Pack Expo Intl. trade show expands focus on processing, as discussed in this Q&A with Charles D. Yuska, president and CEO of PMMI.
Packaging Machinery Manufacturers Institute (PMMI), sponsor and producer of the Pack Expo trade shows, recently announced that Pack Expo Intl. 2010, Oct. 31-Nov. 3 at Chicago’s McCormick Place, will feature an expanded focus on processing solutions. In this Q&A, the association’s president and CEO, Charles D. Yuska, describes the change and how pharmaceutical and healthcare brands will benefit.
HCP: What led to the decision to expand the show?
Yuska: The shift was driven by what we’re seeing in the market. The days of separate packaging and processing teams have shifted. Instead, consumer and industrial goods companies are combining their engineering teams to support total systems solutions within their enterprises. They’re clearly focusing on overall operational excellence across the production line.
Our Pack Expo attendee data supports these conclusions. For example, more than half of Pack Expo attendees have indicated they come to the show to see packaging as well as processing exhibits.
By addressing the entire production supply chain in a single location, Pack Expo becomes a more extensive, more cost-effective and more time-effective resource for brand owners from around the world.
HCP: How will the change help pharmaceutical and healthcare brand owners?
Yuska: 2010 will be an important year for pharmaceutical manufacturers seeking to regain their footing, as it will be in many sectors. Brands will continue to place a high priority on product protection, quality, and tamper evidence, but they’ll also need to look inward to bolster business performance. That means reducing manufacturing costs, streamlining production, and achieving overall operational excellence.
This is where Pack Expo can play a large role. With the integration of packaging and processing, companies that offer both types of solutions will be able to display both—in a single booth if they choose—and that means new levels of efficiency and convenience for attendees.
Ultimately, Pack Expo is about bringing suppliers and end users together to make production lines run smoothly—and the combination of packaging and processing exhibitors only adds to its ability to do so. That’s a huge benefit for attendees who want to get as much as possible from their time out of the office.
HCP: What new features will support this expanded focus at Pack Expo?
Yuska: We’re launching The Processing Zone, a special exhibitor area for the latest processing technologies for a variety of markets, including pharmaceuticals. Attendees will find practical solutions to enhance product safety, cut waste, protect product quality, and improve sustainability.
The processing community has responded enthusiastically to The Processing Zone. We’ve sold out the first 50,000 net square feet, and have expanded it to 70,000 square feet. And those are only some of the exhibitors with processing solutions. There will be more exhibiting throughout McCormick Place.
—Jim Chrzan, Publisher
