OEM Winter 2023 by PMMIMediaGroup

The Faces of Future Leaders

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AI in Manufacturing

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CONTENTS

CONNECT WITH US:

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VOLUME 6 • ISSUE4

DEPARTMENTS

BUS IN ES S IN T ELLIGE NCE

6 State of the Industry

Machine producer strategies to fight inflation and cut component costs. IN D UST RY N EWS

18 Digital Transformation Roadmap

OpX provides a blueprint to start the process. MA RKET IN G IN S IGHTS

20 New Year Strategies

From AI to chatbots, here are the marketing trends to tap into in 2024. SA LES FOCUS

22 Unlocking Sales Success

Best practices to supercharge growth in the new year. T ECHN OLOGY

31 Artificial Intelligence in Manufacturing

An expert explains the benefits in packaging and processing. AS S OCIAT ION N EW S

36 PMMI ProSource

Boost your company’s visibility and build strong connections.

S USTA IN A BILIT Y

FEATURES E M E RG I NG L E ADER S

34 Colgate-Palmolive’s Plan

Learn about the new exhibitor dashboard for PACK EXPO East.

Learn more about these 10 individuals and the reasons they were honored with this award.

WORKFORCE D EVELOPM E NT

N E W M EMBE R P ROFIL E

42 Navigating New Workforce Realities

24 Planar Motor M A N AG EME NT

28 Managing Remote Workers

Four tips for connecting with your next gen team who thrive online.

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EXHIBITOR’S CORN ER

40 New Exhibitor Resource Center

8 On the Rise Winners

Founded in 2016, PMMI’s new member provides magnetically levitated movers with six degrees of freedom.

The CPG’s 2025 Sustainability & Social Impact Strategy is outlined.

A strong labor market calls for new strategies to attract and retain talent.

WOMEN ’S LEA D ERS H I P NE TWO R K

44 An Interview with Manjit Minhas

The “Baroness of Brewing” discusses building a business empire and work-life integration. N EW PROD UCTS

46 OEM Machine Technology

The latest innovations in control and components.

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CON TEN T Stephanie Neil Editor-in-Chief sneil@OEMmagazine.org / 781 378 1652 Sean Riley Senior News Director sriley@pmmi.org / 571 266 4419

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DUST AND DEBRIS

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SU B SCRI PTI ON S

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FOR OPENERS

STEPHANIE NEIL, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

In this issue of OEM magazine, we pay homage to the emerging leaders among us. Now in its sixth year, the annual On the Rise Awards, presented by PMMI and the Emerging Leaders Committee, recognizes 10 young professionals who have demonstrated leadership potential and a commitment to advancing the packaging and processing industry. We wanted to showcase this year’s recipients by giving them some extra space in OEM and on the cover, because strong leadership will be very important to the future generations in manufacturing. Speaking of strong leadership, it is my great honor to be passing editorial management of OEM magazine over to my esteemed colleague, Sean Riley, who will be the new editor-in-chief moving forward. I should be saying I’m passing the reins back to Sean because, as many of you know, he was the original editor of PMMI’s Packaging Machinery Technology magazine for nearly a decade—which evolved into OEM. I’ve been with the magazine for five years now, and it’s time for me to move on. But I leave you in Sean’s capable hands! The good news is, I am staying on with PMMI Media Group (PMG). I’ll be leading our newest brand, called CPG Next, which focuses on driving digital transfor-

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mation in packaged goods manufacturing. You can learn more about it at: cpgnext.com We’ve been seeing many resources surface for CPGs in this area, such as the OpX Leadership Network’s new digital transformation roadmap, which we highlight on page 18, that serves as a blueprint to help manufacturers get started. It’s a much-needed tool, as our own internal research shows that the majority of CPGs have not yet started a digital transformation— but they know they must start soon. I will be covering the technologies and the CPG stories that highlight transformational changes. I’ll also serve as a connector for CPGs to create a confidential community of like-minded professionals. I’m excited to spearhead PMG’s latest initiative, and I look forward to continuing the conversations with machine builders about their own digital transformation journeys. Finally, a heartfelt thank you to all of my OEM friends for working with me these past five years. I’m wishing you all a safe and happy holiday season and a very prosperous 2024.

Stephanie Neil is the Editor-in-Chief of OEM Magazine. She may be reached at sneil@oemmagazine.org or at linkedin. com/in/stephaniesneil.

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BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE – STATE OF THE INDUSTRY

BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE

Machine Producer Strategies to Fight Inflation and Cut Component Costs Packaging machinery suppliers have employed a few notable strategies to minimize risk and cut costs in recent years. Casey Flanagan, Digital Editor, PMMI Media Group

fter supply chain disruptions and other challenges have caused dramatic price increases, packaging machinery producers are finding strategies to fight inflation, according to PMMI Business Intelligence’s “2023 State of the Industry” report. Component prices for packaging machinery manufacturers have been extremely volatile over the past three years, compounded by the fact that most machinery in the packaging sector is custom-built, where price volatility is significant. These factors can make it difficult to provide quotes to customers, which effectively account for the rapidly changing price levels of the materials used in the manufacturing process. The PMMI Business Intelligence team has observed a few strategies by these machine producers that aimed to mitigate inflation and price volatility challenges.

Reducing quote response windows for customers

In the past, customers may have received quotes for projects with a response window of 30 or 60 days. Many vendors elected to shorten these windows in recent years to reduce the risk to their bottom line. In 2022, low-voltage motor vendors passed on three separate price increases to their customers, with a total increase greater than 20%. If a machinery supplier happened to be waiting for a quote acceptance while this increase was initiated, it could significantly impact the profitability of a project.

Negotiating more flexible price agreements

Amid rapidly increasing prices, many machine builders began having more regular meetings with their component and material suppliers to enable greater flexibility in the price they were paying for select components. In times when prices are relatively stable, machine builders will engage in longer-term contracts to lock a price for a component with the assumption that in 12 months, that price will likely be 2-3% higher, in line with inflation.

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As disinflation has begun to occur, the opposite is now taking place. Across the end of 2022 and into 2023, raw material prices have begun dropping dramatically. The expectation is that component costs will follow during the next 12 months. Therefore, many machine builders are looking to re-negotiate more flexible contracts with their suppliers to ensure they are not paying more than the broader market. Throughout 2020 and 2021, companies also utilized payment terms to manage a damaged supply chain. Standard contracts typically structure payments over a period until the machine is ultimately delivered. For example, a contract may ask for a 50/40/10 payment schedule – 50% due at the time of purchase, 40% due at shipping, and 10% due at the date of delivery. As inflationary pressures drove up prices and lead times, smaller firms were stretched for cash. A machine builder selling to an end-user in this position may offer a 30/30/30/10 payment schedule, monthly payments, or open a line of credit. Offering flexibility during volatile times is generally seen as a relationship-strengthening initiative suppliers can engage in with key customers.

Pressuring component suppliers to lower pricing

Over the next 12 months, the cost of producing components needed for packaging machine production is expected to come down. Despite this, component suppliers are likely not going to race to bring their component prices down. Many machine builders, particularly those with strong buying power, are already beginning to demand lower prices on this basis. PMMI Business Intelligence researchers believe this is necessary to maintain acceptable cost levels over the near term, as it is unlikely that component suppliers will announce broad decreases in component pricing as they did with increases in 2021 and 2022. Instead, price levels will come down through negotiation. ■

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PMMI ON THE RISE AWARD WINNERS 2023

EMERGING LEADERS

Meet the 2023 PMMI ON THE RISE AWARD WINNERS Dream big. Take risks. Be creative. Keep trying. Stay positive.

hese are just some of the pathways to success that young professionals in packaging and processing are leveraging to stand out at work. And people are noticing! PMMI has, once again, recognized 10 individuals who are quickly advancing in the industry in its sixth annual PMMI ON THE RISE AWARDS 2023 developed

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by the Emerging Leaders Committee. The winners were honored in October at PMMI’s Annual Meeting in Stone Mountain, Georgia. But there’s a lot to learn about these forward-thinking problem-solvers. So, OEM took some time to get to know these outstanding rising stars. Here are their stories…

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PMMI ON THE RISE AWARD WINNERS 2023

NAVEEN NAGARAJAN

Innovating to Solve Everyday Engineering Challenges HSAUSA is an engineering company that specializes in industrial marking systems, providing a variety of industrial product coding and marking applications. Several years ago, Naveen Nagarajan joined the company and has since held a variety of positions in the engineering design, project management, sales, service, marketing, and human resources departments. Today, he is an industrial engineer at the company—which is the perfect fit given that he has a master’s degree in industrial engineering. In his current role, Nagarajan’s long list of responsibilities include industrial systems integration, machine building, continuous improvement/lean implementation, systems/process design, packaging and printing, industrial machine design with 2D and 3D modeling, machine/system validation, site survey, machine and plant layouts, time study, sales, and service, and more. “A big part of my job is servant leadership for high-performance team building,” Nagarajan said. “And one of the most important aspects of my job is being a subject

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matter expert with expert judgment for industrial packaging, labeling and marking equipment, integrated systems, and processes.” According to his managers and peers, Nagarajan has an eye for innovation by staying on top of industry trends, building relationships, and experimenting and implementing new technology to solve everyday engineering challenges. His dedication has made a positive impact on the organization. Specifically, Nagarajan has increased customer satisfaction and efficiency of the machine manufacturing process by over 80% through the implementation of several new systems he designed. This resulted in a significant reduction in costs while improving productivity. He also developed an internal program for all sales team members to get trained in packaging/inkjet machinery, including how to integrate them into a process in production facilities across the U.S. To that end, Nagarajan built a library of more than 5,000 parts that continues to be a platform for the development of HSAUSA’s core machinery. With all of this experience, Nagarajan is on track to become an engineering project manager and will have his own team of engineers to manage. While the packaging industry was new to him when he started, he quickly got up to speed by interacting with colleagues at all levels, asking questions, and learning. “There is always something to learn from everybody. I believe knowledge is wealth and I also believe in spreading it the best I can.” Having served in the Indian Navy under the 4 (TN) Naval Tech Unit NCC Contingent from 2011 to 2014, Nagarajan is disciplined and focused, which are good attributes to have for the HSAUSA culture emphasizing experimentation and growth in the fast-evolving packaging industry.

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Mentors, too, are an important part of success, said Nagarajan, who was hired as a fresh college grad to work for Dartronics, the parent company of HSAUSA. “I was given excellent mentorship and training by all experienced staff of both companies. But I would like to thank our president, Ken Darrow, for first finding me, next believing in me, and then letting me grow to what I have become today. I would like to take this opportunity to thank him for this opportunity, and I would like to bring to his attention that I am only getting started.”

STACEY HARIMOTO

Persistence Pays Off Stacey Harimoto is not one to sit still. For example, when the start date for her engineering job at FANUC America Corp. was delayed indefinitely due to the pandemic, she took the opportunity to study for the GMAT and apply for MBA degree opportunities. This decision allowed Harimoto to continue building a career path— even when the near future was on hold. Her persistence paid off. Today, she is a senior engineer at the company overseeing warehousing and logistics applications for robots and providing support for sales and customers with their

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PMMI ON THE RISE AWARD WINNERS 2023

applications, whether helping with a simulation prior to a sale or answering questions that come up years down the line. She has now assisted with the sale of over 1,000 robots, from those that pick and pack individual items such as medical pens, to those that palletize products. She also works with the product development team to drive product requirements for the future, as well as creating demonstration cells that are showcased at tradeshows. In the three years that she’s been full-time at FANUC (she interned for three summers prior to that), Harimoto has learned many different sides of the business, from product development to working with the marketing team, as well as with sales to host customers, visit their plants, and maintain customer relationships. “Now I am very comfortable interacting with customers on my own and am often sought out to do so,” Harimoto said. Having close customer relationships has been a pathway to innovation. By speaking with customers about their needs and attending tradeshows to see the market trends and latest developments, Harimoto is able to feed that information back to the development team and upper management to help guide new products and ensure FANUC remains competitive and in line with what customers need. Harimoto recently received a project management certificate and now her sights are set on finishing up her MBA to move toward a management position. “My main piece of advice for others who may be interested in starting a career in packaging or some aspect of the manufacturing industry is to seek opportunities and to take advantage of those presented to you,” she said. “To get where I am today, I cold called FANUC to see if they offered internships since they didn’t recruit at my school. I also attended events

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to network with other people and employers, which then led to an unexpected job opportunity during college. And finally, I would tell someone to follow their passions. If something interests you, let others know and pursue it!” She also notes that she would not be where she is today without supportive people around her and the opportunities that have been provided. “The company culture at FANUC has teamwork and collaboration at its core,” Harimoto said, calling attention to her supportive supervisor, LP Musunur, and her mentor and role model, Jessica Juhasz— another On the Rise Award winner this year. “Seeing someone who is ahead of me on the same path is incredibly helpful and encouraging. She always helps me when I have higher-level questions, and for that, I am forever grateful.”

“I am deeply grateful for the mentorship and opportunities provided by Keith Harman [director of business development], who introduced me to the realm of vision technology and provided invaluable guidance throughout my journey. His mentorship has been a cornerstone of my success in this domain.” – Kyle Seitel, vision engineering manager & coordinator, Norwalt

KYLE SEITEL

Kyle Seitel is Naturally Navigating the Industry with Norwalt Kyle Seitel embarked on a journey with Norwalt at the age of 14, doing the basic tasks of floor sweeping, screw sorting, and cleaning and painting machine frames. He transitioned through various departments, acquiring skills in machine assembly, design engineering, and, eventually, vision programming. Post-graduation, Seitel was entrusted with the responsibility of elevating Norwalt’s vision programming domain—a major milestone. This past year marks a decade with the company that specializes in crafting bespoke assembly machinery catering to the pharmaceutical and consumer product sectors. And Seitel is now the company’s vision engineering manager and coordinator. His role is akin to helming a business within a business, Seitel said, noting that he manages client relations through every stage—from quoting to service arrangements— ensuring their needs are met. He also oversees the daily operations of the vision department, striving to enhance the efficiency and quality

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PMMI ON THE RISE AWARD WINNERS 2023

of in-house vision projects. In parallel, he coordinates marketing initiatives, ranging from social media engagement to website optimization, contributing to Norwalt’s digital presence and client outreach. With all of these ongoing concurrent projects, it’s no surprise that Seitel has been at the center of some big initiatives, including spearheading an integrated digital marketing strategy that led to the successful development and execution of a dynamic LinkedIn campaign and cutting-edge SEO techniques. He also initiated and guided the creation of a product line, the Norwalt Vue, which leverages the power of AI vision technology to provide unparalleled accuracy and efficiency. And he continues to immerse himself in the ever-evolving landscape of vision systems— demonstrating a deep commitment to staying at the forefront of technological advancements by actively pursuing training in the latest 2D, 3D, and AI-based vision systems. The evolution of Norwalt’s Vision Department under Seitel’s stewardship marks a significant step in innovation. “We instituted a vision lab, expediting evaluation processes and fostering a culture of continuous improvement,” Seitel said. “Our collaborative approach, involving cross-functional meetings to streamline machine design and programming, has notably reduced project timelines. Moreover, the development of standard inspection platforms epitomizes our commitment to innovation and efficiency.” While these past few years have been directed toward advancing his career, Seitel does admit that transitioning into a managerial role early on presented a steep learning curve. Initially, the pressure to master every facet of vision technology was overwhelming, he said, but he quickly learned the value of collaborative problem-solving and leveraging the expertise within his team and network. To that end, he

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has a strong support network to keep him on track. “I am deeply grateful for the mentorship and opportunities provided by Keith Harman [director of business development], who introduced me to the realm of vision technology and provided invaluable guidance throughout my journey. His mentorship has been a cornerstone of my success in this domain. Similarly, I cannot overlook the dedication and expertise of my vision team, whose collective efforts have significantly eased the process of leading the department to achieve our goals,” he said. Outside the professional sphere, Seitel credits his girlfriend Sophia “for her unwavering support and understanding that have been a source of immense strength, enabling me to focus and excel in my endeavors at Norwalt.”

ALEX TORDA

Torda Takes Sales Strategy Up a Notch Despite not having a background in the packaging industry prior to joining Accraply, a Barry-Wehmiller Company, Alex Torda stepped into the role of regional sales executive like a seasoned pro.

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According to Bruce Larson, Barry-Wehmiller’s director of business development, Torda took over a historically low-revenue territory for Accraply and, over the last two years, has helped drive revenue to new levels. In 2022, his territory saw a growth of 35% year-overyear revenue, in large part due to sales from customers who have not previously purchased equipment through Accraply. And he won the Chairman’s Club Award for fiscal year 2022. Accraply is one of the BW Labeling brands that provides pressuresensitive and roll-fed labeling systems. Torda, who sold medical devices to eye doctors for eight years prior to joining the company three years ago, had to roll up his sleeves to learn the products quickly in order to do his job effectively. “I am responsible for generating revenue and driving growth within my territory,” Torda said. “This includes developing relationships with existing customers, while prospecting to find new ones. I take a consultative approach to helping businesses solve their labeling needs.” To have that advisory capability, Torda takes an active interest in the operational aspects of the business, from procurement to machine build. “There is a lot that I need to be aware of so that I can communicate properly with my customers.” And he certainly has won his customers over—because he listens. He engaged in a threepart course called “Listen Like a Leader,” which is the foundation of the Barry-Wehmiller culture. It teaches the skills that build better relationships: listening and feedback. In addition, Barry-Wehmiller’s voice of the customer program is driven by sales executives, like Torda, who are identifying opportunities for improvement by listening to customers. The goal is to bring state-of-the-art technology, customer service, and reliable

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PMMI ON THE RISE AWARD WINNERS 2023

machines to the industry. Torda has also helped develop channel partner relationships with key integrators, automation companies, and engineering firms. These relationships have allowed for other customers to bring opportunities to Accraply, despite not interacting with the end user. The growth within this network has allowed Torda’s territory to bring more opportunities to the company. His undergraduate degree is in finance and entrepreneurship, but he continues to build his career in sales and operations, receiving an MBA from Texas Christian University’s (TCU) Neeley School of Business in 2019. And he continues his personal and professional development through the TCU sales program which has allowed him to interact with students and discuss the sales profession from a realworld standpoint. But perhaps the real secret to Torda’s success comes down to the basics and balance. “A positive outlook and resilient attitude are things I know I can control and use to help achieve my goals and deliver what I am expected to for the business,” Torda said. “I believe work is a very important aspect of one’s life, but know there is a need for balance, so I enjoy time with family, friends and community.”

“I fell in love with the industry because of the unlimited potential for creativity and the endless new engineering challenges that are available.” —Ryan Swanson, applications engineer, Massman Companies

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JACOB WALL

The ForwardFocused Jacob Wall Jacob Wall, the packaging engineering manager at PPC Flexible Packaging, LLC, is known for his keen ability to see the full scope of all projects while adding tremendous value to the process. He does this by effectively translating his extensive technical knowledge in an easy-tounderstand and actionable way for customers. For example, in July of 2022, PPC partnered with a new pet food industry customer. This opportunity represented a tremendous growth opportunity for the company as the program included over 17 items that the customer needed to onboard and commercialize within a very short timeline to support the demands of a major retailer. Wall was a pivotal partner in successfully onboarding this new program by working hand in hand with PPC’s national account manager and directly with the account. He was the lead on all technical aspects, and worked collaboratively with the production facility making multiple trips to the customer site to support trials and to oversee the initial product runs to ensure everything was completed flawlessly. This is just one of many examples

of how Wall goes over and above his job duties in order to ensure a successful outcome of projects. He is also described as having a “quiet yet confident demeanor,” being a “forward-thinker,” and “keeping a pulse on trends within the industry.” In his day-to-day responsibilities, Wall leads a growing team of engineers who manage the new product development processes of the business including, but not limited to, raw material selection, product design, testing protocols, and product qualifications. “We work closely with internal and external customers, acting as the bridge between our sales and operations teams,” he said. They also help the company to innovate by maintaining close relationships with raw material suppliers and machine manufacturers. “We are constantly looking to improve and utilize our relationships to develop new product formulations through formal trials and qualifications internally and at our suppliers,” he said. To that end, Wall thinks about the big picture, especially as it pertains to sustainability. He has even educated the PPC leadership team on the tools and resources needed to be a competitive force in the packaging industry for sustainable solutions. With just over three years now on the packaging engineering team, Wall has taken full advantage of the opportunity to develop knowledge in different areas. And he continues to learn. “I am pursuing a project management certification and a master’s in engineering management to further build my skillset and to become a better leader,” he said.” I’ve also begun implementing lessons from The 6 Types of Working Genius by Patrick Lencioni, which has opened my eyes to the skillset of each of my team members.” Even with all of the kudos and credentials, Wall remains humble,

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PMMI ON THE RISE AWARD WINNERS 2023

noting: “First and foremost, I wouldn’t have been able to make it through any obstacle without my faith in God and the support of my wife.”

ANDREW BATES

Aspiring to Inspire Others Andrew Bates had a B.S. in Engineering, an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering, and spent five years in the semiconductor industry prior to joining JLS Automation as a systems engineer three years ago. It’s an impressive amount of experience. Yet, he says he can relate to the symptoms of imposter syndrome. “Self-doubt can be paralyzing,” Bates said. “I was fortunate to have mentors come alongside me and encourage me to push forward and take risks instead of hiding in my comfort zone. Having someone else believe in me enabled me to believe in myself.” That confidence has carried him a long way. According to his manager, Bates has demonstrated meticulous attention to detail and technical aptitude. He wrote a custom routine to automate 60% of JLS’ 2D CAD robot height analysis. He generated multiple two-hourplus training courses about JLS core software technology. And he also has an incredible aptitude for

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training others. He volunteered as a mentor for an associate systems engineer, leading to the associate’s promotion to a full-fledged systems engineer. Bates was recently named as the primary systems engineer for JLS’ Integrated Systems Business segment. These systems require integration with various other equipment suppliers, further broadening his knowledge of the industry. In this role, Bates is the primary engineering resource for current system jobs, carrying a high level of responsibility for the outcome of the projects. Here, he is able to see how all the disciplines work together throughout the lifespan of a project, from project conception, through design and implementation, and all the way through long-term customer support. “I have the privilege of working with very talented project team members, providing technical review of all engineering disciplines, and ensuring all the moving pieces come together successfully.” Of course, every job JLS takes on is unique and presents its own challenges. But Bates welcomes each new challenge as it enables him to work with the team to develop new solutions. “One of the many rewarding aspects of my job is getting to see solutions I pioneered on my past systems being used on current systems, knowing I have helped iterate our offerings to be even more robust.” While having technical proficiency is important in this field, for Bates, being a system engineer is more about people than the machines. “I aspire to equip others to succeed. I have begun leading internal training sessions and hope to lift those around me higher.”

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MIKE HORTH

Horth Takes AMT’s Core Values to Heart As a senior controls engineer in the Systems group at Applied Manufacturing Technologies (AMT), a maker of autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) for warehousing and logistics and automated end-of-line offerings, Michael Horth is involved with just about every stage of a new project. From quoting to designing to developing, testing, and installation, Horth focuses on accelerating the execution of each project. “If there is ever some downtime where I’m waiting for a project to reach one of these phases, I’ll work on updating our code library to make sure future projects can be created even easier,” Horth said. Horth started with the company over 10 years ago as an entry-level automation engineer. In 2020, he moved into AMT’s Systems group and into his current position with a primary focus on PLCs and HMIs, plus a little robot programming. His dedication to process improvement and mentorship has earned Horth a strong reputation both within AMT and throughout the broader industry. “Mike truly embodies our AMT core values,” said Engineering Group leader Jason Markesino, Horth’s manager. “He is always will-

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PMMI ON THE RISE AWARD WINNERS 2023

ing to embrace new challenges and drive our company forward.” Horth takes an analytical approach to each task, asking himself, “What changes would make it easier and quicker for me to start up a system?” He enjoys his work—so much so that he declined a management position offer because he loves to be hands-on and writing code. “One quirk that I think has contributed heavily to my success in the field is that I truly enjoy programming. I look at the task of programming a machine and I don’t see a chore. I see an opportunity to imagine what it could be, and the power to make that real.” That passion for programming is often passed on to his colleagues as well. “Employees cherish their time with Mike; he is patient and understanding. His knack for simplifying complex topics into learnable chunks greatly enhances retention, ultimately making our team stronger,” Markesino said. As a rising star in the organization, Horth is involved in brainstorming ideas and the feasibility of some off-the-shelf systems, leading the controls engineering portion of the project. His advice for other young professionals starting a career in packaging: Stay curious. “Ask your co-workers how they would have solved a problem, even if you’ve already solved it. This will help you grow as an engineer, and make good relationships along the way.”

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JESSICA JUHASZ

From Co-op Student to Engineering Manager—Jessica Juhasz Excels at FANUC America Jessica Juhasz found herself in the packaging industry by way of robots. As an electrical engineering major with a minor in business management at Kettering University, Juhasz spent the fouryear college experience as a co-op student working at FANUC America Corp, starting in 2006. She would rotate between school and work every three months, moving to different departments while on the job, including purchasing, manufacturing engineering, product development, automated systems, and material handling— now called the General Industries and Automotive segment—where she is now a full-time employee. In early 2023, Juhasz was promoted to engineering manager for the General Industries’ Application Engineering group, leading a team of engineers on applications for picking/packing/palletizing, assembly, and small material handling. Today, much of her work is focused on high-speed picking

and packaging of food. “My very first demo involved using a robot for case-packing a four-pack of croissants. And my senior thesis also focused on a new high-speed picking software developed at FANUC that I helped grow into a mature product for our users and continue to support today.” Innovation and collaboration are now part of her mission as her current position requires her to work with cross-functional groups, including the sales team, product developers, FANUC engineers in Japan, manufacturing, finance, purchasing, etc. “It’s important for me and my team to understand other sides of the business to work effectively,” Juhasz said. To that end, she plays an important role in product and business innovation by investigating new and emerging markets and applications to determine what new technologies and products need to be developed. That includes exploring technology trends such as artificial intelligence (AI) to see how it can be used or developed into FANUC products. On the business side, it’s more about evolving a company that has been around for over four decades. “I am always keeping up to date with new software and tools that could make employees’ jobs more efficient and effective. I love looking at ways we can automate our own tasks, such as developing an app that makes reporting information easier, utilizing the ability to share documents, or finding innovative ways to better collaborate amongst my own team or with cross-functional teams.” While the road to packaging success seems to be straightforward, it’s not been without a few bumps along the way. A lack of mentors and working as a young female in a male-dominated field was confusing and intimidating at times. But she sidestepped those bumps like a true professional, proactively seeking guidance and advice from colleagues and manag-

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PMMI ON THE RISE AWARD WINNERS 2023

ers—like LP Musunur, director of engineering for the General Industries Segment, who has been her manager for several years, helping her grow into leadership roles. To overcome the nerves that can come with walking onto a job as the lead of a team of men, Juhasz has developed her confidence by becoming a respected subject matter expert. She’s taken these experiences and turned them into something positive for future FANUC employees by actively participating in college career fairs and supporting the internship program to support the growth of our future workforce. Juhasz also participates in career days at elementary and high schools to teach young students about robotics and automation. And, she’s a founding member of FANUC America’s very first employee resource group, the Women’s Resource Group, which started in March of 2023 to support the professional development and mentorship of women and allies.

“I love looking at ways we can automate our own tasks, such as developing an app that makes reporting information easier, utilizing the ability to share documents, or finding innovative ways to better collaborate amongst my own team or with cross functional teams.” —Jessica Juhasz, engineering manager, General Industry Applications, FANUC America Corp.

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RYAN SWANSON

The Application Engineer and Robotics Role Model If anyone is wondering whether or not the FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) actually gets high school students excited about science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields—it does. Just ask Ryan Swanson, who first developed an interest in engineering while on an FRC team. He took that experience with him to North Dakota State University (NDSU), where he started a collegiate robotics organization called Bison Robotics—growing it to over 150 members during his four years at NDSU. After college, Swanson applied for a job at packaging OEM Massman Automation Designs, a Massman Company, and was hired as a mechanical design engineer. It’s five years later, and the rest, as they say, is history. “I fell in love with the industry because of the unlimited potential for creativity and the endless new engineering challenges that are available,” Swanson said. In his current role as an applications engineer, Swanson works as a conduit between sales and engineering to assess and develop technical solutions and pricing models for new applications.

WINTER 2023

According to company executives, Swanson has been instrumental in the development of a process and tool for reviewing and responding to customer machine specification documents. The list of requirements in these documents can be extensive, but the process that Ryan has developed enables subject matter experts within the organization to identify line items within a customer spec for rapid response. In addition, he assumed the role of product line manager for an acquired product line, focusing his efforts on converting, updating and organizing the CAD models, part drawings, BOMs and other design documentation to enable faster and more efficient production of these machines. The end result is a set of controlled documents defining standardized machine designs that are readily available templates for the organization to use when these machine orders are received. Swanson credits the company’s holistic approach to business with helping him to grow professionally. “I lead a weekly cross-functional meeting with all of our department leads in which we discuss how upcoming applications would impact their departments, while reviewing budgeted hours and machine cost with each stakeholder,” he said. Not to mention he had the opportunity to spend a couple weeks on the assembly floor getting a new perspective on how engineering documentation gets utilized. The development of a strong business acumen in five short years is impressive. But perhaps his biggest accomplishment to date is his involvement in STEM education for students. He volunteers his time as the head coach for a high school FIRST Robotics team, and he is an entrepreneur—having started his own company, COR Robotics, to provide educational summer STEM enrichment programs across the Upper Midwest.

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WINTER 2023

PMMI ON THE RISE AWARD WINNERS 2023

“I can’t [emphasize enough] the amount that I’ve learned through my involvement as both a student and coach in the FIRST Robotics program,” Swanson said. “As a student, I had the opportunity to work alongside industry professionals and learn things that just aren’t possible to teach in a traditional classroom setting. Now, as a head coach of my local team, I get to be the industry professional inspiring students to follow the same path that I did.”

BECKY JURVIS

Becky Jurvis Brings a Fresh New Marketing Perspective to JHFOSTER As senior marketing coordinator at JHFOSTER, a provider of motion control, compressed air, robotics, and sensor technology, Becky Jurvis is focused on collaborating with the in-house marketing team to attract new clients, while maintaining brand awareness with existing customers via the design of print and digital materials, email campaigns, trade shows, and website management. In just over two years on the

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job, Jurvis quickly demonstrated leadership qualities by managing interns, vendors, consultants, and agencies. In addition, she spearheaded a fresh design and brand perspective that increased organic traffic to the website by 80%, leading to a 50% uptick in conversions, and generating over $15 million in new business revenue. She has also helped increase JHFOSTER’s database from 60,000 contacts to over 120,000 in less than two years. And, according to the JHFOSTER executive team, she does this all with an amazing work ethic and a positive outlook. To that end, Jurvis also acts as a leader of the company’s engagement committee, which is responsible for planning company-wide events, volunteer opportunities and maintaining overall employee morale. One of the aspects of being in marketing is the need to understand every facet of the business. Jurvis has embraced this challenge by educating herself on the details that make a difference and delving into areas as diverse as programming collaborative robots, distinguishing between medical and laboratory air, and comprehending when an oil-free air compressor is essential. Additionally, Jurvis gained insight into the lead-to-sale process, a vital skill for effectively marketing JHFOSTER’s automation solutions. Innovation is the lifeblood of progress, and Jurvis is not one to shy away from creative problemsolving. Her philosophy revolves around challenging the status quo and seeking fresh approaches when faced with obstacles—as she recognizes that thinking outside the box is an essential trait for success. “I love coming up with new ways to solve problems,” Jurvis said. “If something isn’t working, why not do something different?” Of course, the journey to success is seldom a straightforward path. One of the major challenges Jurvis

faced early on was the uncertainty of career direction while working in the hospitality industry which was severely impacted by the pandemic. She eventually found JHFOSTER, which is a very different industry, but the transition showcases the flexibility and adaptability that can lead to remarkable career opportunities. For those considering a career in the packaging or manufacturing industry, Jurvis has some advice: “Ask questions. Nobody knows everything, especially at the start of their career. Don’t hesitate to seek clarification and grow through learning. And be yourself. Your uniqueness is your strength. Embrace your individuality, as it’s what sets you apart and makes you invaluable to any organization.” 

“Self-doubt can be paralyzing. I was fortunate to have mentors come alongside me and encourage me to push forward and take risks instead of hiding in my comfort zone. Having someone else believe in me enabled me to believe in myself.” – Andrew Bates, systems engineer, JLS Automation.

11/15/23 9:37 AM

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WINTER 2023

INDUSTRY NEWS

OpX Leadership Network’s Roadmap is a Blueprint for Business Growth and Acceleration New digital transformation work product prepares businesses to make the transition from manual to digital processes. Sean Riley, Senior News Director

nowing how and where to start digitally transforming manufacturing operations can be difficult, especially at the beginning, leading the OpX Leadership Network, convened by PMMI, The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, to produce the Digital Transformation Roadmap: The Roadmap to Fully Realize the Value of Trapped Data Within Multiple Operational Assets. The work product serves as a pivotal guide designed to propel consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), and systems integrators (SIs) into an era of excellence in digital operations. The transformative roadmap equips businesses with the tools and insights needed to seamlessly transition from manual to digital processes, paving the way for accelerated growth and success. In today’s rapidly evolving business landscape, embracing digital transformation is the key to unlocking extraordinary potential. By harnessing the power of digitalization, companies can ensure that critical data reaches the right individuals precisely when needed. Achieving this digital transformation facilitates access to operational insights that were previously inaccessible, providing valuable information about machines, lines, and facilities to empower quick decision-making and drive meaningful action. Consequently, this fosters continuous improvement across multiple business facets, including sustainability, productivity, and efficiency. The Digital Transformation Roadmap guides businesses on where to begin their journey and how to tailor the transformation process according to their unique starting point and requirements. It helps the business assess its current automation maturity level and readiness for digital transformation. Highlights of the Digital Transformation Roadmap include: • The Benefits of Digitalization: Understand how digitalization can improve sustainability, boost productivity, and empower your workforce with

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the skills they need to thrive. • Starting the Digital Transformation Journey: Identify opportunities, evaluate your organization’s readiness, and chart a course to scale your digital transformation roadmap. • Putting It All Together: Create a bespoke digital transformation roadmap and select the appropriate partner and software platform to execute your vision effectively. • Seeing Real-World Results: Explore the tangible benefits of digital transformation through indepth case studies from four real-world success stories. According to the work product, the biggest misconception about digital transformation is that it’s a massive undertaking that must be done simultaneously. Companies may think they lack the capital, time, effort, and people to invest in it. In reality, digital transformation is flexible and scalable, and companies can do it in steps that provide significant value at every level. It’s best to start small, in one defined area. That way, companies can prove return on investment (ROI) and then scale up. In fact, some large-scale digital transformation undertakings have failed to deliver value because they were overly ambitious.

Starting the Journey

Per the document, a project starts by selecting a digital transformation team within the company, then gathering existing information and creating a high-level road map. The digital transformation journey differs for each organization, with significant variations among CPGs, OEMs, and systems integrators. However, by asking preliminary questions, teams can effectively create a high-level road map supported by the answers. Through this road map, digital transformation teams can gain clarity surrounding the projects’ goals, costs, and expected value. Digital transformation teams don’t have to attack this project alone. Part of planning includes selecting a proven digital transformation partner and

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INDUSTRY NEWS

information hardware/software platform. A progressive strategy begins with connecting smart technologies to access valuable field data and provide visibility to users. Data availability leads to analytics, empowering users to perform their jobs more effectively. Whatever the automation maturity level of an organization, companies are best served by selecting and building their solutions on a comprehensive digital transformation platform. It’s critical that the platform incorporate field devices, computing hardware, and control/visualization/edge software, with an emphasis on connectivity and security.

Picking a partner

Digital transformation teams are best served by choosing a platform built on recognized and proven industry standards that are interoperable with both OT and IT needs. A platform that fulfills these requirements can provide seamless integration from the factory floor to the cloud. A platform that uses the latest technologies, especially cybersecurity, and can interface well with legacy systems also gives a company an advantage. A comprehensive digital transformation platform will have products for field devices, including sensors, actuators, and motor controls. It will also offer comput-

WINTER 2023

ing options for gateways, PLCs/PACs, edge controllers, operator interfaces, and industrial PCs. Software and development environments will be consistent and interconnected for control logic, HMI/SCADA, data servers, edge computing, connectivity, and analytics. There can be a temptation with these projects to use a variety of vendors. However, the nature of the work and greater connectivity introduce cybersecurity risks that are difficult to anticipate and test for with custom designs. Cybersecurity must be built-in throughout the platform, using proven secure-by-design and defensein-depth measures, which are more easily implemented by using products and solutions from a single vendor. Actual achievement in digital transformation is driven by the understanding that the journey never ends, but continues to grow and change as new solutions emerge to address new manufacturing challenges. By seeking out expert partners, gaining small successes, recognizing proof-of-concept efforts, and gradually scaling the successes across their business over time, CPGs can best position themselves – now and for the road ahead. Download the Digital Transformation Roadmap work product & learn more about the OpX Leadership Network by visiting OpXLeadershipNetwork.org.

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WINTER 2023

MARKETING INSIGHTS

Six Best Practices and Trends for 2024 It’s a good idea to implement these marketing strategies and tools in the new year. Sharon Taylor, Director of Marketing, PMMI Media Group

his past September at PACK EXPO Las Vegas, I had the opportunity to engage with many exhibitors, witnessing their marketing strategies come to life. Additionally, I had the privilege of connecting with over 60 marketers to present insights on industry best practices and six marketing trends. As we approach the new year and teams gear up to implement their 2024 marketing strategies, I find it valuable to revisit these trends now through the lens of strategic planning.

Managing technology solutions is becoming a key responsibility for marketers. However, research from Gartner shows that overall utilization of these tools has declined from 58% in 2020 to merely 33% in 2023. To make the most of your martech stack, start by auditing your existing technology to ensure it delivers value to your organization. Streamline or remove tools that aren’t effective and consider getting support from your IT team during the implementation process. Don’t shy away from IT involvement – it can ensure a successful future for your marketing tools.

Trend #1: Artificial Intelligence

Trend #3: Sales enablement

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing the business world. With 77% of businesses already adopting AI or planning to do so, it’s clear that this trend is on the rise. In fact, experts project a staggering 30% annual growth rate on AI investment through 2030. Don’t miss out on the benefits AI can bring to your marketing practice. Start by using AI to assist with copywriting, brainstorming topic ideas, and repurposing content across different channels. Check out my article, The Power of AI for Marketers (oemgo.to/powerofai), for more tips on leveraging this incredible technology.

Trend #2: Martech stack simplification

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Did you know that 67% of the buyer’s journey is completed before contacting sales? With younger generations relying heavily on online research, this number is expected to grow. As a marketer, your role is not only to educate prospects during their research phase but also to arm your sales team with relevant content. By providing the right resources, you can make the most of the limited time your sales team spends directly with buyers. Stay ahead of the game in 2024 by embracing these marketing trends. Don’t get left behind – start implementing these strategies now to drive success for your business.

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MARKETING INSIGHTS

Trend #4 Podcasts

In the past year, podcasts have gained significant popularity, making them a trend to watch for in 2024. With two-thirds of the US population listening to digital audio at least once per month, reaching a total of 225.8 million people, there is a growing audience for both consumer and business-related podcasts. When it comes to incorporating podcasts into your digital strategy, there are a few options to explore. You can create your own branded podcast, giving you full control over the content and promotion, but keep in mind that it requires resources. Alternatively, you can create a limited-series podcast focused on a specific topic or event to test the waters and see if it’s worth further investment. You can also collaborate with an existing podcast by featuring a subject matter expert from your company or sponsoring the podcast.

Trend #5: Chatbots

You may have previously implemented a chatbot on your website and found it was more trouble than it was worth. Or perhaps you’ve used a chatbot as a consumer and found the interaction frustrating. With advancements in AI improving the overall chatbot experience, now may be the time to reconsider—or consider for the

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first time—if a chatbot could add value for your website visitors. Consider also that a chatbot need not offer a comprehensive experience. Instead, it can serve as a high-level guide to your site content or offer assurance that a request will be routed to the correct contact.

Trend #6: Influencers

Utilizing influencers to raise awareness of your products is a growing trend in marketing. While the pool of industry-specific influencers may be smaller in B2B, it’s valuable to pay attention to top voices in the industry. They can provide new insights, serve as potential guest speakers for webinars, podcasts, or events and offer future partnership opportunities to promote your brand. As we approach 2024, consider these marketing trends and prioritize them according to your unique business needs and goals. Adopting even one or two of these trends can help give your business an edge in the years to come, so don’t delay in making the necessary changes to your marketing strategy. Easily share this article with your peers: oemgo.to/marketing2024

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WINTER 2023

SALES FOCUS

Unlocking Sales Success The Blueprint for Consumer Packaging Equipment Sales Teams Matthew Neuberger, President, Neuberger & Company, Inc.

n the dynamic world of sales, ambition and potential serve as the foundation for a successful team. Picture a dedicated sales force brimming with enthusiasm and eager to shatter records. Their collective drive is palpable, but they face a daunting challenge – a vast market, cutthroat competition, and unpredictable outcomes. Their ultimate mission? To supercharge sales and achieve unparalleled growth. Top levels of success start with driven individuals poised to make their mark in the sales world. This team embodies ambition, determination, and a relentless pursuit of success. They are the organization’s lifeblood, and their passion for sales is unrivaled. With the proper guidance and strategy, they have the potential to achieve extraordinary results. However, despite their unwavering enthusiasm, our sales team frequently finds themselves navigating the complex maze of sales with inconsistent and unpredictable results. The sheer size of their territories, the diverse range of opportunities, and the ever-evolving nature of customer needs make it incredibly challenging to maintain a consistent and efficient sales strategy. This uphill battle can only be won with a well-defined plan. To tackle these challenges head-on, our ambitious sales team requires a system that goes beyond identifying needs. It drives a deeper understanding of the client’s real problems and how the sales solution plays a role in that process. In other words, you understand how your equipment interfaces with other equipment at both the start and end of the client’s process. You’re not selling equipment; you’re selling solutions.

Build the strategic blueprint

The strategic blueprint consists of a series of crucial steps, each vital for achieving consistent success: • Territory Planning: The first step is to segment the market, understand demographics, and allocate resources efficiently. This ensures no potential lead is overlooked, making every opportunity within reach. • Opportunity Identification: The team must constantly scan the horizon for potential clients, markets, or sectors that stand to benefit from their products or services. • Qualification: Not all leads are equal. This step ensures that time and energy are invested in genuine, convertible leads that align with the company’s ob-

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jectives. • Solution Development: Tailoring products or services to cater to the unique needs of each client. This bespoke approach guarantees customer satisfaction and higher conversion rates. • Proposal and Advancement: Crafting compelling proposals that highlight the value proposition, followed by strategic follow-ups that advance the sales conversation. Equipped with this comprehensive blueprint, the sales team is now prepared to engage the market. They are poised to turn potential leads into loyal clients, as the actionable steps outlined ensure that every interaction is strategic and every opportunity is maximized.

A future of unprecedented sales

By meticulously adhering to the sales blueprint, from territory planning to service and delivery, the sales team not only meets their targets but surpasses them. What was once a path filled with unpredictability is now transformed into a highway to consistent sales success. This approach ensures a future filled with unprecedented sales growth and unwavering success. It’s essential to recognize that with this structured approach, the team can avoid missing out on lucrative deals, misallocating resources, and failing to meet their sales targets. Countless stories in the sales world are littered with tales of teams that had potential but lacked the necessary direction. Instead of driving toward excellence, they stagnate into ordinary order-takers. Arriving with ambition and potential is no guarantee of success. There are a lot of possible disconnects in this process that all lead to mediocrity and monotony. When meeting the disconnect, a salesperson has to decide if they want to settle for the limitations and frustrations or seek out better processes. For those currently experiencing a disconnect between the sales success they are experiencing and the greater success they strive for, a path to the next level exists. PMMI’s Certified Technical Sales Professional Program helps sales professionals in the Consumer Packaging Equipment industry supercharge their industry knowledge, sharpen their sales skills, and gain a competitive edge. Learn more about PMMI’s Certified Technical Sales Professional Program here: oemgo.to/ctsp2023

11/15/23 9:41 AM

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WINTER 2023

NEW MEMBER PROFILE - PLANAR MOTOR

Planar Motor Inc. : Multidimensional, flexible manufacturing Offering fully reconfigurable, space-saving six dimension (6D) control. Sean Riley, Senior News Director

lanar Motor Incorporated (PMI) has established itself as a global leader in producing magnetically levitated planar motors after less than a decade in business. Founded in 2016 in Richmond, British Columbia, the company now serves an international clientele with a presence in North America, Europe, and Asia. OEM Magazine sat down with Kevin Xiao, vice president, to introduce one of PMMI’s newest members.

Can you provide a brief history of PMI?

Company Background When established: 2016 Range of products: Magnetically Levitated Planer Motors Executive Team: Xiaodong Lu, President Headquarters/manufacturing location: Richmond, British Columbia, Canada Facility square footage: 17,000 ft2 Geographic sales and support areas: North America, Europe, Asia Company website: www.planarmotor.com

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Founded in 2016 by experts in factory automation with a deep understanding of linear independent cart technology (e.g., ATS SuperTrak), Planar Motor Incorporated (PMI) company’s origins stem from a simple question, “What if we could move in two dimensions and add buffers and diverters with a few lines of code?” This initial concept sparked a multidecade development journey, ultimately resulting in the commercial release of Planar Motor Inc.’s first product in 2017. The product is a system with any number of magnetically levitated movers, each with six degrees of freedom, but primarily in the XY plane, hence the name “Planar Motor.” Since its introduction, the company has been dedicated to increasing market awareness and

collaborating closely with customers to integrate this product into packaging machines. Planar Motor products are ideal for applications requiring high cleanliness, such as food, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical manufacturing, as well as industries with harsh environments, such as those that require water and dustproofing.

What sets your company apart in the industry?

One key factor that sets Planar Motors apart in the industry is its products: A Planar Motor System comprises one or more XBots (movers) and a stationary surface made up of modular Flyways (stators). Each XBot is independently controlled and suspended with the ability to operate six degrees of freedom. Planar Motors offers unique advantages in various applications as they provide precise, maintenance-free, intelligent, and efficient motion control solutions that enhance the performance of our customers’ processes. Our customers’ machines showcase the system’s flexibility by enabling input and output configurations through parameter adjustments. Planar Motors are also fully reconfigurable and occupy only a fraction of the space required by traditional machines, optimizing workspace efficiency. As a relatively new product type, close collaboration with

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NEW MEMBER PROFILE - PLANAR MOTOR

customers is essential to us. Customer suggestions are valued, and new features are continually incorporated with free support provided. Ultimately, the customer’s success is intrinsically linked with Planar Motor Inc., forging a mutually beneficial partnership.

What went into the decision to join PMMI?

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grow out of our current needs and challenges. Customers always want to experiment, which allows the whole product development process to happen organically. Customers provide valuable feedback during their machine development process, which we incorporate into the next design, so it is continuously improving.

We recognized that PACK EXPO is North America’s most comprehensive packaging and processing show. Planar Motor technology’s main application is in the assembly and packaging machine industry. Since 2018, we have been exhibiting at PACK EXPO, and each show has been very fruitful. We realized we could use PMMI’s many offerings to enhance our presence in trade shows and across the manufacturing supply chain.

How has your product line broadened over the years?

What’s your approach to new product development? How do you come up with ideas for new machines and market-test them?

We recruit both new graduates and experienced talents from the job market. We look for motivated self-starters who are not necessarily the most experienced but are willing to do the work to help solve any challenges.

Our team of engineers and designers is encouraged to innovate, which lets product development naturally

We have expanded into hygienic versions of our products and are planning some inspiring new products we aren’t prepared to disclose yet but will in the near future.

Where do you find most of your employees? What sort of background or specific talents/ skills do you look for?

Why do employees love working for your company?

Our employees enjoy working and growing at a fastexpanding, innovative company. They appreciate exploiting their unique skill sets and utilizing co-workers’ unique skills to overcome any challenges they may face.

How do you balance standardized machine configurations with those requiring customization?

Our systems are made of identical modular Flyways (stators), and we have a variety of standard mover sizes available. The only customization required is the mounting plate (done by our customers) and the programming.

Are you incorporating lean manufacturing? If so, please give some examples.

We use Kanban systems, and all our employees are familiar with most processes, giving them meaningful input for improvements. We also pull from our customers’ needs to provide the best products.

Once a customer issues a P.O., what happens next? What can they expect?

In a formal P.O., the customer provides a reference to the relevant quotation. We will issue a sales confirmation based on the P.O. and our previous quotation. Production and shipping will be arranged accordingly. Once the product arrives, we work with our customers to develop their machine concept together. We can help as much or as little as the customer prefers.

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What’s the process for Factory Acceptance Tests?

We are flexible in offering virtual and onsite inspections to our customers. Our systems seamlessly go from a simulation to reality, which, coupled with our strict QC/QA procedures, ensures that our customers receive problem-free, easily installed products.

How do you handle field service and training? Do you have dedicated training personnel, or do service technicians typically conduct training?

We don’t treat our product like a commodity; every customer is like a partner. Before our solution is provided to a customer, our experienced engineers provide any needed training. Our system is relatively straightforward and can be done in less than a day. We understand machine building is a long process, and we are ready to support customers throughout the process. The process does not end at product delivery. That’s just the beginning as we work together to develop a machine.

Are members of your field service/ training personnel multilingual?

Yes. We have personnel fluent in many languages, including Chinese, Korean, German, Japanese, French, and Farsi.

Do you have any plans for facility expansion or new operations?

Our facility will be expanded to 24,000 sq.ft. next year, growing by over 40% . ■

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11/15/23 9:54 AM

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WINTER 2023

MANAGEMENT

4 Tips for Connecting Remotely with Your Next Gen Workforce Remote and hybrid work have unquestionable perks. If you’re managing early career professionals…“let me know if you have questions” won’t always suffice. Keren Sookne, Editor-in-Chief, Healthcare Packaging

any in the processing and packaging community thrive on remote work, but where can managers bridge gaps and make early career professionals feel more confident and connected to their colleagues? When it comes to learning from managers, collaborating with the team, or becoming part of a company’s culture, there can be a pretty big difference between on-site and remote. (Of course, some engineering and production work must be in-person, particularly when a new employee is learning about equipment/processes or during audits.) Though newer generations of workers grew up communicating and comfortable online, there must be intention behind building relationships when they can’t walk into their manager’s office to ask a question. At the Parenteral Drug Association (PDA) Annual Meeting in April, a panel of young professionals who participated in PDA’s early career professionals (ECP) mentoring program and the global pharmaceutical student (GPS) program shared their perspective on connecting remotely, their experiences in the pandemic, and more. Here are their recommendations for managing your remote workforce:

With on-site work, she could walk into her manager’s office and ask to discuss a concern, and he’d listen right away. “Working from home, I wouldn’t want to call him and bother him with that. So, I noticed the difference. It’s hard to get that connection,” she said. “The benefits of being remote are nice—you don’t have to commute. So now we’re hybrid. I really like the hybrid more… you don’t need to see your team every day. But I know that if I need support, and I’d like to talk to them in person, I know I’ll see them in the office soon.” Nina Rosso, bioprocess engineer at Novavax, Inc., had the experience of starting at Novavax on COVID-19 vaccine operations in June 2020 when they were already remote. She met with her manager on the phone and on Teams, and the first time she met her in-person, they were traveling to a site. She

1. Understand comfort takes time remotely

As Robin Usselman, business development manager at ACIC Pharmaceuticals Inc., explained, her company switched to remote work for a few months in 2020 and it felt completely different to her after having worked there in-person.

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Panelists (from left): Kate Malachowski, PhD; Nina Rosso; Stephanie Lee, MBS; Robin Usselman; Tita Tavares; Kelly Waldron, PhD.

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MANAGEMENT

WINTER 2023

explained, “I think that the drawback of that is that it’s really hard to first establish that relationship remotely. So while now I feel perfectly comfortable calling my manager at home and saying, ‘Hey, I need help. I have a quick question. Do you have time?’ I do think that it took longer to get to that point. If we’d been in the office every day, I might have felt that comfortable in a week or a month, and instead, it took maybe a couple of months— meeting in-person once or twice—to feel like I wasn’t bothering her and that when she said it was okay to call, she meant that it was okay.”

2. Initiate more frequent contact Rosso noted, “I think that we’re constantly being told as early career professionals, ‘Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Ask questions. If you make a mistake, admit when you made a mistake.’ You can say that, but it doesn’t mean that we feel comfortable doing that. So it’s really important for managers to be approachable and initiate some of those kinds of conversations.” As an example, she said a manager could proactively ask, “What questions do you have?” or, after a meeting, say, “Hey, I know that was a lot, did you understand that? What points can I clarify for you?”

3. Offer feedback in real-time

Feedback, both positive and negative, is necessary for development and in general, the panelists said the sooner the better. “When you’re starting out, whether it’s hybrid, remote, or in-person, it’s helpful if your manager is setting regular checkpoints. Especially in the beginning whether it’s weekly—or however often the person that you’re managing needs— because like we all mentioned you don’t have that rapport yet, that trust. You need to build it,” said Stephanie Lee, MBS, operations manager at Amgen Inc. “You may need to meet more often at first, especially in a virtual environment. You have to be deliberate about it. You’re not going to just see them when you’re walking to get water.” Lee added that this helps establish a space to be able to talk about gaps in knowledge or work through issues, and allows managers to learn about the younger professional’s background and career interests. “Maybe you mention that you don’t really know too much

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MANAGEMENT

about a certain subject, and your manager says, ‘I have these people that I can connect you to,’ or recommend you reach out to. Then as you go forward, you don’t necessarily have to have those [check-ins] at the same intervals, as you feel more comfortable to say, “Hey, I have a question, can you meet later on a Teams call?’”

4. Don’t overlook small compliments/critiques When you’ve been in your career for years, you don’t (necessarily) think about every email or task you’re getting done throughout the day. But for early career professionals, small feedback counts. Rosso noted of constructive feedback: “Even if it’s small, I have had managers who messaged me, ‘Can I give some feedback?’ The answer’s yes! If they say that when I answered this question, I could have done it this way, that’s really helpful. Because it’s pretty low stakes—a Teams message—you can come to expect it rather than waiting and building up feedback after months of you doing your job.” She said the same is true for positive feedback. “I had a manager say, ‘This person interrupted you and

I thought you handled that really well and got back on topic.’ You’d be surprised how much that means to someone who’s first starting out. You really take those little bits of positive feedback and hold on to them,” she added. Usselman agreed that small comments help—even complimenting a great email: “I think they want to make it clear that they notice the work I’m doing. It’s just the little things, and I think seeing their support every day makes such a difference compared to if I just heard it at a quarterly review, let’s say. “Another thing is they make it clear how I can progress within the company. If I thought I was going to be stuck in the same role for 10 years, I probably wouldn’t stay. But they make it clear what the opportunities are. When they give me new challenges, they may tell me how this will benefit a future role. They actually pushed me to go into business development, which I didn’t want to [to do at] first, but now I’m enjoying it. They gave me that challenge, and they made it clear how it would benefit me. So, I think the career progression really ties in with their support.” Easily share this article with your peers: oemgo.to/remote-work

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11/14/23 13:07

TECHNOLOGY

WINTER 2023

AI and Manufacturing: Nothing to be Afraid of An AI expert breaks down AI and how it can benefit packaging and processing.

avid McGraw is a seasoned professional in the field of Artificial Intelligence. As a Senior Director at Alvarez & Marsal in Miami, he specializes in applying Generative AI to enhance performance and create value across various business sectors, including manufacturing. At PMMI’s 2023 Annual Meeting, he presented “AI in Manufacturing Ops – How is your Company Using AI?” before sitting down with Sean Riley for an upcoming podcast episode of unPACKed with PMMI. The following is an excerpt of that podcast edited for content and clarity.

tage of generative AI is that tools like ChatGPT tools like Bard and Claude are available, and anyone can use them. It totally democratizes the use of AI. There are zero barriers to entry and zero cost to you to play with it and see what it can do. Generative AI, you can have it right now at no cost to you. Companies like

Sean Riley: During your presentation at PMMI’s Annual Meeting, you presented three advantages of generative AI versus traditional AI. What do you feel is the most significant advantage? David McGraw: Yeah. So right now, the biggest advan-

McGraw cleared up the misconception that Technology is a new feature.

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Open AI and Google have done all the heavy lifting for you. These models exist today, and you can play with them right now. Nothing prevents you from doing it other than logging on to the machine and doing it. Riley: How does that run counter to traditional AI? McGraw: With traditional AI, many of the use cases I talked about on the plant floor are complex. You must figure out, “How will I start collecting data?” Predictive maintenance is a use case I suggest as an entry point for AI and manufacturers. The first thing you must do is collect data. The second thing you must do in that dataset is have failures because you’re trying to figure out the pattern. If you’re looking at assets that don’t fail often, you might collect data for months or even years before you have enough failures in your dataset. So now, you’re already six months to two years from the beginning before you really are doing anything of actual value or interest despite the cost. Then, what are you going to do? You have to start writing the algorithms with your dataset. Then you start testing it and say, “Okay. I can get this level of accuracy in my predictions.” What if that accuracy is low? Then, you must go back to the drawing board. And it’s very iterative. And because there’s latency between getting the data and doing something with it, it can get costly. And the time-consuming aspect is the hard part because we’ve all been preconditioned. We want everything right now.

Riley: AI is it’s a touchy subject for some people. It’s scary. They say, “It’s going to take my job. It’s going to replace me.” How do you eliminate some of the concerns people may have about risk, and how do you build trust in using AI? McGraw: That is a fantastic question. Until recently, the last 13 years of my career have generally been spent in manufacturing. It’s always been hard for me because I’ve been someone who’s been pushing AI, and the use of it and manufacturing is not always “bleeding edge” with new technologies. So, trust comes from multiple areas: trust in the results or trust in the insights. That’ll always be very hard to build trust in because there will always be naysayers. And AI is not perfect; it’ll never be perfect. I don’t ever see a time when it will be 100%. Remember, it’s just like us. We make mistakes; we have flaws. It’s going to act very similar to us. So, there’s that level of trust. And what is so frustrating for me is when it comes to AI, and it’s basically because of some of the things you mentioned, there’s a fear of it. We hold its outputs at a higher level than the outputs of humans. It’s wrong one or two times. But when a person is wrong twice or thrice, it’s not a problem, “Humans make mistakes.” So, that’s always been a frustrating piece for me. Riley: There’s an expectation of perfection. McGraw: There’s an expectation of perfection, but the

AI is essential to meet the goal of a Smart Supply Chain.

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TECHNOLOGY

same expectation doesn’t exist with humans. There’s also a different lens of trust that we can look at. And it’s this trust of, “Will it take our jobs?” As I mentioned during my presentation, the fear should be, that if you have a set of people in your organization that use AI and a set of people in your organization that don’t, the folks that use it will probably be around for the long term. The people who don’t use AI won’t. The analogy I use is early in my career, when I was a low-level programmer, I sat next to folks who were more experienced. I’d run into an issue and search on Google to see how I could resolve it. I would find solutions, but the folks who weren’t using the internet would laugh at me. And they’re like, “That’s dumb. Just look in the reference manual.” What would take me minutes would take them hours. And what ultimately ended up happening is, in the span of three to five years, I was there, and they weren’t. Whether or not they could find a job probably depended on whether they were willing to adapt and adopt the Internet. This is even more transformational than access to the Internet because, on the Internet, you search, you get a lot of links, and you have to go through the links to find the correct answer. Here, it gives you the answer most of the time. Look at 50 years ago, everyone wasn’t interacting with a computer. Now, it’s my phone is a computer. Riley: I don’t feel that the internet was thought of as “scary” like AI is, for lack of a better word, even

WINTER 2023

though it did have the potential to take people’s jobs. But like you said, it was more people being willing to use a tool versus those not willing to use it that got left behind. McGraw: And I think it’ll happen here. And look, AI will always have this bad taste in people’s mouths because of all the movies and how AI has been presented. It’ll have challenges, but it’ll also create new jobs. Other folks’ jobs will change over time. And even at the firm I’m at now, one of the things we’re talking about is, “Well, we have to get our consultants really good at prompt engineering.” So that’s going to become a skillset. Riley: When do you think the government will step in from a regulatory standpoint on AI? McGraw: What’s ultimately going to happen is the government will be slow to react until something significant happens. That’s what scares me the most. I don’t blame the government; AI is moving rapidly. But in Washington, it’s challenging to get all the right people in a room together and agree on anything, much less, “What’s the policy we should run around AI?” Everyone’s coming with their own agenda, so it will be a struggle. The truth of the matter is, and the sad fact is, something bad will probably have to happen, and then regulations will be overshot, and it will potentially clip some of the innovation. But we’ll see. 

McGraw believes Generative AI has made AI available for all companies to employ free of charge.

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SUSTAINABILITY

ColgatePalmolive’s Sustainability Plan Spans Packaging Lifecycle Cecilia Coates, Sustainability & Digital Transformation, ColgatePalmolive, detailed her company’s plan for a 90% reduction in emissions by 2040 at PACK EXPO Las Vegas 2023. OEM was there to learn more. Casey Flanagan, Digital Editor, PMMI Media Group

olgate-Palmolive’s 2025 Sustainability & Social Impact Strategy includes eliminating unnecessary or problematic packaging, a 33% reduction in virgin plastic, and a transition to only use recyclable, reusable, or compostable packaging by 2025. Colgate’s goals span beyond plastic reduction and far beyond 2025 though; the company also aims to reduce scope 1, 2, and 3 greenhouse gas emissions by 90% by 2040, with 2020 as the base point. Here’s how Coates describes these ambitious goals. Can you explain Colgate’s strategy to hit its 2040 emissions goal? The three categories from which our emissions come are manufacturing, logistics, and procurement. Here’s how we’re tackling them: For manufacturing, it’s energy efficiency, renewables, and zero waste. For logistics, it’s greater operational efficiency. It’s how much weight and how much distance we’re moving products across the world. Then, for procurement, it’s more

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about supplier engagement and working in partnership with our suppliers to reduce all the emissions in the upstream supply chain. How is Colgate-Palmolive manufacturing becoming more sustainable? Our biggest focus here is energy efficiency because the cheapest megawatt hour is the one you don’t use. We’re really focused on energy efficiency and using as little as possible to make a product and to keep growing the business while using as little energy as possible. Then, the energy that we do use, we want to focus on making it renewable. Embedded in that carbon target is a specific sub-target of 100% renewable electricity by 2030. A lot of our factories have solar panels on site. That doesn’t mean that we’re going to get to 100% using solar panels because it’s physically impossible considering our energy load, but that is one example of a tactic that we’re using.

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SUSTAINABILITY

And then there’s our commitment to zero waste. I love this one because it’s not always an intuitive connection for people. But waste, especially waste that ends up in landfill, has greenhouse gas emissions, either methane or CO2. So, the more waste that we can divert from landfill, the less carbon emissions that we are putting out there into the atmosphere. We have a very strong commitment to zero waste, and we’re very proud that many of our factories have been certified TRUE zero waste by the U.S. Green Building Council. We really like exploring the connection between packaging and climate. Especially for example, a reusable toothbrush that has an application in terms of carbon emissions. We’re doing studies that basically tell us after using a toothbrush X number of times and having replaced X amount of plastic toothbrushes, that has an implication on carbon reduction. We haven’t published numbers yet, but we’re making the study so that we know from a very technical lifecycle assessment perspective, the carbon benefits of switching to reusable products.

WINTER 2023

consumer recycled content, for example, usually has a premium price. What we do is, because we’ve made a commitment, we say, ‘okay, we know and understand, but we’re going to over time make it cost-neutral.’ We try to find efficiencies in other parts of the business so that we can balance it out and ultimately be able to reach our goals while cost-neutral. ■

What role can technology play in meeting Colgate’s emissions targets? Data and digitization are really key enablers of how we’re going to become more efficient, reduce energy and achieve net zero. One of the things we’re focused on is using energy sensors, IoT devices, software, platforms that can help us bring visibility to where energy is being consumed. And we have examples, vendors that are present here in [PACK EXPO Las Vegas], and have their devices in our factories, and they’re using those to really empower people with information to guide the strategy and guide the energy production. What can you do alongside suppliers to help meet emissions targets? I want to really emphasize that one of our key focus areas is to engage with our suppliers. Whether they are supplying machinery, raw materials, or packaging materials, we want to talk to all our suppliers and really convey this message. Our chief procurement officers have been messaging through webinars to our suppliers, telling them how important this is for Colgate and how we value the partnerships that we can do together to reduce our emissions together, and to collect data to make more informed decisions and more informed partnerships to get to net zero together. Have these changes brought any challenges to profitability? If so, how do you balance it? Usually, when we make big goals, we must reassure people that we’re committed to making them costneutral. But a lot of these things are expensive. Post-

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11/15/23 9:58 AM

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ASSOCIATION NEWS

ASSOCIATION NEWS Sean Riley, Senior News Director

Calling all Marketers! Join the MaX Marketing Share Group Boost Your Company’s Visibility and Build Strong Connections with PMMI ProSource Did you know that 75% of site visits include a search by filter? That’s why ensuring your company shows up in relevant search results is crucial. By updating your PMMI ProSource profile using the search filters checkboxes that apply--such as automatic, semiautomatic, inline, rotary, and many others--you’ll make it easier for potential customers to find you. PMMI ProSource is North America’s leading online directory of packaging and processing technology suppliers. With advanced category filters, PMMI members can highlight their strengths, increase their visibility, and drive traffic directly to their profile — all for free! Keep your company ahead of the competition by updating your capabilities today. Visit pmmi.org/ prosource to learn more and build lasting connections with your customers today. Learn More at https://www. pmmi.org/prosource

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We invite you to join the MaX Marketing Share Group – an engaging community designed for PMMI member marketers seeking opportunities to network, share knowledge, and learn from their peers. Open to all PMMI members – the MaX Marketing Share Group is a unique opportunity to connect with like-minded professionals, share insights, explore ideas, and collectively develop new work product solutions that drive success in your marketing endeavors. Start networking and engaging with your peers today by registering for the Microsoft Teams community at https://pmmi.media/ maxmkt.

unPACKed Podcasts Every Week! In the unPACKed with PMMI podcast, PMMI Media Group’s Senior News Director, Sean Riley facilitates discussions with industry influencers and executive Q&As with execs

from PepsiCo, P&G, and more. The podcast breaks down case studies and research from PMMI’s Business Intelligence research reports and takes deep dives into pressing industry business challenges. Hear a new episode each week -search for “unPACKed with PMMI” on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your preferred podcast platform and begin streaming all six seasons today!

More from PPWLN This year’s Packaging and Processing Women’s Leadership Network (PPWLN) breakfast in Chicago at PACK EXPO Las Vegas 2023 attracted one of the largest audiences in PPWLN’s history with over 750 attendees! This year’s guest speaker, Manjit Minhas, sat down for a candid conversation with Stephanie Neil that covered tips for negotiating, mentorship, and more! Listen in on an exclusive UnPACKed podcast episode and view clips from this year’s event all on pmmi.org/ppwln.

Business Intelligence Fall/ Winter Roundup for 2023

STATE OF THE INDUSTRY The 2023 State of the Industry offers the most up-to-date statistics, estimates, and in-depth analysis available on the U.S. packaging machinery industry. It serves as a crucial reference point, defining the size of the total market across different machinery categories and

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ASSOCIATION NEWS

empowering industry professionals with a solid foundation of data to inform their strategies and decisions.

and strategies for talent attraction, hiring, and retention. Using these insights, your organization will be able to improve your strategic approach to its greatest asset — the people that make up your business.

WINTER 2023

Looking Ahead in 2024

The highly anticipated Guide to Global Markets 2023 report is here. This is your ultimate companion, conducted by PMMI in collaboration with AMEC, APPMA, and PPMA, offering fresh insights, expert perspectives, and the latest information to help you navigate global packaging and processing markets in the new year. Visit pmmi.org/ goglobal to see the 2024 line-up of international shows where PMMI will host a booth or pavilion and all international resources.

Packaging and Automation in the Dairy Industry: Warehouses of Innovation, the Future Adaptation, Dive into the future of warehouse automation. Labor shortages Transformation and increasing consumer demand report have prompted a surge in warehouse automation. From directto-consumer trends to the rise of e-commerce, discover how automation is reshaping the warehousing landscape. Compiled by industry experts, this report will provide you with essential knowledge about the evolving world of warehouse automation.

Talent Acquisition Strategy White Paper Dealing with the unknown can be daunting and can hinder the ability to make intelligent and effective business decisions. This white paper provides recommendations based on over 30 years of recruiting industry experience and features firsthand accounts from companies in the packaging industry, detailing their resources

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In the face of supply chain hurdles and shifting consumer demand, dairy producers have been challenged to optimize their operations. Discover strategies to maximize efficiency, foster collaboration, and embrace innovation to ensure a bright future for the dairy sector in the Dairy Industry: Innovation, Adaptation, Transformation report. Don’t miss this opportunity to gain insights and stay ahead in the world of dairy production.

Mark Your Calendars – Here’s What’s Happening in 2024! Packaging & Processing Equipment Selling in Today’s Market – PMMI Member Exclusive! Increase sales and your sales professionals’ knowledge of industry equipment, technology, materials, regulations, and customer needs. This program will help capital equipment sales professionals learn systematic consultative selling techniques to make them trusted advisors to purchasers of packaging, processing, and automation equipment. Workshop Dates March 5–6, Herndon, Virginia May 8–9, Chicago

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ASSOCIATION NEWS

Sept. 26–27, Hershey, Pennsylvania Register Now at pmmiu.org!

Certified Trainer

Equip your company with the most effective strategies and tactics to deliver exceptional training across all employee skill levels. Whether you are responsible for training colleagues or customers, this program is designed for service technicians, service and training managers, maintenance technicians, internal trainers, line supervisors, and anyone seeking to enhance their training expertise. 2024 Workshop Dates March 18–19, PACK EXPO East, Philadelphia June 20–21, Montreal Aug. 22–23, Minneapolis Nov. 3–4, PACK EXPO International, Chicago Register Now at pmmiu.org

Leadership Development Program The PMMI U Leadership Development Program assists PMMI member companies in developing their organizations’ future leaders and managers. This program features each participant’s personalized leadership development plan based on a multi-dimensional assessment measuring behavior, motivation, and leadership attributes. Six-Month Program – Begins Spring 2024! Learn More at pmmi.org/youngprofessionals

Risk Assessment

Take a proactive approach to safeguarding your packaging and processing equipment while minimizing potential liabilities. Gain valuable insights into industry standards, the machine risk assessment process, hazard identification, risk reduction and elimination techniques, and the significance of proper documentation. Nov. 1–2, PACK EXPO International, Chicago, Register Now at https://www. pmmi.org/risk-assessment-workshops

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This two-day workshop delves into the non-technical aspects of being an exceptional technician. 2024 Workshop Dates June 18–19, Montreal Aug. 20–21, Minneapolis Nov. 3–4, PACK EXPO International, Chicago

Newest show from producer PMMI targets untapped, robust manufacturing region for spring 2025 debut in Atlanta. Packaging and processing companies seeking to share their latest machinery, materials, and innovations with the growing manufacturing industry

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ASSOCIATION NEWS

in the southeast, can now sign up to exhibit at PACK EXPO Southeast, which will debut in spring 2025 in Atlanta (March 10-12; Georgia World Congress Center). The newest show in the PACK EXPO portfolio, produced by PMMI, The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, will offer solutions to address southeast manufacturers’ packaging and processing needs in over 40 vertical markets. “PMMI sees a great opportunity to offer the first comprehensive packaging and processing trade show to service the southeast region. This region has shown favorable growth in several manufacturing sectors, including food and beverage, pharmaceutical and medicine, aerospace products and parts, textile products, and medical equipment and supplies,” said Jim Pittas, president and CEO, PMMI. “PACK EXPO Southeast in Atlanta is the perfect location to focus on targeted opportunities in this robust market, which is home to some of the top manufacturing companies.” Located within driving distance of key manufacturing cities, PACK EXPO Southeast will harness all the power of the PACK EXPO portfolio of trade shows, directed at the strong southeast market.

“PACK EXPO Southeast 2025 is a must-attend event for companies that want to make key connections with buyers in this growing region,” said Laura Thompson, vice president, trade shows. “In keeping with our PACK EXPO brand, it also offers attendees the chance to see innovation in action for over 40 vertical markets and the latest solutions to some of their critical manufacturing needs.” Excitement around the new show is building in the packaging and processing industry, and suppliers identify convenience, growth opportunities, and PACK EXPO’s comprehensive offerings as just a few reasons to look forward to its Southeast debut. “Every PACK EXPO is critical to the growth of our business, so we couldn’t be more excited to experience all the show has to offer in Atlanta,” said Allison Wagner, business strategy manager, Morrison Container Handling Solutions. “With the market expansions that are happening in the southeast, it makes so much sense to bring all the benefits of PACK EXPO to Atlanta so we can connect directly with customers. We’re looking forward to a successful first show in Atlanta in 2025!” Holly Dillon, sales manager, Uni-

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tronics, also is anticipating PACK EXPO Southeast in Atlanta. She said, “The PMMI shows historically have provided us with great quality leads that convert to long-lasting customers. We’ve been exhibiting with PMMI for more than a decade. Very few shows bring the volume and quality of exhibitors, which PMMI brings to the table.” Exhibitors have already begun signing up, including Wisconsinbased manufacturer Multi-Conveyor LLC. “Multi-Conveyor is energized to be exhibiting at the premiere of PACK EXPO Southeast in Atlanta 2025,” said Cheryl Miller, director of marketing, Multi-Conveyor. “This event will undeniably be the most convenient, cohesive means for our southeast regional customers and partner businesses to locally witness our latest technologies ‘live’ on the show floor and meet one-on-one with Multi-Conveyor’s team. Win, Win, and WIN!” Request information and learn more at packexposoutheast.com, or contact Daniel Smith, exhibit sales manager, or Patrick Bradley, national accounts manager, at sales@ pmmi.org. Attendee registration for PACK EXPO Southeast 2025 will open November 2024. ■

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OEM EXHIBITOR CORNER

EXHIBITOR’S CORNER

What’s New for PACK EXPO East Exhibitors Introducing the New Exhibitor Resource Center for PACK EXPO East exhibitors. Katie Young, Sr. Coordinator, Exhibitor Services, PMMI

ACK EXPO East is launching a new Exhibitor Dashboard – now called the Exhibitor Resource Center (ERC)! All exhibitors will receive an email from Map Your Show to create your new login. Once the primary show contact has logged in, they can invite other people from their company to create their own login. The dashboard is your one-stop shop for all things exhibitor related, including populating your Online Listing, making booth space payments, and accessing all Exhibitor Services Links (Service Manual, Housing, Registration, etc). HERE’S WHAT’S NEW!

New Account Setup! The primary show contact will receive a link to log in using their email address. This link will take them to a page to create a password (if they have not already created one). Multiple Users Function! Once the primary show contact is logged in, they will see the Users’ option to manage your team member’s access. Use the ‘Switch Exhibitor’ link under your name to jump to another account if you represent multiple companies or affiliates exhibiting!

The Exhibitor Resource Center gives you one centralized hub to access everything you need to prepare for PACK EXPO East. Should you have any questions as you login, please contact the PMMI Show Department at 571-612-3200. Not yet exhibiting at PACK EXPO East? Space is still available, but filling fast! Visit packexpoeast.com for more information and to submit your application.

A new interface! At the top of the screen, you will see your checklist including past due items and upcoming deadlines. The middle section will include your showroom stats and you can complete your profile. You can also select your Vertical Markets, Product Categories, and invite your customers using your unique Comp Code.

Financials! You will now make all booth space payments and see your balance due through the Exhibitor Resource Center!

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11/15/23 10:14 AM

2025 DEBUT!

MARCH 10–12, 2025 / ATLANTA, GA GEORGIA WORLD CONGRESS CENTER

A NEW HUB FOR INNOVATION The opportunity you’ve been waiting for – PACK EXPO Southeast exhibit sales are now live! • Make New Connections • Get Buyers Excited About Your Solutions • Develop Quality Leads That Pay Off • Strengthen Brand Awareness In This Key Region • Gain Valuable Intel On The Southeast Market

Apply for Space Today!

Priority Space Application Deadline

February 7, 2024

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WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

Navigating the New Realities of Workforce Labor expert tells 2023 PMMI Annual Meeting that today’s strong labor market calls for new strategies to attract and retain talent. Joseph Derr, Contributing Editor

reat news: today’s labor market is robust and resilient despite the naysayers and recession predictors. However, attracting and keeping workers in our plants requires moving away from business-as-usual approaches and adopting new strategies. That was the main message of Alex Chausovsky, Director of Analytics and Consulting at Bundy Group, during the 2023 PMMI Annual Meeting in Stone Mountain, Ga., on October 17. Chausovsky broke down the complexities of today’s workforce challenges, offering a clear roadmap for success to members in attendance.

A resilient labor market

Chausovsky first showcased the unexpected strength of the labor market in the face of economic uncertainties. Despite concerns about a recession, the United States added a remarkable 336,000 new jobs in September 2023, nearly doubling the expected figure of 180,000, according to data he showed from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Additionally, the workforce participation rate for prime-age workers hit a record high, challenging prevailing negative narratives about the labor market. However, rising labor costs are a reality and a significant challenge. Hourly earnings in the U.S. have surged by 4.2% in the last year, rendering the conventional 2% cost of living adjustment (COLA) obsolete. To retain and attract talent, organizations must now consider raises in the 3.5% to 5% range solely for cost of living adjustments, Chausovsky said. In a climate of heightened inflation, customers may resist price increases, demanding that companies offer exceptional value to justify such adjustments. There has also been some diversity in job growth, with multiple sectors contributing to positive employment numbers, including manufacturing, even though growth

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may seem slower compared to the post-pandemic highs of 2021 and 2022.

Attracting the talent

In such a labor market, Chausovsky drew attention to the fierce competition for talent, especially in specialized roles like field service technicians – highly sought after by not just packaging machinery OEMs but across manufacturing. Differentiating your organization has become crucial to winning the talent race, Chausovsky said. “You have to be better; you have to rise head-andshoulders above, not only your peers, but everybody else looking for the same talent as well,” he said. Then Chausovsky turned to the ongoing debate surrounding hybrid and remote work arrangements, emphasizing that there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Companies need to evaluate their specific needs, capacity, and financial resources when deciding on the right work arrangement for their employees. Although the threat of COVID has diminished in terms of life risk, it still affects the workforce. Companies need to consider the potential impact of employees falling ill or needing to care for sick family members. This necessitates flexibility in workforce planning and continuous adaptation.

Not just HR anymore

Just as OEMs are strategic about the machines they make, so must they be about acquiring and keeping talent. Yet data from Chausovsky’s survey with over 20,000 companies reveals that a substantial 73% of organizations said they lack a dedicated talent strategy. Acquiring talent is not the sole job of the HR department anymore, Chausovsky said. “It should involve all senior members of the organization, not just the HR department, but all the way through the C-suite,” Chausovsky said.

Alex Chausovsky speaks at the 2023 PMMI Annual Meeting about new ways to approach talent acquisition.

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WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

Chausovsky advocated that companies set up their talent strategy using four key pillars: market, product, team, and mission. First, talent attraction should be akin to a sales and marketing function in the company.

Selling packaging as a career

“You have to sell the idea of packaging as an industry in which someone wants to build their career,” he said. “Packaging is not just the making of machinery, but it’s an evolutionary type of technology that constantly moves at the speed of light with the newest applications, coding, AI capabilities, and all of the hot buzzwords that are being thrown around today.” Similarly, OEMs will be well positioned if they highlight what sets their company apart from competitors in terms of product differentiation and market strategy. When applicants understand what stands out about your brand, they will invest in it. It is also critical to promote the successes and accomplishments of your team, demonstrating that your organization is a winning one. The mission is particularly key with the younger generations of workers, Chausovsky said. “They want to know what philanthropic activities you are taking part in and how you’re engaging in your local communities as an organization,” he said. “What is it that you

WINTER 2023

do beyond making money that helps to make the world a better place?” To help better connect with candidates, Chausovsky promoted the idea of what he called a CLAMPS survey, which stands for challenge, location, advancement, money, people, and security. “Every candidate that comes in to interview for your organization should be asked which of these six things do you prioritize the most,” said Chausovsky. “Rank them in order of one to six, and then that information should be shared with the people conducting the interview.” The presentation concluded with the idea of collaboration between employers and employees to achieve mutual success. It’s not just about reacting when employees decide to leave; it’s about proactive engagement to understand their goals, identify shared objectives, and work together to meet them. While the packaging and processing machinery manufacturing industry faces labor market complexities and increasing costs, OEMs can thrive in this environment. By lining up and implementing talent strategies, prioritizing data-driven decision-making when it comes to the workforce, and tailoring their messaging to attract talent, OEMs can build a future where both businesses and their employees prosper. 

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better products. better solutions.

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11/14/23 13:29

WINTER 2023

WOMEN IN PACKAGING

During PACK EXPO Las Vegas 2023, Manjit Minhas, co-founder and CEO of Minhas Brewery, Distillery and Winery, shared her experiences as an entrepreneur and investor on the TV show Dragon's Den with the PPWLN network.

Women in Packaging Empowering Women in Packaging and Processing Stephanie Neil, Editor-in-Chief

n a special Packaging and Processing Women’s Leadership episode of unPACKed with PMMI, OEM’s Stephanie Neil sat down with powerhouse entrepreneur, philanthropist, investor, and Dragon on the hit Canadian TV show Dragons’ Den, Manjit Minhas. In their candid conversation, Neil delves into Minhas’s journey, from building a thriving business empire to navigating the intricacies of work-life integration. Minhas shares invaluable insights on negotiation, overcoming imposter syndrome, and finding the courage to take risks. Stephanie Neil: The last time we spoke, we were in Las Vegas at the Packaging and Processing Women’s Leadership Network. We can’t recap everything that happened there, but I want to start the conversation with the first question everybody always asks you. Do you have any tips for successfully balancing your personal life and your work world?

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Manjit Minhas: First, I don’t believe in work-life balance. I believe in work-life integration. I’ve been married for 16 years; I have two kids, aging parents, in-laws who are aging, brothers-in-law, nieces, and nephews. And then, the work side of things, 24 years ago, my brother and I started this company, and it was just him and I. Now, we’re over a thousand people in 16 countries. Both of those parts of my life are very important, and I like to be present at both, but at different times. I have a trusted team; you must trust them enough to make the right decisions for their roles. And so, the first thing you got to let go is let go of the guilt and then come to terms with the fact that you’ve become a mom or a wife or whatever that might be, that you still have ambitions and drives. Stephanie Neil: Let’s just put our work hat on. Do you have any tips about negotiating styles? If we’re women in a man’s world, in a male-dominated industry, should we be emulating their negotiation styles?

11/15/23 10:18 AM

WOMEN IN PACKAGING

Manjit Minhas: No, not at all. A part of this is that you must understand what your boundaries are, what your non-negotiables are, and what is important to you, and that’s always the place to start a successful negotiation. What you’re willing to give up. There’s always a sacrifice for both parties to have a win-win situation, a partnership, and something to work. And you do have to be very clear with yourself, whether on the home front or at the office, as to what your boundaries and non-negotiables are. What are you trying to achieve out of this negotiation and/or out of your day, out of your year? What are the goals here? And I truly believe, as clear as you can be of those goals, you can communicate them and achieve them. Stephanie Neil: You’re an entrepreneur, but you have an engineering degree. How have you used your engineering degree throughout your career? Manjit Minhas: No matter what your education is, you use it in various ways. It might not be a direct line, but you use those skills, which is the most important thing about any education. You use those skills to research, communicate, be efficient and productive, and meet deadlines. It just gives you confidence that you actually have a background in something other than life. And so, I would say, no matter what your background is or your education is, whether it just be high school or whether it be an arts degree, in engineering, or even if you didn’t finish, it really doesn’t matter, I think what you get out of that is talent skills, gets also the way to network, which is really important, but also, through that process, you learn a lot about yourself. And I think that that is one of the most important things about any education. Stephanie Neil: So, this is a good segue into a question from the audience when we were in Las Vegas. We couldn’t get to them all, but I really like this question. And when you’re talking about your education and your confidence, that’s all well and good, but many women still deal with imposter syndrome. Do you have any advice to help them overcome that? Manjit Minhas: You do have to acknowledge that it exists within you, but then, you have to double down on what you’re good at, why you feel you’re good at it, what you’ve taken risks at, and what you’ve succeeded at. Trying, falling down, getting up, learning, and retrying is really important. You might not always succeed, but you will learn something along the way. I guarantee you will get tougher, and the next time you try it, and you’re trying to innovate or take another risk, you will get better at it. Stephanie Neil: One of the things that we’re trying to do as an organization is to open the doors to a younger

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generation to get into the STEM fields: science, technology, engineering, and math. I know that you have young girls yourself. Is there any advice or things that can make this field more interesting to young women as they’re choosing a career path? Manjit Minhas: I would say a couple of things. One, they need to be exposed to it as early as they can. My young girls were doing art and gymnastics camps, but they were also doing engineering camps at the same time. So, they need to be exposed to what STEM can actually be. It can be integrated with arts, it can be integrated with fashion, it can be integrated with gymnastics even. I tell my girls all the time how gymnastics is physics. You do have to find ways to integrate STEM into their life that they can understand how and where they can help make a difference. Stephanie Neil: You spend a lot of time and money and give to many charities. Why do you feel it’s important to give back, regardless of where you are in your career or life? Manjit Minhas: My parents are immigrants to Canada. They did not have an easy beginning in this country, but they were able to give us a middle-class upbringing. And it was important to me to help not only immigrants, girls, and young kids but also women who are discovering who and what they are. I’ve met some amazing people that I call friends now through philanthropy, and I think that when you’re working for something bigger than you but also understanding where your community needs are, it’s quite rewarding in so many different ways. Stephanie Neil: You said during our conversation back in Vegas, “Find a way to get 1% smarter every day?” Did I say that right? Or what’s the theory behind that? Because I loved it. Manjit Minhas: Yeah, I’ve been on a mission for quite a while to be 1% smarter before I go to bed at night. And I do that in so many different ways. The one way I do it consciously is that I have scheduled one hour in my calendar every single day, even on the weekends, that is just for me to read, listen to podcasts, think, talk to people, and do a lot of different things, that help me become more knowledgeable about things that I’m interested in, things that I don’t know anything about and/or enjoy. And that has been a really interesting and fascinating way that I go to bed thinking, “Okay, great. I didn’t do a bunch of check marks on a to-do list. I actually got an hour today; that was me time.”



11/15/23 10:19 AM

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NEW PRODUCTS

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Clean in Place Latches JW Winco, www.jwwinco.com Designed to repel dirt and be cleaned in place, JW Winco’s GN 1150 Hygienic Design latches support the machine and system cleaning concept known as clean in place. These latches are comprised of stainless steel with special FDA-compliant seals of EPDM and TPU, leaving no dead spaces for dirt to collect. When the latch arm is turned 90 degrees, its beveled surfaces produce a tension that reliably presses covers, hatches, or doors against their opposing element (frame or body). The rotational movement is achieved with a simple blue plastic key featuring a socket with two wrench surfaces, which is available as an accessory under the designation GN 1151. The standard part GN 1150 is available in two versions: The “front hygiene” version and the “full hygiene” design.

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11/14/23 13:28

AD INDEX

WINTER 2023

COMPANY NAME

WEBSITE

PAGE

AMCI - Advanced Micro Controls Inc.

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Eriez

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Fuji Electric Corp. of America

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HERMA US Inc.

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IFC

Lubriplate Lubricants Company

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mk North America, Inc

www.mknorthamerica.com

Novanta

novantaphotonics.com

PAXTON, An ITW Air Management Company

www.paxtonproducts.com

Pepperl + Fuchs

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PMMI

www.pmmi.org

SEW-EURODRIVE, Inc.

www.seweurodrive.com

Slideways, Inc

www.slideways.com

VDG (Van der Graaf)

www.vandergraaf.com

VEGA Americas

www.vega.com

Wipotec

www.wipotec.com

19, 43

17, 23, 27, 41, IBC

1, OBC

Cover-1

OEM Magazine (ISSN# 2377-293X) is a trademark application of PMMI, The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies. OEM Magazine is published four times annually by PMMI with its publishing office, PMMI Media Group, located at 401 N. Michigan Ave., Suite 1700, Chicago, IL 60611; 312.222.1010; Fax: 312.222.1310. Periodicals postage paid at Chicago, IL, and additional mailing offices. Copyright 2023 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.oemmagazine.org/subscribe. Paid subscription rates per year are $80 in the U.S., $125 Canada and Mexico by surface mail; $200 Europe, $400 Far East and Australia by air mail. Single copy price in U.S. is $20. To subscribe or manage your subscription to OEM Magazine, visit www.oemmagazine.org/subscribe. Free digital edition available to qualified individuals outside the United States. POSTMASTER; Send address changes to OEM Magazine, 401 N. Michigan Ave., Suite 1700, 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: support@oemmagazine.org. 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. Volume 6 • Number 4

1223_AdIndex.indd 47

11/14/23 12:22

WINTER 2023

FINAL THOUGHTS

JIM PITTAS PRESIDENT & CEO, PMMI

2023 by the Numbers – Outpacing Expectations and setting new records As 2023 swiftly comes to a close, there is a lot to reflect back on PMMI’s 90th year as the Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies. It was a year of milestones and significant achievements under the stewardship of our first Chairwoman of PMMI, Patty Andersen, Delkor Systems. Before we move into 2024, let’s go inside the numbers and take one last look at 2023: 1 new trade show announced, PACK EXPO Southeast 2025 in Atlanta, targeting the manufacturing-rich southern U.S. 2 coauthored Sustainability reports from PMMI Business Intelligence in a year when PMMI stepped up its focus on Sustainability with the debut of PACK EXPO Las Vegas’ Sustainability Central Exhibit. 2nd annual Young Professionals Conference brought emerging leaders together to network and learn. 3 newly launched PMMI Media Group events: Packaging Robotics Live and Local, PACKEvolution Latin America, and the Packaging Recycling Summit. 4 PMMI Max Member workgroups convened at the PMMI Roadshow in Chicago. 5 OpX Leadership Network Work Products released in 2022-2023, including the latest Best Practice Transitioning Flexible Materials. 6 PMMI now provides management services for six Associations with the addition of the International Society of Beverage Technologists. 10 winners of the sixth annual On the Rise Awards were recognized as young professionals demonstrating leadership potential in packaging and processing. 19 new reports, white papers, and quickie surveys from PMMI Business Intelligence. 27 Summer camps sponsored by the PMMI Foundation. 37 new Fall member companies welcomed at the 2023 Annual Meeting. 48 episodes of unPACKed with PMMI were released this year, with another nine expected before 2023 comes to a close. 47 new Spring members were welcomed at PMMI’s Executive Leadership Conference spring Board Meeting. 90th Anniversary that PMMI celebrated in 2023. 100 percent increase in website traffic to ProSource.org, PMMI’s official member directory, in the

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past year, with visits from leading CPG brands such as Cargill, Coca-Cola, and Perdue Farms. B155.1-2023, the number of the updated ANSI/ PMMI Standard for Packaging and Processing Machinery Safety. 165 Industry professionals at the largest PMMI Roadshow to date held in Chicago. 167 members from 100 member companies who attended the Executive Leadership Conference in San Antonio. 261 member executives from 131 member companies who attended the 2023 Annual Meeting in Atlanta. 510 students ages 11-17 who attended PMMI Foundation-sponsored camps. 700 Exhibitors at EXPO PACK Guadalajara, making it our largest EXPO PACK Guadalajara to date. 750+ attended the Packaging and Processing Women’s Leadership Network Breakfast at PACK EXPO Las Vegas with keynote speaker Manjit Minhas. 1,026 total PMMI members, the first time membership has exceeded 1,000 members. 2,300 exhibitors at PACK EXPO LAS VEGAS. 6,564 downloads of 2023 episodes of unPACKed with PMMI as of Oct. 24. 15,000 square meters of exhibit space at the largest ever EXPO PACK Guadalajara. 16,000 packaging and processing buyers at EXPO PACK Guadalajara. $30,000 was raised for the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, an organization dedicated to helping the nation’s first responders, military heroes, injured veterans, homeless veterans, and their families. 32,000 attendees at PACK EXPO Las Vegas – a new record for attendees at a PACK EXPO Las Vegas. $40,000 was raised for the PMMI Foundation by the PMMI Foundation Golf Tournament. $50,000 grant awarded to Whole & Free Foods LLC at the Emerging Brands Summit at PACK EXPO Las Vegas. $200,000 in educational scholarships to students pursuing careers in packaging and processing granted by the PMMI Foundation. $600,000 in matching funds this year via the PMMU Skills fund to support the current and future workforce. 1,000,000 sq ft of exhibits at PACK EXPO Las Vegas, making it the largest PACK EXPO Las Vegas to date. Jim Pittas is the President & CEO of PMMI. He may be reached at jpittas@pmmi.org or at linkedin.com/in/jimpittas.

11/15/23 10:20 AM

Looking to upskill your workforce and increase customer satisfaction? Look no further than the lineup of workshops available in 2024!

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10/31/23 14:49