CAL-PAK'S NEWSLETTER
March 2022
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State of the Industry: Preview of PACK EXPO 2022
From Packaging World Magazine, Feb. 2022
Carrying momentum from September 2021’s PACK EXPO Las Vegas, PMMI continues on its industry
reunification tour, this time with the returning regional hit PACK EXPO East 2022.
With many of the nation’s CPGs, and plenty of pharma manufacturers, located within 200 miles of Philadelphia, PACK EXPO East 2022 promises the full PACK EXPO vibe in an easy-to-get-to location.
PACK EXPO East 2022 runs March 21st to 23rd at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia. Produced by PMMI, The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, the three-day event features 400 exhibiting companies and spans 100,000 net square feet, providing the opportunity for attendees to exchange ideas with 7,000 peers.
The northeastern U.S. is home to nearly one-third of the nation’s top CPGs. Plus, manufacturing companies are one of the top five employer groups in the region, according to Statistical Atlas. Benefiting from this concentration of CPGs and brand owners, PACK EXPO East will address the trends and challenges driving the food and beverage, pharmaceutical and medical device, cosmetics and personal care, industrial and household chemical, and other packaged goods industries. Attendees include manufacturers, managers, engineers, production supervisors, purchasers, brand managers, package designers, product development professionals, and supply chain and logistics professionals from companies of all sizes.
The show has already surpassed the size of the last two PACK EXPO East events in 2018 and 2020, which was held just before the pandemic, and exhibit sales continue their upward trend. Registration is also keeping pace with the 2020 show. Click here for live stats on attendance and exhibitors.
“Things have changed dramatically since 2020 and our industry has been working to keep up during this pandemic,” says Laura Thompson, VP, Trade Shows, PMMI. “There is a need to meet face-to-face to find solutions to keep up with demand and our numbers indicate that the industry is excited to come together and see the latest technologies first-hand.”
After four successful PACK EXPO East events, a frequent theme is how accessible the shows have been, and not only to top packaging equipment and materials buyers, but also to whole teams of attendees who otherwise don’t get to go to hands-on trade shows. Attending organizations find they can reproduce a “PACK EXPO” experience for bigger portions of their teams, and can send folks they might not be able to fly to Chicago or Las Vegas. The barrier to entry is much lower for those in the northeast.
Some attending companies send younger employees as a way of rewarding, incentivizing, and nurturing their professional development, or send a mix of employees of different experience levels together to encourage mentoring relationships. These types of attendees can benefit from one-on-one, face-to-face dialog with the northeast regional packaging machinery and materials suppliers they will continue to work with throughout their careers.
The biennial event provides professionals from the consumer packaged goods- and life sciences-rich northeast corridor a convenient and rewarding opportunity to explore the latest packaging and processing technology in person, connect with suppliers, and find applicable solutions in a changing marketplace. PMMI has proven that PACK EXPO events provide unmatched networking and educational opportunities.
Attendees and exhibitors alike will have access to must-see highlights at this year’s show. Free, supplier-driven, 30-minute seminars on the Innovation Stage offer opportunities to learn from experts. Meanwhile, the Forum at PACK EXPO will feature free, interactive, 45-minute open sessions followed by small group discussions and Q&A sessions on the latest industry trends.
Networking highpoints include the PACK EXPO East Opening Reception, the Young Professionals Reception, hosted by PMMI’s Emerging Leaders Network, and The Packaging & Processing Women’s Leadership Network (PPWLN) networking reception.
PACK EXPO East isn’t just for the pros. The event offers programs and activities aimed at getting students excited about careers in packaging, too. For example, come see high school robotics teams from the Philadelphia area showcase their design, engineering, and troubleshooting skills, at the Future Innovators Robotics Showcase.
PMMI’s Certified Trainer Workshops, held March 21-22 will equip your company with strategies and tactics to train well across all employee skill levels including service technicians, service and training managers, maintenance technicians, internal trainers, line supervisors, and any employee tasked with training fellow employees or customers.
Field service technicians are the face of your organization. While technical proficiency garners the most attention, there is far more to being a technician. Also held March 21-22, Fundamentals of Field Service is a two-day workshop explores non-technical knowledge and skills needed to be a great technician. Topics include: Customer Service, Troubleshooting, Environmental Issues, Safety, Training, and Service Call Follow Up.
The Workforce Development Pavilion will feature PMMI Partner Schools presenting mechatronics, packaging, and processing offerings, with an opportunity to meet students interested in careers in the industry.
The Association Partner Pavilion houses leading associations dedicated to advancing the packaging and processing industry, including the Reusable Packaging Association (RPA), Institute of Packaging Professionals (IoPP), AIM, CPA – The Association for Contract Packagers and Manufacturers, Flexible Packaging Association (FPA), Adhesive and Sealant Council (ASC), OMAC – Organization for Machine Automation & Control, and the Foundation For Supply Chain Solutions (F4SS) with many more to come.
