We are very excited to announce a new weekly blog initiative beginning today! Granted this particular blog is not the type of content we will be releasing, it is mainly to make you aware now so you can sign up and share with your friends in the manufacturing and distribution fields.

Should You Refurbish Your Packaging Equipment or Bite the Bullet and Buy New? How often have you spent time and money on repairs to your packaging equipment this year? Is your equipment is a consistent burden on your mind? Is it creeping into your dreams at night? If you have been putting it off until it causes problems it may be time to take some action. Here are some things to consider: Packaging equipment designed 20 years ago is A LOT different than those available today. With the high speeds, automation, touchscreens, Servo design and more, there is a lot to be gained. Servicing this new equipment is a whole separate world in itself compared to the machines of yesterday (which are still today for many).Understanding the trade offs between keeping your old machine and buying new is important.

When you begin a job you know how much each piece “should” cost you, and what your margins “should” be. At the end of the run, after all the labor is spent, the materials have been used, and the time to affect it has passed, you take a look to make sure you quoted the job correctly. How many times are you surprised at the outcome? More often than not, what you actually spent is a lot higher than what estimated to spend. Why is that? Did you not manage your labor correctly? Did you quote the job wrong? Did your customer change the scope of the project during the run? All of these things happen all to often, and can impact margins in a negative way. We can provide you a fixed cost solution that will keep your margins in check, and your costs predictable. We have the staff and talent to manage large labor pools who have a variety of skills. We are able to move our resources from project to project to avoid down time while getting the best utilization of our crews. When you experience a spike in volume, you also experience a spike in labor. Once your head count rises so does your cost of labor, healthcare, and other company sponsored benefits. By providing you a fixed cost our partnership takes the headaches out of having peaks and valleys in your business. It will allow you to focus on growing your business and maintain your current customer base.

Do you find that you spend countless hours searching through your warehouse looking for an item you “think” is there? You receive in goods, put them on the floor, and then when it comes time to consume them, your inventory is nowhere to be found. We help customers identify possible product shortages, obsolete inventory, along with determining cost effective reorder points. We understand how important your time and money is. Why spend it looking for items and tying up cash on unnecessary inventory? As a contract packager, we have the processes, people, and controls in place and available to help lower your operating costs.

On June 12th, 2013, Industrial Packaging celebrated its 60 year Anniversary.The event was held at our recently acquired building at Industrial Road in Leominster, MA. Our President, Matt Hogan, spoke to the group and reflected on our beginnings in May of 1953 in Worcester, MA, our relocation 10 years ago to Oxford, MA, and our bright future in Leominster. A reception and presentation was held at our new 138,000 square foot contract packaging facility on It was also an opportunity for Matt to thank our valued customers, employees, and partners in attendance who have contributed to our success. Matt also received a special gift from his employees – a customized plaque to celebrate the company milestone.All guests were given a guided tour of our contract packaging facility and walked away impressed. Each guest also received a customized coffee mug as a token of our appreciation.

Substantially reduce cost and increase production output with Automation If you are responsible for some or all of a manufacturing operation, you know metrics are important in determining if you are running at peak efficiency. The introduction of automation to a packaging production line can have a substantial (positive) impact both of output and labor costs. A measure that should be part of your labor review is line realization.