Packaging Strategies

2020 March

In this issue of Packaging Strategies we have the annual Packaging Outlook, covering flexible and rigid plastics, glass, metal cans, paperboard and corrugated, as well as packaging machinery & automation and packaging design. Also covered is the trend of less is more in beverage branding, how dispensers can make or break a brand experience, one conveying company that’s setting the bar in vertical farming, a dairy manufacturer that moved to plant-based products and more. Enjoy!

Packaging Outlook: Collaboration, Innovation, Flexibility

Spotlight Feature

Packaging Outlook 2020: Collaboration, Innovation, Flexibility

Consumer packaged goods manufacturers, retailers and OEMs are finding new growth with partner collaborations.

Kristen Kazarian

March 20, 2020

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Last year many companies collaborated on new materials, machinery compatibility and corporate initiatives, and joined recycling groups. It’s time to look forward, get inspired and realize that sometimes it is better to work with a partner or two.

Brand Packaging: Beverage Branding

Less Is More in Beverage Branding

RTD brands use minimal design for maximum impact.

Kristin Joker

March 16, 2020

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According to ForMarkets, the global RTD (ready to drink) market is predicted to reach $17.67 billion by 2025, with a growth rate of 7.2% between 2018-2025. As the RTD category continues to grow, consumers are reaching for convenient, better-for-you sources of energy — via protein or caffeine — in sophisticated packaging.

Brand Packaging: Functional Packaging

Dispensing the Ideal Brand Experience

The success of a new brand often depends on the ease and effectiveness of the product’s fine-mist sprayer.

Chris Mordi

March 18, 2020

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According to a recent survey of 250 brand owners across the consumer packaged goods spectrum by L.E.K. Consulting, 90% of brand owners say packaging is critical to their brand’s success — a way to adapt to industry pressures, including fast-changing consumer tastes and preferences.

Automation

There Is No One-Size-Fits-All IIoT Strategy

With or without the cloud, scalable IIoT technologies solve common problems, such as inefficient compressed air systems.

Mark Ruberg

March 18, 2020

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In packaging plants across the world, compressed air systems create significant energy waste. Pinhole leaks in air lines, sticky valves and other inefficiencies cost huge consumer packaged goods (CPG) manufactures and small contract packagers alike substantial amounts of money. These also hinder corporate green efforts for responsible energy usage. A key opportunity to solve compressed air issues and boost overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) is by thoughtfully implementing Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) strategies with scalable PC-based automation technologies.

Market Trends

The Recipe for Success with Plant-Based Beverages

Elmhurst 1925 found success after closing its traditional dairy business and turning to plant-based beverages

Megan Reddish

March 16, 2020

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Elimination diets, increasing scrutiny over the dairy industry and environmental concerns have all contributed to a monumental shift away from dairy. While some dairies have folded under the change in consumer demand, Henry Schwartz made the bold decision to close the doors to his family's 95-year-old dairy and shift to completely plant-based alternatives.

Jackie Canny, owner and CEO of Ultimation Industries

Machinery

The Ultimate in Automation

One company is setting the bar for conveyor technology and branching out into a vertical world.

Kristen Kazarian

March 16, 2020

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Located in Metro Detroit, Ultimation Industries LLC, a conveyor technology and automation company, has been in business for 30 years. Owner and CEO Jackie Canny was a finalist for Amazon's Woman-Owned Small Business of the Year Award in 2019. The company was also named one of "Metro Detroit&'s Best and Brightest Companies to Work For" in 2019.

HCPC Column

HCPC Celebrates 30 Years of Improving Pharma Packaging

Walt Berghahn

March 18, 2020

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In 2020 the Healthcare Compliance Packaging Council celebrates its 30th anniversary. In that time, HCPC has witnessed dramatic changes in the pharmaceutical market, and our mission has evolved to meet the changing landscape of the healthcare industry.

Editor’s Note

A Pit in the Stomach

March 18, 2020

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It seems that the U.S-China trade war is slowing. According to National Public Radio, the president agreed to relax some of the tariffs he imposed on Chinese imports. In exchange, Beijing has agreed to buy more American products and make other changes.

CPX20: Cannabis Products Exchange

CPX20: Cannabis Products Exchange is a unique new event spotlighting the latest in the development and production of legal cannabis edibles and beverages. This interactive two-day conference is designed to inform and inspire the ideation, innovation, research and development, manufacturing, packaging, distribution, and consumer safety of legal cannabis edibles and beverages.

Your one-stop shop for all things converting is back in 2020 with additional exhibit space! Celebrating 13 years as the only one-day expo exclusively located in the Midwest, Converters Expo unites converters of paper, film, plastics and nonwovens with industry buyers, specialists and suppliers.

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