Two sides to the business
Alltrista’s Director of Sales, Andrew Piersall, says that the business caters to two distinct market segments.

The first market segment is the medical sector, where Alltrista focuses on medical devices and packaging products, with a product assortment relating to drug delivery, wound closure, diagnostics, oral dose packaging (including certified child-resistant caps), and vision care. Unlike its consumer packaging side, all the products on the medical side are custom-specific and thus unique to each customer.

The other market segment served by Alltrista is the consumer packaging side, to which the company offers both packaging and closure solutions for markets including food & beverage and health & beauty. This side of the business has a relatively broad product portfolio, including a multitude of stock offerings such as bottles, bottle caps, lip balm, dosage cups, and other associated products. Within consumer packaging, Alltrista’s custom capabilities make up a large part of the business, providing unique solutions to each customer’s request.

Piersall says that commercially, Alltrista’s customers (especially medical customers) tend to focus on risk management and speed-to-market in their dealings, mainly via effective project execution. Therefore, suppliers like Alltrista that can provide this value to customers help them be successful.

Sustainability initiatives are also a large focus of the company. Alltrista partners with customers aiming to meet the environmental commitments of highly regulated fields to provide sustainable solutions. Generally speaking in this regard—and across all segments—the company is home to high cavitation molds with short cycle times, lightweighted plastic bottles and caps, and a small manufacturing cell footprint.

It’s not easy for any business to make a mark on the plastics industry, but Piersall says that a distinguishing aspect of Alltrista is its ability to be both customer-focused and agile. These qualities allow the company to provide end-to-end solutions to customers quickly, meeting customers wherever they may be in the lifecycle of a product. “We have demonstrated willingness to invest in our customers,” he says. Alltrista’s mindset is that its customers’ successes are its own successes.

Going for gold
The company continues to make an impression, and in 2024, Alltrista was highlighted in the PMMI report, Innovation in Can/Bottle Beverage Packaging, which explores the latest developments in beverage packaging as exhibited at 2024’s PackExpo. Alltrista was proud to be featured in the report’s materials section, spotlighting the AllCap™ 1881 beverage closure, a lightweight water bottle cap that enhances productivity, is customizable, and delivers cost savings without compromising on quality. The company utilizes the latest energy-saving infrastructure support systems with variable frequency drives on all its electric motors, resulting in a significant reduction in energy consumption per cap produced.

Christopher Weikart, Senior Vice President of Innovation at Jadex, says that one of the things that brings him the most company satisfaction is Alltrista’s approach to sustainability. In fact, the company recently earned a gold medal from EcoVadis, an independent ESG global platform that evaluates businesses based on sustainability objectives, covering areas like environmental stewardship, labor and human rights, and sustainability in the procurement of materials. Weikart says that the gold medal is evidence of Alltrista’s category-leading commitment to ecological responsibility and is a point of pride internally, placing the company in the top five percent of companies surveyed in the 12 months leading up to the award.

For Alltrista, crafting and refining sustainable practices happen daily. A tangible example of sustainability in its business practices is the light-weighting of several of its manufactured products, meaning a reduction in the amount of material in a product without compromising quality (as seen in the company’s award-winning beverage cap). This is typically the result of unique product design attributes, something the company has become adept at achieving.

Spearheading these practices internally has led to many benefits, including reducing the company’s Scope 1 & 2 emissions, product weight savings, and the identification of new materials, such as post-consumer recycled resins (PCR), for use in future projects.

The year ahead
Vice President of Operations, Jeff Hall, says that Alltrista’s focus moving into 2026 will be on both strengthening its operational excellence and investing in its people. The company will be expanding its automation capabilities and upgrading its equipment to improve precision, consistency, and efficiency across molding lines.

“Our goal is to build highly adaptable operations that combine high-precision automated manufacturing with the highest quality products,” Hall says, “which will position the company to meet the ever-evolving needs of customers as well as sustainability standards for years to come.”

Hall says that from a manufacturing standpoint, one consistent challenge across all market segments is establishing a skilled and trained workforce. Moving into the new year and the foreseeable future, Alltrista will be placing a strong emphasis on workforce development, as new talent will need to be trained on molding, process monitoring, and quality systems.

Pace-setting product launch
Weikart explains that one of the company’s biggest customers is in the healthcare industry, so there will be a particular product launch next year (among several others) that will aim to benefit these customers and others like them. This product will be an improved version of a medical device that Alltrista has manufactured for a long time, involving the incorporation of an antimicrobial compound into a polymer resin before molding the mixture into a finished wound care device.

This device has simplified the customer’s manufacturing operations, improved their product quality, and enhanced product reliability for patients susceptible to surgical site infections. After this launch, the customer is expected to undertake a complete conversion of the product line thanks to this technology.

Honoring its history of longevity, Alltrista drives innovation, from light-weighting caps to advanced medical devices, guided by operational excellence and sustainability. While the company has gone through changes, and has many noteworthy events on the horizon, its ability to adapt and maintain success relies on one constant: its employees. “Ultimately,” says Piersall, “our people are our biggest asset.”

The post 50-Plus Years of Precision: Providing End-to-End Solutions<p class="company">Alltrista Plastics</p> appeared first on Manufacturing In Focus.

Today, Avon Food Company operates with two clear identities: a steward of beloved, multi-generational consumer sauce brands including Christie’s Salad Dressing, Porino’s Pasta Sauce, Medallion Teriyaki Sauce, and Javin Curry Powder; and a respected co-packer known for helping emerging and established brands alike scale with care.

Behind that dual mission is the Anastos family, led by second-generation leadership and proudly women owned. But perhaps most importantly, Avon Food Company’s story is still being written through continual reinvestment in advanced equipment, sustainability-centered processes, collaborative culture, and ahead-of-trend product development. The result is a business that honors where it came from while confidently charting a future all its own.

Many customers still associate Christie’s with its original family founders, and that connection is something Avon Food Company cherishes. The transition began when the Christie’s brand and several sister labels fell into private equity ownership that eventually ended in liquidation. When the business went to auction, Michael Anastos’ father—Stephen Anastos—who had not previously worked in food manufacturing—saw not only an opportunity, but a responsibility to preserve something meaningful.

Vice President Michael Anastos explains, “My dad had a friend in the business who asked him to attend the auction with him. And they were the lucky winner to carry on the Christie’s brand.”

Rebuilding the brand meant more than restarting production; it meant restoring trust. Those early years were spent returning recipes to their original form, rekindling supplier relationships, and regaining shelf placement. That effort worked and the family not only saved the brand but grew it. Now in its second generation of leadership, the company employs more than 25 people and operates four production lines, with both of Michael’s parents still actively involved.

Among the most defining features of Avon Food Company today is its woman-owned leadership. “My mom owns the company,” Anastos shares. “She has owned it since the beginning. She’s the principal owner, and she still supports operations day-to-day.”

In an industry often led by men, Avon Food Company stands out for its inclusive and empowering workplace culture, with mentorship playing a central role in day-to-day operations. This is a place where every individual is encouraged to grow, develop their skills, and advance within the company.

Sales and Marketing Manager, Carson Albright, highlights the significance of this presence: “In a predominantly male industry, it is nice to see and be a part of a business with women at the core.” This leadership identity has shaped a workplace that emphasizes collaboration and empowerment, a culture that’s equally felt on the production floor and in leadership meetings.

That spirit of mentorship extends beyond gender and titles. Longtime employees often describe the company as a place where ideas are welcomed, voices are heard, and innovation is encouraged. It’s a structure that blends small-company closeness with big-company capability, reflecting the same values that define Avon’s relationships with clients and suppliers.

While the heart of Christie’s products remains unchanged, with recipes preserved as they were decades ago, the equipment and processes used to make them have evolved dramatically. Over the past three years, Avon Food Company has invested nearly $3 million in production and facility upgrades. These include electromagnetic fillers, a technology typically only seen in major global manufacturers.

“Electromagnetic filling is the leader in sanitary design,” Anastos explains. “It’s the fastest, cleanest, and most efficient way to fill, but it’s usually something you only see in the Coca-Colas of the world, and we brought it down to a smaller scale.”

Along with electromagnetic filling, the facility hosts piston and pressure overflow filling lines, energy-efficient boilers and compressors, and dual-capability capping systems for both metal and plastic lids. These investments were deliberate, not just for efficiency, but to expand what Avon Food Company can offer and to make operations more sustainable.

Indeed, the company’s commitment to environmental responsibility extends beyond energy-efficient equipment. By focusing on reduced waste and local sourcing partnerships, Avon Food Company minimizes its environmental footprint while maintaining the quality customers expect.

The company now fills everything from 5oz retail bottles to gallon jugs and bulk pails, servicing both grocery shelves and national restaurant chains. In the co-packing segment, Product Specialist Natalie Steeves and the development team assist customers from formulation to scaling to distribution, making Avon Food Company a full-service partner, not simply a producer.

Though many co-packers simply replicate formulas and produce to spec, Avon Food Company takes a more experimental and collaborative approach. “The big driver for us is asking ‘why? Why is something done this way? Could it be done better?’ We ask that every single day,” says Anastos.

This forward-thinking mindset has driven the company to explore preservative-free and clean label formulations while helping partner brands rapidly scale and refine their products. Avon Food Company also experiments with emerging flavor trends and innovative ingredient profiles, all while guiding small-batch creators through the transition to large-scale production, ensuring their handcrafted essence remains intact.

Albright and the team closely track consumer shifts through trade shows, association involvement, distributor conversations, and on-the-ground feedback. As members of the Specialty Food Association, the team has a finger on the pulse of what’s coming, whether that’s plant-based innovations, functional ingredients, or nostalgic comfort flavors making a comeback.

This agility is one advantage of being mid-sized: large enough for industrial production, yet small enough to adapt to change quickly. Avon’s team thrives on this flexibility, often piloting new products or reformulations within weeks rather than months.

The company’s recipe catalog is a unique asset, a living archive of American flavor history. Some formulas trace back nearly 75 years, developed by original Christie’s founder and food scientist Dean Christie. Others were created only months ago in collaboration with rising brands or restaurant groups. Avon Food Company has produced award-winning barbecue sauces, marinades, wing sauces, Bloody Mary mixes, and private-label lines that many consumers know, even if they don’t realize where they’re made. Many partnerships are protected under NDA, but the pride in the work is unmistakable.

“It’s really neat to collaborate with our new co-packers,” Steeves shares. “Some clients start out making as little as a gallon at a time, and we can scale their vision to 2,500 gallons. That’s one of the joys of working at a manufacturing facility.”

That blend of innovation and respect for tradition has earned Avon Food Company a trusted reputation among both up-and-coming food entrepreneurs and long-established household names. From craft startups debuting their first product to national brands expanding into new markets, Avon serves as the quiet force helping them make it happen.

Last year, Avon Food Company earned its first SQF certification, one of the most recognized and comprehensive food safety standards in the world. This year, the company raised the bar again by adding the Quality certification component, a step that only around 12 percent of manufacturers nationwide have taken.

“We wanted to be proactive about quality—not just meet expectations, but exceed them,” says Anastos. “Some people get SQF just to have it; we went after it so we can sleep at night. It’s about integrity and transparency.”

The certification reflects not only Avon’s dedication to safety but also its holistic approach to quality management. Every stage, from ingredient sourcing to final packaging, is governed by strict standards and meticulous oversight, and clients benefit from the assurance that their products are being made in one of the most advanced, compliant facilities in the region.

Behind every bottle and batch are relationships that make the company’s success possible. Avon Food Company works closely with family-owned suppliers like Holden Fruit and Produce, which provides fresh produce and ingredients tailored to the company’s exacting specifications. As Steeves notes, “They have been incredibly supportive and flexible partners. Aside from having high quality ingredients, they are always helping us to refine our process.”

On the equipment side, partners like DTM Packaging have been instrumental in helping Avon design customized machinery for its unique production needs. These collaborations reflect a broader company philosophy that strong partnerships lead to stronger products.

Equally important are the people inside the facility. “It makes me really happy when we have a group of people that love what they do,” says Anastos. “Culture has been number one for us from the beginning.”

That emphasis on culture isn’t lip service. Michael Anastos is known for being out on the floor, working hands-on with team members, solving problems side by side. “He’s amazing with the machines. He works closely with the team to teach our machine operators how everything works,” says Albright.

Steeves continues, “It’s pretty rare to have leadership so involved in the day-to-day.”

Looking ahead, Avon Food Company is focused on scaling with purpose by expanding its range of natural, preservative-free products, strengthening co-packing partnerships, and growing the presence of its beloved Christie’s brand. At the same time, the company remains deeply committed to nurturing its people through collaboration, and to the hands-on leadership that keeps a family-centered culture at the heart of everything it does. That focus on balance between growth and grounding, innovation and integrity, may be what defines Avon’s next chapter most of all.

The company’s evolution is proof that food manufacturing doesn’t have to sacrifice humanity for progress. It’s a business model that values curiosity, transparency, and relationships as much as revenue. In a marketplace where so many legacy brands fade into corporate anonymity, Avon Food Company continues to do what it has always done best: make great food, made by good people.

Through legacy and leadership, Avon Food Company stands as proof that the best future for the food industry is one that honors its past, invests in its people, questions what’s possible, and cares deeply about what it makes.

The post Raising the Bar on Quality<p class="company">Avon Food Company</p> appeared first on Manufacturing In Focus.

Established in 2003 by three American packaging experts with years of experience in some of the country’s best-known packaging giants, Aesus Packaging Systems has established itself as a leader in the Canadian packaging industry, making it the top choice of many.

Aesus Packaging Systems is not only a relevant contributor to Canada’s national gross domestic product; the company also contributes to the country’s manufacturing security and innovation. Based in Pointe-Claire, Quebec, Canada, Aesus Packaging Systems is lauded for premium custom equipment development, fabrication, maintenance, and repairs across a number of industries that depend on packaging. Sectors the company serves range from medical equipment to personal care and cosmetics, to food and nutraceutical manufacturers, and beyond. Also fabricating most of the spare parts for its equipment means that its clients have peace of mind in knowing that the company’s craftsmanship and quality are guaranteed and delivered swiftly.

Aesus also adapts as the demand for packaging evolves. Therefore, the company offers arrays that can handle packaging options that are sensitive to the environment and easily recyclable. Trusted by Fortune 500 firms for efficiency and crisp, clear-cut product development processes, the company takes seriously the responsibility of keeping its clients operational at all costs. As such, it continuously invests in remaining up-to-date and capable of handling the fabrication volumes resulting from shifting market demand.

Providing its customers with the freedom of scalability in their production volumes, Aesus’ facility, technology, and other relevant resources are geared to adapt at lightning speed. As part of this commitment to excellence, a complete, state-of-the-art research and development department allows the team to provide clients with the technology and engineering they need to remain competitive, driving both time and money savings in the long term.

With acute attention to detail and years of experience in the field, the company has a vast collective knowledge base that benefits clients in developing new—and optimizing existing—packaging arrays and systems. To ensure that it caters to all demands, the company’s machines also vary in their levels of sophistication; while Aesus is well-versed in designing and fabricating complex systems, customers who need more straightforward, simpler arrays are also accommodated.

As a result, Aesus’ machines handle all packaging functions from filling and sealing to capping, labeling, and wrapping. From high-speed to standard, simpler to more complex machines, every budget is catered for. The company’s machines also handle a wide selection of materials as well as functions, which include pressure-sensitive labeling and shrink labeling of varying types.

As a thought leader in packaging equipment innovation, Aesus stands out for its fresh concepts—like its hybrid patented steam tunnels. These shrink-wrapping machines are applied to complex packing demands, as in the case of curved objects, which are wrapped with the help of infrared light and steam. With competition being rife amongst commercial traders as to whose label is the most appealing and attention-grabbing, the company has evolved into an expert in developing machines that handle any type and style of label.

Working with the company, too, is a pleasure. From the early ideation phases to design, prototyping, fabrication, and assembly, the team leaves no stone unturned to ensure that its machines’ performance will continue to impress years after their installation. For this reason, thorough quality testing follows fabrication, giving customers the opportunity to experience the systems in full operation before projects are shipped and signed off. To further ensure quality, Aesus’ turnkey offering also includes installation by expert field staff.

As smart technology evolves, packaging arrays follow suit, employing new methods to improve line integration through automation and achieving high-level connectivity amongst different packaging units within a single facility. This makes for better workflow and reduces human contact with often-sterile products, alongside higher product volumes and fewer issues—an all-around win if ever there was one. Naturally, these technologies also improve speed through sophistication, opening up a multitude of new possibilities that manufacturers could only dream of just a few years ago.

Thanks to predictive maintenance software, such systems can also be kept up and running for far longer than in the past, maximizing output and, therefore, profitability. There are a few technologies that make this possible: firstly, there are software suites like enterprise resource planning systems (ERPs) and manufacturing execution systems (MES) that manage and control data within the overall management systems of manufacturing outfits and their fabrication lines. Moreover, some technologies used to make line integration possible to coordinate, monitor, and control in real time are human-machine interfaces (HMIs) and programmable logic controllers (PLCs). These are joined by automated guided vehicles and robots to ease the overall process.

For exporters, such features mean that they can be competitive in markets around the world. Aesus ensures that its customers’ products get to shine on any shelf—no matter where they may be displayed. Within this international context, the company has developed an outstanding capacity for fitting into and accommodating its customers’ systems, making it an ideal partner when global merchandising and shipping regulations play a role.

Indeed, teaming up with Aesus means having full control over current and future packaging processes. As its custom design and engineering team is fully equipped to handle packaging array upgrades and improvements, any future changes in market demand or product design mean clients can return to the company with their new specifications or product demands as new projects. Once its experts have a full overview of the ideal outcomes and the contexts within which these must be accomplished, systems can be reconsidered, tweaked, or entirely overhauled depending on a customer’s budget and other considerations.

Ultimately, becoming futureproof is a top concern for any business, but it is especially so for those in manufacturing, considering the timelines involved in local and global logistics. In industries where packaging and time are of the essence and where optimum productivity determines success, complete equipment integration and faultless automation give manufacturers a much-needed edge in competitive markets. By collaborating with the Aesus team, manufacturers of packaged goods stand to enjoy a high level of customer service and packaging automation integration—game changers in a world where every second counts.

The post Acing the Game<p class="company">Aesus Packaging Systems</p> appeared first on Manufacturing In Focus.

Made from film, foil, plastic, paper, or other materials, flexible packaging can be bent, folded, and shaped without breaking or tearing. Bags and pouches, two of the most common types of flexible packaging, are ubiquitous in the commercial retail sector. Machines made by Modern are used to create packaging for coffee, pet treats, trail mix, sports protein powder, frozen vegetables, a breadth of other food items, and “anything that comes in a pouch, basically,” explains Regional Sales Manager Shawn Briggs. Outside of grocery channels, the company’s machines have also produced ration pouches for soldiers and medical pouches for doctors and dentists.

“We’re selling into the flexible packaging market, but we’re also targeting label manufacturers because they do a lot of digital printing and things like that. Our small platform Pacer machine is ideal for the digital print market,” Briggs says.

The company sells its products worldwide, with a particular focus on certain market niches. Stand-up pouches—that is, pouches containing food or other items that can remain upright on their bottoms without support—are becoming widely popular, so Modern has responded to market demand.

The stand-up pouch industry “has been in double-digit growth for years,” Briggs tells us. “Everybody wants to reduce to reduce their carbon footprint; everybody wants to put their product in pouches and eliminate milk jugs, laundry detergent jugs.” Some detergent pods now come in pouches with a resealable closure.

Most work at Modern Manufacturing is self-performed, and Briggs estimates that roughly 95 percent of tasks are done in-house. The company does, however, use subcontractors for powder coating, rubber coatings, and programming controls platforms.

Modern’s core offerings include the Momentum-610, a stand-up pouch making machine which excels at short-to-medium runs and boasts ‘the shortest change-over times in the industry,’ according to company literature. The Velocity-610 is another stand-up pouch making machine with many of the same setup features as the Momentum-610, but is designed for medium-to-high-volume runs.

The Pacer-356—the product Briggs referred to—is a compact pouch making machine for short runs and digital printing applications. Other machines are used to make medical header bags and center seal bags.

The machines produce pouches in a variety of styles, with pouch configurations on the Momentum-610 alone including Velcro zipper, slider zipper, side gusset, and bottom load, among others.

As noted, Modern Manufacturing also does custom CNC work, owning roughly a dozen CNC machines—mostly mills but also some lathes, and all of them high-speed. Parts can be manufactured from stainless steel, cold rolled steel, or aluminum with extreme precision as the company can achieve tolerances as low as 0.0002 inches.

Customers can either submit drawings of the piece they want or simply provide an old part, and Modern Manufacturing takes care of the rest. “If the customer has drawings, they submit the drawings, and we don’t do any design work. If they don’t have a drawing, if they just have an old part they need duplicated, we can reverse-engineer it,” Briggs explains.

The CNC segment serves a broader customer base than the flexible packaging equipment side of the business. “There are a lot of local companies that need CNC-machined parts,” says Briggs, “and we can make pretty much anything.”

Plenty of companies manufacture machines and offer CNC services but Modern Manufacturing stands out from the competition in speed, location, and price. “On our standard machine configurations, we offer about a two-week lead time,” says Briggs. “We are also located here in the States and have a fully staffed service department here in the States. So, we have a quick reaction time, and we are competitively priced against our competitors as well.”

The company also stays on top of technological developments and regularly introduces innovations to enhance productivity, efficiency, and ease of use. For example, machines made by Modern Manufacturing are semi-automated and feature Ethernet connections that enable operators to remotely monitor performance. “The owner can be at home and pull up a machine as he sits in his recliner at night and see what the production rates are and everything,” says Briggs.

In 2018, in Chicago, Modern Manufacturing introduced a solution called Inteliseal—or the Momentum Servo Inteliseal Stand-Up Pouch System—at PACK EXPO, a major trade show event for the packaging and processing industries. Inteliseal lets operators “control sealing head cycle distance, seal compression, and force. This new system includes seal head locators that enable operators to know precisely where the sealing heads are located. This allows for minor exact location movement as well as a reference point to be saved for repeat runs,” explains a Modern Manufacturing press release.

Developed by the company, Inteliseal offers Ethernet connectivity and greater operator control. The system is servo-actuated and features built-in settings that let operators select the features they require for a given film, pouch, or bag. Using Inteliseal reduces scrap and setup times and permits operators to run heat-sensitive films. Inteliseal is also “a much better system to maintain repeatability,” over other solutions, adds Briggs.

The company also conducts tests involving recyclable and biodegradable materials. Some flexible packaging materials are slow to decompose, so companies within the sector have been experimenting with eco-friendly alternatives. Modern Manufacturing maintains close relationships with the firms that manufacture film used in packaging materials. When these film manufacturers “come out with different materials, we’ll do test runs,” says Service Manager Mark Clark. “We run a lot of recyclable materials. We run compostable materials.”

While proud of its technical prowess, the company also places a strong emphasis on the personal touch and offers outstanding customer support. Onsite service, remote support, and operations manuals are all available, and Modern maintains a huge inventory of replacement parts, either made in-house or acquired from suppliers. Modern also stocks accessories such as pouch machine carriages and vacuum seal integrity testers.

“We communicate with our customers nonstop,” states Clark. “We are set up for troubleshooting. Most times, if a customer calls with a problem, unless it’s broken—the machine or the part—we can have their machines back up and running in less than 10 minutes.”

Modern Manufacturing currently has around 50 employees, says Briggs, and is currently in expansion mode. To bolster operations at its primary 30,000-square-foot facility, it leases an additional 10,000 square feet of space in another building. “We’re going to expand on the existing building so we can bring everything under one roof instead of having two different locations,” says Briggs.

As for new hires, the company looks for potential workers with “a great attitude and drive,” he says. Modern does “a lot of in-house training,” to then bring workers up to speed, adds Clark.

To promote its products, Modern Manufacturing is active on social media and frequently attends industry trade shows. On top of PACK EXPO, Modern has a presence at the Global Pouch Forum. Founded in 1997, the forum is the “go-to event” for anyone involved in the development, supply, or purchase of flexible packaging materials including films, pouches, and machinery.

Briggs cites the economy as the biggest challenge facing the company at present, specifically interest rates. On top of this, the ongoing U.S. presidential race has caused uncertainty about the financial and economic policies the federal government might pursue in the near future. “Historically in this industry, an election year is usually a down year for capital equipment purchases,” he says.

In light of such challenges, the company offers incentives to complement its excellent machines. Besides speedy lead time on standard pouch machines and comprehensive customer care, the team supplies some standard components free of charge. The company does “anything and everything we can do to keep the customer’s interest,” says Briggs.

Over the next few years, Modern Manufacturing aims to expand its CNC market and continue to enhance its bag and pouch making machines. “We’re constantly trying to come up with new designs to make things better and faster for the operators,” says Clark. “We’re not afraid to take a look at anything.”

“Five years down the road, we’d love to be the leading pouch supplier in the United States,” adds Briggs.

The post Next-Generation Bag and Pouch Making Machines<p class="company">Modern Manufacturing</p> appeared first on Manufacturing In Focus.

“We are a wholesale supplier of empty packaging containers used in the retail market to go on the shelf to hold consumer products,” says Founder and President Coni Lefferts. “All of our customers are [business-to-business]. We don’t supply anything directly to the consumer. Because of our name, people associate us with the creative side of graphics, but our creative side is in engineering. We engineer the packaging,” she explains.

Some large corporations do their packaging in-house. Many companies, however, require outside assistance when it comes to packaging their products, something that is especially true with smaller firms.

“When you walk into a grocery store, drug store, hardware store, or [big box store], the people who make nuts and bolts and lotions and potions are focused on the product itself. They don’t make the plastic thermoform; they don’t make the bottles; they don’t make the tubes that [hold the toothpaste]. Somebody else makes the packaging containers,” she notes.

Sometimes she will approach a company and offer to help with their packaging, while other times, a business will reach out to CPS. “Customers will say, ‘We have a new product’ or ‘We have an existing product that needs to be changed, and we need to find somebody that can help us and walk us through the project,’” states Lefferts.

CPS tries to get as much input as possible from clients, starting with what the customer hopes to accomplish with their product. Other questions include: what is the price of the product and the target market? Where will the goods be sold?

“The dialogue goes back and forth a little bit until we determine, ‘Okay, here are some containers you might consider that match the presentation that you’re looking for,’” she says. “Then, we source those containers.”

Beyond issues of style, shape, and visual appeal, CPS has to consider what type of material would work best for the packaging. Questions about longevity, flexibility, compatibility, shelf life, and sturdiness need to be addressed.

“Packaging is made out of different kinds of material—glass, plastic, aluminum, metal, wood, paper, fiber, and now [bio-material]. Each one of those types of substrates is made by a different factory. We have factories that we’ve worked with since the beginning: domestic and outside the U.S. A lot of our packaging comes from China, because they are very good at what they do. They are very precise, their engineering is top-notch,” notes Lefferts.

CPS procures containers then finesses them, sometimes doing design work on labels and decorations. “We have people who can do graphics but that doesn’t mean it’s our primary focus,” Lefferts says. A sample is then sent to the client, who fills the packaging with their product to ensure everything is compatible. If the client gives the go-ahead, mass production follows.

In addition to its Keyport headquarters, CPS has a satellite office in New York City. Primary markets served by the firm include personal care and cosmetics, lawn and garden, food and beverage, and pet and veterinary. Creative Packaging Solutions does not do much pharmaceutical work due to the timelines involved. “It takes anywhere from six months to a year or longer for a new pharma product to be tested and launched. It’s a long stretch,” Lefferts points out.

She highlights one particular assignment involving a brand called Babo Botanicals. The project centered on a 250-milliliter oval-shaped bottle with a very large label. The brand wanted the label to cover almost the entire front of the container. Usually, a label is designed to accommodate the bottle, but in this case, “We had to design and engineer the bottle to accommodate the label,” she recalls. There were other technical challenges along the way. The container had a two-part custom snap-on dispensing cap in different colors, and custom injection molding was required to create the two cap parts, then weld them together.

Other striking examples of the company’s work include retail packaging samples for Colts Chocolates and Revea skincare products. The former project involved a cardboard canister with paper tops while the latter involved 50-milliliter airless bottles, 50-milliliter jars, and custom printed acrylic packaging. The Revea packaging was designed to be refillable for increased sustainability.

Lefferts got into packaging in a somewhat roundabout fashion. Years back, she ran a sales promotion agency. One of the agency’s jobs involved a product promotion that did not go as well as hoped. In a post-promotion conference meeting, she had a sudden insight as to what went wrong.

“We were sitting around, and I looked at the packaging, and I said, ‘I know why we couldn’t do anything. Your packaging is outdated. It needs to be improved. People are buying your product and getting crumbs because it was being crushed in a paper bag. I said, ‘we need to change your packaging,’”

The product packaging was changed, to great success, and Lefferts decided a career change was in order. She founded Creative Packaging Solutions in April 2003. For her new venture, Lefferts established partnerships with plants she had dealt with through the sales promotion agency to produce packaging containers.

Like most businesses in North America, her company was rocked by COVID. When the pandemic appeared in early 2020, demand for small bottles of hand sanitizer soared, and packaging firms such as CPS could not obtain enough containers for sanitizing products.
“It was a struggle all the way through COVID,” notes Lefferts.

Business did pick up in other areas, as people working from home started ordering vast amounts of products from online retailers such as Amazon. This surge in delivered goods also meant an increased demand for retail packaging.

CPS today has five employees and a number of independent contractors. The company currently uses “about six or seven” such independent contractors, and is “always considering new people,” says Lefferts. Potential new hires should be self-starters who know about packaging and have ties to brand managers. “They need to be connected to the market sector they want to approach for packaging needs. They should have a basic knowledge of how the brand’s products are conceived, manufactured, and distributed.”

Lefferts likes to keep abreast of industry and economic developments, including the growing popularity of sustainability, as making containers out of eco-friendly bio-materials is a burgeoning trend. Foreign affairs are also a concern: while the business works with companies in China, things could become complicated if hostilities break out in Asia.

“I don’t want my company to suffer because I’m not on top of geopolitical risk. I worry about Taiwan and Hong Kong, just as we’re all concerned about the war in Ukraine. I stay on top of international relations. That’s the biggest challenge we have; it’s not COVID anymore or any similar type of malady,” she states.

In this spirit, re-shoring—that is, North American manufacturers bringing offshore plants back to the U.S.; or near-shoring, back to the North American continent—is something else to which she is paying close attention.

Going forward, Lefferts says CPS might start doing just-in-time warehousing for customers although the company does not offer warehouse services at present. She is also eager to expand the company’s reach. “We have a pretty good presence in the U.S., and the USMCA has broadened our sales region into Mexico and Canada,” she says, referring to the 2020 United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, the latest continental free-trade treaty.

“I’m constantly looking at other countries where we can develop a sales presence. In 2021, we added India. We now have a sales consultant in India for selling and sourcing, and later in 2021 we added Mexico,” notes Lefferts.

She remains a dedicated packaging professional. “I believe packaging is required for every product. It has to be contained, and it has to be protected, and it has to sell the product,” says Lefferts. To this end, CPS staff members are “very proud when we talk through stores and see our products on the shelf.”

The post Perfecting Packaging Containers for Over Two Decades<p class="company">Creative Packaging Solutions</p> appeared first on Manufacturing In Focus.

Among its patent-pending products is the revolutionary fused polypropylene bag, developed in cooperation with Dow Chemical. This product received the 2017 R&D 100 Award as one of the year’s most technologically innovative inventions and has the potential to become an industry game changer if widely adopted.

Celebrating 29 years in business
AmeriGlobe’s roots go back to 1985 when Daniel (Dan) Schnaars Sr., who had been working in the bulk bag industry for five years, started his own company, first known as FlexCon (Flexible Container) Systems.

It began simply with a single pickup truck. But appearances can be deceiving, and what was more important than the size of the operation was Schnaars Sr.’s concept of how to improve the functionality of the bulk bags, and by extension, improve suppliers and manufacturers’ abilities to transport goods, ranging from food ingredients and pharmaceuticals to chemicals and fertilizers, efficiently and cost-effectively.

As Schnaars Sr. says, it’s hard to think of a product that doesn’t start in a bulk bag. They are linked through the supply chain to every industry.

Standing apart from the competition
AmeriGlobe has remained a family business, with President and owner Schnaars Sr. joined by sons Daniel (Danny) Schnaars Jr. and Matthew Schnaars as Vice Presidents, and this has given the company a distinct advantage.

“We don’t drive hard for every penny like companies listed on the stock exchange, who must show improved profits every quarter,” Schnaars Sr. says. “We live comfortably, and we help our customers do the same but not through driving everything down to the last penny. Instead, we use our profits to research ways to produce better bags.”

Adds Schnaars Jr., “It’s not just the better packaging we’ve developed; it’s the use of the package that separates us from the competition. Instead of treating the package as a commodity the way our competition does, we will do a complete system review with them. We’ll go into a plant and look at all the issues associated with the package, how it’s loaded into containers, how it’s filled, how it’s warehoused, what kind of situation or damage are they looking to avoid, what situation could cause a leak through a seam—and we fix those problems and bring their total systems cost down,” he explains.

“Our competition may produce a cheaper bag than us, but we will lower the total cost by reviewing a company’s system and presenting them with practical solutions. It never surprises me to learn we have saved a company the entire cost of the bags by fixing the system.”

Schnaars Sr. illustrates this point by sharing his experience of visiting a seasonal operation that needed to move quickly and watching the opposite happening, as it required three workers to lift one bag: the forklift driver and two workers holding it. His solution? The addition of “stevedore straps” to the bag, something used 30 years ago by cranes to load ships. This simple, low-tech solution allowed the forklift driver to lift the bag by himself and the other two workers to attend to other jobs.

Adds Schnaars Jr., “It’s not a novel solution, but having our people on the ground is beneficial because we can see a problem and recognize how to solve it. Most bulk bag companies don’t visit their clients,” he says, “and they are always pleasantly surprised when we say we would like to.”

While some of AmeriGlobe’s bags are manufactured offshore—something that under the present manufacturing climate in North America many companies do to remain competitive—at least 15 percent of its products are manufactured in the U.S., and this is another advantage.

Some manufacturers are willing to pay extra to secure a reliable supply, he tells us. This was particularly important during COVID lockdowns, but also when situations arise such as the recent one in the Suez Canal which created several weeks’ delay in shipments, compromising the supply chain, with repercussions for many industries.

Revolutionizing the industry
Over the last 29 years, AmeriGlobe, in its quest to improve the industry, has developed more than 30 patented or patent-pending products. One of the earliest involved reshaping the top of the bag to be conical such that the bag could be over-filled, allowing 26 percent more volume to be packed in. Another innovation was the MegaBase®, which provides the stability of a baffle bag but without the additional 30 percent cost to make a traditional baffle bag with expensive internal baffling.

There’s also the FreePac™, which eliminates the need for wooden pallets for shipping, and the patent pending FreeStanding Drum Bag, which provides the same stability as an expensive drum for liquids but weighs less than two pounds, thus reducing freight costs.

But as important as all these innovations are, there was an inherent issue with sewn bulk bags that no company was able to address. No matter how well-sewn, the products held by the industry-standard woven polypropylene fabric were subject to contamination or outward sifting of the product through the seams with their 1,100 needle holes.

To overcome this, 10-foot-long polyethylene liner bags were provided by bag manufacturers, which created a new problem for end users when the liners slipped into the equipment that was receiving the raw product. AmeriGlobe fixed that problem by patenting a way to securely attach the liners, variations of which other companies then adopted.

Fusion Bulk Bags – toward a more sustainable future
But while the liners partly solved one problem, they created others. They doubled the amount of plastic used, increased the weight of the bags, which added to shipping costs, sometimes still came out if they weren’t anchored securely enough, and made recycling the bags difficult. Polyethylene liners must be separated from the polypropylene bags and many recycling facilities are not prepared to do that or alternatively, not equipped to recycle both types of plastic.

The solution sounds simple: create polypropylene bags with no needle holes and no liners, thereby eliminating the multiple problems associated with traditional bulk bags, including the necessity for inspection and repair if the bags were to be re-used, which they seldom were.

Easy to say, not so easy to do. Other manufacturers had attempted it, Schnaars Sr. tells us—the concept of a heat-fused bag was not new—but all the previous attempts failed because polypropylene is so inert that there didn’t seem to be a good way to bond it.

That changed in 2013 when a brilliant engineer AmeriGlobe had hired to build flood mitigation products using polyethylene began experimenting with ways to strengthen and bond it, which was then taken to scientists at Dow Chemical to see if the same process could work with polypropylene.

It turned out that it could, and after undergoing a series of stringent testing protocols with a 5 to 1 ratio—meaning that a bag designed to hold 1,000 pounds can be overloaded to hold 5,000 pounds safely—the fused bag became a real possibility.

“The entire process was long, complicated, and expensive, and if someone had told me it was going to be close to $10 million, I probably wouldn’t have done it,” Schnaars Sr. says.

Adds Schnaars Jr., “To put that into perspective, we were a company with less than $20 million gross then, and basically gave up all our profits over nine years to do this project.”

If it were to become the industry standard, suppliers would see significant cost savings as the bags would be considerably lighter, since fusion bags require less plastic to achieve 35 percent greater strength than a sewn bag. Only a light interior coating is needed to replace the liner bags, which wouldn’t affect their recyclability. The lighter weight would reduce freight costs or alternatively, suppliers could pay the same freight costs but ship more raw material or finished product.

“If we were to flip the market, there is potentially more than a billion pounds of plastic taken out of the product stream for our industry,” says Schnaars Jr.

His words are particularly timely. As we were in the process of preparing this feature, delegates from over 100 nations were meeting in Ottawa for a fourth round of talks for a global plastic treaty looking to chart a course toward ending plastic waste by 2040.

Getting the fusion bag to market
This year, AmeriGlobe is positioned to manufacture one million fusion bags, but challenges remain in terms of manufacturing, marketing, and distribution before the bag, which is well-positioned to benefit both economic and environmental concerns, can become the industry standard.

In early 2022, the Lafayette plant began the transition from a cut-and-sew operation to a fused bag operation, and manufactured the first complex machine to perform the bag assembly. Now in progress is the adaptation of other existing machinery to automate the cut-and-folding process, which is still done manually.

“For our entire history, we focused on the features of our bag to the end users,” Schnaars Sr. explains, “but when fusion came out, we had to learn how to sell equipment to manufacturers, and now we are looking to educate distributors to get them to sell to end users, so we have three marketing channels that we have to manage to be successful.”

One thing that he would like to see change is the pressure large corporations put on their purchasing agents to buy the cheapest product possible and reward them with bonuses for saving on unit costs, rather than rewarding them on the amount of money they have saved the entire system. He says that often, the purchasing agent is required to wear several hats and is totally overwhelmed by the amount of work he’s required to do and not in a position to take the time to understand new technology.

“That means a lot of companies are missing out on the benefits of the fusion bag, and that is the problem of bringing new innovations to market. It’s something I think is faced by every industry in the manufacturing sector that is trying to introduce new ideas and concepts.”

What he envisions as overcoming this issue is a systems review. “Once that’s approved, we can send questionnaires ahead of time to each department that would be affected and ask employees what they see, because often the answers come from within a company.” Then, two of AmeriGlobe’s people can go in and walk through the system, prepare a report combining their observations with the responses from employees, and generate a review that explains how the client can save money.

If management decides to move ahead with the suggestions and purchase the fusion bag—or any other innovative product—it takes pressure off the purchasing agent, who hasn’t gone out on a limb and purchased a new technology that may or may not work. In addition to saving money, management can rest assured that by helping to eliminate plastic waste, it is fulfilling its corporate responsibility toward maintaining sustainability in the supply chain.

It is a positive cycle of success that AmeriGlobe sees itself perpetuating for many years to come.

The post Innovative Solutions for Lower Costs Industry-Wide<p class="company">AmeriGlobe</p> appeared first on Manufacturing In Focus.

Working out of a 75,000-square-foot warehouse allows the companies to customize to meet specific needs.

In addition to its decades of experience, significant value, and expertise in stretch film and tape, the last few years at CPP have included a focus on becoming more environmentally responsible by encouraging clients to use less film and thinner board to lower their carbon footprint.

CPP’s origins were in catering to the garment industry, which at one time was huge in Montreal but changed drastically with the opening up of borders and removal of tariffs 20 years ago, leading to the majority of garments being manufactured overseas.

Pivoting on packaging
“We had to pivot a little when we then became an industrial packaging house and focused on products like stretch wrap, shrink film, and tape and boxes and bubble wrap,” says co-owner Brian Charney. While the market is competitive, the company is more than confident in its performance, abilities, and merchandise.

To remain competitive as well as moving with the times, CPP has been exploring the sustainability market and looking at how to be more environmentally friendly.

“Initially, we had a couple of [eco-friendly] products as we put our toe in the water, but no one seemed to want to pay extra for these products,” Charney says. “They want to be green, but without paying more. Finally, with one or two of our manufacturers and suppliers, we’ve created and are selling products that facilitate this.”

Stretch wrap—essentially very large rolls of plastic wrap used to wrap pallets—is a premier product line for CPP and the company has gravitated toward promoting films which can be down-gauged, meaning film thickness can be made thinner in the manufacturing process.

“It has performance equal to that of a much thicker film, so it becomes a bit less expensive per roll because it’s thinner. However, the performance is so good you don’t sacrifice load integrity,” Charney explains.

A thinner film means less is used, so the end user is now paying less per roll and is also using less film, benefitting the environment by reducing both the amount of plastic thrown away and the embedded carbon footprint.

“We’re really growing with this type of product, which is significant in an industry that was commodity-driven,” Charney says. “We’re managing to come up with a way for customers to use a lot less plastic. There’s a war on plastic these days, which I do understand, and it’s a necessary evil for now. But if everybody can use less, progress has been made.”

Environmental steps
Becoming more environmentally conscious requires people to be open-minded to trying something new, he adds, and he does see it happening more and more.

“I’ve had countless people that were using the 80 or 70 gauge who are now using 41 or 37 gauge… If you do the right thing, and you do it often enough, it should come back to you in the end. You have to do the right thing and hope that doing the right thing [for the environment] is right for everyone.”

CPP also sells a thin, white foam product used to protect articles susceptible to surface area scratching to keep them stable while in transit. In its ongoing effort to go green, however, CPP is looking to move from the white to a grey foam that contains 100 percent recycled content.

“Wherever we can, we’re jumping on board with sustainability. We’re doing anything that can help reduce that footprint.”

The new normal
The last few years have presented numerous challenges for all industries, but impressively, during the pandemic, CPP didn’t lose one day of work. While sales representatives weren’t able to visit clients on the road, the company managed to adapt and forge ahead.

“We kept going. We sell to a lot of companies in the food and pharmaceutical industries, and they were running 24/7,” Charney explains. The food industry in this instance encompassed companies selling to large chain grocery stores, and business was booming.

“Nobody was going out to restaurants; everybody was eating at home. These companies were running full-out and we managed somehow to keep them going, and never let down one of our customers even with supply chain nightmares.”

With product that used to take two weeks to arrive suddenly taking 14 weeks due to COVID disruptions, planning and purchasing took on heightened importance.

“It was scary initially. No one knew what the pandemic was going to be,” Charney says. “But we just invested money into purchasing and took our shot. Product might take longer, but let’s put it all in the pipeline now, and when other people were really out of product, we never were.”

This approach meant reaching out to clients and asking them to also plan ahead and provide their best projections.

“The truth is business was very good during that time. We managed to stay the course and excel,” he says. “We took an initial leap when it first began: if we normally bought two truckloads of a product, we put in an order for 15. It was a wise call at the time and worked out well. We kept all our customers running and nobody was ever without a product.”

Finding a niche
As well as distributing stretch film and foam, CPP works with Arcadian Paper Converters in the same facility, converting jumbo rolls of paper into sheets or small rolls of Kraft paper or newsprint. These are often used for stuffing and filling boxes or wrapping fragile items during a move. Arcadian also makes chipboard slip sheets that go under a skid for dividing and protective purposes.

“We have a little niche in this industry,” Charney says. “Whereas most of our competitors are purely distributors—they buy tape and they sell tape, as we do, of course—we have this niche where we’re a converter and sell to some of our competitors. We sell to end users, a niche that has some added value that not too many people have.”

CPP also has a sister operation, Canpaco, in Toronto and Leamington and a warehouse facility in Calgary. “That allows us to cater to some larger corporations that want us to service them nationally,” Charney says. “Because of our affiliation, we’re able to handle that.”

CPP also sells equipment, including stretch wrap machines and case sealers, and maintains its own in-house technical department to handle any service issues as needed. “If you have a problem, we can service your equipment,” he says. “We’re not a maintenance and repair company, but we do provide that service to our customer base.”

Standing out
This capability separates CPP from much of the competition, coupled with its extensive knowledge and years of experience in an industry filled with companies that often don’t have nearly the same resources.

“When you’re dealing with a more serious and established company like ourselves, we have a whole service department and technical department,” Charney says. “We sell equipment and we have a whole force here.”

He himself has 30-plus years of experience; his business partner John Taylor has been with the company for 40-plus years and their partner, Robert Appel, has over 38 years of expertise both in Montreal and Toronto, so together the three partners wield close to 110 years of knowledge and experience. CPP itself has been around for more than 85 years, with no signs of slowing down. “We’ve emerged from the pandemic stronger than we were before, and we’re continuing that drive forward,” he adds.

That drive includes focusing on high-performance films that can help the customer’s bottom line while contributing to sustainability and reducing the carbon footprint. “We’ve found a way to remain profitable and to save the end user some money… we’re reducing waste, one step at a time.”

Encouraging clients to embrace the drive toward sustainability is vital, but CPP intends to continue providing legacy products to those who still want it. But it won’t be the case forever, he adds.

“We are still going to have product for those companies, but that’s not the direction we’re focused on,” he says. “In the future—and I don’t know whether it’s one year or maybe three—we’ll only be selling those high-performance films because if the customers don’t want to come along, then we’ll have to find partners who do. Growing sales is of the utmost importance, but only in an environmentally responsible way. We all have to get on board, otherwise we’re all going to be in trouble.”

With its eye on the future and a strong dedication to doing what it can to help keep the planet green and healthy, CPP seems destined for even greater success. “We’re putting our head down and working hard while trying to help and trying to make money at the same time,” Charney says. “Our plans are to continue pushing forward and growing our company.”

The post Sustainable Sales One Step at a Time<p class="company">Canadian Paper & Packaging Co. Ltd.</p> appeared first on Manufacturing In Focus.

At Sonoco, sustainability is a team effort. As one of the world’s foremost packaging and container manufacturers, Sonoco’s commitment to sustainability is about much more than packaging.

Reducing Scope 1 and 2 emissions by at least 25 percent by 2030, lowering water consumption, incorporating solar power and purchasing renewable energy in its operations are key initiatives to Sonoco living up to its motto: Better Packaging. Better Life.

Born into responsibility
Sonoco has been serious about sustainability since the company’s early days.

In 1899, a small team of 12 worked in a rented warehouse in Hartsville, South Carolina on the then-named Southern Novelty Company’s first product—a cone-shaped paper yarn carrier used for winding and transporting yarn. Renamed the Sonoco Products Company in 1923, the respected business today has over 300 operations globally, an expanded product line, and about 22,000 employees. Today, the company serves some of the world’s best-known brands with consumer, industrial and diversified packaging.

Sonoco serves the needs of diverse markets including food and powdered beverages, beauty and personal care, health care, household, construction, electronics and appliances, and textiles. Almost 125 years later, Sonoco remains committed to planet- and people-first packaging.

“Over the last decade, everyone has become more concerned about sustainability, especially global warming, but you can look back 20, 30, 40 or even 50 years, and Sonoco was engaged in that space,” says Ed Harrington, Director, Global Environmental.

At Sonoco, no sustainability initiative is too small, and all are focused on the greater good of the planet. This includes ensuring water used in the manufacturing process is treated to meet local standards and using recycled paper and packaging. “I think the biggest change over the last decade has been an increased urgency and activity around reducing greenhouse gas emissions to help with climate change,” says Harrington.

Using 2020 as its baseline, Sonoco has many such commitments through 2030. These include reducing energy use by at least eight percent in its manufacturing plants, recycling or causing to recycle 85 percent equivalent by weight of the products the company puts into the marketplace, reducing Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions, conducting water risk studies and numerous others. (Learn more about Sonoco’s science-based sustainability targets at https://www.sonoco.com/na/sustainability.)

Responsibility goes global
Over the years, Sonoco has established itself as a leader in the global packaging industry. Building on its many strengths, Sonoco brought its environmental and sustainability teams together as one. With the current team’s 22 members, the company continues its focus on the environmental aspects of sustainability and is active in compliance, permitting and executing its global responsibilities.

“We believe in approaching sustainability ethically and holistically,” says Sonoco on its website. “That’s why we build sustainability into every area of our business and choose to explain our practices in terms of circularity.” Starting with leadership, the sustainability circle encompasses design, sourcing, production, supply chain and end-of-life.

Sonoco’s Director of Global Sustainability Services, Scott Byrne, explains that it is important to put the packaging industry in its proper context: “We don’t make packaging as a product. Packaging exists to serve a purpose for brand owners, for our customers. So the packaging that we make for the food and beverage industry exists to protect a food product, to keep it fresh, and extend the shelf life.”

Some packaging, such as Sonoco’s ThermoSafe®, includes valuable cold chain solutions like solid shipping boxes, foam bricks and gel packs. Used by clients in health care, life sciences and other key sectors, ThermoSafe assures the safe and effective transportation of temperature-sensitive products such as pharmaceuticals and vaccines over long distances.

Packaging put into perspective
“The packaging industry enables what we take for granted in the modern world,” says Byrne. “I think that context is sometimes lost, and people look at packaging in a vacuum.”

A misconception he sometimes hears is that the packaging industry, packaging converters, brand owners, and the recycling industry and markets don’t talk to each other and that packaging is simply put on the market with little understanding of the impact on the recycling value chain. For companies like Sonoco this, Byrne says, couldn’t be further from the truth.

“Sonoco is an excellent example of where we are as a packaging converter and as a recycler,” he says. “We have five material recovery facilities in the Southeast that collect residential recycling, and we have paper mills. We get that product from recycling facilities and use the recycled content, so we very much understand the impact of the packaging we put on the market.”

Working hard throughout the value chain, Sonoco gauges the impact of making changes to its fiber-based packages, how that interacts with MRFs (materials recovery facilities) and the impact on its paper mills.

Another misconception—one which is almost universal—is that recyclability is the be-all and end-all of sustainability attributes for packaging. Byrne says there are many other attributes to consider, such as using renewable materials, the ability of packaging to protect product or extend shelf life, and the overall carbon footprint.

“We talk about global warming,” he says. “That’s one of the biggest challenges facing the world, and recyclability is part of that, but usually end-of-life is a much smaller piece of the package’s total carbon footprint compared to things like the type of materials used, the amount of materials, transportation, logistics and conversion. Sometimes I think people get a little bit too caught up in end-of-life.”

Sustaining a future
From all-paper blister packaging to pouches, wraps, paperboard packaging and other forms, Sonoco is committed to “Packaging With Tomorrow in Mind™.” Through lines such as EnviroSense® (a four-time award winner), EnviroFlex®, and EnviroCan™, Sonoco is changing the face of packaging and sustainability. These revolutionary products provide customers with environmentally friendly alternatives.

Some, like PaperBlister™, are plastic-free and fully recyclable options for traditional blister packaging. Others, such as EnviroCan, are paperboard containers made from recycled and recyclable materials. And EnviroFlex is a line of sustainable, flexible packaging solutions “focused on recyclability and the use of post-consumer recycled content.”

Other packaging, like Sonopost®, provides sustainable ways to protect white goods like dishwashers and refrigerators from damage while reducing EPS (expanded polystyrene) and plastic packaging. In late 2022, the company announced a new protective packaging facility in Bursa, Turkey, just a year after the first Sonopost operation was established in Sochaczew, Poland.

“Growing demand for our proprietary Sonopost technology created the need for a second production facility,” said Adam Wood, Vice President and General Manager of Global Paper Products in Europe in a media release. “Our protective packaging design team is working hard with our customers who are aligned with us in creating fully sustainable, paper-based packaging that protects and preserves both their product and our planet for generations to come.”

Sonoco continues to introduce new and exciting products that further its commitment to the future of the planet. From mono-material polyethylene to paper-based structures for flexible packaging and PET (Polyethylene terephthalate) clamshells with wash-off label adhesive, (making them easier to recycle), the company continuously reaffirms its status as a visionary in the industry. Along with reducing scrap at its production facilities, Sonoco is committed to clean, renewable sources of energy, including solar, and is working on significant power purchase agreements in the United States and Europe, which will likely include solar and wind.

For a better life
“At Sonoco, we believe in ‘Better Packaging. Better Life.’ and with that comes our prioritization of safety,” says Cassandra Snelling, Marketing Manager, Global Sustainability.

“There is a correlation between sustainability and safety. After we complete any updates at our facilities—whether that be LED lighting or solar panels installed—we do surveys. And surveys have found, in the case of LED lighting installations, employees report feeling safer and happier in their workplace. There’s a correlation between doing the right thing and employee satisfaction.”

Such an approach dovetails with Sonoco’s belief that “we have an inherent responsibility to help improve the quality of life in the communities in which we serve,” says Snelling. The Sonoco Foundation, Sonoco’s philanthropic arm founded nearly 40 years ago, donates millions each year to non-profit organizations across the globe. The company’s employees also contribute time, funds, and talents to a multitude of worthy causes, including volunteering, serving on boards, raising funds and participating in other civic-oriented projects.

“People build businesses by doing the right thing,” concludes Snelling. At Sonoco, that practice looks like helping customers meet their sustainability goals and volume needs—leading the way in innovation and planet-friendly packaging and implementing world-class safety companywide.

The post Wrapping Products in Sustainability<p class="company">Sonoco</p> appeared first on Manufacturing In Focus.

CNG is the result of the full integration in October 2020 of two specialty film producers, Next Generation Films, founded in 1994 in Lexington, Ohio and Charter NEX, founded in 2012 in Milton, Wisconsin.

Speaking to Packaging Strategies in November 2020, Kathy Bolhous, former CEO of Charter Nex who was named CEO of the newly merged company, said, “The new name represents who we are today. A unified company—one team, one mission—to produce the highest performing films for our customers through an exclusive focus on film, continuous investment in the latest film technologies, and an endless commitment to find a better way.”

In 2021, KKR, a private equity firm, announced it would be investing in Charter Next Generation, as an equal owner with Leonard Green & Partners who had previously invested in Charter NEX.

According to Miriam Gottfried’s 2021 article in Private Equity News, “As part of the deal, KKR and Leonard Green have agreed to make all of CGN’s [then] roughly 1,700 employees owners of the business. Granting stock to hourly wage earners at portfolio companies as a means of combating inequality is a priority for Pete Stavropol, KKR’s co-head of private equity for the Americas.”

As Bolhous told Gottfried, “What I’m really excited about now is this ability to reward my employees who have been such a key part of our success. It has been a dream of mine to offer this kind of broad-based leadership.”

CNG’s growth continued in 2022, with the acquisition of Polymer Film and Bag, Inc. of Massillon, Ohio, a Safe Quality Food (SQF) manufacturing company serving the industrial and food service markets.

When Larry Lanham, Polymer’s CEO and owner, considered divesting his business, he explained that, “My primary concern was to find the best possible home for my employees while providing the best possible care for my customers. I immediately thought of CNG, the preeminent supplier in this marketplace with a reputation for delivering both,” according to PR Newswire.

CNG provides engineering, extruding, and manufacturing services for mono and multilayer co-extruded and barrier films. As explained on its website, the company’s product line provides blown, cast, and barrier solutions to protect food, consumer, industrial, and health care items, by providing heat resistance and sterility, and creating barriers to oxygen, odor, ultraviolet rays, and moisture.

CNG has the broadest portfolio of blown films on the market. Its advanced coextrusion process allows the production of mono and multilayer films, engineered for maximum strength, high level of flexibility and less scrap material, in fewer steps than competitors. The company has multiple lines capable of making barrier films with up to 11 layers, which protect products and prevent or minimize the migration of oxygen, liquids, oils, fats, and aromas for enhanced shelf life.

These products can be custom-designed with the appropriate combination of key properties such as moisture, oxygen, aroma, and chemical barriers; clarity and shelf appeal, tear performance; toughness; and easy-open features.

Within the barrier group are EVOH (Ethylene-vinyl alcohol) sealant films; Nylon sealant films, and Nylon EVOH sealant films, which provide the ultimate combination of toughness and high-barrier properties, which can be further customized for formability, clarity, and seal performance. Moisture barrier films can be tailored for various packaging formats, including pre-made pouches. Chemical barrier films are designed to hold substances such as alcohol or iodine and are built to provide exceptional chemical resistance and toughness. Among their applications are films designed especially for packaging raw protein products (meat or fish) and frozen food products.

Because of CNG’s investment in state-of-the-art equipment, it has the capability to produce small- to medium-sized runs of polyethylene, polypropylene, and nylon materials and can deliver up to 5-layer cast embossed film solutions. Film thicknesses range from 1.0 mil to 40 mil. Applications for cast film range from household items such as printed tablecloths to critical hospital-grade PPE masks and gowns.

The electronic, aerospace, medical, and other industries which depend on clean room technology to distribute clean, safe, and effective products can turn to CNG’s facility in Turners Falls, Massachusetts, which features a Class 7 clean room. There, an experienced manufacturing team operates with leading-edge equipment including a state-of-the-art vision system, a web cleaning system, in-line slitting, and a Class 5 air filtration system.

CNG also provides embossing services for clients wanting to enhance functionality and increase brand recognition. Engineered films, ranging in gauge from .09 to 40 mil and in width from 6 inches to 88 inches can be created in over 100 standard colors, with the option to match unique color requirements and choose from over 500 embossing patterns. Embossing adds a finishing touch to a product and provides additional benefits including more mass without the added weight, allowances for egress of air, adhesive capabilities, and barrier properties.

According to the company’s website, “We continually invest in our people and technology so we can operate lean, design for recyclability, have a redundancy in supply and strive for a greener tomorrow.”

CNG’s mission is to not only produce a great film product, but also to work with customers to produce fully sustainable packaging, from print to lamination to pouching. With environmental concerns in mind, the team is pleased to introduce Green Arrow™.

Using the latest in polymer and processing technologies, the Green Arrow™ platform of sustainable films has been designed to power a new generation of sustainable, flexible packaging without any trade-off in performance. They can be used in the new EVOH films for oxygen barrier and moisture barrier, and meet the How2Recycle® standards. For customers, this means that by choosing Green Arrow ™ for their company’s packaging, they are reducing their carbon footprint and greenhouse gas emissions by using post-consumer recycled (PCR) resins, and can now convert multi-material, unrecyclable packaging into recyclable, store drop-off approved formats.

The Green Arrow™ family of films produced with post-consumer recycled (PCR) content at the Milton facility has been GreenCircle Certified. This certification allows CNG to provide converters and brands with the traceability and transparency information they require for their packaging regarding sustainable packaging claims.

In keeping with its commitment to sustainability through reducing, reusing, and recycling, CNG is also proud to have been a corporate sponsor for the Nationwide Trex® Plastic Film Recycling Challenge since 2021.

Now in its 17^th year, the competition challenges students to collect and recycle as much polyethylene as possible in a six-month period, between America Recycles Day (November 15) and Earth Day (April 22). Top performing schools can win high-performance, sustainably made, wood-alternative products from Trex, the only decking company ever named as an Eco-Leader by Green Builder Media.

The 2022-23 challenge saw a record number of 780 schools take part, with students collecting a combined total of over 420,000 pounds of polyethylene plastic film—nearly 100,000 pounds more than the previous year.

The nine top schools from all regions of the country (three high schools, three middle and three elementary) each received a composite bench from Trex, and monetary prizes totaling $50,000 from CNG. An additional three schools also received monetary prizes for their social media community outreach programs.

Said Bolhous, “CNG is thrilled to once again be part of this important and impactful program. We are pleased to be able to help recognize and reward schools for their hard work and dedication to protecting and preserving our planet.” Participation in such a program is just one more example of the company’s continuing mission to find “a better way.”

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From automated coding, marking and labeling solutions, case sealing, and shrink packaging for a range of product shapes and sizes, to the various inks used, Engage’s highly innovative systems improve efficiency and performance for its customers and for the global supply chain.

Source of solutions
To deliver this range of solutions, Engage relies on its subsidiaries: Squid Ink, Eastey, and American Film and Machinery (AFM), which offer complementary capabilities and have been flawlessly integrated under the Engage umbrella.

Squid Ink is a specialized manufacturer of industrial coding and marking equipment for the packaging industry. Its industrial inkjet printers and fluids can be used to print information on a number of substrates, making it a leader in this regard.

Eastey is also a leader in its own right, as a manufacturer and supplier of heavy-duty shrink packaging equipment and other packaging tools and solutions, including its complete line of case tapers, case erectors, L-sealers, sleeve wrappers, shrink tunnels, and bundling equipment.

AFM also manufactures a complete line of shrink sleeve labelers, heat shrink tunnels, full body labelers, and tamper-evident seals for a variety of sectors, a market reach that’s impressive on all counts.

Better process, better output
Regardless of which Engage Technologies product line is being discussed, innovation is at the heart of every conversation and is built into the processes, the culture, and the DNA of the organization. This is one of the reasons the company fared so well during the pandemic.

While the pandemic illuminated flaws and weaknesses in the supply chain, bringing entire operations to their knees, Engage reveled in the challenge, sparking a new era of innovation and driving opportunities through process improvements and product enhancements. On the process side, training was a great place to start.

For CEO David Mylrea, a new virtual way of doing business that was accelerated by COVID was the game-changer. “The pandemic made us figure out how to do a better job of educating our employees, our district sales managers, and our distributor in the field on how to train people on our products for installation and service,” he explains.

Engage achieved this in two different ways: the company launched a YouTube channel complete with an extensive library of videos chronicling installation, service, sales, and maintenance support to train members of its network remotely on all its product lines, as well as a BlueVolt online training system which was developed in 2021 and greatly expanded its reach.

“As a result of the pandemic, we were able to pivot in terms of how we trained and how we educated our distribution network, so we reach over ten times more people today via our YouTube channel and our BlueVolt training than we did in the past,” says Mylrea, who still encourages people to take advantage of onsite training because, as the saying goes, “there’s no place like home.”

Another significant process improvement came in the way of ISO 9001:2015 certification. “We analyzed everything in detail and then went back and changed what needed to be changed to make us more efficient, with better products, better systems, better procedures,” says Mylrea, who notes that ISO certification was preceded by the adoption of and adherence to KAIZEN™ principles.

Vice President of Marketing Chad Carney provided an update regarding the ISO certification process: “We’ve just finished our third year of ISO certification,” he says. “It was renewed in April with no non-conformities, which is a credit to our employees and internal ISO teams.” Further to improving its overall function, ISO certification helped Engage land new business and has further enhanced the quality of its output, resulting in elevated customer acceptance rates and overall satisfaction.

Top marks for innovation
As well as process innovation, Engage Technologies generates impressive product innovation. Squid Ink recently revolutionized how companies can mark boxes or cases. By eliminating the need for labels or preprinted stickers in favor of printing directly on the box, the company was able to reduce costs and environmental impact in the process.

As Carney notes, “It costs ten times more to put a label on the box than it does to just print on the side of it,” and to top it off, our CoPilot® Gemini™ offers excellent resolution and variable print; whether it’s logos, bar codes, lot numbers, or batch codes, it can be printed in a single pass at speeds of up to 220 feet per minute.

Additionally, the CoPilot® Max™ is a new product that can operate using a range of inks including oil-based, solvent-based, UV cure, and more. This enables printing on virtually any substrate, an ability that has propelled Squid Ink into markets that were not previously accessible.

On the Eastey side, Carney says, “A lot of what we do are variations on a theme. So, we have shrink-sleeve wrapping equipment and we offer them in a variety of sizes to fit the user’s product. Whether it’s something small like a tray of bottled water to windows, garage doors, or kayaks—you name it, we can shrink-wrap a wide variety of products by simply modifying the machine to fit a number of different markets.”

At AFM, instead of variable sizes, it boasts systems with variable speeds: 60 to 100 products per minute at entry level; intermediate systems that can process 300 products per minute; or high-speed machinery that can achieve 500 products per minute at the top end.

“We’re constantly trying to find out what’s going on in the market and attend to those market needs,” says Mylrea, and the way Engage does this is by engaging its market through a distributors council, which is used to communicate with members from different areas of the country.

For Mylrea, “the input we get from our distributors is tremendous. We talk about everything from current products, issues, opportunities, customer service, modifications, access to additional info, improving our warranty statements, and improving our product manuals, to ‘what do you want to see us do next? What kind of enhancements do you want to see on our equipment?’”

Growing in every way
To better support its customers with its expanded product lines, Engage has expanded its physical footprint as well. Eastey’s recent move to an advanced new manufacturing facility in Big Lake, Minnesota takes the company from 20,000 to 50,000 square feet of production space with a dramatic growth in capacity.

“Previously, when we would have a factory acceptance test for some of our big bundlers it would essentially shut down the plant because it took half the plant to do the test. Then once we shipped it out, things could start moving again. Now we can have 20 factory acceptance tests happening all at once and it won’t impact our ability to continue working,” explains Mylrea.

Growth has been not only physical, but fiscal as well. Engage is coming off three blockbuster years of growth, and fiscal year 2023 shows just as much, if not more promise thanks to the culture of continuous improvement that’s been infused throughout the company’s ranks. To top it off, all the efforts are paying off as Engage was named a 2023 Top Workplace in Minnesota by the Star Tribune.

With this notable success behind it, the goal once again is to organically triple the size of the company, just as Mylrea believed was possible when he took the helm in 2017. All it will take is more of the same: continuous improvement, purposeful innovation, and the infrastructure to sustain growth and maintain the quality and value that have brought Engage to this point.

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