A lot of people seem to chase speed in their vertical form-fill-seal machine, and that’s fine. The cycle speed is an important feature to evaluate. But speed is just one factor in determining a machine’s...

We engage with brands through several, if not all, our senses --that is, through the way they look, sound, feel, smell and even taste. An initial and decisive point of this relationship with human senses...

At first glance, single sourcing sounds like common sense. You can build a good relationship with your one, top supplier over time and be reliant on them. This can bring a lot of benefits, like...

Flexible Packaging is back with its annual list of the Top 25 Converters in North America for the year 2020. These rankings are calculated using each company’s revenues for the year 2019. With strong merger...

With so much in flux, there is a clear need to help remove noise in the system and move from bad VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity) to good VUCA. We will identify what is...

Packaging World first surveyed its readership about their immediate reaction to the pandemic, as relates to packaging, in late March 2020. Answers were thus collected just as COVID-19 began to impact CPGs, mainly via safety-based...

As is the case for the year 2020 in general, the results of the Annual Institute of Packaging Professionals (IoPP) Salary Survey represent a departure from the norm. Data collection was accomplished on the cusp...

In commercial printing, ink is one of the main consumables that can be managed to potentially reduce costs. All commercial printing managers are looking for ways to control this cost. This applies to industrial inkjet...

Just like all change management, total cost of ownership is a journey that has transformational results when successfully implemented. When purchasing equipment, it is absolutely all about the acquisition and operating costs (packaging and processing...

One of the effects of the coronavirus pandemic is that consumer behaviour in terms of buying and consuming goods has changed in line with restricted supplies and access to retail sites. Alongside this, typical trends...

Although many consumer goods manufacturers (CGMs) and packaging suppliers have comprehensive, fully integrated packaging operations, there are strong arguments that favor outsourcing certain printing, slitting and winding activities to contractors specializing in these areas. Outsourcing’s...

Frozen food packaging began in the 1920s when Clarence Birdseye developed methods for quick-freezing foods. Through my 37 years in the packaging industry, I have witnessed many changes in the frozen food industry, including the...

When designing packaging for products, manufacturers have a plethora of variables to manage and balance. It is crucial to understand the entirety of the value chain, particularly the role of recyclers or Materials Recovery Facilities...

During the early months COVID-19, as stay-at-home or shelter-in-place orders rolled out across the U.S., food and beverage manufacturers, and to a lesser extent, CPGs, experienced a drastic shift in supply channels. Restaurants closed, or...

The pharmaceutical and packaging industries in many ways have a symbiotic relationship, each spurring and inspiring innovation and advances of the other, in addition to being heavily influenced by related external factors. Currently, market growth...

Packaging has a key role in the pet food industry’s robust growth, especially for premium products. The bag or container enables manufacturers to stand out with cat and dog owners who want sustainable options, personalized...

As packaging companies emerge from the COVID-19 crisis, they need to readjust their focus and raise their game—while negotiating ongoing shifts in the industry. While people were adjusting their lives in response to the coronavirus...

Discussing the current economic outlook amidst a “double black swan event,” Alex Chausovsky of ITR Economics presented “Guidance in an Uncertain Economy” last week as part of PMMI’s Executive Leadership Conference. What is a black...

As the saying goes, you only get one chance to make a first impression. In the packaging world, flexible packaging is considered by many to be the optimal way for a company to put its...

Anti-pathogenic packaging, disruptive structural formats and graphic design that responds to the exponential growth of e-commerce in Latin America, and new approaches to sustainability in packaging will drive the future post-pandemic. According to five expert...

Euromonitor International's research analysts and analytics teams are monitoring the impact of COVID-19 to better assess the short and long term effects on economic scenarios, product categories, pricing, stock availability and consumer behavior. They developed...

Is leading with safety the new norm for the food packaging supply chain? That’s probably a pretty provocative question to anyone working in the packaging space. And yes, I admit, I am trying to get...

Consumer survey documents quickly shifting food shopping behaviors in response to COVID-19 and explores whether these habits will continue post-pandemic. Since early March, when the COVID-19 pandemic first began affecting consumers’ shopping habits, Consumer Packaged...

As consumers demand greater convenience, e-commerce sales continue to rise. According to the 2019 Internet Retailer Top 1000 Report, consumers spent $517.36 billion online with U.S. merchants in 2018, up from $449.88 billion spent the...

It was supposed to be a blockbuster moment for the U.S. plastic industry. With an abundance of cheap natural gas at hand, thanks to the country’s fracking boom, U.S. energy giants were pouring billions of...

Today’s packaging films are rapidly evolving from simple mono or three-layer films to complex multilayer structures that use many different materials. While the move toward more layers is accelerating, there are three trends making the...

Each of these roles has distinctly different goals in the journey to getting packaging on the shelf. These goals can sometimes seemingly conflict with one another. The best color management strategies are both effective and...

Many digital innovations address the growing pressure to increase overall efficiencies and minimize risks within a rapidly evolving supply chain. Supply chain risks have been making headlines recently with the disruptions caused by the coronavirus....