Page 24 - Packaging News Jan-Feb 2020

MACHINERY MATTERS
Looking ahead to a year of sustainable opportunity
“In essence, these changes remind us we need to be prepared for continued innovation and evolution in the future.”
Welcome to the first 2020 edition of Machinery Matters, brought to you by the APPMA in an exclusive partnership with PKN Packaging News. I hope everyone had a safe and happy Christmas and New Year, and that you have all returned ready to take up the challenges and opportunities that come with our ever-evolving industry.
We haven’t reached the official end of the decade yet – that will click over in 2021 – but the shift from “the teens” to “the twenties” in numbers brings a definite feeling of change.
Looking back, it’s also remarkable how much has altered and transformed over the past 10 years.
This is particularly so in the areas of food-production security, tracking and traceability through the supply chain, and consumers’ increasing interest in proof of food provenance. Linked with this is a focus on sustainability: from food produced sustainably to manufacturers processing it in plants that operate sustainably, and then using packaging created from sustainable materials. Inherent in this issue is the emphasis now on recycling and reducing food waste. Here recycling covers both reusing materials to reduce traditional waste and recycling food by diverting it away from landfill. The dinner at the APPMA Awards of Excellence in 2019 was a perfect example of this, with a menu created in conjunction with Yume using high-quality food that, for a variety of reasons, would otherwise have gone to waste. This general interest in recycling then also links back to using the resources to grow food in the first place in a sustainable manner.
All of these issues are intertwined, and while they could perhaps be called a trend, there is a remarkable similarity to the frugal, careful focus of generations before us, which had become somewhat lost in more-recent times. In essence, these changes remind us we need to be prepared for continued innovation and evolution in the future.
Speaking about food, I’d just like to touch on the Fight Food Waste CRC, of which the APPMA is a core participant. During 2019, this Co-operative Research Centre approved a range of projects focusing on its key pillars of “reduce, transform and
WHAT’S COMING UP
Following the success of his presentation at the Sydney APPMA members dinner, Paul Allen of Margin Partners will host a series of masterclasses, sponsored by the APPMA, on how to improve profitability.
The three one-day classes, to be held in Melbourne on 20 April, Sydney on 4 May, and Brisbane on 18 May, will instruct delegates on how to rapidly increase customer profitability.
“This masterclass is for B2B owners and leaders who are tired of being squeezed by big customers. It is for suppliers who depend on long term customers, but who, up to now,
educate”, and we look forward to keeping track of these to then support and drive possible actions and initiatives aimed at improving sustainability and reducing food waste.
Aside from our wider industry and community involvement, this year for our members the APPMA plans to deliver additional educational and networking events, increase support services and facilitate value-add business and association partnerships. Of course, through all this, we continue to firm up AUSPACK 2021 and the range of events and activities to be held throughout Packaging and Processing Week.
2020 is already looming as a busy year, with a range of domestic and international exhibitions and shows; many of these will involve a number of APPMA members as both exhibitors and attendees. Interpack, the largest of all the exhibitions showcasing worldwide innovation and developments within our industry, is being held from 7-12 May in Germany. This exhibition is only held once every three years, so for those who have not previously experienced it, please consider attending this worthwhile event. In addition, there will be Propak Asia in June, Foodtech Packtech in New Zealand in September, and PACK EXPO in Chicago in November.
The recent partnership between the APPMA and AUSVEG will also provide the opportunity for further interaction, networking and engagement across industry sectors, including an active presence at the Hort Connections exhibition, which will be held in Brisbane in June.
As readers know, the focus of Machinery Matters is to provide news and insights about members’ businesses, and to showcase innovations, developments, and successes in the packaging and processing machinery industry. In 2019, we saw more members taking advantage of the Machinery Matters opportunity. I encourage those who have not yet done so to explore how your business can benefit from this APPMA member service during 2020.
MARK DINGLEY, CHAIRMAN
have been afraid to hold them to account.
“It is ideal for two or three representatives from one
organisation to come as a team and participate collaboratively in a deep dive into the workings and profitability of their most important customers,” says Allen, who adds that commercial leaders who require more profit within 12 months will also benefit. Each delegate will receive a personalised margin improvement report on a customer of their choice, as well as a copy of Allen’s book Take Back Your Margin. Find out more at appma.com.au/events.
024 JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2020 WWW.PACKAGINGNEWS.COM.AU