Guest: Donna Ritson, President, DDR Communications

Remote access and Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) connectivity make manufacturing more efficient, but they also create new exploitable points of vulnerability. As the manufacturing industry continues to adopt more significant levels of technology and connectivity, a robust cybersecurity strategy is essential. Donna Ritson, president of DDR Communications, discusses PMMI Business Intelligence’s report 2021 Cybersecurity: Assess Your Risk, revealing that the recent rise in remote working further compounds these vulnerabilities and leaves the manufacturing industry at greater risk of devastating cybersecurity attacks.

Guest: Anne Marie Mohan, Senior Editor, Packaging World

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation indicates that converting just 20 percent of global plastic packaging into reuse models is a 10 billion business opportunity that benefits customers and represents a crucial element in the quest to eliminate packaging waste and pollution. Senior Editor Anne Marie Mohan makes her UnPACKed with Packaging World debut to offer reasons reusable packaging hasn’t caught on quicker and outlines emerging frameworks to make implementing reusable packaging easier for OEMs, CPGs and consumers.

Guest: Tom Morrison, President and CEO, Tom Morrison Associates

Renowned keynote speaker and expert on marketplace disruption, Tom Morrison, president and CEO of Tom Morrison Associates discusses what was shaking up the packaging and processing industry before COVID as well as how the past year added some new, potentially permanent disruptions. He lays out a classic good news/bad news evaluation for the next 5-10 years. Economically, the industry finds itself in one of the largest booms in our history while facing the lowest amount of qualified employees to handle the workload necessary to meet demand. Automation, ingenuity and an ability to remain nimble remain keys to success, and Morrison offers guidance on staying up to speed with a constantly evolving landscape.

Guest: Laura Thompson, Vice President, Trade Shows, PMMI

On a special bonus edition of UnPACKed with PMMI, PMMI Vice-president of Trade Shows Laura Thompson calls in from Las Vegas to discuss the return of PACK EXPO Las Vegas and Healthcare Packaging EXPO this September. The most comprehensive event in the world this year is spread across four halls at the Las Vegas Convention Center, and Thompson breaks down the significant competitive advantages that attendees and exhibitors will obtain from the show.

Guest: Matt Reynolds, Editor, Packaging World

On this episode of UnPACKed with Packaging World, PW  Editor Matt Reynolds takes a step back from reporting on and analyzing the details of the latest packaging trends and provides a more holistic view focused on the year 2020. After a time unlike any other, Reynolds discusses the two biggest influencers on consumer behavior — COVID-19 and societal values — and how these two drivers changed the way consumers purchase and experience packaged goods. In turn, Reynolds reinforced his belief that packaging reflects society at large.

Guest: David Greenfield, Director of Content, Automation World

In the first episode of UnPACKed with Automation World, Director of Content, David Greenfield takes us into some of the truths and myths about automation during the past year. Were robots adopted at a higher pace over the past year or did use stay the same? What vertical markets saw the largest benefit? Are there specific robotic technologies he sees as offering the most potential for CPG production operations?

Guest: Pat Reynolds, Editor Emeritus, Packaging World

UnPACKed with PMMI teams up with Packaging World to add an audio option to its top-shelf written content. On this episode of UnPACKed with Packaging World, PW Editor Emeritus Pat Reynolds reviews the latest technology trends and other items of note from his observations of PACK EXPO Connects. With e-commerce exploding in 2020-2021, late-stage customization drives many packaging innovations, and companies need to remain flexible to keep up. Reynolds also comments on the increase in inspection equipment, noteworthy packaging materials and even some technologies entering the industry that even his experienced eye saw for the first time.

Guest: Keren Sookne, Director of Editorial Content, Healthcare Packaging

Keren Sookne, director of Editorial Content for Healthcare Packaging and PMMI’s in-house healthcare packaging expert, tackles the always provocative topic of cannabis and cannabis packaging on UnPACKed with Healthcare Packaging. With a new administration and Congress, will cannabis laws ease up nationally for medicinal and adult use or get tougher? How has cannabis use increased during the pandemic and what are we seeing in terms of new products, packaging and packaging materials?

Access the 2021 Packaging for the Cannabis Market Report

Guests: Adrian Lloyd, CEO, Interact Analysis and Blake Griffin, Senior Market Analyst, Interact Analysis

The term predictive maintenance has been widely used in recent years although there is no agreed industry-wide definition. The result is that some in the industry may dismiss the concept as a buzzword, thereby missing out on an emerging technology that has the potential to be disruptive. Adrian Lloyd and Blake Griffin from Interact Analysis come on the podcast to discuss their research that led to PMMI Business Intelligence’s Predictive Maintenance White Paper. The pair examine how they see implementation of predictive maintenance technologies playing out in two different parts of the plant and how these trends will merge over time.

Guest: Pete Seward, Vice President of Engineering & Technical Service, Harpak-ULMA

Packaging and processing manufacturers continue to adapt their operations as the pandemic progresses into 2021. PMMI’s Industry Relations Committee asked its Field Service Managers share group to develop best practices regarding documents and requirements for field service personnel during the pandemic to address these efforts. Peter Seward from Harpak-Ulma is a member of the group and joins the UnPACKed with PMMI podcast to discuss the methodology behind the resulting white paper, Field Service Personnel and Customer Tools to Support Safe Practices during the COVID Pandemic.