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Packaging Portalmania

Internet “portalmania” for vertical markets has become the rage, and packaging is no exception. (A vertical “portal” is a site that’s designed to be an independent information source with information on multiple suppliers in a given field or industry.) At last count, there were no less than three big contenders for the packaging portal throne: the Packexpo.com (www.packexpo.

Packexpo.com
Packexpo.com

com) site, a joint venture backed by the Packaging Machinery Manufacturers Institute; VerticalNet’s Packaging Network.com (www.packagingnetwork. com) and PackagingInsider.com (www.packaginginsider.com). What follows is a very brief overview of each.

First, a word in general about industry-specific portals. Research Packaging World conducted earlier this year indicates that most packaging buyers still use general search engines such as Yahoo! or AltaVista to look up a supplier. Industry-specific portals are better suited to the task, as packaging is their exclusive focus.

5ꯠ suppliers

Visitors to Packexpo.com can search more than 5ꯠ machinery and materials suppliers by category, supplier name or location. Clicking on “Advanced Machinery Search” on the home page allows visitors to search on a database of new packaging machinery. The search results include basic specifications such as model number, speed, minimum/maximum product size and minimum/maximum material size. The site rounds out its offerings with news, discussion forums and the ability to book a hotel room online for Pack Expo 2000, Nov. 5-9 in Chicago.

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