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Category: Packaging Industry
More trends from Interpack - Globalization, Consolidation & Customer Intimacy
July 21, 2008
They say that sometimes we miss the forest by looking at the trees. If you didn't spend all of your time at Interpack looking at the machines, you could step back and see some evolution in the industry as a whole. I've attended Interpack many times, mostly as an end user, then as a trade group organizer, and now with press credentials. Each way of attending opens up a new...
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Chinese manufacturing excellence: why we should be nervous
July 1, 2008
Our mature Western societies just aren't scared enough yet about the threat to our standard of living as the result of a rapidly developing China. If we really understood China's potential impact, we would be embarked upon crash programs of education, infrastructure building and revitalization of our manufacturing base....
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Robots at Interpack: Cars to nuts, and purpose-built too!
June 22, 2008
What was the most significant trend at Interpack 2008? Many would agree that it was the ubiquitousness of robotics. The halls of the Duesseldorf messe contained hundreds of robotic arms. The smallest item I saw handled by a robot was a single almond and the largest was an entire automobile. But the big news is the number of purpose-built arms that have been implemented by the European packaging machine industry....
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Can you stop China from copying patented packaging machinery?
June 16, 2008
Interpack has often had its intellectual property intrigue and this year is no different. Ishida, the statistical scale company, obtained injunctions against nine Chinese entities that prevented them from displaying their statistical scales at the fair. The dispute involves a patent related to the waterproof construction of the equipment. In a press release that I read in Ishida's booth, three Chinese companies had been named, Highdream, Jinyi and Saimo, but...
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Mars Cadbury Timing a Coincidence?
April 29, 2008
I never much cared for probability and statistics, but does it seem too coincidental to anyone that the Mars / Wrigley deal was announced at the beginning of the same week in which Cadbury finalizes the separation of their drinks and confectionery businesses? Could it be that this timing is in some way meant to disrupt plans that may involve Hershey and Cadbury? And another coincidence: the last time Hershey...
Does packaging get sufficient respect?
April 22, 2008
Does packaging get the respect that it deserves? Some say no, but the tide seems to be turning. The message at the recent Pharmaceutical Packaging Forum was somewhat mixed. Some quipped that packaging was treated as an afterthought. It wasn't planned for, and wasn't put on the critical path of activities for their company. Yet others had a much more positive message. Perhaps this indicates that packaging is turning a...
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Will they discuss science or just religion?
April 22, 2008
In December I suggested that we needed a presidential debate on innovation. Last week the democratic candidates Obama and Clinton did participate in a discussion on religion. Held not far from my home in Pennsylvania, this event has for a time occupied not only the national but also my local news. In contrast, a very thoughtful discussion on the promise of science and the role that it should play in...
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It's time to do Interpack
March 31, 2008
It's soon time for Interpack, and many of us will be heading for Dusseldorf where we will be obliged to leave behind a huge quantity of our under-valued dollars. But Interpack is not something you'll want to miss, so I have ten suggestions on how to do it and not have it do you. Perhaps these suggestions can make Interpack a more valuable experience....
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A national skill standard for packaging technicians?
February 1, 2008
Do we need a national skill standard for packaging machinery technicians? There is a growing chorus of people who think that we do. Other industries have skill standards, accredited certificate programs and accredited educational programs at the high school, community college and university levels. But to my knowledge, no such standard exists in the USA for packaging machinery technicians....
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Is green packaging low-fat?
January 14, 2008
We are hearing more and more about green packaging strategies. We see books, conferences, press releases, new materials, and new processes all claiming greenness. This harkens back to another time when we saw all of these same developments focused on low-fat....
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Let's have a presidential debate on innovation!
December 17, 2007
Could we have a national discussion on innovation? I don't think that I can stand 11 more months of harping on the same old topics by the US presidential candidates. If they want to talk about something constructive - something that will have long term political, social and economic impact for our nation and our children - let's turn the discussion to the imperative for more innovation....
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Wins for the packaging industry
November 14, 2007
Positive signs of support for the packaging industry have been evident during the past quarter from educators, government and the private sector. A stream of small (and not-so-small) wins bodes well for the industry. Consider these events:...
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Packaging not the top issue at Hershey
November 12, 2007
I promised myself that I wouldn't blog about The Hershey Company, but this week's news is just too incredible to ignore. For full disclosure, I retired from the predecessor Hershey Foods Corporation 5 ½ years ago after 28 years of service. I've never seen anything like the last 2 months – anywhere! Things are not sweet in Chocolatetown!...
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It's Showtime! But why do we care?
October 21, 2007
It's October- the month for all kinds of exhibits and shows. So far this month I have attended the world's largest in-water sailboat show, the world's largest antique automobile show, and a very sizeable Pack Expo Las Vegas show. These experiences, stacked back to back, have me thinking about why I attend shows. I can categorize the reasons into four areas. Curiosity -The need to be educated Projects -The occasional...
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It's 2007: Do you know where your drawings are?
September 24, 2007
There may be one piece of intellectual capital that packagers value less than their aging workforce (see Packagers undervalue intellectual captial) and that is their equipment documentation. Lack of good documentation is one of the greatest contributors to poor productivity in American manufacturing. All too often, management finds it easier to point fingers at their employees for lack of skills rather than pointing at themselves for lack of a coherent...
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It's not your father's packaging machinery company - or is it?
August 27, 2007
The look of a packaging machinery company is changing. Where once they resembled machine shops, some now resemble IT departments. I first became aware of this about 5 years ago on a tour of some Italian packaging machinery companies, some of whom neither made parts nor assembled machines. Their businesses were built upon the core skills of 3-D modeling, design and software development. This same trend is catching on around...
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Packagers undervalue intellectual capital
July 30, 2007
The way that some packaging companies treat their aging workforce, you could easily conclude that management places little or no value on the knowledge that their employees posses. These companies are undervaluing and casting off their greatest asset- an experienced and skilled workforce....
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Huge potential exists for packaging automation
July 22, 2007
Recently, I have had occasion to visit a variety of packaging plants the likes of which I never saw in my first career of 28 years. I had no idea that there were US packagers that were throwing so much labor at their operations. Even 30 years ago, I didn't see these labor levels in the industry segments in which I was involved....
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The hidden packaging economy
May 30, 2007
Let's do a little experiment. Ask yourself the following questions? Can I name 2 of the top 3 North American automobile companies? Can I name 2 of the top 3 North American metals companies? Can I name 2 of the top 3 North American petro-chemical companies? Can I name 2 of the top 3 North American packagers? Can I name 2 of the top 3 North American packaging machinery?...
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| About Keith Campbell |
| Leaders learn from the past while
looking to the future - and bring both to bear on the here
and now. This is the philosophy that has steered Keith Campbell's
30+ years in manufacturing. It has worked for him in operations,
maintenance, engineering, R&D, education, consulting and
professional organizations--and now he's putting it to work
for you--taking you to the edge of his thoughts on packaging
operations. |
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