PMMI International Panel: CPGs and OEMs openly talk in Bogota

Equipment flexibility and modularity, rigor with the request for proposal (RFP) process, and support of the OEMs with the new challenges sustainability in packaging brings, were among the top demands from multinational brand owners.

Photo Article Panel Pmmi Colombia 1

During Andina Pack 2019, the Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, PMMI, brought together four experts in operations, manufacturing, engineering and packaging development of top multinational companies in the production of consumer packaged goods with presence in Colombia and other Latin American countries to exchange, in a panel, visions and make recommendations sought to enhance the choice and use of packaging machinery offered by OEMs.

The panel, that took place at Hotel Hilton Corferias Bogota on November 20th, produced enlightening conclusions and recommendations for a collaborative work which reflects greater flexibility, operations efficiency and sustainability for CPGs.

Through the diverse lenses of their respective food and beverages, personal care and medical and health care markets, participants at this PMMI panel titled: “How to improve communication and mutual understanding between brand owners (CPG) and Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM)? Get the best from your original equipment supplier”, answered four key questions focused on: top challenges in their current operation; key factors for choosing packaging machinery and equipment suppliers; importance of the RFP process; and considerations CPGs have when replacing or modernizing their equipment and machines.

These conversations that PMMI facilitates at tradeshows and industry meetings are increasingly appreciated by all actors within the supply chain of the packaging industry. Bringing together the voices and views of technology users at CPGs with the knowledge and experience of OEMs, has shown to be an effective instrument to better understand the needs and challenges imposed by today's changing markets.

Challenges undertaken

The four panelists concurred that the increasing diversity of new packaging formats imposes big challenges on brand owners, who are thus looking for more flexible and simpler machines, preferably modular and easy to maintain, that allow quicker changes between different jobs.

One of the panelists, representing one of the largest and most recognized personal care brands in Colombia, emphatically pointed out how the support of the OEMs and technologies to achieve sustainability in packaging goals and targets of  CPGs are, in her opinion, the most important and disruptive factor in packaging technology acquisition decision making today, for which brand owners expect an accompaniment and a commitment from machinery vendors.

The guest panelist questioned the representatives of the OEMs present at the panel: “How many of you are working at the moment with packaging material suppliers and brand owners to respond to the challenges of plastic packaging pollution?”

For its part, the beverage industry panelist, expressed how the training of the operators for the running of newly acquired equipment and technologies is nowadays a critical concern for CPGs, for which they would like a greater participation of OEMs in the design of educational certification programs in machine and equipment knowledge and operation.

“One of the biggest challenges we face today, at our packaging operation, is that the training skills and educational profiles of our operators do not match the skills required to run the acquired technologies. The OEMs can thus help to move from a skills training approach to a certification program, where the OEM is responsible for guaranteeing such skills, and not the CPGs”, added the expert during the Panel in Bogota.

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