The Institute of Packaging Professionals (IoPP) has relaunched the Packaging Consultants Council (PCC) as a chartered unit of the organization.
The PCC is composed of individual consultants and boutique packaging consulting firms sharing a passion for packaging and problem-solving. These groups and individuals offer a diverse range of professional services to the packaging industry, including advisory consulting, fractional engineering support, and full-scale project assistance. Additionally, many of the consultants are qualified to serve as legal expert witnesses.
Besides the PCC, IoPP has a number of technical committees that operate in various corners of the packaging industry. Included are the Chemical Packaging Committee, the Food Safety Alliance for Packaging, the Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Labeling Committee, the Technical Bag Committee, the Drug and Pharmaceutical Packaging Committee, the Medical Device Packaging Technical Committee, and the Sustainable Packaging Committee. Like the PCC, each of these committees is made up of and led by IoPP members.
PCC benefits
PCC members bring decades of experience spanning across multiple industries, including consumer packaged goods, food and beverage, cosmetics, consumer durables, medical devices, pharmaceuticals and more. In addition, the council’s background touches on a wide array of packaging materials, processes, equipment and supply chains.
A primary objective of the PCC is to create value for members and the packaging industry by improving individual member performance and contributions.
One goal of the group is to raise awareness of the packaging industry and the value that packaging engineers and professionals can bring to an organization. Since packaging impacts many aspects of an organization and its value chain, the PCC believes there are additional benefits to building, sharing and expanding our professional networks. These networks serve as connectors and channels for solving complex problems, discovering new industry technologies and available resources and ultimately drawing upon the collective experiences of the group to learn and progress more efficiently.
With a new, simplified web landing page, the PCC aims to offer information and tools that help companies find qualified packaging experts to address their various needs and challenges. In addition, the council strives to establish strong ethical standards among professional packaging consultants and expand our collective network and the packaging community as a whole.
Value of fresh perspective
There are some considerations for selecting a packaging consultant, as adding a consultative resource to your team can provide a different viewpoint and a wealth of knowledge. This can serve as a catalyst for achieving tangible results.
Packaging consultant services are particularly beneficial in these common scenarios:
1. Getting a fresh perspective.
· Consultants have a unique opportunity to collaborate with a diverse array of organizations. This provides them with invaluable insights into best practices and processes employed in similar or related industries.
· You can revitalize your packaging team and operations by introducing fresh ideas.
· It’s your opportunity for independent advice and opinions from someone who can see outside of the forest.
2. Accessing industry expertise and talent. This is useful when:
· You’re seeking external assistance to help you identify new markets or strategies.
· Technical domain expertise is essential for delving into complex issues and supporting new initiatives effectively.
· Your team excels at what they do, but you need a strategic vision to help guide a project, a program or a transformation.
· You need to bring your staff up to speed in a new area of packaging.
3. Resourcing capability gaps or taking on new challenges. This is a consideration when:
· Business needs arise, but internal resources are constrained.
· You have experience or knowledge gaps within your internal teams and resources.
· You need to meet tight deadlines or have spiking short-term workloads.
If you're an active packaging consultant looking to expand your network or an organization needing support on a current or upcoming packaging project, the PCC would love to hear from you. If you need the fresh perspective of a consultant, we’re here to help you.
The Packaging Consultants Council is passionate about packaging, solving problems and growing the packaging community. You can submit inquiries to the PCC through the IoPP website.
The author, Rob Kaszubowski, is Managing Director for Packaging Optimization, at NTT Data, formerly Chainalytics, and President of the Packaging Consultants Council, a chartered unit of IoPP. He is an IoPP-Certified Packaging Professional Lifetime and also is an active member of the University of Wisconsin-Stout Packaging Advisory Council.
