Machine Procurement: Strategy Beats Impulse Buying 

Christoph Waldau, Managing Director of the packaging agency BPC – Band & Partner Packaging Creality, knows the packaging industry from almost every perspective. For more than 30 years, he has been advising brand owners, manufacturers and suppliers on design, innovation and sustainability. Drawing on this experience, he focuses on an area that often receives too little attention: machinery procurement.

Imagine going to a car dealer and saying, “I’d like exactly the same car I’m driving now.” The dealer would reply, “That exact model is no longer available. But here’s the new version – with more features, faster, sleeker, smarter.” The problem: times and requirements have changed. Maybe you no longer drive alone through the city but now have a family and are planning a summer holiday in Italy. The sporty model you had before might no longer be the right fit.

Waldau observes the same mindset in the industry. “We talk to many brand manufacturers and often see the reality of ‘bought according to the previous model’,” he says. Frequently, production alone decides on the purchase: “We need a new system, so we’ll buy the successor model from our trusted machine supplier.” This happens without checking whether new requirements exist in other departments.

The risk is a narrow tunnel vision – especially when it comes to multi-million-euro investments. One major risk, for example, is non-compliance with the regulatory requirements of the PPWR. “You might end up buying a machine that soon produces packaging no longer marketable under EU law. That’s a real risk,” Waldau warns.

According to the expert, this approach also locks companies into a specific technology for the long term – possibly the wrong one. “Mis-investments cause high costs, and later conversions can be expensive. Often, outdated processes are retained even though alternative machines or packaging systems now offer solutions that weren’t possible before,” Waldau emphasizes. Processes, too, should therefore be put to the test.

Of course, the PPWR is not the only influencing factor. Retailers’ specifications often define very specific and fast-changing requirements, sometimes independently of the PPWR – and differing from country to country. Added to this are consumer expectations and internal corporate goals (e.g. CO₂ reduction). At the same time, demands are increasing for an attractive point-of-sale appearance, differentiation, easy opening without tools, low waste, and convenient product removal. This all increases complexity.

“My clear recommendation: don’t think about the machine first – think about the packaging,” advises the packaging expert. “In other words, what kind of packaging or packaging system do you actually need?”

So how can order be brought into this chaos? Through a structured, interdisciplinary approach:

1. Determine requirements – define KPIs: What must the packaging achieve? (Without yet discussing machinery.)
2. Prioritize jointly – top-down across all departments: purchasing, development, marketing, sustainability, legal, production, etc.
3. Evaluate alternatives – objectively compare packaging systems based on KPIs.
4. Make an informed decision – only then select, specify and tender the suitable machine.
5. Implement competently.

In practice, Waldau recommends analyzing the entire value chain: from sourcing through printing & finishing, transport & storage, filling & production, product safety, e-commerce, retail & POS, consumer, disposal & recycling to legal requirements. Requirements and KPIs arise at every stage – therefore, it makes no sense to decide based solely on production needs.

In the next step, manufacturers should compare alternatives along the KPIs (e.g. three variants). “Define an evaluation matrix and create a transparent overview. This way, you consciously decide on a packaging system – and at the same time ensure that you are compliant with PPWR requirements in areas such as disposal & recycling and legal conformity,” Waldau explains. “These are mandatory criteria, and ‘almost compliant’ is not enough.”

Only after identifying the winning system should companies select the appropriate machine and start the tendering process. The result: future-proof investments, and typically greater cost efficiency and performance. “Well-evaluated solutions generally lead to efficiency gains, plus improved sustainability and compliance – and often to market advantages, precisely because of the holistic view of the entire value chain,” Waldau concludes.

 

Author: Alexander Stark, Editor FACHPACK360°