I created and developed a survey to find out more about the food and beverage packaging readers and event attendees. I worked with the vendor to get the survey completed and then interpreted the results into the presentation.
4. Company Size
1,000 or more
21%
500 - 999
9%
250 - 499
10%
100 - 249
12%
20 - 99
18%
fewer than 20
28%
no answer
2%
How many employees are in your company, including all locations?
5. Primary Job Function
owner
24%
executive management
16%
manufacturing &
production
12%
engineering
10%
sales, business
development, & marketing
9%
packaging development &
R&D
9%
plant engineering & operations
maintenance
5%
purchasing & procurement
4%
quality
3%
other*
8%
What is your PRIMARY job function?
*other: brand/product management, package design, supply chain/logistics, regulatory
6. Total Time in Buying Process
more than 12 months
7% 11 - 12 months
5%
9 - 10 months
3%
7 - 8 months
8%
5 - 6 months
26%
3 - 4 months
28%
1 - 2 months
22%
no answer
1%
When your company enters the buying process for a major packaging purchase, approximately
how many months does the process take from identifying the need for new materials/equipment
to making the final decision?
7. Importance of Information in Vendor Selection
15%
18%
26%
46%
55%
60%
67%
75%
76%
supplier's social media sites
social media posts about the supplier
magazine ads
articles about the supplier
company's preferred vendor list
trade shows/conferences
Internet searches
colleagues' opinions/recommendations
supplier's website
How important to you are each of the following sources of information when seeking a new
packaging supplier?
8. Involvement in Vendor Selection
18%
19%
27%
41%
42%
46%
47%
49%
52%
54%
58%
59%
64%
usually make the final decisions myself
approve the supplier recommendations of others
work on/issue the RFQs
negotiate with suppliers
recommend/specify the selection of individual suppliers
prepare plans/budgets
make the initial contact with suppliers
share in final decisions with others
compare the various alternatives (performance/specs/costs/etc.)
research/suggest which suppliers might satisfy our needs
involved in the evaluation of products/equipment/suppliers
meet with suppliers
identify specific needs for new or different technology
When your organization seeks to identify and evaluate vendors/suppliers for a major packaging
technology initiative, in which of these ways are you typically involved?
9. Involved in Creating Vendor List
yes
70%
no
30%
Are you personally involved in establishing approved vendor/supplier lists for your organization?
10. Frequency of Vendor List Evaluation
every 6 months
12%
annually
44%
every 18 months
6%
every 2 years
5%
at some other frequency
16%
never
2%
not sure
15%
How often does your organization evaluate its approved vendor/supplier lists?
11. Factors When Selecting a Vendor
If you were to select a VENDOR/SUPPLIER for your company, how important would each of the
following criteria be to you? IMPORTANT SUMMARY (rated 4 or 5 on a 5-point scale where 5 = very
important and 1 = not at all important)
45%
61%
75%
76%
78%
78%
84%
92%
93%
95%
96%
location
design assistance
innovation
relationship
engineering technical support
prior experience
price
performance
deliverability
reliability
quality
12. Features of Packaging Technology
50%
50%
52%
60%
63%
63%
70%
77%
87%
cube efficient
lightweighting
high barrier
high-impact graphics
energy efficiency
recyclable/reusable
toxicity/migration
consumer convenience features
cost reduction
How important would the following features be to you if you were evaluating/selecting
PACKAGING TECHNOLOGY for your company?
13. Technology Expenditures
Technology Type Increase Decrease Unchanged
labels, digital printing products/equipment, product identification and decorating 46% 5% 49%
automation, controls, motors, software and servos 43% 2% 55%
marking, coding products/equipment 43% 4% 53%
flexible packaging 39% 4% 57%
bagging products/equipment 38% 5% 57%
material handling, conveying, accumulation equipment 35% 4% 61%
cartoning, casing, sealing products/equipment 34% 6% 60%
inspection, detection, check-weighing equipment 34% 5% 61%
form, fill, feed equipment 32% 4% 64%
contract manufacturing/packaging services 31% 9% 60%
packaging design services (graphics, structural) 31% 6% 63%
shrink or stretch wrap products/equipment 27% 5% 68%
film, foil 26% 7% 67%
paper, paperboard 26% 8% 66%
palletizing equipment 24% 5% 71%
bottles, closures 23% 6% 71%
plastics/resins 21% 7% 72%
capping, overcapping, lidding equipment 20% 7% 73%
converting machines 19% 7% 74%
glass, metal 16% 16% 68%
rigid containers 16% 8% 76%
For the following types of technology, do you expect your company's expenditures to increase,
decrease, or stay the same in the next 12 months?
14. Event and Conference Attendance
About how many of each of the following industry events do you attend in a typical year?
Assuming the content is interesting and relevant, how likely would you be to attend an industry
TRADE SHOW/CONFERENCE in each of the following scenarios?
1 to 2 3 to 4 5 to 6 more than 6
trade shows 53% 21% 6.5% 7%
conferences:
free 40% 14.5% 3% 5%
conferences:
paid 41% 9% 3.5% 3%
27%
27%
29%
30%
33%
34%
42%
56%
60%
the conference location is beyond 300 miles…
the conference offers continuing education…
the event sponsors evening/after-event…
you have to fly to the location
the event is multiple days (requiring overnight…
the trade show location is beyond 300 miles…
the city/destination of the event is appealing to…
travel/lodging is paid for by your company
you can travel by car to the location within a day
Likely to Attend
15. Challenges Faced In Packaging
How challenging are each of the following aspects of packaging to your company?
30%
37%
46%
47%
47%
49%
55%
55%
55%
60%
collaborating effectively with internal departments
collaborating effectively with external partners
instituting sustainability improvements
finding qualified suppliers
complying with regulatory requirements
changes in consumer preference/consumption
ensuring efficiency in packaging processes
implementing innovation
proper staffing/training
managing costs
16. Decorating Technology Use
When it comes to packaging graphics, which DECORATING TECHNOLOGIES is your company using
and/or planning to use in the next two years?
28%
33%
41%
55%
57%
16%
17%
6%
9%
15%
shrink-sleeve labeling
direct-package printing: online/on demand
glue-applied labeling
pressure-sensitive labeling
direct-package printing: preprinted
Plan To Use Currently Use
17. Packaging Automation Technology Use
What technologies is your company currently using on packaging lines in your manufacturing
plants to optimize production or improve automation and which does it plan to use in the next
two years?
21%
27%
27%
27%
33%
37%
40%
44%
18%
19%
18%
21%
18%
20%
12%
26%
Internet of things
remote monitoring/diagnostics
robotics
serialization/track-and-trace
hybrid/combo machines (ex: x-ray inspection that also check-weights
or palletizer with shrink wrapper)
smart sensors
servo/stepper motors
fully automated equipment
Plan To Use Currently Use
18. Use Of Trade Publication Resources
For which reasons do you typically use each of the following resources?
32%
35%
38%
40%
41%
53%
57%
37%
42%
42%
43%
43%
57%
66%
trade publication: editorial webcasts
trade publication: digital (ads and editorial)
trade publication: eNewsletters
trade publication: print (ads and editorial)
trade publication: websites (ads and editorial)
NET: TRADE PUBLICATION [ADS AND EDITORIAL)
NET: TRADE PUBLICATION RESOURCES
For Information On Packaging To Learn About New Packaging
19. Use Of Non-Trade Publication Resources
For which reasons do you typically use each of the following resources?
15%
19%
19%
24%
25%
27%
29%
29%
36%
39%
39%
40%
42%
46%
55%
19%
24%
19%
43%
29%
40%
34%
35%
44%
48%
52%
53%
61%
51%
46%
online: communities (e.g., chat rooms, bulletin boards)
blogs/user groups
social media
vendor/supplier: direct mail
industry analysts/research organizations (e.g., Frost, Gartner)
vendor/supplier: eNewsletters
case studies/white papers
webcasts/webinars
videos
distributor websites
vendor/supplier: sales representatives
online: catalogs
vendor/suppler: websites
colleagues/peers/word-of-mouth
industry conferences/trade shows
For Information On Packaging To Learn About New Packaging
20. Social Media Use
For which reasons do you regularly use/access each of the following social media platforms?
4%
5%
7%
14%
14%
19%
23%
51%
61%
66%
12%
5%
6%
22%
21%
18%
56%
38%
58%
25%
Snapchat
Tumblr
Reddit
Instagram
Pinterest
Twitter
Facebook
Google+
YouTube
LinkedIn
Personal Professional
21. Age
What is your age?
55 or over
45%
45 - 54
32%
35 - 44
15%
under 35
7%
no answer
1%
23. The findings cited in this report are based on a survey sponsored by UBM. The purpose of this research
project was to learn about their audience’s involvement in the food and beverage packaging market.
• The survey sample of 33,784 represented all emailable, domestic recipients of Packaging Digest who
have opened an email from Packaging Digest three or more times in the last six months and who are
classified by UBM as being involved in food and beverage packaging.
• The survey was designed jointly by Packaging Digest and Readex. Placement of the survey on a web
page, distribution of the electronic survey invitations, and tabulation of the results were handled by
Readex. As an incentive to participate, respondents were able to enter a drawing for the chance to win
one of two $100 Visa gift cards.
• The survey was closed for tabulation with 1,632 total responses—a 5% response rate. To best represent
the audience of interest, results are based on the 364 respondents who indicated on the first survey
question that their companies’ primary activities are contract packager (involved with food and
beverage) and/or food/beverage products manufacturer. This implies a reduction in the population
represented to approximately 7,500 (or about 13% of Packaging Digest’s total emailable circulation).
• The margin of error for percentages based on 364 usable responses is ±5.0 percentage points at the
95% confidence level. The margin of error for percentages based on smaller sample sizes will be larger.
24. About Readex Research
• Readex Research is a nationally recognized independent research company located in Stillwater,
Minnesota. Its roots are in survey research for the magazine publishing industry, but specialization in
conducting high-quality survey research (by mail and/or the Internet) has brought clients from many
other markets, including associations, corporate marketers and communicators, and government
agencies. Since its founding in 1947, Readex has completed thousands of surveys for hundreds of
different clients.
• As a full-service survey research supplier, Readex offers professional services, and in-house processing
of all phases of each project (traditional mailing, broadcast emailing, and data processing) to ensure
complete control over project quality and schedule. Analytical capabilities include a range of
multivariate statistics and modeling techniques in addition to the more traditional stub-and-banner
tabulations.
• This survey was conducted and this report was prepared by Readex in accordance with accepted
research standards and practices.
