Ted Mininni

Contributing Writer

EXPO PACK México Canceled Amid COVID-19 Concerns

EXPO PACK México Canceled Amid COVID-19 Concerns

The CVP Impack, formerly the CVP-500, can create custom-fit boxes for single or multiple-item orders at a rate of one box per every seven seconds.

E-Tailer Reduces Packaging with Fit-to-Size Auto-Boxer

Outdoor lifestyle brand IFG enhances order packing efficiency with two new automatic box-making machines that reduce corrugated by 39,000 cu ft/year and increase packing speeds 15-fold.

UnPACKED with PMMI podcast: CPGs need to face fears over remote monitoring.

OEM COVID-19 #6: Overcoming Hesitations Around Remote Access

UnPACKED with PMMI podcast shines a light on the safe use of remote monitoring

COVID-19 Survey: Production Demand Is Up, But Processors Lack PPE

Despite current media coverage, most plant floor workers are not getting hazard pay; many feel frightened.

Market Snapshot: Frozen Food

Growth of frozen food market declined overall, but trends towards plant-based ice cream and healthy options for pizza and frozen entrees are leading growth areas, while flexible packaging gains ground as a packaging format.

Supermarket retail shelves could barely remain in stock in the first days of the crisis. Meanwhile, bulk product for foodservice, bars, and restaurants has suffered.

COVID-19 Survey: Foodservice/Retail Imbalance Roils CPG Industry

Some CPG and food/bev manufacturer respondents to PW's survey on COVID-19 can barely keep up with demand. Others lost huge customers overnight. Meanwhile, everyone shares workforce safety and labor concerns.

The 'humanization' of our pets (seeking the fresh and natural ingredients you want for yourself) is a trend driving new product and packaging formats.

Pet Food Manufacturers Look to OEMs and Contract Packagers to Stay Competitive

A new report from PMMI Business Intelligence tracks drivers in pet food market. Dog and cat food manufacturers require more versatile machinery and scalability to meet future demand, as well as co-packers and manufacturers to control capital expenditures.

Mark O'Malley, President, CPA -- The Association for Contract Packagers and Manufacturers

CPA in 2020: ‘Dynamic and Active’

CPA President Mark O’Malley shares news on the association’s recent Annual Meeting as well as on upcoming initiatives and opportunities for members.

The Delkor Cabrio Case&circledR;, used here for Trolli candy, provides reliable product protection in transit and converts to a shelf-ready display without ragged edges.

5 Drivers of the Retail-Ready Packaging Market

Among them, advantages of RRP for retail, suitability for use in c-stores and discount stores, and brand interactivity.

Recreational and medical cannabis deemed essential to cope with 'stay-at-home' orders.

Cannabis and the Coronavirus

Medical and recreational cannabis growers and retailers deemed essential services to help Americans cope with “stay-at-home” orders.

Near the end of the new canning line sits a tray packer that receives six-count cartons from an upstream cartoner and packs them into corrugated trays four per tray.

Texas Brewer Upgrades Bottling and Adds Cans

Installation of a canning line became a top priority as Altstadt Brewery opened new markets in Houston and Dallas. Also getting some serious upgrades was an existing bottling line.

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Without Wholesale Venues, Brands Reaching Out to Consumer

Social media, e-commerce and donations to those in need are various ways brands are trying to directly reach consumers in light of COVID-19 cancellations and closures.

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COVID-19 Survey: Early Results Reflect CPGs' Current Resolve, Future Uncertainty

Responses indicate that companies producing packaged goods tend to be “So far, so good, all things considered” as one phrased it, and supply chains remain intact. But when asked to forecast into the future, there's far less consensus.

Each package of 15 compostable bags costs $4.95.

Compostable Steam Bags

UK-based Planit Products, owner of the Toasta bags brand, has added renewable and compostable film to its portfolio for its new microwavable steam bags, sold in retail outlets in the UK.

Concerns over the long-term impact of the coronavirus outbreak on key European recycling markets sharply escalated last week following the adoption of further containment measures across the continent.

European Recycling Markets Reel from Coronavirus

Changes in consumer behavior, the reduced cost of virgin materials, logistics disruptions and other trends driven by COVID-19 may have a lasting effect on the European recycling industry.

Anne Marie Mohan, Editor, Contract Packaging magazine

CBD: Cooperation to Outdo Competition

At the CPA 2020 Annual Meeting, Bruce Bernstein, President of UBIX Processing, talks about the opportunities for CPGs and contract packagers in the growing CBD market.

An Appeal to Support Our Essential Services and Critical Infrastructure Workers

The COVID-19 pandemic is proving to be a tremendous global challenge that we must work together to defeat. Now, our essential and critical workers are being relied upon to provide the services we expect every day and we must do everything to support them.

PACK EXPO Rewind: Risk Assessment

Hear PMMI’s Bruce Main, Safety Expert and Technical Advisor, and Sean Riley, Senior Director of Media & Industry Communications discussion of risk assessment at PACK EXPO East earlier this month.

According to PMMI Business Intelligence, a move to smaller dogs is driving a change to smaller packaging formats.

Pet Food Market Shows Solid Growth through 2025

The U.S. leads the world in pet food sales, says a new study from PMMI Business Intelligence, as pet owners around the world seek fresher, healthier and ethically produced ingredients—the same as they expect for themselves.

HR Pharmaceuticals won an FPA silver award for EcoVue by Glenroy. It is a flexible package for ultrasound gel featuring custom film requiring less energy to manufacture and transport.

Ultrasound Gel Pouch Gets Ergonomic Design, Reduces Waste

Designed to be easy to hold and evacuate more product, this multilayer spouted pouch replaces the traditional bottle while requiring less energy to manufacture and transport.

More from Ted Mininni

Colorful, friendly characters with smiling faces populate the Medibag First Aid Kit to reassure injured kids.

Disrupt before being disrupted

Disruptive consumer product brands represented by equally innovative packaging have the potential to own categories. Are you ready to stake out your territory as a disruptor?

In the shape of a cannon ball, Captain Morgan’s Cannon Blast packaging prompts consumers to stop, touch, and buy.

Touch me. Feel me. Buy me.

While packaging has to be visually enticing to be noticed, it also has to appeal to the other senses as well if it is going to make the brand stand out from a sea of choices.

CONCEPT REINFORCED. For Taco Bell and Doritos’ co-branded Nacho Cheese Doritos Locos Tacos product, packaging—which looks like a snack-sized bag of Nacho Cheese Doritos—reinforces the entire concept beautifully.

Co-branding for a competitive edge

To deliver greater value to consumers and provide product differentiation, national and licensed brands are working together to produce products and packaging with a complementary message.

USING THE FORCE. Lego’s licensing partnerships with the likes of Star Wars, Harry Potter, and a number of superhero brands appeal broadly to kids who are fans of these strong entertainment properties.

Create a brand new world with packaging

If you wanted, as a marketer, to create a unique brand story that would be avidly adopted by a group of consumers, how would you accomplish that?

Category disruptors: You break it, you own it

Consumer brands that dare challenge the expected need to deliver their products in category-disruptive packaging. Breaking the status quo helps brands to own their categories; it’s what leaders do.

SLIMMER STRUCTURE. It’s no accident that lower-calorie food offerings are being presented in smaller, slimmer packaging. Kellogg’s To-Go Breakfast Shakes offer a perfect example.

Appeal to the subconscious through package design

In order for packaging to work as an effective branding tool, it must evoke positive emotions, memories, and personal context in a conscious and subconscious manner.

CONVEYING FUN. When consumers hone in on Crayola crayons, they see a cutout that shows a range of crayon colors within their boxes. This clever cutout has been broadened into a “smile” that promises fun for customers.

Let your packaging be the ultimate brand storyteller

Packaging that appeals to consumers’ emotions provides a memorable experience that builds trust and a connection with the consumer. Does your packaging tell a story?

Exceed consumer expectations through package design

Consumers are delighted when their expectations are rewarded—and exceeded—when purchasing a branded product. So how can packaging be optimized to bring the brand to consumers’ attention, sell them, and deliver more than expected?

Visual trumps verbal in creating a memorable brand identity

Strong visual design assets stick with consumers more than verbal communication. That’s why packaging plays such an important role in the marketing mix.

How to standardize package design without killing creativity

The most effective style guides clearly demonstrate how a brand’s visual design assets can be incorporated, regardless of product category needs, without stifling innovation.