Ken McGuire

Ken is an innovator with 28 yrs at P&G; $1B+ impact, 70+ patents. He created ThermaCare, Press’n Seal, and AeroFlexx, and is an expert in FMCG innovation, unmet needs, tech integration & product development.

Prior Companies:

Procter & Gamble

Cincinnati, OH

Core Capabilities:

Package & Materials Development & Innovation
Scale-up & Commercialization
Personal Care & Other Consumer Goods
Innovative & Academic Research Projects

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Flexibles

Column: The Long Road from Packaging Idea to CPG Adoption

Estée Lauder brand Aveda is the first prestige beauty brand to adopt the AeroFlexx platform for refills. In this column, Ken McGuire, one of the platform's early developers back in 2015, looks back at three early decisions that determined whether the package could become a platform at all.

August 31, 2026

Early development prototypes show the AeroFlexx air frame, in which pressurized chambers create rigidity in selected areas of the package while other areas remain flexible enough to squeeze.

E-commerce/D2C packaging

Column: E-commerce Forces a Packaging Reckoning

As online sales surge past critical mass, brands can no longer rely on retail-era packaging or costly workarounds to protect products, margins, and consumer trust. Former P&G executive Ken McGuire argues that e-comm has turned packaging from a back-end function into a strategic imperative.

April 21, 2026

Tide EVO tiles push beyond package redesign to product reinvention—concentrated, waterless detergent in a fully recyclable paperboard format—illustrating how brands are rethinking both product and packaging to meet ecommerce, sustainability, and cost pressures at scale.

Digital Transformation

Through the Line Podcast: AI Is Rewriting the Rules of New Product and Package Testing

How is AI transforming the ways CPGs can explore ideas, refine concepts, and build confidence before production? Virtual prototypes, e-commerce mockups, and rapid A/B tests now let brands gauge demand in days, not months. It's transforming how teams design, validate, and launch new products and packaging.

March 10, 2026

Through the Line: Packaging and Processing

Digital Transformation

How AI Is Rewriting the Rules of New Product and Package Testing

Virtual prototypes, e-commerce mockups, and rapid A/B tests now let brands gauge demand in days, not months. It's transforming how teams design, validate, and launch new products and packaging.

November 21, 2025

From plain pack stock image (left) to a (hypothetical) branded prototype, shown in context on a shower shelf (right), AI artwork and context images now take minutes, not weeks.

Workforce

When is the Right Time to Hire In-house Packaging Expertise?

Factor in whether packaging is critical to a company's business strategy, if new product forms require innovative packaging, and if recurring technical problems are an issue.

August 13, 2025

Operational Excellence

Column: Emerging Brands, What Do You Want to Be When You Grow Up?

Fledging CPGs face a ton of early packaging decisions that will have repercussions as they scale. Being deliberate and clear eyed about early packaging choices is key. Consultant Ken McGuire, former P&G exec asks "what do you want to be when you grow up?"

February 17, 2025

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