Contract Manufacturing + Packaging Nov/Dec 2022

EDITORIAL

Melissa Griffen EDITOR mgriffen@pmmimediagroup.com

ART

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Have a question or an idea for an article? Contact Melissa Griffen, Editor, 312/961-9904. Contract Packaging magazine prefers to receive press releases by e-mail. Send to mgriffen@pmmimediagroup.com.

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PMG’s President of the Future and What It Means for CM+P

By MELISSA GRIFFEN, Editor

fter three-decades with the company he founded—Summit Publishing Company, now PMMI Media Group (PMG)—President and Publisher Joe Angel recently stepped down to become PMMI’s executive vice president of industry outreach. In his new role he will act as an ambassador to the education community, PMMI members, and key industry partners—such as brands and CPGs.

Dave Newcorn, who joined Summit in 1995, for Packaging World (PW) took over as president on Oct. 1. In those early days,

Newcorn was warned by founding Chief Editor Arnie Orloski “not to work on that web s**t during business hours.”

ADeftly sidestepping that admonition, Newcorn built the first website for PW, which all CM&P content is now posted on as well. Newcorn has since spearheaded Summit/PMG’s transition to modern digital publishing.

“Joe’s focus and style over the last 30 years brought us to where we are today. For the next 30 years, my focus is singularly on how to strategically transform and re-tool the company for the future,” Newcorn says. “One thing Joe and I have in common is the continuing drive and passion for publishing in the field of packaging and processing, with a focus on delighting readers and advertisers alike.”

The pace of change that Angel presided over was fast, considering the rise of the Internet, a once-in-several-generations technological revolution. And it’s only getting faster. Having been the change agent himself, Newcorn is well-situated to steer PMG—and through me, influence CM&P—into the next phase of B2B publishing. I plan to apply some of Newcorn’s plans and ideas for all of our brands. Stay tuned for more from me at ENGAGE 2023. See you in Texas. CM+P

mgriffen@pmmimediagroup.com

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Looking Ahead to a Promising 2023

By ROB REINDERS, CPA President

CPA has had a busy summer and fall rep resenting and connecting with the industry, while growing our membership. We now have more members than ever and after successful trade shows, expect to keep growing rapidly. Just in September and October alone we attended:

New Products Conference

Natural Products Expo East

F4SS Fall Connect

Emerging Brands Summit at PACK EXPO international October ended with a return to PACK EXPO International after the show’s four-year hiatus. The CPA booth was in a terrific location, and we were busy talking with brands needing the CPA RFQ tool and industry executives wanting to join our organiza tion. CPA’s Executive, Director Ron Puvak, and Carl Melville gave industry presentations at the inaugural Emerging Brands Expo and on the Industry Speaks and Forum stages, offering a chance to spread the word about CM/CPs to packed audiences.

All these events give us a chance to promote the industry and our members, and we have a full line up of shows planned for 2023. No matter the show, our CPA Sourcing Center is always a popular location and a great member benefit, allowing mem bers to sponsor shelves to display their capabilities.

Kickoff 2023 by visiting us at the Winter Fancy Food show January 15-17 in Las Vegas, NV!

CPA will bring back the popular Virtual Experience events this fall and winter, offering relevant and exciting content through an interactive, online platform. These monthly events run November through January leading up to our biggest EN GAGE - The Contract Packaging and Manufacturing Experience event ever in San Antonio, TX February 21-23. We are expecting our biggest crowd yet for the premier contract packaging and manufacturing conference.

CPA’s ENGAGE event is where the industry meets and col laborates. Significant networking and exhibition opportunities await! Do not miss out on this opportunity to interact with other members, clients, and the industry once again.

As always, it is and has been a privilege to be leading such a prestigious and dynamic association. As not only the President of the Board, but also a long-term member, I see the future is very bright and filled with huge opportunities for the CPA. I would like to take the opportunity to thank the Board Members and all those who volunteer on the sub committees for their efforts in creating this historic year for our association! A big thank you goes to PMMI and their staff for all their efforts and support as well.

Once again, please consider this my personal invitation to you to meet with me at one or all our events in the coming year! CM+P

Rob Reinders is President of Performance Packaging of Nevada, https://pplv.co/.

▼ Ron Puvak, exectutive director of CPA presents at the Forum at PACK EXPO International.

A Tough Couple of Years

By ROBBY MARTIN Contributing Editor

Wow, has it been a tough couple of years, or what?

When the world shut down at the be ginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, many, many questions were being asked, includ ing, “How long will this last?”

Depending on your industry or business circumstances, you may still be asking that question today. It seems that most industries are still asking the “How long will it last?” question at some level. Re gardless of how your business weathered the pandemic storm, the “recovery” we’ve all yearned for seems to be an extended recovery at best.

It has also been my observation that this extended recovery is having some of its greatest impact on the CM/CP Industry, and the ability of providers to meet their customers needs. Perhaps it is because some Brand Owners are still quite “needy” for their CM/CP partners to provide sup port to their businesses. Unfortunately, many CM/CP companies may lack the horsepower or influence to overcome some of the lingering obstacles to recov ery like labor, transportation and ingredi ent scarcity. Between Force Majeures, product component discontinuations, and inflation, it can be argued that many CM/ CP providers today are struggling the most to return to pre-pandemic levels of operational efficiency and response to their customers.

Meanwhile, a new set of questions is emerging in this recovery environment, including:

Will it ever end?

Can it ever be as before?

Do we want it to?

While we talked during the pandemic

in terms of a “return to normal,” or even the overused, “new normal,” it seems more and more evident that such return, recovery, or even advancement may just be too elusive to understand, much less project. Whether through new processes developed, lessons learned, or just new realities observed, there seem to be some new truths emerging as we move forward into recovery. These include:

Larger companies seem to be changing habits, operating policies, strategies within their Supply Chains and operating processes. In other words, they’re questioning everything! Smaller companies seem to be sometimes hurting, sometimes recovering, sometimes still overwhelmed with demand, or sometimes just not sure what to do next.

So, while many things are returning to “as before,” many other things are not – at least they are not getting there quickly. Add to that the Environmental, Supply Chain and even new Relationship challenges that many are experiencing, and we see a business environment that is struggling to hit its stride.

I want to offer some of my thoughts and opinions that I believe have some relevance in this extremely fluid environment. I hope they will prod you to think about some aspects of the recovery that don’t really seem to get a lot of attention.

Our people have been through an awful lot in the last 2.5 years. Now, by “our people,” I mean way more than our employees, our industry peers, etc. I’m talking about families, friends, neighbors, etc. who have been through some type of upheaval over this time period. Have you managed to run into, or contact an old acquaintance only to learn they or someone in their family had been seriously ill, almost died, or

actually were lost to the pandemic? I know I have. Can we not renew our ability to exhibit grace to others, and just give folks the benefit of the doubt? We NEED our people to support our businesses well. But, our people NEED the chance to get re-grounded in the best “them” they can be so that they can then provide the best support they’ve ever provided! For CM&P operators and brand owners, this might mean being crystal clear about how you need to operate to keep all of the stakeholders in mind.

Our business partners have been through an awful lot in the last 2.5 years. “Well, duh, Robby!” you may say.” “We all know and feel this.” I understand that sentiment. The point I’m making is that, as we are coming out of one of the greatest “Black Swan” events most of us have ever experienced in business, context matters! Today, in a recovery that is, at best, slow in coming, it seems to me that we should understand the context and operating environment that other businesses and their people are experiencing. Perhaps we brand owners should treat even routine interactions with the openness and care that we would if making our first contacts with a partner. Perhaps CM&P providers should create a clear link of open communication about what has gotten better, and what has not. Don’t we treat initial contacts and conversations with partners as a chance to be in a learning mode, not just a “get business done” mode? Why wouldn’t we take that approach to our current conversations and interactions?

After all, it has been a tough couple of years, right? CM+P

Robby Martin is Sr. Packaging Engineer for Bush Brothers & Company

OpX Releases Valuable Work Products in Machinery and Diversity

The OpX Leadership Network (OpX), a community of manufacturing and engi neering professionals dedicated to opera tional excellence, held its semi-annual Executive Council Meeting during PACK EXPO International in Chicago, Oct. 23-26.

THe Executive Council discussed indus try pain points and how to address them. CM/CPs face many issues identified by the Executive Council, such as supply chain shortages and lengthy lead times and skilled labor scarcity.

At PACK EXPO, OpX announced the re leases of new and updated work products: ❚ The new “Connect, Share, Inspire: Voices of Women in Packaging and Process ing” work product, completed with CPG and OEM insight, identifies key business skills needed to succeed in today’s

manufacturing leadership roles, regard less of gender.

❚ The updated Factory Acceptance Tests (FAT) work product with a virtual FAT (vFAT) addendum, provides best prac tices on designing and executing FATs. OpX also plans to develop or update work products related to a need for more information on topics related to technol ogy and sustainability:

❚ The Industry 4.0 roadmap: OpX is bringing in suppliers of Industry 4.0 solutions to provide understanding of what companies should be aware of and how to implement Industry 4.0 in their facilities.

❚ The Journey to Sustainability Excel lence is undergoing significant updates to align with current ESG goals and

provide detailed options to address each ESG category.

The pressure created by COVID-19 showed the need to revise additional work products:

❚ Remote Equipment Access: best prac tices for project safety and minimizing cybersecurity risks when accessing installed manufacturing equipment.

❚ Workforce Engagement: best practices and guidance for workforce retention, especially of skilled labor.

All OpX work products are free for download at www.opxleadershipnet work.org

To get involved in developing best practices and solutions for the industry, contact Bryan Griffen, senior director of industry services, at bgriffen@pmmi.org.

▲

Doing Its Part for the Environment

CTI runs on solar, focuses on recycling, offers complete program management, which can further a brand or CPG’s sustainability goals, and provides services such as compostable packaging.

By MELISSA GRIFFEN, Editor

Combined Technologies Inc. (CTI) is a small to midsize business (SMB) with its eye on sustainability. The CM+P packager offers value-added services that include developing sustainable packaging that meets its customers’ needs while provid ing personal service for better program management quality.

Based in Bristol, Ind., this CM+P pack ager uses scales, counters, check weigh ers, metal detectors, bottling machines, vertical and horizontal form, fill, and seal; sleeve/band applicators with radiant heat and steam tunnels, and cartoners to pro vide packaging services to customers.

As a packager for the vitamin, nutra

ceutical, and confectionery industries, CTI must uphold cleanroom standards and food safety requirements. The CM+P packager has five enclosed rooms apply ing positive air pressure to ensure each remains free of unwanted dust and other particles. Upon entering the facility, each employee dawns personal protective equipment (PPE) and cleans their shoes on a semi-automatic cleaning mat. An additional room is reserved for manual machine washdown.

If not sustainable packaging then a sustainable facility

CTI believes it is important for contact manufacturers and packagers (CM/CPs) to contribute to the wellness of our planet as

much as is within their power and never take their foot off the pedal.

Most CM/CPs have very little say in the sourcing of ingredients and packag ing materials, especially when working with an established brand or consumer packaged goods company (CPG) that has restrictive specifications. This makes sus tainability goals challenging to achieve in the traditional sense.

However, CTI has turned to what it can control: the sustainable features of its facility. Now, with 480 solar panels on the roof, CTI supplies 60% of its power from the sun and plans to reach 100% when the shortage in the solar supply chain allows.

“Our corporate objective is to eliminate waste wherever possible, or recycle it

The CTI plant is powered 60% by solar.

from the plant,” says Jerry Thompson, president at CTI. “And we would love to get to that plant zero waste. That’s always our goal and we’ll get there — even if it takes baby steps.”

Solar Edge, CTI’s solar power inverter, tracks the production of energy and its impact on the environment. According to Solar Edge, CTI has saved 882,829.1 lb of CO2 emissions—the equivalent of plant ing 6,671 trees—this month alone through its solar energy production. CTI is also encouraging other companies to make the switch to clean energy.

Develop sustainable packaging offerings

Beyond solar and CTI’s recycling ef forts in plastic, paper, and aluminum, the CM+P packager offers value-added CM+P services that allow its customers to bring either a concept or a food product, for which the company will then develop a packaging solution, offering guidance from inception to completion. Services include sourcing of materials and linings, graphic design, and regulatory aspects such as child resistant packaging.

CTI sources and manages the design of the packaging and procurement of mate rials, manages inventory, and organizes processes and reporting. The program management service extends to brands and CPGs who already have set graphic design, packaging design, and suppliers. Thompson said CTI prefers working that way as it is an additional motivator to avoid waste.

“It helps us be more responsible as well [on the sustainability front], because if we bought it, we’re going to try not to be wasteful with those materials,” he said.

Customer service first

Along with each project or service CTI provides, one to three employees are as signed per customer to ensure the CM+P packager stays aware of its customer’s needs.

“We don’t want to let anything go to voicemail, or emails and things of that nature,” says Thompson. “We strive to make it personal. You can’t always

▲ Jerry Thompson, president at CTI and Dave Sult, plant manager.

▲ CTI showcases its new compostable packets at PACK EXPO International.

nature,” says Thompson. “We strive to make it personal. You can’t always interpret everything from a text, instant message, or a quick email.”

This approach comes with an added benefit, he says. When several team members are involved on customer calls, the group can provide each other with feedback to determine the main concerns of the customer.

CTI is developing a 100% disposable, water soluble packaging solution with one of its customers, an emerging packaging material company. The packaging has a very minimal barrier, which means many things need to be considered, such as the kind of product that could go inside the packaging—food, cleaning products, on-the-go products, or vitamins—and on which machines the packaging could run on successfully.

CTI is helping the company research machine compatibility and potential uses of the water soluble packaging as ▲ Solar

Edge power inverter control solar production at CTI

well, considering the properties of the packaging that will be entering the waste stream.

“Is this something that you could take and use under water, with water, without water, etc.? How will it work on the ma chinery? What if they have to change the DNA of the product? These are things to consider and test,” says Thompson. “With a focus on the future, we are working towards more compostable packages for our pouching machines as well as water soluble solutions that will benefit future generations.”

Combined Technologies Inc.

Headquarters: 70,000 sq ft facility in Bristol, Ind.

Employees: 83

Main industries served: Health & Wellness: Nutraceutical and confec tionery

Types of products handled:

Vitamins/nutraceuticals and candy of various formats, including gummy, tablet, capsule, jelly bean, and chocolates, into rigid and flex ible containers

Snack superfoods

Powder packaging

Secondary packaging such as repack, displays, and other promo tional vehicles.

Packaging services offered: Bottling Pouching

Travel/sample packs

Re-packing

Additional services offered: CTI of fers complete program management from sourcing and managing design and procurement of all materials, as well as traditional toll services and other options in between.

Certifications provided: Safe Quality Food (SQF) compliant ANSI 455, 21CFR111

QAI/NSF Organic, Kosher, Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) compliant.

Compostable packaging for the future

End-of-life of packaging is a growing concern among customers and manufac turers alike and compostable is an upand-coming solution in the United States.

Many companies have been trying to develop compostable products, but prog ress into the market has been slow.

“We have a current customer who has a new product to bring to market and we have started the testing phase. We

are very excited to show it to all custom ers and ask them, ‘Instead of X, have you thought of using a compostable material and marketing it to call out that your con sumers can put this in their compost bin after they’re done,’” says Thompson.

CTI launched its new compostable offering in October at the PACK EXPO International show 2022 at the McCor mick Place convention center in Chicago. The packets are available in two different samples—one that is biodegradable and

FROM COFFEE TO PROTEIN POWDER,

if you make it, Spee-Dee ® augers can fill it.

the other compostable. The oxygen and moisture barriers in the packages are highly efficient so products don’t risk becoming stale or changing texture. Uses range from bottle replacement to travel and sample packs. All three samples are ASTM 6400 certified.

Compostable materials do cost more than regular packaging, Thompson says, but CTI seeks innovation that can be used to decrease the price. Consumers are also proving more willing to invest in sustain able practices for future generations.

As the packaging is white, it may not be preferable for some graphic brand ing, but Thompson compared its current state to the early versions of the electric car. When first invented, it was unpopular and the idea was cast aside until Tesla and others came out with their own ver sion which skyrocketed the electric car to popularity.

“While composting your used packag ing materials may not be top of mind now, it may become the next large step in reducing environmental waste,” says Thompson.

CPA membership

Combined Technologies Inc. is a member of The Contract Packaging As sociation (CPA) and uses its membership for networking among fellow CP/CMs. Those kinds of learning opportunities are helpful in approaching the challenges faced by the industry as well as emerg ing opportunities that CM/CPs can take advantage of, such as software platforms and machines.

Spee-Dee will help find the right solution even for new formulations like plant-based protein powders, sugar substitutes and gluten-free fl ours. Our fillers easily integrate with all formats of bag makers, conveyor lines and cup and tray equipment. Optional vacuum tooling eliminates product drip for clean seals with all packaging types.

“You can learn a lot by attending the annual meetings and webinars. You have these companies of all sizes but everyone struggles with the same problems with valuable insights to offer,” says Thomp son.

For more information on becoming a CPA member, visit: www. contractpackaging.org. CM+P

Preparing for Change

Bosch Rexroth offers insight on the benefits for contract manufacturers and packagers in adopting automation within their facilities, such as quick changeovers, combatting labor and supply chain issues, and providing increased overall flexibility on their lines.

By Melissa Griffen, Editor

Labor scarcity and the probability of recession mean that companies, including contract manufacturers and packagers (CM/CPs) should invest in automation, said Patrick Luce, economist for ITR Economics , at the Foundation for Supply Chain Solutions (F4SS) conference held this October in Las Vegas. With that insight in mind, we spoke to Sean Spees, market segment manager of consumer packaged goods at engineering firm Bosch Rexroth, to discuss the potential value of automation for CM/CPs.

Melissa Griffen: Why would CM/CPs want more flexibility in their lines, con sidering they seem to already have what they need?

Sean Spees: Customer demands and buying patterns—such as e-commerce, direct-to-consumer, or bulk purchasing versus in-store buying—change day by day. SKU’s are increasing daily by size and quantity. Changeovers are critical not only to meet SKU demand changes, but also to reduce downtime and increase vertical startup.

Ultimate flexibility with material handling solutions and controls are at the forefront for success, which is something

CM/CPs lack even though they have the machinery in place to produce certain products. With contract manufacturers, an investment has to make sense from flex ibility/changeover, controls, and material handling standpoints.

MG: Is there any particular technology that would be a good starting point for CM/CPs specifically that will increase and improve flexibility?

SS: From my experience, it would be collaborative robotics and conveyors. The larger end user customers are entrusting these co-packers and co-mans to get their products out the door. They need to have the labor to do it and most packaging processes that I’ve seen have been heavily manual. However, look at the robotic side, especially with what these collaborative robots are doing. For instance, Kassow, who Rexroth just acquired, has a 7-axis robot, which means it can do several different types of pick and place type ap plications and palletizing. It almost mim ics a human being when you start looking at what these can do from a functionality standpoint.

Collaborative robotics are a huge item now within consumer package goods, and the same with contract manufacturing where you can safely work next to these

robots. They can be task-oriented where they can pick and place items either into a package or they can do assembly.

Downstream, they can also be used for palletizing where you don’t have an individual maybe picking up a lighter case over and over again which is awful for ergonomics, one, and safety, two. The last thing that a customer needs is a work man’s comp claim and so forth which is very costly. These cobots are not neces sarily a replacement of labor, it’s more a redirection of labor, so these folks can do other things in the plant to make it more

▲ Sean Spees, market segment manager of consumer packaged goods at engineer ing firm Bosch Rexroth

Automation

BAGS IN LIQUIDS

VERTICAL FORM FILL SEAL MACHINES BY

GENERAL

productive.

MG: What effect do cobots and con veyors have on downtime and change overs?

SS: Let’s start with downtime. Cobots don’t call in sick, they don’t take lunch. They’re very easy to program, simple, and they can work long hours or even in a “lights out” environment. So you can get more uptime for that. Along with collaborative robots, you’ve also got autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) or automated guided vehicles (AGVs) that can transport product throughout a plant environment vs. having somebody walk around.

For changeovers, a lot of that’s going to be based on individual OEMs. For instance, being able to change the guide rails on a conveyor easily. In this ex ample, plastic chain conveyors provide modularity and flexibility. These can be configured in various formats such as incline/decline or custom wedges for overhead transport that will create more floorspace in the manufacturing environment and provide easy changeover for various SKUs to quickly change out for different product demands.

▲ Cobots are task-oriented, mimic human motion, can work during “light out,” and are safe for operators to work alongside.

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While it can be done manually, there is also a demand for auto changeover on the machine. I’ve seen them in high speed cartoners in the cereal world, where when they change over from a 12-ounce to a 7-ounce type carton, the operator goes up, pushes a button, and 80 to 90% of the machine changes itself over through these servo and step per motor products. There’s still some manual adjustment, but if you’re able to recuperate time, which is the most valuable asset for production, by gain ing 15 to 30 minutes a shift by doing auto changeover, that’s great. The same applies to vertical start-up.

MG: How would you see artificial intelligence and/or predictive mainte nance being useful for CM/CPs?

SS: When you look at demand of vendors and other OEMs out in the field, including CM/CPs, it all comes back to, “How do I keep my lines running?”

The predictive maintenance side of

it is crucial because you can get the feedback through the control system on machines that can say, “Hey, listen, you are X amount of cycles or days or hours away from failure.” If a motor or drive goes down and you knew ahead of time to have that in stock, it’s a fairly simple change-out and you’re back in produc tion vs. being down for a couple days or weeks waiting for either a technician or a part. The predictive maintenance AI part of it is a crucial piece from the controls perspective.

MG: What all would be involved for CM/CPs trying to apply predictive main tenance to their machines?

SS: It depends upon the communica tion platform and the controls platform

Automation

within these machines, as well as the level of security, as the end-user gets to choose where their information goes. There are certain platforms that are very rigid where they can’t perform these actions, or they’re using older technologies. It helps to have a more open ecosystem-type platform that is app-based with cloud functionality, where you can go through an iPad or other device, download apps that are critical to your production, and com municate with the machines. It’s not through plugging a laptop into a PLC and then trying to navigate through different code or different logic. It’s very simple and upfront and open.

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time to do—and definitely some patience and there’s a little bit of learning involved, but once they see the benefits of it, then it’ll be all worth the investment.

MG: What difficulties could CM&Ps run into when making the switch?

SS: There is a hardware factor. You either remove and/or replace different controls platforms with different comput ers, logic platforms, sometimes different motors, depending on how the system is set up.

You also have the software fac tor of learning something new. A lot of manufacturers are afraid of what they don’t know. The six worst words in manufacturing are, “We’ve always done it this way.” That culture has to change and adapt to moving into the future. There is a learning curve involved in this. When you look at certain controls platforms that are out there, they aren’t even teaching them anymore. They’re not obsolete, but very outdated. We’re in a situation now where a certain generation of folks have been used to certain types of platforms, and they’ve got to learn to make that change too.

It’s a crawl before we run. It’s slowly but surely evolving into what the future of technology and factory of the future is going to be.

MG: We talked about how the cobots can help alleviate labor retention issues. What other technologies can help with that and the supply chain issues that have continued to be highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic?

SS: As far as COVID goes, while we’re not out of it yet, we are closer to normal manufacturing-type processes. But labor is always going to be an issue. From a turnover standpoint, it takes a lot of training time and money to bring new people on board and get them acclimat ed, and by the time you do that, they’re leaving already. Robots are one thing, but easier operation through an open platform and easier-to-use technologies overall help as well.

How easy is it for operators to change over a machine? Do they have to turn wrenches to do it, or can they push a button? We want things easier. We want things convenient. We want things right now. So we have to work towards more of that convenience for these operators. Whether it’s eliminating unsafe or uner gonomic tasks, easier changeovers, more flexibility in the types of machinery that they work with, just being less rigid as far as overall technology. Anything that we can do to help these operators to enjoy their day better, those are going to be those types of technologies. CM+P

Build

Relationships to Create a Resilient

By Melissa Griffen, Editor

COVID-19 highlighted just how fragile the supply chain can be, but CM+P manufacturers and packagers (CM/CPs) can use predictive analytics to make their supply chain more resilient and gain an advantage over competitors.

This is according to Lesley Hume, director of digital business at Everstream Analytics , a software-as-a-service (SaaSbased) solution provider, at the Founda tion for Supply Chain Solutions (F4SS)

conference, held in October in Las Vegas.

Hume said CM/CPs should have a plan in place to mitigate challenges, such as shortages upstream affecting their sup pliers. This begins with digitizing data collection so it can be entered into a pre dictive model. Adding supply chain risks to that predictive model, and then sharing the generated insights with customers and suppliers, allows them to plan for potential challenges and possibly lessen their impact.

According to Hume, this method of

supply chain risk mitigation requires identifying challenges all the way back to the raw materials supplier. In other words, a CM/CP must get greater visibility into its supply chain to better see the current and future disruptions. Such disruptions could include things like inclement weather, social turmoil and cybersecurity deficien cies.

She further explained that it’s essential to identify and plan for risks in you areas of the supply chain: planning, sourcing, making and delivering.

CM/CPs

Credit: Gettyimages

“If you can incorporate little bits of risk into each of those supply chain cat egories, you can improve your overall agility, operational efficiency, and hope fully gain some better output with your customer,” said Hume.

She made the following suggestions to start:

Gain real-time incident data from whatever source you can and automate the integration of it into your data. “With AI and machine learning you can start to gain insights specific to the role of your business,” said Hume.

• Visualize your network by look ing at suppliers, warehouses, lanes and ports you use. This simple mapping process can yield beneficial insights.

• Have a source other than the

news about supply chain risk.

• Integrate the data or risk signals you gather into your system to estimate on-time deliveries to customers and production scheduling.

Communication at the heart of successful supply chains

The information a company gathers is only as good as its communication with other participants in its supply chain, however. Hank Canitz, vice president of industry strategy and chief evangelist at Nulogy, a supply chain software company, said supply chains should be viewed more as ecosystems that “revolve” around a consumer packaged goods company (CPG). CM/CPs are one part of this ecosystem, which relies

▲ CM/CP panel left to right: Carl Melville (The Melville Group), Paul Whitaker (Wixon), Steve Sena (Truvant), Johnny Ferry (Honeyville).

on a community of partners working together, combining their capabilities, knowledge, and understanding of the business to generate value for all par ticipants, according to Canitz.

“You can’t rely on plans alone. Yes, we all want good forecasts, but plans only get you to the beginning. You need visibility to sense and respond quicker,” said Canitz. He explained that speed is key to identify, plan, and react to chal lenges in supply chain.

Building a software platform with supply chain visibility allows CM/CPs to switch from paper to digital logging, which increases efficiencies in infor mation sharing and is a surer way to collect and keep data.

The highest value to all members of the supply chain ecosystem is found in sharing detailed operational informa tion on a near real-time basis, not just the high-level information. The seem ingly insignificant details can give early indication of order status and material availability.

“You put the data into the system and get back actionable information,” said Canitz.

How to build successful brandCM/CP relationships

Effective communication mitigates supply chain issues, but it also strength ens relationships between CM/CPs and CPG customers. Carl Melville, managing partner at The Melville Group, listed six traits of highly effective and successful relationships:

Operational transparency

Functional alignment and commu nication between the various teams in both companies

Complementary capabilities

Structural collaboration across com pany structures

Packaging optimization by CPGs find ing the co-man or co-packer early on in the process

Strategic outcome alignment at the enterprise facility levels

More brands are also demanding CM/CPs increase their efforts to be

environmentally friendly. But sustain ability is either cost-neutral or it is an investment for CM/CPs, requiring CPGs to help push goals forward, according to Melville. For example, General Mills sponsors its CM/CPs and suppliers to participate in the Supplier Leadership on Climate Transition Program (SLoCT) that educates and trains suppliers in how to collect essential data to advance sustainability goals. For more informa tion, read the full article on General Mills’ sustainability initiatives: http:// pwgo.to/generalmills.

Relationships focused on innovation

Another demand CPGs are making of their CM/CPs is to cut speed to market. “I asked brands how they view the inno vation that CMs bring and the number one result was process innovation—how they could do better what the brands are doing and what methods could they share. Second was product innovation,” said Melville. He also said that one of his clients is meeting the challenge by growing its innovation team from four to 40 employees, something he said was previously unheard of in the industry.

During a panel of CM/CPs led by Melville, Paul Whitaker, director of con sumer products at Wixon, an industrial seasoning and flavor custom CM+P manufacturer, said innovation at his company is focused on taking on new or difficult tasks in a shorter time frame.

Another panelist, Steve Sena, vice president of business development CM/ CP Truvant, said his company had to innovate to keep costs down for its cus tomers. Material costs have been rising due to recent supply chain issues, which normally means a CM/CP will increase cost for its customers, but Truvant aims to keep costs consistent for its custom ers in spite of these changes.

Among these innovations to solve challenges, all panelists agreed that communicating clearly the difficulties encountered to the CPG customers is essential. “There has to be dialogue. It can’t be a transaction,” said Sena. “The

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best relationship between brands and CM/CPs is one where you’re both in the same boat, you both care for each other’s business, and you both profit from the relationship. That requires—for lack of a better term—intimacy.”

Renegotiating CM+Ps annually can be tense, creates more busy work for both companies, and wastes valuable time. “But if you have a three-, five-, seven-year CM+P you can create a longer relation ship. You know you’re in bed together for a

long time, so you’re much better caretak ers of that relationship,” said Sena.

That insight was backed up by a later F4SS CPG panel that revealed brand owners are also noticing the value of stronger relationships with their CM/CP partners and are moving towards longer CM+P periods. Some CM+Ps are as long as five years a length of time once unheard of.

Incline, belt and bucket conveyors

Filling and multihead weighing

Bagmaking and casepacking

Checkweighing and seal checking

Helping

you bring your best products to market.

Delivering Results. With Heat and Control, you have a partner with the scale to support your success, the innovation to advance your operations, and a commitment to quality that will help you offer better products for consumers.

We are successful when you are successful. That’s why we apply creativity, engineering excellence, and determined perseverance to every project to help our customers get the performance their business demands—whether measured by flavor, efficiencies, sustainability, improvement, or innovation.

Foreign object and defect inspection • Controls and information systems info@heatandcontrol.com | heatandcontrol.com

Tips

from

CM/CPs moving forward

Q : What are best practices for CM/CPs in working with CPGs?

Steve Sena, vice president of busi ness development at CM/CP Truvant, suggested stronger functional alignment by getting both companies’ product de velopment and quality assurance teams together to manage innovation. On the executive side, he advised that both par ties get their teams together for forecast ing meetings and integrated supply chain planning as well.

Q: How big do you allow your biggest customer to get?

According to Sena, one way to manage large customers is not letting them reach 50% of your total revenue stream. Letting one customer take up too much of your business is a detriment. Johnny Ferry, vice president of business development at Honeyville, a food ingredient CM+P manufacturer, said another option is to grow the rest of your business alongside the customer, rather than restrain one customer who has grown exponentially.

Q: How do you attract and retain labor?

Paul Whitaker, director of consumer products at custom CM+P manufacturer Wixon, explained that his company had to innovate in the way it recruits. His company is also seeking to leverage au tomation. Honeyville meets periodically with every one of its divisions, sharing sales and business data, and explains how each individual contributed to the company’s success. This has helped them retain employees, Ferry said. CM+P

CPA Success in Alignment, at Shows, and Virtual Agenda Launched

The Contract Packaging Association (CPA) has had a busy summer and fall building its network of related associations to expand its member benefit offering.

CPA joined the Chicagoland Food & Beverage Network, which represents the second-largest food and beverage indus try market in the nation, providing networking and education al opportunities to CPA members in and out of the region. CPA has also branched into the self-care industry by joining the Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA). CHPA rep resents manufacturers and the companies that service them in over-the-counter (OTC) medicines, dietary supplements, and consumer medical devices, and CPA members will gain access to their industry-focused educational sessions and events.

CPA continues to be out on the road representing the con tract packaging and manufacturing industry and its members. CPA attended the PMMI Road Show in July; New Products Conference and Natural Products Expo East, both in Septem ber; and F4SS Fall Connect and PACK EXPO International in October. The CPA booth was well attended, and the association looks forward to continuing to represent the industry with a

busy 2023 tradeshow schedule.

After successfully hosting another informative and timely webinar on Robots-as-a-Service in August, CPA launched the agenda of this year’s Virtual Experience event, consisting of three online events that will take place from November 2022 – January 2023, leading up to CPA’s in-person event, ENGAGE. The sessions planned are:

• A CP/CM panel on the developing labor and automation paradigm,

• The “Future of Packaging” presentation,

• And a CPG panel discussion on shaping the future supply chain with external manufacturing.

Finally, CPA looks forward to seeing even more of its members in person at the upcoming CPA ENGAGE—The Contract Packaging and Manufacturing Experience event in San Antonio, TX from February 21-23, 2023. Last year’s event had over 200 attendees and the association expects even more in 2023. Come learn from and network at the event and enjoy San Antonio’s beautiful Riverwalk.

CONTRACT Manufacturing + Packaging magazine is the official publication of the CPA, The Association for Contract Packagers and Manufacturers. The association provides business development support, industry education, networking opportunities, and industry intelligence for contract packagers and contract manufacturers. This section of the magazine is dedicated to sharing how CPA members can leverage their membership to propel their business and empower operations. For more information on becoming a CPA member and to gain access to industry expertise, best practices, and support, visit: contractpackaging.org

Do-It Corporation

1201 Blue Star Hwy P.O. Box 592 South Haven, MI 49090

Phone: 269-637-1112

www.do-it.com

Email: sales@do-it.com

For almost 50 years Do-It Corporation has been designing and making hang tabs for the packaging and merchandising display industries. Do-It also manufacturers merchandising display strips, printed hang tabs, carry handles, on-product instantly redeemable coupons (IRCs), shelf wobblers, and promotional bottle neck hang tabs. All Do-It products are designed to get your products noticed in the retail environment and increase sales. Do-It Corporation is a certified Walmart Impulse Strip Supplier.

Do-It Hang Tabs can be provided in clear plastic or can be printed. All products can be produced in several plastic and adhesive choices, depending on the performance requirement and customer preference. Do-It Products are safe and FDA approved for non-food contact.

General Packaging Equipment

6048 Westview Dr, Houston, TX 77055

Phone: 713/686/4331

Email: sales@generalpackaging.com

www.generalpackaging.com

Liquids in Bags

General offers a wide range of models made for packaging liquids ranging from free flowing to heavy pastes; from 1 fluid oz. / 30 cc to 3 gallons or 12 liters; and from cool to hot. Our “C” series machines accommodate coextruded and laminated packaging materials; “P” series machines accommodate unsupported polyethylene and water soluble PVA; and “PC” machines run both types.

General machines are running a wide variety of applications including soaps and lotions in bags with dispensing pumps, sterilized water pouches found in survival kits, hot filled beans and sauces, toppings and jams in two-pound bags with seals slanted at 45 degrees, freezer gels, instant cold packs, hot filled abrasive polishing compounds, industrial greases and many more. Pease contact us for information on equipment suited to your needs.

Heat and Control, Inc.

21121 Cabot Boulevard, Hayward, CA 94545

Phone: +1 800 227 5980

www.heatandcontrol.com

Email: info@heatandcontrol.com

Heat and Control®, a world-leading equipment manufacturer, offers the latest technology and the highest quality equipment for packaging, processing, coating and seasoning, conveying, weighing, inspection, and controls/ information systems. Established in 1950, our brands include FastBack® (horizontal motion conveyors and on-machine seasoning), Mastermatic (fryers), and Spray Dynamics® (coating and seasoning application systems), and we partner with other global manufacturing leaders, including Ishida (weighing, packaging and inspection) and CEIA® (metal detection).

Packaging–From tray and container filling to fully automated and integrated Ishida snack food packaging systems, we provide end-of-line solutions, including the industry’s best performing VFFS snack bagmaker, Inspira.

Food Processing–Choose from our vast range of integrated processing solutions including fryers, oil management, ovens, and coating systems.

Seasoning Application–Our comprehensive range of seasoning solutions for on-machine or process area deliver top performance, efficiency, application accuracy, and flavor.

Conveying and Product Handling– We provide a wide variety of conveying and product handling systems to move product through the line efficiently.

Weighing/Combination Scales– Ishida has revolutionized the industry with the ultra-precise computer combination weigher (CCW).

Inspection and Quality Assurance–Protect your consumer and your equipment with detection technology, including Ishida x-ray machines and checkweighers, and CEIA metal detection equipment.

McKernan Packaging Clearing House

P.O. Box 7281 Reno, NV 89510 Phone: 775 356 6111 E mail: Sa les@ McKernan.com www.McKernan.com

Over 64 years ago, McKernan began buying and selling surplus packaging (Best Value), lat er ad ding a c omplete W holesale l ine. T his a llows M cKern an t o o ffer the h ighest q uality pack aging a nd t he lo west m inimums. W i th m il lions o f t hese package c omponents i n s tock, m ost o rders s hip i n le ss t han 4 8 ho u rs. S earch our online inventory at McKernan.com.

BEST V ALUE

McKernan’s B est V alue l ine i ncludes t op q uality, u nbran ded pack ag ing components a t d iscounted p rices. O ur b uyers ne go ti ate t he b est de als, pa ssing on the extra savings to you. New shipments arrive daily. While there is always something new, you may need to move fast as these deals sell out quickly.

SURPLUS SPECIALISTS

McKernan’s PRECYCLE®, or pre-consumer recycling, buys unbranded excess packaging inventory. Plus, we pay the freight to move it out of your warehouse. McKernan i s a n e nvironmentally r esponsible a nd s mart s olution t o s crapping o r traditio nal r ecycling. Visit W eBuyPackaging.com f or m ore.

SU STAINABILITY

McKernan was a pioneer in the green movement with our PRECYCLE® program. Wanting to continue with sustainable packaging, we are proud to introduce a n ew l i n e o f P CR t hat s upersedes t he q uality o f p revious P CR op tions.

THE MCKERNAN EXPERIENCE

Whether buying or selling, when you call McKernan, you will speak with a real person. Call 1-800-787-7587 or 775-356-6111 and the front desk staff will connect you with a sales representative or surplus specialist for further assistance.

Nercon Conveyor Systems

600 S. Commercial St | Neenah, WI | 54956

Phone: 844-293-2814

Email: sanklam@nercon.com

www.nerconconveyors.com

Need to move a product up or down, side-to-side, accumulate, rotate, or turn it? Maybe need a quick changeover system or to maximize space on a production floor. Nercon is a conveyor systems manufacturer, providing solutions to consumer packaged goods for snack, pet food, cheese, and candy industries since 1976.

Our ProCore® brand serves a unique purpose in the Nercon conveyor product line. Developed by highly skilled engineers over countless hours of analysis and testing, ProCore® conveyors skip the costly start-up of a custom process and begin with a core of proven equipment making projects more cost-effective and turnaround time faster. The ProCore® conveyor family maximizes performance and minimizes downtime. Conveyor designs range from MatTop, belt, and TableTop, moving a variety of packaging.

Built to maximize productivity, HydroCore® is Nercon’s sanitary and washdown conveyor system designed to withstand rigorous sanitation practices and daily hygienic procedures. HydroCore’s® hygienic designs disassemble, washdown, sanitize, and reassemble easily. Our uniquely innovative sanitary design is known for its versatility and durability, adding value across all product operations.

As an industry leader in conveyor systems and equipment, we are proud of the advanced technology and unparalleled quality our customers can count on. Contact us at (844) 293-2814 or www.nerconveyors.com to partner on your next project.

Simplex Filler Company

640 Airpark Rd #A, Napa, CA 94558

Phone: 707.265.6801

www.simplexfiller.com

Email: Simplex@simplexfiller.com

For over fifty years Simplex Filler has been designing and manufacturing filling equipment to handle liquid products from water thin to highly viscous for our clients worldwide. With only six product contact parts, our in-line Volumetric Piston Fillers combine speed and accuracy with quick change-over and cleaning to meet the ever-increasing demand in the industry for quality control and reduced downtime. We specialize in building customer specific machines, without the extra expense of numerous change-parts or long set up time, which are required on most rotary machines.

Our machines are heavy-duty, quality-built, production machines made to operate around the clock for years.

Simplex offers machines from our table-top, semi-automatic, single-head piston fillers to fully automatic, twelve-head, in-line piston fillers. Our machines are designed around the customer’s containers and products to provide a machine that will be capable of meeting all of their requirements for a liquid filling machine.

If you are just starting out or expanding your current production needs, we can help determine which machine is right for your business. Visit our website at www.simplexfiller.com, send us an email at simplex@ simplexfiller.com or give us a call at 707-265-6801.

Span Tech Conveyors

101

www.spantechconveyors.com

Since founded, our goal has been to “build the very best conveyor systems we are capable of.” Today, the results of that goal show. Renowned for durably designed plastic chain conveyors and industry-leading innovation in material handling, Span Tech is recognized as a global leader in developing unique, customizable technical solutions for processing applications in core industries that include food production, beverage production, manufacturing, packaging, distribution, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and e-commerce.

As Span Tech has evolved, so have our projects. Driven by our customers’ needs, we regularly engineer new solutions through a healthy investment in research and development. Span Tech continually invests in research and development to create innovative solutions to problems. We thrive on making products to improve our client’s business. Unlike others, we are the only company in the plastic chain conveyor industry that manufactures most of its components, thus controlling the quality of the complete product offering.

In short, we are committed to building the best conveyor systems possible. It’s more than a goal – it’s how we do business.

Specialty Equipment

Phone: (833) 467-3432

www.specialtyequipment.com

Since 1969, Specialty Equipment Corporation has positioned itself as the lead manufacturer of American-made packaging systems. Headquartered in Houston, Texas, we have built our reputation on manufacturing high-end packaging machinery and material handling systems including.

- Liquid fillers for Pails, Drums, Totes, and Bottles

- Drum and Pallet Conveyors

- Palletizers

- Solids Fillers for Pails, Drums, and Super Sacks

- IIoT software

Over our 50 years in business, we have developed a full product line of automatic and semi-automatic liquid filling machines and conveyors for industries like; lubricants, sealants, agriculture, chemical, cleaners, coatings, flavors, and food additives manufacturers. The products we fill and convey include; drums, pails, bins, totes, bottles, jugs, pallets, and rubber bales, a customized product.

We continue to provide high-quality packaging systems to fortune 500 companies and have developed an intuitive software to improve the filling operations for companies of all sizes.

Are you interested in learning more? Contact us now.

Spee-Dee Packaging Machinery

1360 Grandview Parkway, Sturtevant, WI 53177

Phone: (877) 375-2121

www.spee-dee.com

FILL WITH CONFIDENCE

Email: info@spee-dee.com

Since 1981, Spee-Dee has earned a reputation for building dependable dry filling systems. Customers trust Spee-Dee to improve efficiency, productivity & profitability.

AUGER FILLERS - Servo technology eliminates time-consuming manual maintenance. Ideal for dry fill applications: ground coffee, powdered drink mixes, baking mixes, sugar, spices, soup bases, protein powders, nutraceuticals & more.

ROTARIES - Fill rigid containers with ease & accuracy. Changeovers are a breeze with patented magnetic funnels & tool-less change parts. Ideal applications: vitamin gummies & powders, nuts & snacks, spices & grated cheese.

PLC-BASED CHECKWEIGHERS - Electro-Magnetic Force Restoration (EMFR) weighing technology is 10x more accurate than strain gauge models. Robust design allows the units to be moved from line to line without damaging load cells. The PLC based controls communicate with your plant network via Ethernet IP.

VOLUMETRIC CUP FILLERS - Quick-change volumetric cups are easily inserted in minutes, cleaning & maintenance are straightforward & user-friendly. Fill particulates as small as salt or as coarse as popped popcorn.

CANNABIS FILLING SYSTEMS - Unique tare/gross weighing system that checks both jar tare & gross weights—all while being easy to clean & help maintain a sanitary environment. Easily integrates with a variety of multihead weighers.

Taisei Lamick USA, Inc.

2416 Estes Ave Elk Grove Village, IL 60007

Email: info@lamick.biz Phone: 847.258.3283

www.taiseilamick.com

Taisei Lamick USA, established in 2011 provides high speed equipment and materials to produce quality liquid pouches. Our advantage maximizes performance and profit for customers by creating a one stop solution for VFFS machinery and flexible film. Revolutionary machine flexibility opens up new opportunity to your production planning and future business potential.

Taisei Lamick Products

Dangan machine : Extremely flexible high-speed liquid pouch machine Dangan film : Specifically optimized for maximum performance on the Dangan machine

Locations Dangan demo room, sales, service and support offices.

• Chicago Head Office 2416 Estes Avenue, Elk Grove Village, IL 60007

• Los Angeles Branch 20775 S. Western Avenue, #103, Torrance, CA 90501

• NJ Branch 145 Industrial Avenue, # N & O, Little Ferry, NJ 07463

Demos for potential customers: Free testing of your products at our one of 3 Dangan Demo Rooms WWW.taiseilamick.com info@lamick.biz 847-258-3283

Texwrap

525 Vossbrink Dr. Washington, MO 63090

Phone: 636.239.7424

www.Texwrap.com

Email: Texwrap@ProMachBuilt.com

The go-to choices for Contract Packagers large and small are Texwrap’s TLS Series L-Sealers, the CSS-2011 & the BVS-914.

Whether the requirement is unitization of bulk packaged products, short term promotional products, or new product test runs, Texwrap shrink packaging equipment is uniquely suited to meet those demands.

Tailored for contract packaging requirements, Texwrap shrink wrappers are robust, durable solutions, with a high degree of flexibility and ease of changeover.

TLS Series L-Sealer

- Most economical shrink-wrapping solution

- Ideal for applications where speeds are slow to moderate

- Versatile wrappers within a defined range of product sizes

CSS-2011 Series Side Sealer

- Utilizes Texwrap Versa Seal (TVS) technology to insure consistent, high quality seals across a wide range of film types and gauges

- Ideal for applications requiring the moderate speed wrapping of packages where a side seal is desired

- Design handles a wide range of products and can be easily changed over between product runs

BVS-914 Series Vertical Sealers

- Wraps products in a vertical position eliminating the need to re-orient products

- Ideal for applications requiring high speed wrapping of products with bottom or top trim seal

- Optional print registration

Associate Members Directory

Advertisers in this issue are in bold face

For in-depth searches on individual members’ capabilities, visit www.CM+Ppackaging.org

Aaron Kendell Packaging Equipment www.aekpack.com

KC Christensen (630) 238-2660

ADCO Manufacturing www.adcomfg.com Mike Alagna (888) 608-5946

Allegiance Staffing www.allegiancestaffing.com Tom Landry (281) 355-9222

Belden Corp. www.belden.com Christopher Noble 847-826-7549

Berlin Packaging www.berlinpackaging.com

Rick Brandt (312) 876-9200

Clysar LLC www.clysar.com Joan Current (563) 259-3265

CMG Plastics www.cmgplastics.com Jens Duerr (908) 310-3735

Delkor Systems, Inc. www.delkorsystems.com Dan Altman (651) 348-6714

Econocorp www.econocorp.com Brooke Kuzmich (781) 986-7500

ePac Flexible Packaging www.epacflexibles.com

Lori Melchior 720-452-2821

esaSolar www.esa-solar.com

Morgan Brawner (407)-232-7440

Frain Group www.frain.com

Chris Frain (630) 889-5750

Frazier & Son www.frazierandson.com Jillian Kniffen (936) 494-4040

Garrido Printing Equipment, Inc. www.garridousa.com Nicolas Garrido (305) 593-9030

Inland Packaging www.inlanedpackaging.com

Kimberly Young (608) 788-5800

Lako Tool & Manufacturing, Inc. www.lakotool.com

John Bialecki (302) 218-1499

LiquiForm Group, LLC www.liquiformgroup.com Ed Seidl (248) 219-7787

LMI Packaging www.lmipackaging.com Megamn Smith Martini Incentives Inc. www.martiniincentives.com Robert llas (951) 232-1213

Massman Automation Designs, LLC. www.massmanllc.com Mark Suchy (320) 554-3611

Matrix Packaging Machinery www.matrixpm.com Marc Wolf (262) 268-8300

Mentpack GmBH www.mentpack.com Koray Kunduraci 00905324227767

Morrison Container Handling Solutions www.morrison-chs.com Dustin Lee (708) 756-6660

Nulogy Corporation www.nulogy.com Sultana Naimi (416) 204-0427

Multi-Pack Solutions www.multipacksolutions.com Keith Wyatt (864) 603-5159

Plastic PackagingTechnologies, LLC www.plaspack.com Jamie Lindberg (913) 596-9076

PMI Kyoto www.pmikyoto.com Branko Vukotic (630) 930-7974

Polipa North America, LLC www.polia.com Yusuf Sahin (727) 578-5000

Polypack, Inc. www.polypack.com Brian McCann (727) 578-5000

Printpack www.printpack.com Scott Mitchell (678) 758-6364

Priority Plastics, Inc. www.priorityplastics.com Steve Eglostein (336) 549-1563

Quad Packaging, Inc. www.quad.com David Phillipes (610) 360-2455

Redzone www.rzsoftware.com John Ponte (305) 908-4479

Roberts PolyPro Inc. www.robertspolypro.com Roy Tetreault (704)944-5360

Ronchi America, LLC. www.ronchipackaging.com Tim Wilson (404) 990-1997

Ropak Manufacturing Company www.ropak.com Chuck Garrett 256-350-4241

Scholle IPN www.scholle.com Ryan Balock (708) 836-3641

Septimatech Group Inc www.septimatech.com Quinn Martin (519)-746-7463

Shorr Packaging www.shorr.com Bill Bonaccorsi (708)-539-7859

Sidel www.sidel.com Robin Daun (856)-816-3299

Spee-Dee Packaging Machinery, Inc. www.spee-dee.com Terri Fountain (262)-886-4402

Taylor Prime Labels & Packaging www.taylor.com Bridget Bregel (855) 833-4143

TEXWRAP Packaging Systems www.texwrap.com David Nettles (770)-883-1271

TNA North America Inc. www.tnasolutions.com Teri Johnson (972) 273-0113

Traco Manufacturing, LLC www.tracopackaging.com Rich Power (801) 225-8040

Tripack LLC www.tripak.net Craig Walker (513) 288-3778

VC999 Packaging Systems www.vc999.com Joshua Wallingford 816-472-8999 Ext. 15

Viking Masek www.vikingmasek.com Jacob Resnickr (920) 259-2153

Visstun www.visstuncups.com Paula Thompson (702) 251-8809

Zacros America, Inc. www.zacrosamerica.com Zacros Customer Service (800) 890-1183

COMPANY/WEBSITE

PAGE COMPANY/WEBSITE PAGE COMPANY/WEBSITE PAGE

DO-IT CORPORATION 2, 20 www.do-it.com

DOMINO AMJET INC 13 www.domino-na.com

FRAIN INDUSTRIES 9 www.fraingroup.com

GENERAL PACKAGING EQUIPMENT 12, 21 www.generalpackaging.com

HEAT AND CONTROL, INC. 18, 22 www.heatandcontrol.com

MCKERNAN PACKAGING CLEARING HOUSE 23 www.McKernan.com

NERCON CONVEYOR SYSTEMS 16, 24 www.companyname.com

PROSYS INNOVATIVE PACKAGING EQUIPMENT CO. 14, 25 www.prosysfil.com

SIMPLEX FILLER 5, 26 www.simplexfiller.com

SPANTECH, LLC IFC, 27 www.spantechconveyors.com

SPECIALTY EQUIPMENT 17, 28 www.specialtyequipment.com

SPEE-DEE PACKAGING MACHINERY 10, 29 www.spee-dee.com

TAISEI LAMICK USA, INC. 30, IBC www.taiseilamick.com

TEXWRAP 31, OBC www.Texwrap.com

UNIFILLER SYSTEMS INC. 8 www.unifiller.com

Contract Packaging is a supplement to Packaging World® (ISSN # 1073-7367, a registered trademark of PMMI, The Association for Packaging and Process ing Technologies. Packaging World® is published monthly by PMMI with its publishing office, PMMI Media Group, located at 401 N. Michigan Avenue, Suite 300, Chicago, IL 60611; 312.222.1010; Fax: 312.222.1310. Periodicals postage paid at Chicago, IL, and additional mailing offices. Copyright 2018 by PMMI. All rights reserved. Materials in this publication must not be reproduced in any form without written permission of the publisher. Applications for a free subscription may be made online at www.packworld.com/subscribe. Paid subscription rates per year are $200 in the U.S., $285 Canada and Mexico by surface mail; $475 Europe, $715 Far East and Australia by air mail. Single copy price in U.S. is $20. To subscribe or manage your subscription to Packaging World, visit Packworld. com/subscribe. Free digital edition available to qualified individuals outside the United States. POSTMASTER; Send address changes to Packaging World®, 401 N. Michigan Avenue, Suite 300, Chicago, IL 60611-3789. PRINTED IN USA by Quad Graphics. The opinions expressed in articles are those of the authors and not necessarily those of PMMI. Comments, questions and letters to the editor are welcome and can be sent to: editors@packworld.com. Mailing List: We make a portion of our mailing list available to reputable firms. If you would prefer that we don’t include your name, please write us at the Chicago, IL address.