Analyzing Packaging Alignment to Brand Strategy When a customer comes to see us about wrapping their product, I am always curious about the alignment of their packaging to the brand strategy.  This article on Kind snack bars caught my eye because of the things that made sense about the product packaging. Its name Kind is [...]

How many ways can you wrap candy? Here are various ways to wrap candy through basic automation. twist wrap – the oldest way, and it is still being done especially for saltwater taffy diefold wrap – like some Reese’s peanut butter cups or caramels tuck and fold wrap with paper sleeve – high end chocolate bars [...]

Most people are surprised to know that cellophane is not commonly used, even for wrap styles called cello wrap. Cellophane has a century-long history. It comes from the words cellulose and diaphane (meaning transparent) and is a trademarked name of Innovia Films in some countries, although not in the United States. Cellophane was the original [...]

Please visit us in Mexico City at Expo Pack 18-21 June 2013. Our booth is 1402. Ken Davison is looking forward to seeing you there.

When it comes to wrapping machines, there are lots of opportunities to be confused about what makes an overwrap machine more cost effective and therefore more sustainable than a shrink wrapper or flowwrapper. In this day and age of reduce, reuse and recycle, it is hard to know which factor is more important and which [...]

As you know, we recently moved to Holyoke Massachusetts, one of the first planned cities in the United States and one that still gets most of its electricity from renewable sources. We are still completing the renovations of our new old building to meet our needs but work on our customers’ machine is our highest [...]

From our first FA overwrapper in 1933 to our current line of servo over wrappers, the potential for upgrading the wrapping machine as your needs change has always existed. Having introduced the first servo overwrapper in 2001, Package is now using third and fourth generation controls for its servo wrappers. While controls may become dated [...]

Not only do over 47% of the visits to our website come from outside the United States, but orders for wrapping machinery are following.  I wish I thought most of the visitors were truly likely to be buyers. i know that we are providing lots of valuable information to people who may never buy from [...]

We agonize over the design concepts of overwrapping machines and the detailing that goes on in engineering, but the real issues often show up late in the assembly process: fine tuning the wrapping machine for the specific product and wrapping material. Sometimes it is a shim or an adjustment that is mechanical in origin. Sometimes [...]

Consumer product packaging trends show increasing pushback on packaging. Whenever I say we make wrapping machinery for consumer products, I get immediate feedback from frustrated consumers.  Usually they launch into packaging they hate such as clamshells, but sometimes they extend it to all packaging as a complete waste designed to frustrate consumers, create waste and [...]

Recently USA Today ran an article entitled Made in USA Makes Comeback as Marketing Tool. This made me think about how that applies to our wrapping machinery. We offer the following five reasons as guidelines for why you should consider Package Machinery’s overwrappers. Our wrapping machinery dates back to the early 1900′s. In fact, when [...]

As of January 10,2013 Package Machinery is completely moved into, if not completely organized in, its new facility in Holyoke, MA. We are still finding our way through nonessential things, extra chairs and file cabinets, to the essential ones, like our machine shop and work in process. In making our move decision, we were driven [...]

Please note our new address: 80 Commercial Street, Holyoke MA 01040 and the directions to our new facility. Our phone number is still the same.

Effective January 1, 2013 we will be in our new home at 80 Commercial Street, Holyoke MA 01040. Please make a note of this for all mail and deliveries.

Usually we are providing an overwrapper for the end of the primary packaging line. Recently we were asked to provide an overwrapper for both end of the primary packaging line but also to replace the intermediate box that is used at the start of  secondary packaging. Primary packaging is defined as that which the customer [...]

We are unpacking at Pack Expo and looking forward to showing off new wrapping machinery at Booth 1613. Come see us for overwrappers, flowwrappers and diefold wrappers.

See Package Machinery’s overwrapping, flow wrapping, and diefold wrapping machinery at Pack Expo Chicago October 28-31,2012.

Choosing wrapping material is as important as your choice of wrapping machine.

Vist us October 28-31, 2012 in Booth 1613 in the South Building McCormick Place Chicago to see our flowwrappers, overwrappers and diefold wrappers. We look forward to seeing you.

Last spring my husband decided that our big storage closet needed to be reorganized, something he is very good at. At the end he handed me a stack of boxes and said “Do something with these.” One was a mantilla my grandmother had worn to meet two Popes. Another turned out to be a flag [...]

Study show food taste is influenced by the look of the packaging.

Reminding ourselves why we package and wrap products: to make the experience of consumption better and safer for the consumer.

Food waste is something that should be controlled. Sustainable packaging can help.

Sustainable, low-cost hydro electric power and fish are coexisting and the fish multiplying. Learn more.

How Package Machinery works with companies for successful purchase and installation of wrapping machinery

What your packaging says about you as a company and what you need to think about in that message.

good customer service requires active questioning on wrapping requirements and follow up

We have noticed an increasing trend toward outsourcing manufacturing of consumer products. Major consumer products companies are increasingly viewing themselves as brand managers. They want oversight and quality control on their products but are using private label manufacturers to produce their products. Grocery stores have been stocked for years with private label or house brand [...]

Engineers, manufacturers and shippers know that shrink wrapped packages use 20% more film than overwrapped packages and some of them know that switching from shrink wrap to overwrap saves them at least half their current energy costs. Consumers are becoming savvy about packaging, too. Consumers have been environmentally conscious for decades, but never has “reduce, [...]

In honor of Earth Day, I was reading Anton Steeman’s blog on Earth Day and the Future of Packaging. Steeman thinks (rightly in my opinion) that Extended Producer Responsibility is coming to more countries. (it is in 30 countries now.)  EPR will make the manufacturer responsible for disposing of the leftover product and packaging. Steeman [...]

We have recognized over the years that overwrappers are the most economical operating wrapping machines. They use the least material and energy of all automated forms of wrapping consumer products.

Last week I attended a packaging sustainability conference in Houston. One speaker was from Coca Cola and I finally learned what they mean by the Plant Bottle.  As you probably know, most soda, water and juice bottles are made from PET (Polyethylene terephthalate) – try saying that 3 times fast and you know what it [...]

Clear messaging about packaging sustainability will resonate with hurried consumers, if done properly.

Kate Putnam will be attending this conference. Please look her up if you are there.

Candy Everyone Wants quotes Kate Putnam on the future of candy.

A certain percent of consumers prefer to buy their frozen vegetables in boxes rather than bags. The process calls for using waxed paper to wrap the boxes. Today we did a run off for a company looking to do a classic wrap: frozen vegetables in a box wrapped in waxed paper. They plan to run [...]

We are almost ready  to unveil our new wrapping machine. Coming soon!!

USADA Certification for use of biobased materials in products and packaging is coming of age.

Creation of custom wrapping machinery has a lot more in common with the creative food process than one would expect.

Calculating total cost of ownership is encouraging manufacturers to bring production back to the US. Higher productivity and increasing costs overseas are only 2 factors at work.