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Demand For Flexibility Will Only Grow

PMMI board member Bernard McPheely is CEO of Hartness International, a manufacturer of advanced conveyor and case packing equipment. Here he talks about developing packaging equipment to reduce changeover time and increase operating speeds.

Pw 9621 Bern Mc Pheeley

Editor’s note: When Pack Expo International opens October 29 in Chicago, it will be the 50th anniversary of this important show. To mark Pack Expo’s continued value and admirable longevity, we’re running a series of Q&A spotlights on key packaging technologies. This fourth installment comes from Bernard McPheely, CEO of Hartness International.

PW: What’s driving the increasing need for quick changeover features on packaging machinery?

McPheely: Consumers are demanding a greater variety of packaging options. So making new and existing packaging lines more rapidly adaptable to product and package changeovers is absolutely essential to the future well-being of most brand owners.

Retailers are also driving the trend on multiple levels. First, stores like Wal-Mart and Costco often request exclusive packaging or size options for products sold in their stores. They are also seeking to reduce their inventories and achieve just-in-time delivery. For brand owners, this translates to shorter lead time and fulfilling more frequent, smaller orders.

To accommodate these demands, end-users are seeking increased flexibility from their packaging machinery that allows them to introduce new products without having to install entirely new lines.

PW: How can packaging operations benefit from increased flexibility?

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