Packaging Machinery and the Changing Face of Branding

Generally speaking, branding is the process of obtaining recognition for your product. In many situations, the motto of branding might be bigger is better. Everyone knows Coke and Pepsi, everyone knows Nike and Adidas. Historically, the goal of many packagers has been to grow a brand to reach the same level of recognition as those mentioned above. However, a recent shift has the bigger brand names scrambling to create more craft or "local" products to compete with the smaller packager.

OF course, recognition often comes from creating a product that will stand out from the competition. Creating a stand out product can be accomplished in several different ways. First, of course, would be a unique product or flavor, something new to the market or different from anything currently being offered. However, even common products can be made to stand out by using unique packaging and components. Oddly shaped bottles or other containers, unique closures or specially designed labels can all make a product stand out from the competition when placed together with other similar products on the shelf. Regardless of what is unique, the end goal remains getting the product to stand out from the rest and obtaining brand recognition.

So how does branding and the shift in branding affect packaging machinery? It will all depend on the path chosen to differentiate the product. If the product itself is unique, the process of creating packaging machinery may require that the filling machine be modified to efficiently move liquid into the containers. From fittings and tubing to nozzles and pumps, different components may be used as well. Where the containers, closures, labels or other components are used to make the product unique, multiple machines may require customization or modification. For instance, a bottle with a unique shape may require modification to each and every packaging machine to ensure those bottles remain stable during rinsing, filling, capping and labeling processes.

Finally, LPS offers both semi-automatic and automatic packaging machinery. With branding arguably taking place on a smaller scale, leading to large scale name recognition, semi-automatic packaging equipment is seeing a boost in popularity. Even the bigger name packagers may acquire semi-automatic equipment to run craft-like products without interrupting their typical large scale production of better known products. In addition, given that more and more small scale products are being coveted in larger areas, it has become even more important to create liquid fillers, capping machines and other equipment that can be upgraded and grow with the business and production demands. Many semi-automatic machines are manufactured to allow for such expansion, right up to completely automated production with limited modification should demand require the same.

Using unique products or packaging in no way means that packaging machinery cannot handle your project. To speak with a packaging specialist at LPS about your own needs, call our offices toll free today:

1-888-393-3693