Contract Packaging July/August 2021

T H E O F F I C I A L P U B L I C AT I O N F O R T H E C O N T R A C T PA C K A G I N G A S S O C I AT I O N

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Armed for Success Co-packer Octopi achieves 100% YOY growth by putting customer service first, while also investing in technology to serve the rapidly changing beverage market. p. 6

2 Customer-centric

packaging innovation

5 Carbon impact study informs new strategy

12

The digital supply chain transformation

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CPA releases 2021 industry report

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Contents VOLUME 17, ISSUE 2

JULY/AUGUST 2021

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EDITORIAL Anne Marie Mohan EDITOR

mohan@packworld.com

ART Dave Bacho CREATIVE DIRECTOR Kathy Travis ASSOCIATE ART DIRECTOR

AUDIENCE & DIGITAL Elizabeth Kachoris SENIOR DIRECTOR, DIGITAL AND DATA Jen Krepelka DIRECTOR, WEBSITES & UX/UI

ADVERTISING Wendy Sawtell VICE PRESIDENT, SALES • wsawtell@pmmimediagroup.com Ron Levinson, SALES MANAGER • rlevinson@contractpackagingmag.com Lara Krieger PRODUCTION MANAGER • lkrieger@pmmimediagroup.com Kelly Greeby SENIOR DIRECTOR, CLIENT SUCCESS & MEDIA OPERATIONS Alicia Pettigrew DIRECTOR, PRODUCT STRATEGY

PMMI MEDIA GROUP Joseph Angel PRESIDENT, PUBLISHER David Newcorn EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT Sharon Taylor DIRECTOR, MARKETING Amber Miller SENIOR MARKETING MANAGER Bea Greany BRAND OPERATIONS MANAGER Janet Fabiano FINANCIAL SERVICES MANAGER Lloyd Ferguson FOUNDING PARTNER

6 Co-pack/Co-man Bets on Beverage Market Transformation

Wisconsin-based beverage co-packer Octopi positions itself to address a rapidly changing beverage market, as well as a shift from bottles to cans, with two canning lines, the newest of which will produce up to 1,200 cans/min in seven sizes.

12 The Key to a Successful Digital Supply Chain Transformation?

People

As CPGs outsource a greater percentage of their operations, end-to-end supply chain visibility is becoming increasingly more vital for all parties. Ensuring a shared vision and desire for collaboration—internally and externally—is essential in achieving this transformation.

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Contract Packaging magazine is published for the Contract Packaging Association.

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DEPARTMENTS

2 Forefront 3 CPA President’s Letter 4 Brand Owner Insight 5 Industry News 14 CPA News 16 Membership Directory 19 Products 21 Ad Index

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Forefront

Customer-Centric Packaging Innovation ANNE MARIE MOHAN, Editor An April webinar from CPA explored the importance of packaging in conveying the qualities of a product to consumers at-shelf and the CP/CM’s role in driving innovation in package design.

According to co-presenter Brian Wagner, co-founder and VP of PTIS, given the massive number of new products introduced each year in the U.S.—tens of thousands, he noted—and the estimated failure rate of those products—90% within two to three years of introduction—CPGs are in dire

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need of partners to help them test and learn how the packaging for a new product may influence consumer acceptance, before launching it into the market.

“We know that packaging influences consumer product perceptions, including things like taste and flavor. It’s a critical asset, and contract manufacturers, contract packagers can help deliver the brand promise,” said Wagner. “Brands want new solutions and value. We hear it all the time.”

Noted co-presenter Phil Roos, CEO of Great Lakes GrowthWorks, one of the most effective ways to gather consumer insight is through ethnographic or observational research. Said Roos, “You can’t just test in a sterile conference room. You need to

get into people’s homes, into their cars, at their workplace, the places where they’re using products, to really get the best insights.” Then, he advised, CP/CMs need to look for ways to modify their equipment and materials to deliver on those insights.

Ultimately though, the success of a package will depend on collaboration, Wagner concluded: “If you want to get to market quicker, don’t try doing it yourself. Whether you’re an OEM, material supplier...CP/CM, everybody solves problems in new ways.

Everybody brings something unique and different to the table, and the more you can collaborate, the more you’re going to be successful.”

Access the full webinar at pwgo.to/7122. CP

mohan@packworld.com

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President’s Letter

A Bright Future Filled with Opportunities for CPA

BY ROB REINDERS, CPA President Many of my conversations with fellow members of CPA, The Association for Contract Packaging and Manufacturing have been positive and optimistic. We are now looking forward to meeting in person with the first in-person trade shows on the horizon. It will be good to return to a new normal and gather once again with our industry.

The now-completed CPA Virtual Experience series, which included presentations and panel discussions on important industry topics, has ensured members and the contract packaging and manufacturing (CP/CM) industry remained connected, even though we have not been able to gather in person over the past year. Over 200 people registered for the CPA Virtual Experience series, and anyone registered can still access the recorded sessions. We will be highlighting some of the session outcomes in the next few months. For more information, go to our website at www.contractpackaging.org/virtual-events.

The much-anticipated “2021 CPA State of the Industry Report” and the Executive Summary are now officially available. The report been expanded from past years and now features sections on M&A and machinery trends.

The new report is a benchmark study on the state of the CP/ CM industry. It includes sections on: • Defining the food/Consumer Packaged Goods industry by scope and revenue • Industry CAGR 2020-2025 by sector • Industry consolidation trends • Customer views on the changing marketplace • Current labor market and widening talent gap • Demographics on size, company age, locations, revenue • Sustainability trends…and much more!

As an exclusive member benefit, each CPA member can access the Executive Summary at no cost and the final report at a discounted rate. Data from the report will be featured in several presentations and events over the next few months. Check out the CPA website for more information. (Also, read “CP/CM Industry Booming, but Watch Out for Headwinds,” in the March/April 2021 issue of Contract Packaging magazine, at pwgo.to/7089.)

Capitalizing on the success of CPA’s Request for Quote (RFQ) tool, global brands now have heightened access to capabilities in both North America and Europe. CPA has joined forces with the European Contract Packaging Association (ECPA) to expand the capabilities of CPA’s RFQ tool, allowing global brands one service to find CP/CM partners in the location that works best for them.

Additional value-added benefits continue to be part of the CPA membership package. From legal consultations and M&A advice, to special pricing on freight services and professional workshops, CPA continues to foster important industry relationships to offer our members the most value for their business.

We look forward to being able to once again interact with members and the entire CP/CM industry now that many show venues are opening up. This year we have three major trade shows on tap, with a few smaller shows/conferences also in the plans. These events give us a chance to promote the industry and our members. No matter the show, our CPA Sourcing Center is always a busy location. Look for us at: • SNAXPO: Booth 1510; Aug. 22-24, 2021; Charlotte Convention Center; Charlotte, N.C. • Natural Products Expo East: Booth 2079; Sept. 22-25, 2021; Philadelphia Convention Center; Philadelphia • PACK EXPO Las Vegas: Booth C1255; Sept. 27-29, 2021; Las Vegas Convention Center; Las Vegas If you plan to attend the PLMA show in Rosemont, Ill., we will be hosting a reception at the Embassy Suites, Rosemont, after the show on Mon., Nov. 15, 2021. The Embassy Suites is just across the street and connected to the Convention Center.

Once again, it is a privilege to be leading such a prestigious and dynamic association. As the association’s president and a longtime CPA member, I see a future that’s very bright and filled with huge opportunities for CPA. CP

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

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Brand Owner Insight

Exclusivity Within a CP/CM, Customer Relationship ROBBY MARTIN, Contributing Editor In our journey in past columns to explore the characteristics that make up solid co-packing and comanufacturing (CP/CM) arrangements, we’ve touched on a lot of topics. One topic that doesn’t always come up, but seems to fit our discussions to date, is exclusivity. I have often been asked about exclusivity opportunities by internal folks, and I’ve also had partners that indicated the existence of exclusivity agreements in their businesses.

So, how big of a deal is exclusivity?

Why consider exclusivity?

One of the driving reasons behind the request for exclusivity is that many of us in the innovation space often believe our next idea is going to be “the one”—the idea that we ride for years to come. So, we naturally begin to sense a need to protect the idea, the concept, or the application. While there are legitimately new applications of ideas or technology to certain concepts, my experience is that we sometimes get ahead of ourselves in talking about exclusivity. Arriving at suitable contract language to support exclusivity is not easy, and the energy expended can often precede the actual “proof of concept” that drives our expectation of success.

My recommendation, therefore, is that we discuss whether there would be openness to exclusivity early in a project effort, but we hold off on negotiating the details of what that could look like until we know the size of the prize we are talking about.

Plus, if you put yourself in your manufacturing partner’s shoes, you’ll understand why that size-of-the-prize conversation is so important to them!

What does exclusivity require?

To develop an exclusive agreement around a new product or technology idea or discovery, many factors come into play. I’ll address a few I’ve experienced here; I’m sure many readers can think of others. However, in my experience, conversations around exclusivity have centered on the following ideas: 1. There must be a uniqueness about the proposition. Something about the product form, function, or manufacturing process supporting a new “provision” by the product needs to be pretty new to the world, or at least to the industry or consumer base.

2. There should be a promise of value.

Whether it’s size-of-the-prize, added value through new technology implementation at the partner, or just a secure level of capacity commitment, the opportunity has to provide a value to the manufacturing partner if it’s going to become exclusive.

3. Timing is everything. Sometimes, the ideas in #1 and #2 are uncertain, or they can only be provided in terms of potential and are not guaranteed. In such instances, I have found it helpful to discuss a timing aspect of exclusivity.

For instance, maybe the brand owner needs time to sell-in and distribute to key retailers required to reach a size-ofthe-prize expectation. Perhaps a certain amount of time will be needed to fully commercialize a new technology. This can be due to the need to understand the technology, or it can happen because the technology is so new that sufficient scaling of manufacturing process equipment is still being addressed.

4. Incentives can help. When timing, or even the promise of opportunity is uncertain, it can help to discuss incentives. In my experience, most of these discussions can center on milestone achievements in

volume or successful product testing by a certain date. Such arrangements can also include a discussion of extensions, usually involving a fee to extend.

What about existing exclusivity?

Sometimes when we reach out to a potential CP/CM partner with a new idea or project, we find some kind of exclusivity situation already in place with another customer. While I have found these occurrences to be infrequent, it’s still wise for a brand owner to ask the question.

Like considerations of complexity and fit, clarity around exclusivity at the outset of a project discussion can be important.

I have seen projects progress through developmental activities and approach an ongoing production situation only to have the CP/CM involved realize they had an exclusivity conflict that should have halted the engagement at the start. It’s not great to find out a project cannot go forward in the early stages. But it’s truly frustrating—if not maddening—to discover such a conflict when the whole effort is ready to hit go on ongoing production volumes!

The subject of exclusivity can clearly encompass several factors. Like many of the other factors in sound CP/CM and customer relationships, it comes down to developing a plan that leads to a winwin for both parties involved. If you’re a brand owner that has an idea you want to protect, I hope this column helps you with some of the key considerations involved in protecting that idea. When coupled with our earlier discussion of confidentiality (see pwgo.to/7088), really new-to-the-world or new-to-the-industry ideas can be given the time they need to become successful. CP Robby Martin is Engineering Specialist for Bush Brothers & Company.

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Industry News

Sustainability Study Results in New Strategy In sustainability, as with most other business processes, the saying holds true that you can’t manage what you can’t measure.

In early 2021, the South Atlantic family of contract packaging companies—South Atlantic Packaging of Winston-Salem, N.C., ProStar Packaging of Pottstown, Penn., and Versatile Packagers of Tampa, Fla.—worked with graduate students from the Wake Forest University Masters of Management Program to analyze its carbon footprint and identify opportunities to reduce that footprint.

Results of the study, outlined in the companies’ “April 2021 Sustainability Report,” showed that 62.7%, or 1418 metric tons, of its carbon emissions are the result of Scope 3 emissions; 28.3%, or 640 metric tons, are the result of Scope 2 emissions; and 9%, or 204 metric tons, come from Scope 1 emissions. To reduce its Scope 1 emissions,

which come directly from sources owned or controlled by the organization, South Atlantic says it will “take steps to improve efficiency and conservation.” Scope 2 emissions are generated through the purchased electricity consumed by the organization.

To eliminate these emissions, South Atlantic says it will be switching to renewable sources of energy. Scope 3 emissions are the consequence of activities by the organization, but happen from sources not owned or controlled by the company, e.g., waste, water, and travel. Says South Atlantic, “These emissions are largely unavoidable but can be eliminated through carbon offset investments.”

As a result of the study, the three copackers have made an ambitious climate pledge, based on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. “By 2050, we pledge to reduce our Scope 1 and Scope 2

Co-Packing Industry Watch • ActionPak, Inc. has completed a 196-kW rooftop solar installation on its new 175,000-sq-ft packaging facility in Camden, N.J., where it has created 150 jobs.

The new facility has 27 loading docks, running two shifts, and does primary and secondary packaging of food and OTC products.

• Do-It Corporation of South Haven, Mich., has acquired Tower Tag & Label of Benton Harbor, Mich. Both companies design and manufacture hang tabs, display strips, and other retail display products.

• Blue Marble Productions, a whollyowned subsidiary of Blue Marble Cocktails, in Indianapolis, is growing from 181,000 sq ft to 425,000 sq ft, with multiple new canning lines, in-

house sleeving, and variety packaging systems. The company co-packs and creates private-label alcoholic and non-alcoholic based products.

• Legacy Pharma Solutions, a contract packager serving the global pharmaceutical industry, has promoted Brad Rayner to President.

• Janesville, Wis.-based NaturPak Pet, owned and operated by IPM Foods, has become the first co-packer in the U.S. dedicated to producing and packaging wet pet food in Tetra Recart® aseptic cartons.

• Reed-Lane, a N.J.-based contract packager serving pharmaceutical manufacturers, has introduced its second track-and-trace-ready cartoning line for unit-level serialization and multi-level aggregation.

emissions by 50%. By 2050, we pledge to have net zero emissions,” South Atlantic says. “Meeting these goals will help us work towards limiting global warming and ensuring the long-term sustainability of the earth’s climate.” CP

• South Atlantic Contract Packaging of Winston-Salem, N.C., has made a donation of $18,000 to Second Harvest Food Bank, in response to the difficulties faced by local families during COVID-19.

• WWP Beauty, a supplier to the global beauty industry, has named veteran senior-level global marketing executive Musa Dias as its new Global Chief Marketing Officer. CP

NaturPak has become the first U.S. pet food co-packer to offer Tetra Pak® cartons.

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Packager Profile

Co-pack/Co-man Bets on Beverage Market Transformation Wisconsin-based beverage co-packer Octopi positions itself to address a rapidly changing beverage market, as well as a shift from bottles to cans, with two canning lines, the newest of which will produce up to 1,200 cans/min in seven sizes.

ANNE MARIE MOHAN, Editor

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Bad experiences lead to brilliant business strategy Just as Showaki learned to switch gears in his personal life when confronted with challenges in achieving citizenship, so too did he take a new direction in business after obstacles he faced during his time in Chicago.

As Showaki shares, when he started the craft brewery, he knew a lot about the craft beer business, but not much about craft beer production.

So, he sought help from the contract brewing industry.

A unique lowering element uses vacuum to move cans from the depalletizer to the packaging line below, eliminating the need for changeover for different can sizes

What he hoped to find was a dependable partner with expertise, but what he found was “a nightmare.”

“There were very few co-packers, and for the ones that were available, their quality was horrendous,” recalls Showaki.

“The packaging was not what we wanted, and the pricing was terrible. I thought I was going to be able to choose one copacker and grow with them, but the way it turned out, I had to scramble for volume and capacity. I was working with eight copackers at a time getting anywhere from a hundred cases all the way to 3,000 cases per batch. The co-packers were either too small or too large, and the quality was insane—it was low, low, low.

“It was like they couldn’t care less about me as a client. They would push me from the schedule, cancel me without telling me, and I had to pay extra. It was just bad experience, after bad experience, after

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t took Mexico City, Mexico-born entrepreneur Isaac Showaki 30 years, six types of visas, and multiple jobs in the brewing industry to realize his dream of becoming an American citizen and launching his own highly successful beverage business, Octopi. What he learned, as he shared at a 2020 Tedx Talk—“Failing My Way into the American Dream” (see pwgo.to/7059)—was that overcoming failure not only requires persistence, but also the willingness and imagination to try new strategies. According to Showaki, the lesson is, “Don’t try and try again. Try, and if you get stuck, try something else.”

Ever since his first visit to the U.S. when he was four, Showaki was determined to make America his home. After studying at Boston University, he had a string of consulting jobs that cemented his love for the brewing industry and that brought him back and forth to the states. In 2011, while on an investor’s visa, he co-founded the nation’s first Latin craft brewery in Chicago.

Upon leaving the company and after living in the U.S. for 13 years, Showaki was preparing to return to Mexico when he met his wife—an American citizen—and got his sixth and final visa and then his green card.

Now a part of the American Dream, Showaki opened Octopi in 2014 in Waunakee, Wis., just outside of Madison. The business, initially offering contract manufacturing and contract packaging services for beer brands only, started with a staff of six, including Showaki, and shipped 150,000 cases of product its first year.

Today Octopi has 150 full-time employees, with 30 open positions, ships up to 3.5

million cases of beverage products per year, or 250,000 barrels (bbls) in brewing parlance, and handles virtually any type of beverage that can be packaged in a bottle, keg, or can.

The company is in the process of nearly quadrupling its footprint, with a plant expansion that will house a custombuilt canning line. Its current packaging processes include a glass bottling line, a canning line, and a kegging line—all from KHS Group. With its end-to-end services and current and future capabilities, Showaki says Octopi is ideally positioned and “right-sized” to help its customers succeed in the rapidly changing beverage industry.

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s Following his bad experiences working with contract brewers, Isaac Showaki built his contract packaging/manufacturing beverage business with a focus on quality and customer service. bad experience. And I always said if I had to leave the company, I’d open a good co-packer that focuses on the client and on quality. And that’s where the idea for Octopi started—from having these really bad experiences.”

As Octopi’s website explains, the octopus possesses qualities that symbolize the company’s objectives in the world of beverages. Among them is to be the client’s “extra limb,” helping them to grow their business. Continues the site, “Our objective is to tailor our services to our clients’ needs. From producing high-quality beverages for new brands and developing their marketing strategy to guiding existing brands in their expansion plans and distribution selection.”

Octopi can create beverage recipes, provide consulting and brand development expertise, source materials and ingredients, and aid with merchandising, warehousing, and distribution, in addition to product manufacturing and packaging.

As Showaki explains, Octopi is at “the right size,” or the middle spot. “We’re not small, but we’re not gigantic,” he says.

“That’s where we really, really shine. We do whatever the client wants. We have small clients that just want to go straight co-packing. They’ll tell us, ‘We’ll send you all the product and all the raw materials and all the packaging, you just put it together,’ and we’re like, ‘Great.’ And we have larger clients who’ll say, ‘You know what? It’s very hard for us to deal with inventory in our systems or SAP or Oracle.

We want you to buy everything for us and just charge us for it.’ And we’re like, ‘Great.

We’ll do that for you.’”

Another quality of the octopus that Octopi shares is that “just like an octopus, Octopi is in constant motion, adapting to the needs of the industry.” The company adds, “We have the ability to move with market demands and trends to meet the needs of our clients.”

The current “trend” in beverages is complete transformation, according to Showaki. “If you ask anyone right now, the amount of innovation that’s coming out of the beverage industry has never been like this before,” he says. “Where 20 years ago, you used to have milk, orange juice, soda,

water, and coffee, and that was it, now there are probably hundreds of categories.

“I believe the market is going to become far more segmented. The beverage market is still going to grow, but now there will be hundreds of different categories you can play in.”

Sensing a decline in the craft beer industry around four years ago, Octopi made significant investments in more processing equipment and capabilities in order to change the focus of the company from being a contract brewer to a beverage co-packer. Today just 30% of its business is beer.

Says Showaki, “Right now we do beer, non-alcoholic beer, hard seltzers, ready-todrink beverages, craft cocktails, carbonated soft drinks, and adaptogens, and we’ve been playing with CBD and hemp products.

The only beverages we don’t do are any dairy products or wild yeast fermentation, like kombucha. But we’re willing to tackle any project that’s exciting and has good volume. We’re willing to take a look at it and see if we can make it work.”

Lately Octopi has attracted the attention

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Another area where Octopi spotted a change in market demand and quickly adapted was the shift in preference for beverage packaging from glass bottles to cans—a trend that only accelerated during COVID-19.

Octopi’s first foray into canning was the purchase of a 100-can/min line in 2017 that Showaki says he hoped would serve their needs for a couple of years. The company outgrew the line within six months.

In mid-2019, Octopi replaced its first line with a fully automatic canning line capable of speeds from 335 to 350 cans/ min, depending on can size. The keystone of the line is the KHS Innofill Can Compact, or Can C, filler, which had only recently been launched by the supplier when Octopi purchased it. “KHS launched the Can C because at the time, they only had very large canning lines, where the seamer was separate from the filler,” says Showaki. “They saw there was a lot of growth for cans, so they engineered a solution for small and mid-sized companies.

We got one of the first machines.”

The Innofill Can C features the filler, valve manifold, seamer, control cabinet, and paneling in one closed and compact unit. “They created their own seamers,” shares Showaki. “We wondered if they could provide equipment with good seaming. But KHS hired someone with a lot of background from a large seaming company, and their seamers are really, really reliable.”

The Can C includes 27 volumetric filling heads and six seaming heads.

Other features of the machine include a patented purging process that KHS says results in extremely low CO2 consumption.

In addition, says KHS, the computercontrolled filling system provides maximum dimensional accuracy; it ensures uniform filling levels and also that

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headspaces of exactly the same size are created in the cans. The supplier shares that the hygienic design of the Innofill Can C is guaranteed by a gapless bell guide with Teflon expansion joints and bells that are lifted and positioned fully electropneumatically to seal the cans. Product is supplied to the filling stations by a rotary distributor, a design that KHS explains saves space in the filler carousel, making the machine easier to access for maintenance and enhancing hygiene.

Eleven suppliers, one fully automated line Given that KHS was still busy rolling out the Can C at the time Octopi selected it, Octopi and KHS agreed it would be best for the supplier to provide the filler/seamer, with Octopi specifying the rest of the equipment on the line. This entailed working with 10 machinery suppliers and a systems integrator, MCE (Modular Conveyor Express), which provided all the conveying equipment and integrated the line.

“The equipment on the line is wonderful. It runs fast, and it’s also very, very reliable,” says Showaki. “But we were dealing with 11 suppliers, so it was definitely a challenge to commission and run the line. Once it began running, it ran beautifully.”

The line begins with a Codi aluminum can depalletizer, the DPL-1000, which automates the process of removing and stacking slip sheets between cans, pushing bulk can supply layer by layer onto conveying, and indexing cans for feeding into the canning line.

The equipment handles either brite

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s or preprinted cans, depending on the customer’s specifications, in four sizes: 12-oz standard, 12-oz sleek, 16-oz standard, and 19.2-oz standard. According to Showaki, the 12- and 16-oz sizes are Octopi’s bread and butter, with the 12-oz sleek making up 45% of its business.

The company rarely runs the 19.2-oz can, but the equipment on the line affords the option, if needed.

From the top of the depalletizer, the cans are transported to a conveyor below through the use of a unique lowering element designed by Codi. Showaki says he first saw the system in use at a CocaCola plant. The lowering element uses vacuum to hold the cans, which means no changes need to be made when moving from one can size to another. If the cans are brite and require decoration, they are conveyed to a Krones Sleevematic M1 sleeve-label machine, where a film label is applied, after which the cans are conveyed through a steam tunnel, also from Krones, that shrinks the label to the can.

Cans then are conveyed upside down and rinsed with ionized air, after which they are turned right side up, with equipment from Carleton Helical Gear. While the cans are upside down, a Diagraph Linx 8900 continuous inkjet printer adds a date code and batch ID, or other customer-required information, up to three lines. Immediately following cleaning and coding, the cans enter the KHS Innofill Can C. After filling and sealing, the cans are conveyed through a Filtec Intellect inspection system that checks for seal integrity.

For those products requiring pasteurization, they are then conveyed through a

A sleeve labeler from Krones applies labels to brite cans.

Krones LinaFlex tunnel pasteurizer, after which the cans are dried via a Paxton Products can drying system. The cans then pass through another Filtec inspection system, the 3G, which uses gamma rays to detect the fill level in the cans to ensure the pressure exerted during pasteurization hasn’t caused any of the cans to explode.

For secondary packaging, cans are diverted to one of two machines: a PakTech CCA 440 plus plastic can carrier applicator or a cartoner from Design Machine & Manufacturing (DMM Packaging). On the PakTech, Octopi primarily runs four- and six-pack sizes, however Showaki says the company has run dual-packs for special jobs. The machine is also capable of applying an eight-pack can carrier, but Octopi has not run this configuration.

The DMM cartoner can run everything from a four-pack to a 24-pk, including six-, 12-, 15-, and 18-ct sizes, for each different can size (12-oz standard, 12-oz sleek, 16 oz, and 19.2 oz).

For tertiary packaging, another machine from DMM loads four-, six-, and 12-ct sizes into a tray. Larger sizes, such as a 24-pk carton, can be palletized without the need for a tray. According to Showaki, the majority of the larger packaging run by Octopi is a 12-pk size.

A Diagraph TJ1000 inkjet printer follows the tray packer, applying information, including a UPC code and the name of the product, on the side of the tray.

In the final step of the packaging process, trays or cartons are placed on a pallet using a low level-infeed rowforming palletizer, the TTL-30 from Top Tier, followed by stretch wrapping on the same machine.

Because Octopi tries to accommodate any job thrown at them from a customer, flexibility was key in specifying the equipment for the filling line. According to Showaki, changeover from a 12-oz standard to a 16-oz to a 19.2-oz can size is a fairly quick process, perhaps 30 minutes. Changing over from a 12-oz

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Packager Profile

standard to a 12-oz sleek is a more complex affair, taking from one to two hours, depending on the pattern. “We try to run as much consecutively as possible before we have to change back sizes,” he says.

“We have a very talented scheduling team that helps us plan efficiently. But, because we say yes to everything, or as much as we can, we do a lot of changeovers.”

Octopi makes a challenging request The move to the 350-can/min Innofill Can C line in June 2019 provided Octopi with greatly expanded capacity for can filling, but Showaki says by late 2020, the company had already outgrown this line as well. “We’re squeezing everything we can out of that machine,” he says. “We’re going to start running it 24/7 [up from 24/5].”

Long term, Octopi is working with KHS to design and commission another canning line, which is scheduled to be operational by Q2-2022. The new line will be

s Octopi installed one of the first Innofill Can C models, designed by KHS for smaller beverage companies, which houses the can filler and seamer in one compact machine. supplied entirely by KHS and will be able to run seven different can sizes—the four currently run by Octopi, plus 150-, 200-, and 250-mL slim cans, which Showaki believes are the future of cans.

“We told KHS, we’re going to send you an extensive list of packout options, because typically each count size has four to five different packout options. Then, you can multiply that by two,” Showaki

says. “We told them, we need all of these, and we need them all to run great, and we need a max speed of 1,200 cans per minute for a 12-ounce can.”

The line will be anchored by a KHS Innofill Can DVD 92 computer-controlled, volumetric filler, followed by two seamers. One seamer will run 202 lids for 12-oz standard and sleek cans and 16-oz standard cans, while the other can run 200 lids for 12-oz

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slim cans—with no changeover required.

The line will be fully automated from depalletizing to palletizing, and will include a cartoner, tray packer, and packout machine. “The whole line will be automated to do changeovers, line changes, etcetera,” says Showaki. “We want it to run fast, and we want to make sure it’s reliable. We have extra machines to make sure the seam is correct and the packing is correct, because when you get that big, you don’t want to be recalling a batch, because it could be hundreds of thousands of dollars.”

The new line will be used in addition to the existing line, with the Innofill Can C supplying product to those customers looking for smaller runs, for example 2,000 to 4,000 cases, and the Innofill DVD producing 10,000 plus cases at a time for customers wanting larger runs.

“We’re not set in our ways. There’s a 180-degree difference in what we did last year compared to what we’re doing this year—it’s completely different, but hopefully in a positive way.”

Building for the future

hs.com

At the time of Contract Packaging’s visit to Octopi, the company was in the midst of construction on an addition to its plant that will expand its current footprint from 60,000 sq ft to 160,000 sq ft. The addition will house the new canning line, as well as additional R&D and office space. With the expansion, Octopi says it will be able to grow its capacity from its current 3.5 million cases (250,000 bbls) to 13 million cases, or 1 million bbls, in 2022.

The next phase will include the construction of a 200,000-sq-ft warehouse on land Octopi owns across the street from its plant that will allow the company to bring warehousing in-house. At the moment, it uses a third-party provider with 150,000 sq ft of space off-site.

In the last five years, Octopi has seen 100% Year-Over-Year growth, and Showaki anticipates the same in 2021. “We’re still growing, we’re still very malleable,” he says. “We’re not set in our ways.

There’s a 180-degree difference in what we did last year compared to what we’re doing this year—it’s completely different, but hopefully in a positive way. And that keeps us moving forward and becoming a much better company.” CP

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Digital Supply Chain Transformation

The Key to a Successful Digital Supply Chain Transformation? PEOPLE As CPGs outsource a greater percentage of their operations, end-to-end supply chain visibility is becoming increasingly more vital for all parties. Ensuring a shared vision and desire for collaboration—internally and externally—is essential in achieving this transformation.

ANNE MARIE MOHAN, Editor

O

ne thing made abundantly clear over the past year-and-a-half of supply chain turbulence resulting from the pandemic is the importance of end-to-end supply chain transparency through digital data sharing. It’s something that even prepandemic, Consumer Packaged Goods companies had begun increasingly recognizing the need for, as they began outsourcing more and more of their operations.

But what does end-to-end supply chain visibility really mean? What technology is needed to facilitate this type of data sharing? How do you get buy-in from management to invest in such processes? And, once the decision has been made internally to extend the supply chain outside your four walls, how do you get both your internal staff and your external suppliers on board?

These were just some of the topics discussed in a recent webinar, “Digitally Transform Your External Supply Chain for Flexibility and Growth,” held by Reuters Events and sponsored by Nulogy. Sharing their expertise were Eric Rossi, Sr. Director Supply Chain North America, Valvoline, Hank Canitz, VP Industry Solutions, Nulogy, Phil Short, former Market CIO, Mars Canada, and Michael Kennamann, Director of Supply Chain Planning, Wilton Brands.

One of the most fascinating takeaways of the event was the idea that people, more so than technology, will power this

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transformation. Said Canitz, “Supply chain at its root is really people to people. Data is a facilitator, but collaboration is key.”

Why collaborate?

As the recent “2021 State of the Industry Report” from CPA, The Association for Contract Packagers and Manufacturers documents, the contract packaging/contract manufacturing (CP/CM) industry is forecast to grow at a 10.2% CAGR through 2025. According to Canitz, on average, 20% to 30% of CPG brand manufacturers’ product is now being produced through external partners.

As Phil Short shared, historically the CPG would deal with their customers, while anything on the back end has been treated as a “black box” and a separate organization. “That’s just the way the industry evolved,” he said. “But I think we’ve got to get back to [William Edward] Deming’s [management] teachings of the 1950s. If you actually want to have strong partnerships, you have to have collaboration. You become more efficient not only individually, but as a whole supply chain, if you collaborate more and more closely.

“If we want to become more effective and more efficient within the supply chain, we’ve actually got to get visibility and trust between the partners and actually start to manage this thing end-to-end outside our four walls.”

To provide the greatest benefit, the speakers agreed, end-to-end means visibility into every step and by every party in

the supply chain, beginning with mining, farming and raw materials manufacturing to multiple manufacturing stages, including third-party manufacturing, to retail and finally the consumer. “In the end, consumers are also demanding sustainability,” said Kennamann. “So going to your Tier 1 supply base isn’t really enough. You almost have to understand and have the ability and the connectivity all the way down to the raw materials and where they’re coming from.

“This is extremely important in the food business, because if you end up with a recall, you’ve got to be able to quickly understand where the raw materials came from.”

The agility to quickly respond to a recall is one benefit of supply chain visibility, but there are many others. The idea, said Canitz, is to take the same type of information used internally for planning and extend that process to external suppliers in order to shorten lead times, improve fill rates, improve responsiveness, etc. “If I’m a CPG manufacturer today, I want to be able to have the same capabilities for my external plants that I have for my internal plants,” he noted.

Effective collaboration though depends on every party having the same data in real time. One enabling technology is Blockchain, which in its simplest form is a digital ledger of transactions that accompanies the product throughout the supply chain. Said Short, “It gets away from the silos of data because it actually becomes

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shared data. It’s not our data or your data, it’s the supply chain’s data.”

Having access to the same actionable data builds trust between partners. “If you’re looking at the same data, trusting where it comes from, that’s actually a big part of that change in mentality around trust along the supply chain,” Short added.

When external manufacturing suppliers have the same data in hand as their CPG customers, they can better plan for increased capacity or workforce requirements, and they better understand when adjustments are made by the CPG. “They’re seeing the same data you’re getting from the market, they’re adjusting, and they’re understanding why they’re adjusting,” said Short. “They’re working with you just as your own factory would work with you.”

A shared vision, benefits Implementing end-to-end supply chain visibility requires a multi-person, multilevel strategy that is aligned from the top.

So how do you get support from company leadership?

“It comes down to the priorities and the problems you’re trying to solve,” explained Short. “It’s like any change you’re trying to make to a business—it’s got to make business sense.

“First of all, you’ve got to understand what we call the ‘North Star’ of the organization—which direction are we trying to go, and how fast are we trying to get there—and then align what you’re trying to do to with the company’s strategic objectives. Then you can talk to them [executives] about dollars and cents to enable whatever it is that needs to change, and you can show them how the technology enables that to happen.”

Before looking at technology, however, Rossi advised that companies must make sure their people, data, and processes are aligned first. “At my company, we could do a case study on the number of times we’ve said, ‘Hey, if we just get this technology, we’ll be good.’ But what you quickly realize is that it’s so key to work on the data, people, and processes first. I’m willing to bet that if you do that, you’re going to solve about 80% of what you need to solve. Then

technology gets you over the hump.”

Rossi noted it’s also vital to get your own house in order before working on external relationships as well, otherwise it’s difficult to achieve that win-win situation.

A win-win situation is what you want to impress upon your external suppliers in presenting them with the idea of supply chain data sharing. Added Rossi, “It’s about that partnership and selling that partnership. It’s not about going to these third parties and saying, ‘You must do this or else.’ It’s about telling them and showing them how they can benefit from this information as well.”

Change management To enable a successful digital supplychain transformation, one of the most important factors is managing change internally at the employee level. “The change management piece isn’t anything new to supply chain—there’s a whole practice and body of knowledge around change management and how you do that,” advised Short. “I would say, if anyone’s embarking on this, then go talk to some change management experts, because most change management methodologies take into account the human aspect.

“But to me, it’s really concerns-based: Understand where people are coming from, what they need, what their concerns are, and how do you address them as well as prepare and train them, give them the tools they need and the rest of it.

“It’s a complex matter all on its own, and it’s not really a technical thing, it’s actually a human nature thing.”

Answering the question of who in the organization is needed as part of the transformation, Short answered: “You need unique business architects, because they’ll give you the whole big picture, the blueprints of what you need, then you need data experts, because they’ve got to make sure the data is accurate, you need IT folks, obviously, if you’re going to put systems in place, but you need human change management experts because we’re not replacing people with robots.

“I use this analogy quite a bit. I say, ‘We’re not putting C-3PO into the supply chain, we’re actually giving the supply chain analysts Iron Man suits—they get superpowers when you give them the right data and the right tools.’”

But, agreed all the speakers, all the right technology and the right tools will not enable successful supply chain transparency unless there is a shared vision, internally and with external partners. Digital transformation is not about the technology; it’s about enabling a better organization, greater trust, and more collaborative partnerships through technology.

Concluded Kennamann, “If you don’t pay attention to the human aspect, the technology and processes will fail wherever you try to implement them. Because at the end of the day, it’s the people who are going to implement the change.” CP

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Association News

CPA ‘2021 State of the Industry Report’ Available CPA, the Association for Contract Packagers and Manufacturers, has made available the “2021 State of the Industry Report.” The expanded, comprehensive report, now in its sixth edition, combines over 150 online executive interviews, plus quantitative and qualitative primary and secondary research to produce a more detailed view of the contract packaging and contract manufacturing (CP/CM) industry, including its opportunities, headwinds, and evolving future.

The report provides 180 pages of information and perspective on the CP/CM industry.

Investors, vendors, customers, and competitors are all seeking a competitive advantage. That edge begins with the information provided by this report.

Topics covered include the following: • Defining the food/CPG industry by scope and revenue • Industry CAGR 2021-2025 by sector • Post-pandemic trends • The continued expansion of private equity • Industry consolidation trends • Customer views on the changing marketplace • The current labor market and widening talent gap • Demographics on size, company age, locations, revenue • Enterprise technology implementations and penetration rates • Offshore and Mexico-based competition • Sustainability trends Want to learn more before investing in the full report? You can order the Executive Summary for a high-level overview of the report findings. Non-members, if you decide to order the full report after reading the Executive Summary, the cost of the Executive Summary will be credited toward your purchase of the full report. CPA members receive the Executive Summary for free and can purchase the full report at a 50% discount.

To gain your competitive advantage, visit www.contractpackagingreport.com and order your “2021 State of the Industry Report” now.

CPA Bolsters Value Prop Through Various Partnerships Over the past couple of years, CPA has been fostering relationships with companies that can offer unique information and services useful to those working in the contract packaging and contract manufacturing (CP/CM) industry.

Legal consultation: The law firm of Eric F. Greenberg, P.C., represents clients at every level of the food and drug development, manufacturing, distribution, and packaging industries.

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The firm represents clients from across the U.S. and around the world. Each CPA member company receives a half-hour session with Greenberg, who can educate you in food and drug regulatory law with an emphasis on packaging and labeling issues, general business, and commercial litigation. To arrange a consultation, email Eric at greenberg@efg-law.com and identify yourself as a CPA member.

CPA and SGS: SGS, the world’s largest certification body, with over 200,000 customers globally, is offering to help CPA members navigate the complexity of Quality and GMP standards and certificates needed to operate in the food, pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and medical device industries. Questions may span the selection, design, implementation, training, certification, and maintenance phases of certification.

Blaige & Company consultation: Thomas Blaige is offering his expertise in M&A exclusively to CPA members. Each CPA member company receives a complementary one-hour session with Blaige, who has over 30 years of transaction experience in CP/CM M&A.

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Blaige & Company covers five CP/CM markets, each having its own dynamics, trends, and successful strategies.

CPA and YRC Freight: CPA has partnered with YRC Freight to offer CPA members discounts on freight services.

YRC’s dedicated Time Critical service with customer-defined delivery dates and times ensures shipments move through their fastest network and are handled by a dedicated team from start to finish. When projects are complicated by short timelines, Time Critical provides a customer guarantee and the proactive notifications needed for customers to feel secure in their shipments. YRC offers fast, flexible solutions to fit customers’ business needs—from just-in-time inventory strategies to ensuring port arrivals to meet sailing schedules.

CPA and Packaging Prosperity: Looking back, how prepared and successful was your organization at adapting and thriving through the changes of 2020?

Was keeping up with customer demand a challenge? More importantly, how is your team going to improve quality, productivity, and skills so your organization can really thrive? CPA members can receive special pricing on Packaging Prosperity, an interactive virtual workshop specifically designed for leadership teams interested in growing and prospering in today’s highly competitive landscape.

CPA and Nulogy University: CPA’s recent partnership with Nulogy, a leading provider of agile supply chain solutions, grants CPA members complimentary access to the educational resources of Nulogy University, a proprietary online training platform for CP/CM businesses.

CPA members who participate in the Nulogy University Program will receive comprehensive training, reporting tools, customized instruction, and more.

PTIS consultation: If you are a CPA member and want to better understand your company’s packaging needs and sustainability opportunities, be sure to check out the complimentary PTIS consultation benefit exclusive to CPA members. Each member company of CPA receives a complimentary half-hour sesJ U LY/AUGUST 2 0 2 1 C P

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work more effectively across the packaging value chain.

Interested in these exclusive CPA member benefits? Learn more about them by visiting www.contractpackaging.org/ value-programs. CP

sion with a principal of PTIS who can help you understand your packaging materials, containers, packaging systems, and sustainability needs to support current and new customer needs. PTIS can also help CPA members understand how to

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LOOKING BACK. PRESSING FORWARD. ALWAYS INNOVATING.

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Membership Directory

Advertisers in this issue are in bold face Associate members in this issue New members in this issue Ë

For in-depth searches on individual members’ capabilities, visit www.contractpackaging.org ËAaron Kendell Packaging Equipment www.aekpack.com KC Christensen (630) 238-2660

Bluegrass Packaging Industries, Inc. www.bluegrasspackaging.com Ellen Waddle (502) 425-6442

Aaron Thomas Company, Inc. www.packaging.com Aaron Bacon (714) 894-4468

ËBolke-Miller Company

ADCO Manufacturing

Bonded Pac LLC www.bondedpac.com Jon Hayward (704) 517-0286

Allegiance Staffing

CCB Packaging www.ccbpackaging.com Brad Canfield (319) 378-0114

Delkor Systems, Inc.

APAK Packaging LLC www.apak-pkg.com Jorge Revelo (847) 566-9595

ËChallenge Unlimited, Inc

Desiccare, Inc. www.desiccare.com Shannon Omlor (702) 405-4260

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

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

Asiapack Ltd www.asiapack.com Valentin Janson (852) 2735-1163

ËAssemblers Inc.

www.assemblers.com Joel Rosenbacher (773) 378-3000 Assemblies Unlimited, Inc. www.assemblies.com Randy Shaw (877) 273-6259 Associated Packaging, Inc. www.associatedpackagingpro.com Lynn Jacob (248) 855-0106 Assured Edge Solutions www.aes-roc.com Daniel Rao (585) 545-4372 BCI Packaging www.bcipackaging.com Jaclyn Norono-Rodriguez (636) 978-4300

ËBerlin Packaging

www.berlinpackaging.com Rick Brandt (312) 876-9200

ËBig Easy Blends

www.bigeasyblends.com Sal LaMartina (504) 467-1606

ËBirchwood Contract

Manufacturing www.birchwoodcontract.com Shawn Nahan (952) 937-7959

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www.bolkemiller.com Michael Miller (847) 693-7231

www.adadvancedoutsource solutions.com Clint Biever (618) 463-1236

Chippewa Packaging www.chippewapackaging.com Michael Steele (507) 931-5510

Clysar LLC

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

CMG Plastics

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

ËCoregistics

www.coregistics.com Eric Wilhelm (678) 453-5900

ËCredmade

www.credmade.com Rahul Pasarnikar (312) 931-5367

ËCrest Foods

www.crestfoods.com Gaven Meiners (815) 453-7411 CRI, Inc. www.crind.org David Lemanski (715) 559-0015

ËCrystal Packaging Inc

www.crystalpackaging.com Dillon Vincenti (303) 865-7102 CTI Packaging & Fulfillment www.ctipack.com Jerry Thompson (847) 968-4855

Cup Pac Packaging, Inc. www.cuppac.com Jodi James (815) 624-7060

ËExel Packaging Inc. www.exelpackaging.com Christopher Sommers (949) 395-8378

CWS Contract Packaging www.cwspackaging.com Justin Parker (607) 206-8695

FasPac Packaging, LP www.faspacllc.com Matt Davis (972) 831-8300

DAMRON Packaging & Logistics Group www.damronplg.com Tony Cort (773) 826-6000

ËFirst Choice Packaging Solutions

www.delkorsystems.com Dan Altman (651) 348-6714

ËDo-It Corporation www.www.do-it.com John Deschaine (269) 637-1121

DOLCE AMORE www.dolceamoreny.com Marcello Arpaia (917) 681-1438 Dominion Liquid Technologies www.dltdelivers.com Charlie Cain (513) 272-2824

ËDomino Amjet www.domino-printingcom Nikki Johnson (800) 244-2501 Econo-Pak www.econo-pak.com PJ Wiebel (570) 296-0350 EMCO Chemical Packaging www.emcochem.com Randy Schwab (847) 767-2201 Emerald 66 Enterprises LLC www.emerald-66.com Charles Colon (405) 303-6008

ePac Flexible Packaging www.epacflexibles.com Noral Greenstein Biondi (844) 373-0136 Exact Packaging Inc. www.exactpack.com Steve Dawkins (217) 214-6049

www.firstchoicepackaging.com Paul Tomick (866) 700-7225 Foxconn Technology Group www.foxconn.com Rolf Henn (804) 328-5267

Frain Group

www.frain.com Chris Frain (630) 889-5732

Frazier & Son

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

ËFresh Food Factor- Creative Concepts & Packaging www.freshfoodfactor.org/ co-packing Jason Burt (504) 522-3063

GH Guenther Huettlin Manufacturing Inc. www.ghmanufacturing.com Kim Egan (613) 961-8860

ËGilchrist & Soames

www.gilchristsoames.com Amber Mosher (317) 250-6204

ËGreenSeed Contract Packaging www.greenseedcp.com Molly Bullock (630) 761-8544

ËHerbco International, Inc. www.herbcointl.com Taras Remeniuk (262) 620-3500

Herkimer Industries www.herkimerindustries.com Scott Riffle (315) 225-2385 Higley Industries www.higleyinc.com Lance Hummel (616) 902-2969

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Hood Container Corporation www.hoodcontainer.com Parick Broderick (502) 515-3900

Matrix Packaging Machinery

Nulogy Corporation www.nulogy.com Wendy Phua (416) 204-0427

Pure and Gentle Inc. www.pureandgentlesoap.com Andrew Hsueh (281) 733-7525

IBR Packaging LLC www.ibrpackaging.com Dave Christensen (888) 829-6509

Matt Pak Inc. www.mattpak.com Jeff Graham (847) 451-4018

Pac Contract Services www.pac.com Michael Treb (513) 292-3551

Quality Packaging / Pro Pac www.qualpac.com Dawna Whitner (972) 988-3888

Influence Manufacturing www.influancehaircare.com Robin Simpson (336) 348- 1565

Maverick Packaging, Inc. www.maverickpackaginginc.com DeAnn Devenney (574) 264-2891

ËPack'n Fresh, LLC

Inland Packaging

www.inlandpackaging.com Kimberly Young (608) 787- 5800

Mid-Continent Packaging, Inc. www.midcontinentpkg.com Steven Epstein (580) 234-5200

ËPackaging Group Corp.

Quality Packaging Specialists International www.qpsiusa.com Nick Johnson (717) 903-8116

Integrated Re-Pack & Logistics www.integratedrepack.com Dennis Monday (540) 421-9585

Minimus Products LLC www.minimusproducts.biz Paul Shrater (805) 376-6352

PacMoore Products, Inc. www.pacmoore.com Taylor Moore (513) 400-6022

Keller Logistics Group www.kellerlogistics.com Bryan Keller (419) 785-3219

Morrison Container Handling

ËPaket Corporation.

Kleen Concepts www.kleen-concepts.com Grant Russell (480) 515-5576 Komplete Packaging Service www.kpak.com M. Kamal (214) 252-8105

Lako Tool

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

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

ËMother Trail, LLC.

www.mothertrail.com Matt Simonds (505) 221-6281 MSI Express www.msiexpress.com Charles Weinberg (219) 764-1521

& Manufacturing, Inc. www.lakotool.com John Bialecki (302) 218-1499

MSW Packaging www.mswpackaging.com Chris Nutley (812) 537-2331

ËLandaal Packaging Systems

ËMulti-Pack Solutions

www.landaal.com Steve Landaal (800) 616-6619

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

ËLB Processors, LLC

Namar Foods www.namar.com Deborah Mitchell (562) 531-2744

ËLiquipak Corporation

Nature's Distribution www.naturesdistribution.com Jeff Saller (801) 899-2007

www.privatelabelcopacking.com Caleb Binford (615) 746-8485 www.liquipak.com Robert Smith (989) 463-5510

Mahani Enterprises LLC www.shrinkfilm.com Peter Quercia (973) 665-8333

Nercon Conveyor Systems

Manna Foods, LLC www.mannafoods.us Matt Hetrick (717) 675-2262

New Caney Beverage www.ncbeverage.com Jorge Ulloa (210) 216-3777

Maple Mountain Co-Packers www.mmcp.co Rob LeBaron (801) 960-3387

Novalent Limited www.novalent.com Vince Nappo 336-375-7555

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

NP Food Service Sales, LLC www.npfss.com (630) 443-1770

www.nerconconveyors.com Debbie Hoff (844) 293-2814

www.packnfresh.com Tariq Usmani (888) 703-7374 www.packaginggroupcorp.com Elliott Weller (847) 924-6538

www.paketcorp.com Mark O'Malley (773) 221-7300

Pak Technologies, Inc. www.paktech.com/ David Greif (414) 406-4733

ËPCI, Inc,

www.pcistl.com William Davis (314) 872-9333 Peoria Production Shop www.peoriapros.com Dan Laturno (309) 683-0700 Performance Packaging of Nevada, LLC www.pplv.co Robert Reinders (702) 240-3457

Plastic Packaging

ËRGA Enterprises, Inc.

www.rgaenterprises.com Glenn Howell (704) 398-0487

Roberts PolyPro Inc.

www.robertspolypro.com Roy Tetreault (704) 588-1794

ËRobopac USA www.robopacusa.com Lily Sokolov 722-8399 ËRonchi America, LLC. www.ronchipackaging.com/ronchiamerica.com Tim Wilson (404) 990-1997 RRP Packaging www.rrp-mfg.com Jeff Freiburger (419) 666-6119 Ruspak Corporation www.ruspak.com Paul Mierzwa (315) 946-9777

Scholle IPN

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

Technologies, LLC www.plaspack.com Angie Taylor (913) 596-9096

Select Brands, LLC. www.select-brands.net Tuffer Weidner (417) 863-0404

PMI Kyoto

Sigma Services Corporation www.sigmasvs.com Liz Nesbit (847) 388-3040

Polypack, Inc.

Sigma Services Corporation www.sigmasvs.com Liz Nesbit

www.pmikyoto.com Branko Vukotic (847) 437-1427 www.polypack.com Brian McCann (727) 578-5000

Printpack

SourceAmerica www.sourceamerica.org David Brent (571) 421-8716

Priority Plastics, Inc.

South Atlantic Packaging www.southatlanticpackaging.com Pat Grantham (336) 774-3122

www.printpack.com Scott Mitchell (678) 758-6364 www.priorityplastics.com Steve Eglostein (336) 549-1563 Protech Nutra, Inc. www.protechnutra.com Manuel Nunez (312) 246-1838

Spec Enterprise www.specenterprise.com Dale Jenks (480) 828-2976

JU LY/AU G U S T 2 021 CONTR AC T PACK AGI N G

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17

7/12/21 9:36 AM

Membership Directory Sterling Contract Packaging, Inc. www.sterlingcpi.com Michael Collins (770) 638-8211

The Raymond Hadley Corp. www.raymondhadley.com Elliot Dutra (607) 725-4567

US Natural Group www.usnaturalgroup.com/ Hakan Johanson (727) 424-6677

ËWe Pack Logistics, LP

Steuart Custom Manufacturing www.minn-pack.com Ben Steuart (507) 272-8715

TNA North America Inc. www.tnasolutions.com Shayne De La Force (972) 462-6500

Valk Industries, Inc. www.valkindustries.com Dale Waddle (423) 638-1284

Western Innovations, Inc. www.westerninnovationsinc.com Jerry Jernigan (303) 307-4500

Triangle Package

Valley Food Systems www.valleyfoods.com Jeff Valley (800) 228-4053

World Contract Packaging www.worldcontractpack.com Barb Tillery (815) 624-6501

VARC, Inc. www.varcinc.com Eric Filter (608) 637-3994

ËXela Pack

Viking Masek

www.vikingmasek.com Danielle Ohl (920) 564-5342

Xpress 360 Inc. www.xpress-360.com Larry Simpson (317) 291-2100

Troystar Food Packaging www.tsfoodpackaging.com Justin Spiegelhoff (262) 763-9434

Visstun

Zacros America, Inc.

ËTurbo Pack, LLC.

www.turbopackllc.com Nick Gubser (800) 431-3455

Wannemacher Tool Logistics www.wanntl.com/ Andy Wannemacher (419) 225-9060

ZoRoCo Packaging Inc. www.ZoRoCoPackaging.com Jeff Floyd (208) 475-1864

ËU.S. Packaging LLC

ËWePackItAll

ËTadbik

www.tadbik.com Karen Frisch (908) 377-0913

Machinery Co. www.trianglepackage.com Ralph Hernandez (773) 889-0220

Taylor Prime Labels & Packaging

Tripack LLC

ËThe Lab, LLC.

Trividia Manufacturing Solutions www.trividiams.com (603) 788-4952

Group www.taylor.com Bridget Bregel (855) 833-4143

www.thelabmn.com Adam Smith (763) 703-4522 The Lion Brewery www.lionbrewery.com/ contractbrewing Andrew Van Blargan (814) 935-1355

ËThe Platinum Packaging Group www.platinumpkggroup.com Nick Lowe (562) 630-6700

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www.tripak.net Matt Linz (513) 255-1958

www.uspackagingllc.com Rick Geiger (262) 510-8576

www.visstuncups.com Paula Piano (800) 401-2910

www.wepack.com Brandon Hoog (888) 993-7225

www.xelapack.com Anthony Gentile (734) 944-1300

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

www.wepackitall.com Vanessa Jimenez (626) 301-9214

7/19/21 8:54 AM

New Products

Specialized Pharma Packaging New investments at Rondo-Pak, LLC, a provider of folding cartons and printed components for the pharma, med device, and consumer industries, help company to meet demand for specialized packaging, including vaccines, adjuvants, test kits, pain relievers, and treatment medications Equipment includes a Heidelberg 10-color offset press; Xerox Versant 4100 press; a Xerox Nuvera EA/MX production system, which can merge variable images and data at print-engine speeds; and a Kongsberg X20 cutting table, for rapidly creating structural samples Rondo-Pak/Contemporary Graphic Solutions, www.rondopak.com

Supply Chain Software Update Just-in-Time Line Replenishment update to Nulogy’s supply chain software is designed to help automate the flow of the production floor

Triggers automatic pallet pick requests based on space available in the line staging area Increases floor space available for revenue-generating activities Prioritizes forklift traffic and work queues Nulogy, https://nulogy.com/

Pouch Filler for Cannabis General Packer GP-M3000 pouch filling system is recommended for cannabis flower packagers as an option to manual filling

Automatically opens, fills, closes, and seals stand-up pouches Handles both clear and printed pouches, and can add reclosure features such as child-resistant heat-seal closures, press-to-close zippers, eSlider, and Velcro Optional gas flush available Massman Automation Designs, LLC, www.massmanllc.com

STERLING CONTRACT PACKAGING NEW! High-speed tube filler added to our state-of-the-art facility!

I e p k g g b ev e , e h ep , m e, m m q eeze 14 fluid ounces with the new ProSys RT60!

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You can depend on our reputation for reliability!

ProSys RT60

Call us at (864) 587-5511 to find out more!

For more information: , Moore, SC 29369 864.587.5511 mcollins@sterlingcpi.com

0821_NewProducts.indd 19

Our capabilities also include • I e & me g • Turnkey retail packaging solutions • Supply chain management • C m e e f e • Package design and engineering • ISO Compliant

7/18/21 2:22 PM

New Products

Paperboard Beverage Carrier  The Cap-It is a 100% recyclable paperboard clip designed as an alternative to traditional shrinkfilm packaging or plastic rings for PET or rPET bottles  Commonly used to house four- to 8-ct bottles  Allows product branding to be viewed in full from all angles Graphic Packaging Intl., www.graphicpkg.com

Large-Character Inkjet Printer  Cx350i large-character drop-on-demand (DOD) piezo inkjet printer delivers grade-A 1D and 2D barcodes, graphics, product batch information, and serialized data for traceability  Can print on paperboard and corrugated materials using vegetable oil-based inks  Is Industry 4.0-ready, with a range of connectivity options, including Ethernet/IP, and MES and ERP systems, and 24/7 visibility into the printer’s performance via Domino Cloud Domino, www.domino-printing.com

Color, Finish Effects for PET Packaging  penneffex™ color and finish effects can be used with monolayer and multilayer PET packaging applications  Variations include matte, brushed metal, frost, metallic, luster, and bubbles  Core concept is to create building blocks of unique and differentiated colors and special effects that are used in custom formulations Penn Color, www.penncolor.com

Did you know?

Do-It Corporation is a Walmart Authorized merchandising display strip supplier.

We provide: • Display Strips • Printed Labels • S-Hooks • Strip Loading Services • Kit Preparation All components comply with Walmart requirements.

Contact us for more information. sales@do-it.com or 269-637-1121

www.hangtab.com

0821_NewProducts.indd 20

Don’t forget hang tabs!

7/18/21 2:23 PM

Ad Index

COMPANY/WEBSITE

PAGE

DO-IT CORPORATION www.do-it.com

20

HEAT AND CONTROL, INC. www.heatandcontrol.com

15

MORRISON CONTAINER HANDLING SOLUTIONS www.morrison-chs.com NERCON www.nerconconveyors.com

10 8

COMPANY/WEBSITE PROSYS INNOVATIVE PACKAGING EQUIPMENT www.prosysfill.com ROBERTS POLYPRO INC. www.robertspolypro.com RONDO-PAK www.rondopak.com SIMPLEX FILLER COMPANY www.simplexfiller.com

PAGE

COMPANY/WEBSITE

PAGE

11

SPAN TECH www.spantechconveyors.com

IFC

IBC

SPECIALTY EQUIPMENT www.specialtyequipment.com

9

OBC

18

STERLING CONTRACT PACKAGING INC. 19 www.sterlingcpi.com 2

TAISEI LAMICK USA INC. www.taiseilamick.com

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

TIME TO RETHINK YOUR

CAN CARRIER SOLUTION Roberts PolyPro’s Sustainable Solutions Contract packagers are under pressure to adapt quickly to evolving needs and keep costs low. Although often overlooked, handles play a significant role in costs savings.

Craft-PakTM is a cost-effective, 100% recyclable multipack solution.

With an open ring design, the handles use 30% less plastic than competitive carriers and can be supplied in nested stacks to save on freight costs. On average, customers can reduce operating costs by 16% depending on volume.

800-269-7409

RobertsPolyPro.com

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7/19/21 12:00 3:04 PM 7/20/21 PM

Process Discipline.

Creative Vision.

One Smart Provider.

IDEATION & DESIGN • PRINTING & CONSTRUCTION • FULFILLMENT & MAILING For over 35 years, contract packaging providers have come to put their trust in CGS for their printing and fulfillment needs.

• From collateral to kitting, we transform your ideas into reality • Affordable solutions designed around your customer’s specific print needs • cGMP compliant with deep experience in pharma and CPG • Unequalled speed to market with flawless execution CGS 1200 Ferry Avenue, Camden, NJ 08104

contemporarygs.com

Contact us at: 800-575-4238 or 856-663-7277 info@contemporarygs.com

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6/29/21 1:22 PM 3/9/21 12:43 PM