Today's trends are quite simple

Food & Drug Packaging, Dec, 2000 by Lisa McTigue Pierce

The good thing about attending a trade show as big as Pack Expo is that, in a few long days, you can get an overall view of the packaging industry, including recent trends.

Before noon on the first day of the show, I had seen three new prototype machines, heard more than half a dozen people tell me about their new Allen-Bradley controls and witnessed some clever automation solutions. The exhibitors came prepared to compete--which is great news for you.

Machinery manufacturers are designing new systems--and redesigning existing equipment--to look sleeker, take up less space and be, quite simply, simpler.

These less-complex, easy-to-operate machines are built as "modules," pre-made sections that can be quickly assembled in different configurations, depending on your need. This, combined with other production efficiencies like cell manufacturing, results in shorter delivery times.

Modular machines redefine flexibility. Fast changeover features are even more evident with snap out/snap in, color-coded change parts. Several exhibitors boldly performed changeovers--and timed them!--right there on the show floor.

Many new systems use servo drives, which speeds changeover but also helps minimize the number of components. Even mechanical machines are being built with fewer parts. With this cleaner design, fewer things can break down, which means less maintenance, spare parts inventory and associated costs.

If you're looking for low-cost systems, you'll find them. Again, manufacturing efficiencies and simpler designs are keeping costs down and the savings are being passed along to you. Ain't competition great!

Many suppliers exhibited basic models for plants that are just beginning to automate, helping you attack manual labor costs. Plus, tasks that previously could only be done by hand can now be done automatically. Again, at a low cost.

Engineers haven't forgetten that people operate their machines, though, so ergonomic and safety features are designed in. Because a lot of operators are women, machinery is lower to the floor with shorter reaches into the interior. Control panels swivel and tilt into comfortable viewing angles for anyone.

All in all, it was one of the best Pack Expos I've attended in my 18-year career with the packaging press. Look at p.35. We've put together a pretty amazing post-show report for you.

Less is more

The keep-it-simple principle is showing up on packages, too. Bombarded with too much information today, consumers don't react well to busy labels--they want "just the facts." Alert package designers are moving as many of the details to the back label as they can, leaving the front label for "sound bites."

Look at today's wine bottles, for example. Some have as little as three points on the front label: (1) brand name; (2) varietal; and (3) an image graphic. Think of it as boiling down your product's selling features into easy-to-digest bullet points, like a PowerPoint presentation.

Simplicity. It's a good concept for our lives in general. Less stress. Fewer headaches. More delight.

Happy Holidays to you and yours. Stay safe. Keep smiling. Enjoy!

Lisa McTigue Pierce Editor-in-Chief lpierce@fdp.com

Member of the International Packaging Press Organization (IPPO).