Package Machinery co Inc is very pleased to share that its president Kate Putnam has been chosen as a Top Woman Entrepreneur 2009 by Work Life Matters magazine.

Package Machinery Co Inc. is a manufacturer of wrapping machinery for consumer products. Its machines produce a wrap that enhances product attraction and protection while minimizing material and energy consumption.

Ms. Putnam has been President of Package Machinery since its inception in 1996. She is passionate about making packaging more sustainable and helping consumers to understand how to dispose of it.

Ms. Putnam will be honored at a breakfast on December 14^th at Club 101 at 101 Park Avenue New York NY.

Work Life Matters magazine reaches 10,000 senior executives at Fortune 1000 companies throughout the U.S. including CEOs, CFOs, and COOs.

For more information, please visit
http://www.packagemachinery.com or call 413.732.4000
http://www.sokolmediaonline.com or call 973.769.7012

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 square inches was 14% less for the overwrap. That means a 14% film savings over the life of the machine.

We then went on to look at the case pack. Because the excess film took up so much space in the box, there was an extra inch along one side of the box. We cannot do the calculation of what that might mean over a pallet load but we believe that one inch might be huge when looked at over a truck load, or many truck loads. We see sustainability written all over it.

Flow wrapping is a great choice for airtight sealing. You can use clear or printed film and have a total barrier seal. Some candy companies have switched to flow wrapping their candy bars because the candy lasts longer in vending machines.

So what is flow wrapping? Think of a tight fitting bag that your product is slide into and sealed. That is not quite how it happens but that is the net effect. The product ends up with tails and flap of long seam on the back/bottom. For larger products, there is also a tucking action that makes the flow wrap conform better to the product, like a gusseted bag.

Overwrap, like a neatly wrapped gift, is not as complete a barrier wrap, since it uses a tuck and fold to more tightly hug the product with sealing centered on the bottom seam and the tuck and fold, but it commonly considered to be a more attractive wrap.

Flow wrap and overwrap both use polypropylene film (BOPP) to create the wrap. Both can use printed film. Overwrap offers the versatility of wrapping with other materials such as paper, waxed paper or cellophane.

We cannot be sure that every package would show this difference in film consumption, but we now know that there are opportunities for material savings between flow wrap and overwrap.

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 important than the upscale look of their overwrap packaging  which they find more attractive than the shrink wrap.

What is the difference in the two processes?  Shrink wrap uses polyethylene film which is fitted around a package loosely, crimp-sealed around the edges and the excess cut off. It is then shrunk 20% in a heat tunnel to fit the package. The excess film that was cut off is sometimes recycled.

In contract, there is no excess film with overwrap. The tuck and fold is neat to the package with no windows in the wrap. Heat is used for spot welding of the long seam and the tuck and fold.  Overwrap uses polypropylene film which is less expensive pound for pound than polyethylene of the same gauge. Because polypropylene film is crisper, you can fold it like paper and achieve that high end gift wrapped look. Because it is not shrunk, you can use registered film and have artwork on it.

We had one customer who achieved a 3 month payback on his switch to a high-end registered polypropylene laminate overwrap on a bundle rather than a shrink wrapped box with smaller boxes inside. He had additional savings in corrugated box costs, since his packages were smaller without the box.

So when do we recommend you use shrink wrap? Use it for ultra- low volume runs where the cost to set up or changeover is too high. Use it for oddly shaped packages that are not suitable for a tuck and fold wrap/ gift wrap. If you want your package to be neat, and have a high end appeal, look at overwrapping it. Package can offer some low volume overwrap solutions.

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?

1. 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 in the last two weeks. This is the ideal time to spot flaws or errors. Be firm about what is critical for it to work in your plant, but not nit-picky, so that the important things are correct before it arrives. Setting a tight time table can set you up for a late delivery, but it is better to make sure that the machine is correct before it leaves the hands of the guys who built it than to meet the time table and need lots of rework or downtime in your plant.
2. Read the manual. It is not art work for your office. Have others read it too. Ask for two copies so you have the spare. So that you can ask good questions, get it ahead of the FAT. A good manual is important. Make sure it comes with exploded drawings, so that if you have a questions later, you can discuss it with the manufacturer using their terms.
3. Establish a designated “owner” in your plant for your new machine. It cost your company a lot and you need to invest some personnel time in understanding how it works, so you can get the most for your money. Make sure that the new “owner” is someone on the plant floor with a mechanical understanding who will be doing the set ups for that line. In an ideal world that person comes to the FAT in the builder’s plant. Not having an “owner” means that no one will know the ins and outs of the machine and will create more downtime while different people play with different settings on the machine. This is especially important if you run multiple shifts. Have the ”owner” do the set ups and instruct others.
4. Buy consistent consumables. Every time you change material, the settings on the machine may need adjustment. This takes away from your smooth operations. Sometimes material suppliers make changes without telling you. Sometimes those who sell on price make substitutions without notice. You want to control when you make changes in your material, not be reactive to unforeseen changes.
5. Ask questions. The better you understand your machine the better it will perform. Ultimately you will know your machine better than the people who built it.

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West Springfield, MA –January 12, 2008 – Package Machinery Co., Inc. today announced the appointment of executive and management consultant Patricia Reinhardt to its Board of Directors.  Package Machinery Inc. is a manufacturer of wrapping machinery for consumer products manufacturers and is certified as women-owned by Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC).

“We are pleased to welcome Patricia Reinhardt to our Board of Directors,” said Katherine Putnam, Package Machinery Inc.’s President.  “She is a highly experienced executive who has significant business knowledge. We look forward to working with her to strengthen our organization and drive strong growth in the wrapping sector.”

Reinhardt is Managing Partner of Reinhardt-Lippincott & Co. a company that redefines and strengthens the financial base of small to mid-size companies facing financial and operating issues due to either rapid growth or an unanticipated decline in revenues.

Prior, Reinhardt served as Managing Director of DRS Capital, LLC, a private equity fund, CEO of Digi-Block, Inc., an educational products company, and President of BOTEC Analysis Corporation, a firm which focused on economic analyses of public policy issues.

She has Master’s Degree from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from the University of Mary Washington. She is additionally on the Board of Directors of KLD Analytics, Inc. She is also an active member of The Boston Club.

Package Machinery is the leading manufacturer of all servo, high speed overwrapping machinery for consumer products applications. The company was the first in wrapping machinery to create an all-servo machine and offers machinery from the semi-automatic, entry level Wrapster to the high speed FA-ST. To learn more about the company and its capabilities go to http://www.packagemachinery.com.

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 flow-wrapping can accomplish the same goal of wrapping a tray, overwrapping hugs the tray better and keeps the package wrap clean and neat, thus achieving a more attractive wrap with up to 14% less film used and usually a smaller case pack.

Here is a video of an overwrapping machine wrapping a tray. tray wrapping

One thing to keep in mind is that trays are not as structurally sound as boxes made from the same material. Fro that reason, films needs to meet the tray from above where all the edges of the tray get equal pressure from the film. Pushing a tray sideways through film can distort the tray and leave it looking deformed.

Tray wrapping offers the opportunity to showcase the product within clear film or to conceal that a tray is being used( rather than a carton) with printed film.

It is also possible to bundle wrap with trays. The same principles as single tray wrapping apply.

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 they sometimes feel stymied by the conflicting priorities and the how -
• how to reduce costs,
• how to look at greener processes,
• how to evaluate what their vendors are doing,
• how to keep their customers happy,
• how to get the consumer onboard,
• how to control any of these variables.

It makes herding cats look easy.

After a business has looked at gaining efficiency through Lean techniques and implemented Kaizens, the opportunities are still often ones that involve people and institutions outside the facility gates. Just as looking at the timing of vendors deliveries played into a lean project, looking at what and how those vendors provide to you can play into a life cycle analysis.

Wikipedia defines Life Cycle Analysis or Assessment as “the investigation and valuation of the environmental impacts of a given product or service caused or necessitated by its existence.” It goes on to write, “The goal of LCA is to compare the full range of environmental and social damages assignable to products and services, to be able to choose the least burdensome one.

Most Life cycle analyses are done using cradle to grave. That means looking at a product from the raw material to the post-consumer disposal of all the parts. There are many directories that help with calculations for transportation, energy use, and common metrics but some of the information comes from within your own processes. It is possible to do a life cycle analysis gate to gate that looks only at what happens inside your facility, but logically that is only a baby step toward the bigger goal.

Total Cost Assessment is a newer concept now getting a lot of play. According to Lise Laurin of EarthShift, “Total Cost Assessment is the consideration of all environmental and health (E&H) costs associated with a decision, including direct costs, risks and liabilities, and costs borne by others.” It looks not simply at the cost to produce and deliver a product but the costs born by the business, employees, vendors and by society and tries to quantify all the costs. This notion behind this is that some costs are born by society and some by employees that might at some point be born by the business. Think of the number of environmental clean ups that many companies did not expect to pay for when they made the mess, or the clean water costs of making paper or beer, or the healthcare costs for cigarette users or asbestiosis.

You may think LCA and TCA are the same thing but Total Cost Assessment is not designed to have you change anything simply to recognize all the costs associated with a good regardless of who pays it.

After doing a TCA, the alternative costs of changes that are suggested by an LCA might not look too high.

You might think of the as complements, just as a screwdriver and a wrench are often used together.

The Boston Globe, “Hospital trustees shift their focus to medical safety.”

Industry Week, The Changing Faces Of The Workplace

Industry Buzzing Over New Wrapster

Chicago, IL - Package Machinery Company, Inc is excited to announce the release of its new WRAPSTER semi-automatic wrapping solution to the marketplace. Customers can get a glance of this new wrapping innovation at PACK EXPO, Chicago 2006.

Designed to replace hand wrapping, the Wrapster reduces the need to hire large temporary or seasonal workforces without the large capital outlay required for fully automatic wrapping machines. One worker can easily and efficiently “cello or gift” wrap 300-400 cartons per hour using either unregistered BOPP film or standard size rolls of gift wrap paper.

“Market interest has been very strong across all industry segments!” notes Jonathan Viens, National Sales & Marketing Manager at Package. “There is nothing else like it on the market. We conceived, designed, and priced the Wrapster with entry level users, co-packers, and those with small production runs in mind.”
Customers can choose from 2 machine frame sizes that accommodate everything from small cosmetics boxes, media products, and confectionery boxes to large gift basket boxes. “We’ve spent the past year refining the machine design with our Beta test customers,” adds Viens. “The wrap quality is exceptional. More importantly, you will see savings of up to 50% per wrap versus shrink wrap.”

Savings and wrap quality aren’t the only keys to the Wrapster’s market momentum. The machine handles a variety of sizes and comes with a standard kit of size parts. “It’s tremendously versatile and super easy to changeover,” sites Wrapster inventor John Bernet, “Size parts aren’t an issue. You can even gift wrap department store shirt boxes on the larger model.”

The WRAPSTER supplements PACKAGE’s growing line of new, hi-tech, and easy to use wrapping equipment including the industry leading FA-ST Servo wrapper. Launched in 2001, the FA-ST is the first all servo tuck and fold overwrapper on the market, featuring 35% fewer components than competing mechanical wrappers and offers 5 minute changeovers with throughput rates up to 150 boxes per minute.

“Our goal is to be the Wrapper of Choice in North America,” adds Katherine Putnam, Package President. “Customers have been asking us for a simple, affordable, entry level overwrapper and we want them to know; we heard you loud and clear!”

For more information on the Wrapster or other wrapping solutions, please contact sales@packagemachinery.com.