The board of directors of PMMI, owner and producer of the Pack Expo trade shows, has voted unanimously to expand the show’s focus on the packaging supply chain to include processing solutions. This new integrated approach will begin with Pack Expo International 2010.

“In today’s manufacturing environment, you can no longer separate the processing and packaging parts of your business,” says Mike Alagna, chief operating officer for Nation Pizza Products. “They are totally intertwined together and should be addressed as a whole process when looking at rates, efficiencies and other improvements. You do not want to create a bottleneck for either processing or packaging by not taking a look at both parts of your operation when designing a line or purchasing new equipment for an existing line.”

End users self identify as processors looking for processing and packaging
PMMI’s Pack Expo attendee data supports the show’s expansion to focus on packaging and processing:

97% of past attendee survey respondents indicated that they came to see packaging and processing exhibits.
93% of past attendee survey respondents indicated that Pack Expo clearly fulfilled the overall expectations they had for attending the show.

“Today’s consumer and industrial goods companies are combining the engineering teams within their companies in order to support total systems solutions for their enterprise,” reports Charles D. Yuska, president and CEO of PMMI. “Their focus is clearly on overall operational excellence across the production line. It is abundantly clear that Pack Expo needed to mirror the industry it serves by broadening its exhibitor focus to include processing solutions.”

New event debuts in 2010
The first event featuring the expanded show will be Pack Expo International 2010, which will run October 31-November 3, 2010 at McCormick Place, Chicago, Ill.

“Pro Mach as a company serves the total systems approach that end users are taking when it comes to their operations,” reports Jack Aguero, vice president, business development and marketing for Pro Mach, Inc. “We are pleased to be able to market a full range of production and packaging solutions at a single, integrated event where our customers can easily view the complete range of solutions we offer.”

Long-time exhibitor Heat and Control, Inc. also looks forward to better serving customers by exhibiting more from its product line.

“Heat and Control offers food processing, packaging and inspection solutions - and we are very pleased to now be able to exhibit representative pieces from all of our equipment lines in our booth at Pack Expo shows. This will allow our customers to see the full product range and discuss the total system solution with us, in one place. This expanded approach is a win-win situation that adds value for show visitors and exhibitors,” says Audrey Waidelich, marketing manager, Heat and Control. The company has been a Pack Expo exhibitor since 1984.

The show expects 2,000 packaging and processing suppliers to exhibit in over 1.2 million net square feet of space. Pack Expo International will be the single largest packaging and processing event serving the Western Hemisphere.

“Pack Expo will be as comprehensive and full of value as ever before with the leading global packaging and processing solutions providers displaying their innovations,” Yuska says. “Our goal now is to work collaboratively with the industry’s leading suppliers to ensure Pack Expo delivers the solutions the industry needs, efficiently and effectively.”

For more information about Pack Expo, visit www.packexpo.com or contact PMMI’s Show Department at 703/243-8555.