PARTNERSHIPS CREATE NEW POSSIBILITIES

kets, Emplex as an OEM of bag sealing equipment focused on distribution growth across North America and further branched into Latin America and the UK. In 2002, two years after Paul Irvine succeeded his father, the late Peter Irvine, as CEO, the acquisition of Damark Packaging happened, adding shrink wrap and bundling systems to the company portfolio. Emplex Systems Inc., was then renamed Plexpack Corp. to encapsulate both Emplex and Damark brands. From that point, further Plexpack innovations ensued, including (but not limited to) the implementation of lean workflows, automated bagging system, an IP66 washdown machine, and development of the first gas flush and vacuum system for pouch and bag-in-box applications. In 2017, Plexpack introduced a third brand, VacPack, as its line of modified atmosphere vacuum and gas flush packaging systems.

In 2019, Plexpack incorporated in the U.S., and in 2020 it opened a small regional sales office in Southern California.

In January of 2021, under Hunt’s leadership, Plexpack relocated and opened a new, larger capacity office and warehouse in Carson, Calif. to serve customers and partners in the U.S. and western Canada. Jackie Irvine was named Manager of Sales, West and heads this facility which is used as a sales demonstration center for customers and distributors. It also holds some inventory and services as a service hub and provisioning center.

“As a company with a broad customer base across North America, it was an essential step for Plexpack to have exposure and accessibility on both the west and east coasts. Hunt says. “With a Canadian HQ in Toronto and a U.S. based corporation in California, we have set the framework for both locally made equipment while offering more accessible provision of sales consultations, demonstrations, technical service, and simplified transport of equipment to our customers.”

According to Hunt, cross border complexities came to light during COVID-19, specifically as it related to the movement of personnel across borders. Barriers to entry during the pandemic had the potential to disrupt service delivery. However, having the companies in Canada and the U.S. mitigated the problem while providing a foundation for more organic development in the states including hiring employees in sales and service, preparing for further developments in warehousing and new manufacturing capabilities, and supporting distributor and reseller relationships.

The Plexpack people

Hunt says that it is important to be part of their communities, whether locally, within the industry, or across key markets, and she emphasizes that investment in people is key.

“We have employees who have been with Plexpack for over 35 years. We are proudly a diverse, friendly, and supportive group, and we thrive in an environment of accountability and flexibility. We support education, training, and development, and engage our people as part of the entire team.”

In the past six months, Hunt has doubled the engineering team. And she recently hired a field service technician based in California who she found on a job site for former military personnel.

To that end, beyond reaching out to local universities and colleges to find people in mechatronics programs, Plexpack actively recruits past military personnel. This is mostly due to shortages in engineering and technical talent, but it is also a way to bring a range of personalities onto the team.

According to Hunt, “We try to look beyond direct experience and focus on transferrable and teachable skill sets in people that demonstrate aptitude, motivation, dedication, and interest. This approach has allowed us to bring in great people with diverse perspectives that serve to broaden

our own internal culture and business insights.”

To that end, employee diversity is an important part of Plexpack’s principles, especially since the aim of this medium-sized company with an entrepreneurial spirit is to be highly competitive in the global market. Many of the Plexpack employees are multilingual. “All told we have over 25 languages spoken in the plant and office, with a great staff of people who are more than willing to provide aid in translation with customers or other stakeholders,” Hunt says.

Adrian Hermosillo, Plexpack’s sales manager who recently relocated from Mexico to Toronto, agrees that the cultural diversity is a big part of the company’s competitive advantage. “We hire people from different backgrounds and cultures which makes it easy to sell machines all over the world,” Hermosillo says.

In addition, Hunt is dedicated to being a role model for women in manufacturing to help them understand the opportunities in this industry. Bringing awareness, developing and supporting women in STEM is vital, but there are also many opportunities that exist at various levels and in various functions within manufacturing. As an executive council member of PMMI’s Packaging & Processing Women’s Leadership Network (PPWLN), a member of the Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters (CME) Women in Manufacturing group, as well as a member of the Women Presidents’ Organization (WPO), Hunt is networking out to local technical schools and provincial programs like Skills Ontario, to support the next generation of workers into manufacturing. Hunt is actively participating in a movement that could change what the future workforce looks like. Still, she’s pragmatic about the obstacles that exist for women in manufacturing.

“I’ve spent the majority of my professional life in this traditionally male-dominated industry. The barriers are real, the work is demanding, and the dedication required to succeed is immense. You must have perseverance,” she says. “I spent too many years with a sense of inferiority compared to other leaders of companies in our space. Now, I know I have earned the right to be here and to lead. In industries like ours, women need to own their confidence.”

Under her leadership, gender parity—at least at Plexpack—is becoming a reality. “I am proud to say that Plexpack is on par with gender diversity in the management team, with women in key roles such as VP of Manufacturing Operations, Production Supervisor, Marketing Manager, and West Coast Sales Manager,” Hunt says.

Where to grow next?

Moving forward there are a few things that Hunt is pursuing. First, adding automation, which is key to modernizing equipment across the company brands.

Second, sustainability, which ranges from using biodegradable films with its systems or reducing the company’s own carbon footprint in production processes. Programs are being built out around corporate social responsibility and how to interact with local, global, and industrial communities.

Third, aftermarket services. The “great resignation” brought on by the pandemic impacts customers’ ability to retain maintenance staffs, so they are looking for more technical support from OEMs. The company’s new support website, branded as Plexpack Certain Assist, includes FAQs, an interactive chat, troubleshooting articles, how-to videos for common questions, answers for preventative and general operational maintenance, as well as many ways to reach the Plexpack team. Aftermarket service could also mean delivering machine-as-a-service (MaaS) models, remote management, or other proactive ways to optimize the Plexpack equipment or the entire line, Hunt says.

Expansion is also happening in industry segments.

“An advantage we have is that our machines are modular,” Hermosillo says. “You can buy something now and scale it to something else in the future. We are focusing the next year or so on specializing in industries we want to grow, such as cannabis or coffee. So there will be sales people dedicated to different niches.”

Lessons learned

Just a year into her CEO role, Hunt plans to continue her own education and personal development. “I have always believed that, continued involvement in networking across industry segments is essential in leadership development as it brings a richness to one’s perspectives. I have also learned in this short timeframe the importance of self-care, allowing time for reflection, and not biting off more than you can chew. The real challenge is selecting and focusing on those key outcomes to avoid being overwhelmed and gain real traction.”

From a leadership perspective, Hunt admits that she has a very different style than Irvine. “Paul is a very demonstrative, charismatic leader with strong sales-focus. It has been to my great benefit to have had Paul as my mentor all these years.” Hunt says. “I am highly customer and service focused but tend to approach things from an introspective and analytical angle, where I see my role largely to facilitate and guide our talent group toward attainment of goals, values, and strategy. Personally, I am a driven, tenacious, roll up your sleeves executive who sets high bars for myself and my team.”

To that end, transparency and communication are crucial to her efforts going forward. “I strive to be a thoughtful, collaborative, and an emotionally intelligent listener. And I know that our people are the key to our success,” she says. “I am honored for the opportunity to lead and look forward to an exciting future.”

Easily share this story with your peers:

oemgo.to/Plexpack

New Partnerships Propel OEMs Into Innovation, Differentiation

From optimizing the supply chain to launching lucrative new business models, these OEM, supplier alliances are delivering unique solutions to address critical industry problems.

Natalie Craig, Senior Managing Editor

EVERYTHINGASWEKNOWITISABOUTTOCHANGE. As the industry faces unprecedented labor shortages and supply chain issues, OEMs need to make strategic moves and plans to differentiate their offerings, meet evolving end-user demands, and diversify their business model.

But they don’t need to go the route of innovation alone. Having a strategic partner can help OEMs bridge technology gaps, create new revenue streams, and develop solutions that meet the dire needs of the industry.

At PMMI’s annual Top to Top Summit, where end users and OEMs gathered to discuss the state of the industry and key challenges that lie ahead, the main pain point for everyone in the room was the ability to grow their company amid a labor shortage. And the top priorities for the next 12 months were found to be workforce, automation, productivity, and supply chain, in that order.

Access the full report from PMMI’s Top to Top meeting called Key Challenges for Packaging and Processing Operations by visiting:

oemgo.to/keychallenges

In the report, there was also a large emphasis put on partnerships between OEMs, end users, and technology suppliers. The overall consensus: “OEMs should bring suggestions to the table and be better partners.”

OEM Magazine spoke to OEMs and their strategic partners about how they are teaming up to create lucrative partnerships that move the industry forward while also addresses the key challenges and needs that Top to Top meeting found critical. Here’s what we found.

The digital transformation is happening

The last big technology shift in the packaging machinery space was when OEMs adopted servo technology, according to Mike Wagner, global OEM business manager, Rockwell Automation. And many years later, OEMs are experiencing the next wave of innovation through digitization.

During a presentation at PMMI’s Annual Meeting called “Future Insights Pummeled by the Pandemic,” Jim Carroll, a global futurist and innovation expert, spoke to how digitization will manifest in the coming years.

“As you digitize, the speed of the computer chip now defines the pace of innovation within the industry,” Carroll said. “What happens when an industry becomes a technology industry? What happens when an industry becomes a software industry? The processing power of a computer chip doubles every 18 months while the cost cuts in half and that’s what’s happening with packaging machinery. Your customers are going to demand the latest, greatest capabilities and sophistication.”

The digitization of manufacturing is creating new ways in which equipment is designed, maintained, and operated. It brings manufacturers and the industry one step closer to the Industrial Internet of Things (IoT), which aims to make information and communication between components, equipment, and manufacturers more accessible and seamless.

As OEMs embark on their digital transformation journey—from digitizing their operations to the machinery and equipment they produce—OEMs will need to rely on strategic partners, if not several, Wagner says.

“End users are looking for more insights into the machine, artificial intelligence, and self-diagnosing machines that can readjust themselves and can make improvements on the fly,” Wagner says. “But OEMs don’t have data scien-