BLIZZARD WARNINGS, COYOTES BUILDING FIRES, AND NAVIGATING THE PHILADELPHIA 2015 PACK EXPO..

BLIZZARD WARNINGS, COYOTES BUILDING FIRES, AND NAVIGATING THE PHILADELPHIA 2015 PACK EXPO..

6am Sunday morning, there is not a single car or headlight to be seen, the same can be said for the roads, they aren’t visible.

This perhaps explains why no vehicles other than mine are out and about, and I swear I just saw 4 deer, 3 raccoon and some coyote trying to start a fire to get warm. This then begs the question that’s running through my mind...."what are you doing??" Oh that’s right, I’m headed to Philly for the first trade show we have done in a couple years. Once I cleared the tunnels in Pa. the roads cleared and the weather improved. I was looking forward to arriving and quickly checking in. The hotel was attached to the convention center, so I wouldn’t have to go out in the weather, and with numerous boxes and items needed in our show booth, I was glad we booked this hotel. Once I checked in, I quickly realized that the saying the hotel was attached to the convention center, was like saying California is attached to Ohio. It is, but just with a dozen states between us.....

On my third trip between the booth and the hotel, I was asked by a Sherpa guide if I needed help...maybe not, I was a little light headed by that point. Well four hours later, the booth was good to go, and I had covered enough ground to qualify for the 2018 Olympics.

The show was the first in Philly for Pack Expo, and the 5000 registered attendees was a record number. We were not disappointed; Dave Frass and I worked the show all three days, and returned with numerous leads and contacts to follow up with. Some are even local to Ohio, which was a pleasant surprise.

With another show in June, I am very pleased with what we learned in Philly, and am I looking forward to our next. Hopefully minus the snowstorms and Sherpa guides!!

-Michael Treb

What is A Packaging Specialist?

Edmund Leonard said...a spec is not an epitaph written at the end of development, but a working communication for the use of the thing developed.. This is good food for thought for those of us in the packaging business and a good step in demonstrating the clear communication required between the packaging specialist and the manufacturer.


What is a packaging specialist? A technologist. Since nearly everything grown or made must be packaged for identity, product protection, distribution and marketing, there is a need for good people who use a common language.


From the process of idea generation to designs, models, samples and functional testing to a tentative spec, this working communication allows manufacturing and quality control people to do their jobs, by including quality criteria and levels required in the delivered materials.


This is simple sounding but difficult to communicate true understanding among dozens of people involved at the decision-making level in purchasing, selling, manufacturing, delivering, examining, and using a specified packaging material.


Call us today and we will help make your design into a spec!

Interview with Jan Bauman

Management 101: An Interview with Emerald Valley Parkway site manager, Jan Bauman

Ever wondered what it was really like to work in management? Do you ever wish someone would sit you down and tell you the truth – the whole truth and nothing but the truth – about a profession you may one day want to enter? Today we sit down with one of our site managers, Jan Bauman, and do exactly that. She’s a wealth of knowledge on the topic, talking about everything from overcoming challenges to how to get what you want out of your career. The idea to work in contract packaging came to Jan 19 years ago. Living in Ohio and working for a small distributor, she was profiling different companies from northeast Ohio when she found Custom Products. She was drawn to the job because she is a good fit for detail work and likes having control of her own success, saying “At Custom Products, we listen to the customer needs, find solutions and implement them.” Her motivation, she says is, “I like to work. I know that is weird. I enjoy coming to work every day and the challenge of meeting the customer’s requests.” Work ethic is key, she says, and empathy and attention to detail in solving customer needs will bring success. Her daily activities involve taking responsibility for the actions of all her team members, discussing any challenges and resolving them, managing the reporting activities and annual budget and customer relations. Jan believes in leading by example and her top priority in management and customer service is to evolve and change as the customer’s needs change, to be productive and work smart. So far, she has been with the company for 19 years and has helped grow the contract packaging department to what it is today – an outstanding source for customers packaging almost anything. Custom Products is not the only thing that occupies Jan’s time. In her downtime, she enjoys cheering on Cleveland baseball, reading on her kindle, and spending time with her family. To maintain some semblance of work-life balance she also takes yoga to help manage stress. On pursuing her dreams, Jan says, “I was brought up on thinking I could do anything I wanted to do, as long as I wanted to work for it.” Her favorite part of the job is the people, “I have great customers, fellow associates and management.” When asked what the best advice she ever received was, she answered: “Listen to your gut. If it doesn’t feel right, it isn’t.”