Not all products can be overwrapped. Package Machinery knows its wrapping limits and gives honest answers.

PAckage MAchinery tells its story about reducing customer wrapping costs and improving package looks at Wal-Mart’s Sustainable Packaging conference and expo.

Consumer expectations for CPG companies is changing which will impact how, what and where they buy, ultimately impacting packaging of consumer goods.

Package Machinery has created an affordable candy wrapping machine, the TTDF, for smaller candy companies. It puts all the tucks and folds on the bottom. This style of wrap is called diefold wrapping.

how checklists improve performance

What to tell a wrapping machinery maker when thinking about what you want in a new wrapping machine.

Sustainability means keeping a good packaging machine running indefinitely. Strong service and support are provided by Package Machinery Co Inc.

Sometimes it is important to think about the impact that our customers’ customers have on packaging and therefore on our business. Packaging is a critical part of process of influencing consumers. An article by Kim T. Gordon, Identify New Consumer Norms notes that consumers have changed their behavior.  “Decitica has identified four distinct consumer segments: […]

HOW is packaging unsustainable? What can we do?

We decided 2010 was the year to have resolutions for Package Machinery and its wrapping machines as well as our personal ones. We are resolved to Create new machines. Our first will be a semi-automatic machine for wrapping individual rolls of tape. Yes, we are moving to wrapping round things!! Shorten the lead time for […]

The purchase price to buy a wrapping machine should be weighed against the cost to operate  the wrapper. A cheap old machine that runs fast may not give you the throughput you require because of learning curve, set up time, maintenance expense. Initial purchase price can be misleading in that it does not include start […]

Overwrap offers film savings, lower shipping costs and more structural integrity than flow wrap (finseal wrap).

Over the life of a product, you typically spend much more on the film but agonize over the purchase price of the machine to do the wrap. Lets try to understand how they work together.

Choices in Film to Wrap Your product has its own special needs. Different products require different film characteristics to achieve an attractive wrap. Let’s discuss BOPP (biaxially oriented polypropylene) and its equivalents which are used for flowwrap and overwrap. Over the life of a product, you typically spend much more on the film but agonize […]

To get the best performance from your wrapper, invest time as well as money in it. Here is what to do.

We need to discuss the future of packing with everyone involved.

Yesterday we were touring a customer’s facility. We had not been there in a long while and were amazed at the change in the atmosphere. Staff on the production floor smiled at us and looked us in the eye. If nothing else teaches us, that taught us that management makes a big difference. We got […]

Why packaging is important to consumers and manufacturers

A few years ago, one of John’s co-workers started calling him the wrapping god. The name has stuck. John Bernet lives up to his name though. Not only did John invent our semi-automatic wrapping machine, the Wrapster, but he is hard at work on another semi-automatic machine , the TTDF, a machine designed to put […]

The thrill of the trade show comes from the number of ingenious products that people bring you to wrap. While we cannot mention specific products, we can discuss some of the concepts and customers. The regulars that we see year after year who have yet to buy a machine but keep forgetting they have visited […]

Our President Kate Putnam attended last week’s Packaging Sustainability Forum in Atlanta and here are her observations. More major companies have Chief Sustainability Officers and they seem to have more clout. One was hiring while his employer was holding company -wide layoffs. Companies are not just thinking any more. Actions are being taken. We heard […]

We are getting ready for the Pack Expo show. Usually this means polishing up our newest high speed overwrapper and getting it ready to ship. Unfortunately this year our customers could not wait and our latest FA-ST overwrapping machine shipped two weeks ago. So we are polishing up our DVDs and videos of our overwrappers […]

It is important to think about what film characteristics best complement your product. When looking at how to wrap a product, the important things to keep in mind are the balance between Moisture/Air Barrier or Breathability Folds vs. Sealing Product  Enhancement/Protection Moisture or air may enhance a product, but some products need protection from one or […]

Building a wrapping machine is always “hurry up and wait.” First sales, then engineering are busy, then purchasing and manufacturing. Like the pig in the belly of a snake, it is a big lump at each step of the way and cannot be distributed evenly. As much as we try to plan for this, it […]

Lots of companies that now build packaging machinery use servo motors. Back in 2001, when we started building our overwrapping machines using servo motors, we had to explain why we were doing it and heard lots of stories of breakdowns or inadequate support on servo  wrappers. Today most plant managers and engineers understand the benefits […]

Just a quick suggestion this week for those in the food packaging business – elefant oil. http://www.sugardissolvingoil.com/v9/ This oil is great for lubricating overwrapping machinery or dissolving sugar where it might accumulate and prevent smooth operation of your overwrapper. It is safe for food contact. We have used it with great success and it comes […]

Yesterday our president Kate Putnam was interviewed on Fox Business News about healthcare  reform in Massachusetts and its impact on small businesses.   Here is the link to her appearance. http://video.foxbusiness.com/7521480/health-care-reforms-impact-on-small-busines/?category_id=39cd07fef0cf91993cc2914150877c3d89020568 Here are her elaborations on the topic of her appearance. I find the topic of healthcare reform scary, because someone’s ox has to be […]

Recently we were asked to evaluate a consumer product that was flow wrapped for overwrap. We carefully undid the wrapping, so that we could see how much material was being used to flow wrap. We laid that film out flat against what we cut to do the overwrap; then we measured the difference.  The difference […]

In the past year, we have had two customers shift from shrink wrap to overwrap for their candy boxes.  In one case, it was to achieve costs savings in wrapping material. This customer is now looking at the energy savings that accompany getting rid of a shrink tunnel. Oddly though, the energy savings seem less […]

You need a packaging machine. You pretty much know what kind of machine you like. You place an order for your wrapping equipment. Now What? Show up for the Factory Acceptance Test. These guys are your partners in a successful installation.  In fact, come visit ahead, if you can, to see how it is going […]

One way to cut packaging cost is to switch from a carton to a tray. Automated wrapping using trays, whether with printed film or clear  film, uses less cartoning material. This makes tray wrapping both greener – less packaging material and less weight – and sustainable – less packaging cost and reduced transportation cost. While […]

The SUSTAINABLE word is now so heavy with meaning that it seems scary to say out loud. So let’s just talk about it as that spot where preserving our planet and making a profit meet. I don’t think we have a single wrapping customer who does not want to achieve both of those goals but […]