was a lightweight 4’ x 8’ sheet of foam that could be painted any color. We also got samples of aluminum-skinned lightweight plastic that also came in 4’ x 8’ sheets. To find out what we used and how it will look, read my next and final blog on New Ideas.
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 http://www.neminc.com/.
Monday, July 30, 2012
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
New Ideas – Keep Them Coming
Every year we attend PMMI’s main packaging trade show in either Las Vegas or Chicago. We are always looking for new ideas to make our booth stand out from the rest and portray a ‘professional’, ‘high tech’ look. Several years ago we decided to ‘go green’ and do away with the expensive and wasteful carpet rental. In its place we purchased laminate ‘oak’ flooring. We are able to re-use the flooring at each show by putting it down (the planks snap together) and taking it back up at the end of the show. It has saved us thousands of dollars in rental and saved the environment from all the thrown away carpet at the end of the show.
We also came up with the idea of putting up vertical blinds in the back of the booth as opposed to the wrinkled curtains the show hangs up. We built our own stands to hold them and they worked well for several years. We discovered that the blinds are not as re-use ‘friendly’ as we had hoped as the blinds tend to break at the top after one or two uses and they get bent if not carefully handled. So this year we wanted a ‘new look’. We contacted several show houses and display companies. They were all offering one version or another of the new stretch material with graphics printed on it. I subscribe to ‘Exhibitor’ magazine and scoured the photos of other exhibits to get new ideas. We brought in some other employees to ‘pick their brains’ as to what we could do differently for the back of our booth.
Read my next blog to find out what great idea we came up with after a brainstorming session of individuals from different departments.
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 http://www.neminc.com/.
We also came up with the idea of putting up vertical blinds in the back of the booth as opposed to the wrinkled curtains the show hangs up. We built our own stands to hold them and they worked well for several years. We discovered that the blinds are not as re-use ‘friendly’ as we had hoped as the blinds tend to break at the top after one or two uses and they get bent if not carefully handled. So this year we wanted a ‘new look’. We contacted several show houses and display companies. They were all offering one version or another of the new stretch material with graphics printed on it. I subscribe to ‘Exhibitor’ magazine and scoured the photos of other exhibits to get new ideas. We brought in some other employees to ‘pick their brains’ as to what we could do differently for the back of our booth.
Read my next blog to find out what great idea we came up with after a brainstorming session of individuals from different departments.
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 http://www.neminc.com/.
Monday, July 23, 2012
Bring in New Ideas – New Life
We recently had our in-house graphic artist/videographer/web designer leave for a 3-week vacation. As we needed some of these services while he was gone, we hired an outside vendor to assist us in his absence. We wound up getting more than we bargained for. What he brought to the table was a fresh perspective and new ideas.
It is so easy for all of us to do our jobs ‘the way we’ve always done them’. Even if we are doing our absolute best to do it right, it doesn’t mean we aren’t missing something that a new viewpoint can bring to it. This is one of the reasons we enjoy hiring new people who are not necessarily from our industry. They tend to see everything just a little differently. Don’t be quick to squash their ideas and enthusiasm because ‘this is the way we’ve always done it.’ Take the time to consider what they have to offer. Like the saying, “If nothing changes, nothing changes”, we can’t get better without change, and change requires new ideas.
If you want to bring some new ideas to your position, consider bringing in some consultants who do what you do and ask them for their suggestions on what else you might do to improve your company’s performance. Your company may even consider hiring them for one or two projects if their ideas are really great.
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 http://www.neminc.com/.
It is so easy for all of us to do our jobs ‘the way we’ve always done them’. Even if we are doing our absolute best to do it right, it doesn’t mean we aren’t missing something that a new viewpoint can bring to it. This is one of the reasons we enjoy hiring new people who are not necessarily from our industry. They tend to see everything just a little differently. Don’t be quick to squash their ideas and enthusiasm because ‘this is the way we’ve always done it.’ Take the time to consider what they have to offer. Like the saying, “If nothing changes, nothing changes”, we can’t get better without change, and change requires new ideas.
If you want to bring some new ideas to your position, consider bringing in some consultants who do what you do and ask them for their suggestions on what else you might do to improve your company’s performance. Your company may even consider hiring them for one or two projects if their ideas are really great.
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 http://www.neminc.com/.
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
QR Codes – Are You Using Them?
I am noticing them everywhere I look nowadays. QR (Quick Read) codes. They are the ‘funky’ looking little squares that have tiny black blocks in them looking like a strange crossword puzzle. If you have a smart phone, you can download a free ‘QR’Code reader app that will allow your phone to scan the code. It will then take you to a site that might be a video to watch, a free offer for something, a coupon you can use, a company’s website or any number of different things.
We have come up with some great uses for this little code for the packaging machinery industry. We realized that if we put it on the packaging machines we build and sell, such as a bottle unscrambler, the QR code can direct the individual who scans it to a user manual for that model unscrambler. Another great idea is to put different codes on each salesperson’s business card. The scan will open up a video of the salesperson introducing himself or herself and giving a brief description of who they are and what they sell. We put them on our flyers to direct the user to a video of the packaging machine in action.
What ideas do you have on how to make the most of this new technology? What other innovative ways can we use QR codes to communicate with others?
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 http://www.neminc.com/.
We have come up with some great uses for this little code for the packaging machinery industry. We realized that if we put it on the packaging machines we build and sell, such as a bottle unscrambler, the QR code can direct the individual who scans it to a user manual for that model unscrambler. Another great idea is to put different codes on each salesperson’s business card. The scan will open up a video of the salesperson introducing himself or herself and giving a brief description of who they are and what they sell. We put them on our flyers to direct the user to a video of the packaging machine in action.
What ideas do you have on how to make the most of this new technology? What other innovative ways can we use QR codes to communicate with others?
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 http://www.neminc.com/.
Monday, July 16, 2012
Are You Prepared for Economic Changes?
I recently participated in a webinar conducted by an economic specialist who is predicting the slow US economic recovery to continue until about mid-2013. The economist broke the growth down by various sectors (i.e. pharmaceutical, personal care, beverage). While all of the sectors are expected to continue with some growth through mid-2013, they are all moving at different rates and will top out at different times.
The sectors with the strongest 2012 growth are predicted to be Durables, Hardgoods, Components and Parts with an anticipated growth rate of 4.8%. They are followed by Chemicals and Cleaning Products at 4.2%, Beverages at 3.9%, Personal Care at 3.5%, Pharmaceutical at 2.6%, and Food at 2.2%.
Interestingly enough, the economist shows a downturn in 2014 that will have all sectors in negative growth except for Pharmaceutical which is predicted to have a 3.3% positive growth. The reasoning behind the growth in pharmaceuticals is the aging baby-boomers who will continue to need pharmaceuticals in ever-growing quantities.
How will these economic trends affect your company? Are you taking full advantage of the current growth trend? Will you be positioned properly for the 2014 dip? What steps are you taking now and/or will take to make the most of the economic trends?
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 http://www.neminc.com/.
The sectors with the strongest 2012 growth are predicted to be Durables, Hardgoods, Components and Parts with an anticipated growth rate of 4.8%. They are followed by Chemicals and Cleaning Products at 4.2%, Beverages at 3.9%, Personal Care at 3.5%, Pharmaceutical at 2.6%, and Food at 2.2%.
Interestingly enough, the economist shows a downturn in 2014 that will have all sectors in negative growth except for Pharmaceutical which is predicted to have a 3.3% positive growth. The reasoning behind the growth in pharmaceuticals is the aging baby-boomers who will continue to need pharmaceuticals in ever-growing quantities.
How will these economic trends affect your company? Are you taking full advantage of the current growth trend? Will you be positioned properly for the 2014 dip? What steps are you taking now and/or will take to make the most of the economic trends?
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 http://www.neminc.com/.
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Get Organized To Get Ahead
Like most people, I often find myself searching for critical items in a rush. I know the general location of what I want, but can’t put my finger on it exactly and wind up wasting valuable time trying to find it. This is especially evident on my desk. I’m in the middle of working on one project and someone comes in with something else that needs immediate attention. I put aside what I am working on to deal with the second matter and sometimes a third matter comes along. Before you know it, my desk is buried with numerous pieces of paper all needing to be handled as soon as possible. I get frustrated and don’t know where to start.
Organization is the key. I spent one evening putting all the papers into piles. If a project had more than one paper, it went into a folder that I named. Then I added stacking trays on my desk. The bottom tray holds reference material that I want kept close at hand. The second tray holds long term projects, the third tray holds short term projects and the top holds projects that need to be handled ‘yesterday’. Every morning I review what is in every tray and determine the priority of what to work on that day. I check to see what deadlines some items have to make sure I don’t let any pass by.
This may not be the answer to everyone’s organizational needs, but it really helped mine. What other organizational ideas do you have to share? If we were able to save 5 minutes a day by being more organized, we would gain over an hour and a half each month to get more done!
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 http://www.neminc.com/.
Organization is the key. I spent one evening putting all the papers into piles. If a project had more than one paper, it went into a folder that I named. Then I added stacking trays on my desk. The bottom tray holds reference material that I want kept close at hand. The second tray holds long term projects, the third tray holds short term projects and the top holds projects that need to be handled ‘yesterday’. Every morning I review what is in every tray and determine the priority of what to work on that day. I check to see what deadlines some items have to make sure I don’t let any pass by.
This may not be the answer to everyone’s organizational needs, but it really helped mine. What other organizational ideas do you have to share? If we were able to save 5 minutes a day by being more organized, we would gain over an hour and a half each month to get more done!
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 http://www.neminc.com/.
Monday, July 9, 2012
Winners Have An Attitude of Success
Individuals who are successful at reaching their goals are not ‘born lucky’. They are either born with the right attitude or have learned how to cultivate an attitude of success. Believe it or not, it comes right down to the ‘glass is half full/half empty’ attitude that makes a direct difference on winning and losing. If you believe you are a winner and deserve to reach your goals, you will. If you think of yourself as ‘unlucky’ and not capable of achieving success, you won’t ever get there.
You cannot change your biological attributes (without surgical assistance), but you can change your attitude. Only you can control how you think. If you find yourself having self-doubts or thinking negatively, stop immediately and change the direction of your thought. Imagine yourself as capable and successful. Picture yourself already being where you want to go in your life. Do it every day. When others around you start speaking negatively, change the direction of the conversation to a positive tone.
The difference between successful companies and companies that struggle but never get ahead is often simply a matter of corporate culture. Be a part of the successful culture in your company. Imagine that you work for a company that is highly successful and constantly winning all the business away from its competitors. Project that winning attitude when you speak with customers, vendors, and other employees. If every employee in the company believed that their company was the best and getting better every day, it would indeed become a reality.
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 http://www.neminc.com/.
You cannot change your biological attributes (without surgical assistance), but you can change your attitude. Only you can control how you think. If you find yourself having self-doubts or thinking negatively, stop immediately and change the direction of your thought. Imagine yourself as capable and successful. Picture yourself already being where you want to go in your life. Do it every day. When others around you start speaking negatively, change the direction of the conversation to a positive tone.
The difference between successful companies and companies that struggle but never get ahead is often simply a matter of corporate culture. Be a part of the successful culture in your company. Imagine that you work for a company that is highly successful and constantly winning all the business away from its competitors. Project that winning attitude when you speak with customers, vendors, and other employees. If every employee in the company believed that their company was the best and getting better every day, it would indeed become a reality.
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 http://www.neminc.com/.
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Amazing Times – Amazing Technology
I remember watching futuristic television shows as a child that depicted machines that would talk to us and tell us things we needed to know. At the time it was too far-fetched to believe. We could not imagine that wireless communicators would actually become a reality. We live in amazing times.
I was invited to a meeting at our company the other day in which our Engineers were describing how our bottle unscramblers and cappers (and other machines) can be programmed to tell us who was running the machine at what times, what products they were running, if the machine was stopped, it can also identify by codes exactly which containers went through it and at what exact time. The full list of items that the machine can tell us is truly amazing. The machines can also be told what to do by touching the screen. We can set it up to run different containers at different speeds all by the touch of a finger tip. Add a wireless printer and you can print out lists of all the information you want. The machines can be set up to allow only certain individuals to have access to make changes. So an operator will have different access than a service technician who will have different access than an engineer.
We are fortunate to have all this technology at our disposal. Now we need to start taking full advantage of all it can do for us.
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 http://www.neminc.com/.
I was invited to a meeting at our company the other day in which our Engineers were describing how our bottle unscramblers and cappers (and other machines) can be programmed to tell us who was running the machine at what times, what products they were running, if the machine was stopped, it can also identify by codes exactly which containers went through it and at what exact time. The full list of items that the machine can tell us is truly amazing. The machines can also be told what to do by touching the screen. We can set it up to run different containers at different speeds all by the touch of a finger tip. Add a wireless printer and you can print out lists of all the information you want. The machines can be set up to allow only certain individuals to have access to make changes. So an operator will have different access than a service technician who will have different access than an engineer.
We are fortunate to have all this technology at our disposal. Now we need to start taking full advantage of all it can do for us.
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 http://www.neminc.com/.
Monday, July 2, 2012
Packaging Industry Trends – Part III
Consumers are requesting – and getting – more user-friendly packaging. Packaging experts have developed a plastic/aluminum product that will allow consumers to take frozen foods and microwave them in the same container. The special aluminum assists in browning the food similar to regular ovens. Other plastics combine with unique glues to allow unsealing the product, removing some of it and re-sealing it closed.
In another area of matching consumer demand, some manufacturers are putting their products in smaller portions. This is especially in demand for the growing senior population that does not want the large portions.
Safety of packaging can be noted with the advent of such new inventions as a capsule carton that cannot be opened unless both sides are squeezed in at the small buttons on the side at the same time, a process that a child would not be able to do.
Traceability is now taking hold world-wide in the pharmaceutical and nutriceutical industries in an effort to stem the tide of counterfeit products. Researchers have developed a data ‘chip’ inclusive of an antenna that can be ‘welded’ into the film that is adhered to a container/bottle. This allows the product to be traced from inception through purchase by consumer. These ‘electronic labels’ can be used for multiple purposes including shipping, stocking, inventory and if the store is equipped with shopping carts that have a small computer attached, the computer can ‘read’ the code as the item is placed in the cart and give the consumer a running total on the price of the item in the cart as well as send the signal to the cash register upon checkout without having to remove the item from the cart.
We are on the verge of some amazing changes to the way we package and purchased our products. If you know of something new, share it with us. We all enjoy learning about new technologies that are changing our lives.
he 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.
In another area of matching consumer demand, some manufacturers are putting their products in smaller portions. This is especially in demand for the growing senior population that does not want the large portions.
Safety of packaging can be noted with the advent of such new inventions as a capsule carton that cannot be opened unless both sides are squeezed in at the small buttons on the side at the same time, a process that a child would not be able to do.
Traceability is now taking hold world-wide in the pharmaceutical and nutriceutical industries in an effort to stem the tide of counterfeit products. Researchers have developed a data ‘chip’ inclusive of an antenna that can be ‘welded’ into the film that is adhered to a container/bottle. This allows the product to be traced from inception through purchase by consumer. These ‘electronic labels’ can be used for multiple purposes including shipping, stocking, inventory and if the store is equipped with shopping carts that have a small computer attached, the computer can ‘read’ the code as the item is placed in the cart and give the consumer a running total on the price of the item in the cart as well as send the signal to the cash register upon checkout without having to remove the item from the cart.
We are on the verge of some amazing changes to the way we package and purchased our products. If you know of something new, share it with us. We all enjoy learning about new technologies that are changing our lives.
he author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery manufacturer of bottle unscramblers, cappers, orienters, retorquers, lidders, pluggers, pump sorter/placers, scoop feeders, hopper elevators and much more. The company has been in business since 1974 selling to the food, beverage, pharmaceutical, personal care, chemical, household products, automotive and other industries. For more information on NEM, visit their website at www.neminc.com.
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