Key Takeaways from Last Week's Pack Expo

Last week’s PACK EXPO International in Chicago was a revolutionary and transformative event. If you missed it, it was an explosion of forward-looking technology that will impact the way people buy and sell packaging machinery and equipment.

Who Attended the show?

The who’s who of Corporate America was in attendance, everyone from Amazon to Procter & Gamble, to Starbucks to MillerCoors. Strolling the exhibition floor and manning the vendor booths were corporate executives, plant managers, engineers, purchasers, production supervisors, logistics and supply chain professionals.

What Were Some Key Takeaways?

Robotics is huge. There was a plethora of live-action machine packaging devices demonstrating one of the next big technology waves hitting a shop floor near you. Robotic automation is not when, but now. Robots have come way down in price, are easier to program and are part of the Industry 4.0 wave automating and replacing tedious, time-consuming, and dangerous tasks on the production floor.

Virtual Reality, Coming to a Packaging Facility Near You.  Many machine manufacturers were featuring how they use visualization, specifically virtual reality to not only show their customers exactly how their equipment is going to look and fit in their facility but also for training on operation, maintenance and repair.

What’s on the horizon?

Imagine Using the Same Type of 3D Technology When Quoting Machinery to Prospective Customers. 3D Configure Price Quote (CPQ) software is no longer a luxury and is no longer only for the Fortune 100. It’s the future for Packaging Equipment Makers that is affordable, and in order to be competitive, you need it now. It’s must have technology that greatly simplifies the buying and selling process for any packaging equipment maker and its manufacturing customers. Visual configuration can take weeks out of the ordering process by allowing buyers to visually construct perfectly configured products from the comfort of their desktop computer or even their mobile device.

Consider these stats:

• 82% of B2B customers demand customized products.

• Manufacturers using old sales tools have 5-10% less profit margin than competitors using CPQ.

• Companies using CPQ outperform competitors by a 2-to-1 ratio in revenue growth.

3D Visual CPQ allows you to streamline your quote-to-cash workflow by automating proposals, engineering drawings, and data entry. It’s must have technology for manufacturers and the adoption if it was extremely evident at the show.