Learning Center

Whether you’re looking for solutions to specific challenges or wanting to deepen your overall knowledge of secondary packaging, our Learning Center is designed to give you the resources to make confident decisions about your secondary packaging systems.

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How-To, Problems / Challenges

Why Packaging Line Startups Fail — And How to Achieve Vertical Startup

Learn why most CPG packaging startups fail, how world-class companies use FAT and SAT to prevent performance dip, and practical steps you can take to achieve vertical startup.

Commissioning Startup

Problems / Challenges

The Packaging Risk Nobody Budgets For: Retiring Expertise

Learn the 5 risks of retiring expertise, the leading indicators to watch out for, and what helps reduce the risks.

Retirement Risks

Robotic arms on a secondary packaging machine

Problems / Challenges

Robotic vs Traditional Packaging Automation: When Are Robots The Right Choice?

Learn the strengths and weaknesses of robotic systems as a secondary packaging solution. Then evaluate whether one is right for your line, and learn a framework for proving ROI.

Purchasing Return on Investment (ROI) Robotics

How-To, Problems / Challenges

5 Metrics Every CPG Manufacturer Must Master for Omnichannel Packaging Success

Learn how e-commerce is changing end-of-line packaging, why traditional KPIs fall short, and how to realign your packaging strategy to meet e-commerce head-on.

E-commerce KPIs Metrics

Two people at machine looking at document

Problems / Challenges

The CPG Startup Readiness Checklist: 25 Questions to Prevent the Performance Dip

Get a 25-question readiness checklist spanning FAT, SAT, training, OEM relationships, and startup ownership – so you can identify gaps before they turn into downtime.

Commissioning

People talking around a packaging machine

Problems / Challenges

Which FAT Shortcuts Most Reliably Predict a Painful Commissioning?

Learn which FAT compromises are survivable, which almost guarantee pain, and where that risk will surface once the equipment hits your floor.

FAT

Problems / Challenges

Equipment Failure and the Bathtub Curve: How to Extend the Life of Your Machines

Learn what the bathtub curve tells us about equipment failure, why many machines age out faster than they should, and how top-performing plants extend the “useful life” phase.

Aftermarket Equipment Longevity

Techinician working on electronic controls for machine

Problems / Challenges

Electronic Controls Upgrades: A Practical Guide to Managing Obsolescence

Learn why controls go obsolete, how to reduce your risk, and which upgrade path offers the best ROI—based on your situation, not just your budget.

Aftermarket Obsolescence Return on Investment (ROI) Service Upgrades

Cost & Price

What Actually Drives Secondary Packaging TCO (Ranked by Impact)

Learn where total cost of ownership is actually created—so you know where to spend time, where to push vendors, and where cutting corners will cost you later.

Return on Investment (ROI) Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)

1 … 4 5 6 7 8 9

Beverage cans and paperboard cartons running through lanes on a multipacker machine

Cost & Price

Beverage Multipacker Cost: Pricing, Specifications, and Buying Considerations

Beverage multipackers have their own unique set of budgetary conditions. Learn how to scope pricing tiers, account for your SKUs, and prepare for vendor conversations.

Beverage Can Packaging Bottle Packaging Cartoner Cartons Multi-Serve Products

Boxed food products packed into cartons with automated equipment

Cost & Price

How Much Does a Cartoner Cost?

Cartoner price is based on many factors including type, product, and customization. Learn about the main cost tiers of cartoners, as well as what affects their price and lead-time.

Cartoner Cost Tiers Cartoner Price Cartoner Types Cartons

Side load case packer packing cartons of pizza into corrugate case

Cost & Price

How Much Does a Side Load Case Packer Cost?

Budgeting for a side load case packer all depends on what you want and how much you’re willing to pay for it. Learn about pricing tiers, cost drivers, add-ons, and value-adders, so you can take control of your buying process.

Budget Cost Factors Horizontal Load Value-Adders

A business person going over a service agreement document

Secondary Packaging 101

Packaging Equipment Service Agreements: What to Look For

Packaging equipment service agreements are more than contracts: they’re commitments to trusted partners. We’ll outline what to look for and help you know if you’ve found a provider you can trust.

Agreements Commitments Contracts Provider

Illustration of various secondary packaging formats, including bags in display trays, shrink wrapped bottles, and beverage cans in paperboard sleeves

How-To

How to Choose the Right Secondary Packaging Format for My Product?

Before exploring automated secondary packaging options, you need to select a packaging format: case, tray, carton, shrink film, multipack or variety pack. We’ll explain these formats, as well as the four factors that make your decision.

Corrugated Cases Multipacks Pack Pattern Paperboard Cartons Paperboard Sleeves Shrink Film Trays Variety Pack

Beverage bottles, snack pouches, yogurt tubs, and candy bags in retail-ready packaging

Secondary Packaging 101

Retail-Ready Packaging: What It Is and What It Means for You

Retail-ready packaging (RRP) means that a single case must protect the product, and present and sell to retailers and customers. We’ll explain RRP and “The Five Easies,” and what they mean for your line.

Display-Ready RRP Shelf-Ready The Five Easies

1 2 3 4 5 … 13

HORIZONTAL LOAD

TOP LOAD

SHRINK WRAPPERS

SHRINK PACKERS

MULTIWRAPPERS

CARTONERS

SLEEVERS

MULTIPACKERS

Learning Center

Whether you’re looking for solutions to specific challenges or wanting to deepen your overall knowledge of secondary packaging, our Learning Center is designed to give you the resources to make confident decisions about your secondary packaging systems.

Filter by Category

Filter by Topic

Filter by Type

Why Packaging Line Startups Fail — And How to Achieve Vertical Startup

The Packaging Risk Nobody Budgets For: Retiring Expertise

Robotic vs Traditional Packaging Automation: When Are Robots The Right Choice?

5 Metrics Every CPG Manufacturer Must Master for Omnichannel Packaging Success

The CPG Startup Readiness Checklist: 25 Questions to Prevent the Performance Dip

Which FAT Shortcuts Most Reliably Predict a Painful Commissioning?

Equipment Failure and the Bathtub Curve: How to Extend the Life of Your Machines

Electronic Controls Upgrades: A Practical Guide to Managing Obsolescence

What Actually Drives Secondary Packaging TCO (Ranked by Impact)

Beverage Multipacker Cost: Pricing, Specifications, and Buying Considerations

How Much Does a Cartoner Cost?

How Much Does a Side Load Case Packer Cost?

Packaging Equipment Service Agreements: What to Look For

How to Choose the Right Secondary Packaging Format for My Product?

Retail-Ready Packaging: What It Is and What It Means for You

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