Spreading Some Knowledge

John Eklund, Vice President Marketing, Pro Mach and Chairperson of the Business Intelligence Committee

Before I joined the Business Intelligence Committee, I spent many years gladly taking advantage of its offerings while joking that I hope my competitors continued to overlook the competitive advantage the research and data provided Pro Mach. Now, in my role as Chairman, I want to ensure that every PMMI member pokes around the Business Intelligence Library as often as possible, knowing that it can help every company's bottom line.

The Business Intelligence Committee has made it a goal to create greater awareness of some of the many Business Intelligence offerings members can —and should be—taking advantage of, like quickie surveys. Paula Feldman and her team are ready, willing and able to take whatever question you might have and propose it to the membership in a way that will provide information unique to our industry. These can be about anything from how you train new staff to how your company handles travel expenses.

As for our Industry leading reports and Benchmarketing research we are continuing to source topics that meet your needs. In 2017, we will have for the first time, a Processing State of the Industry report to serve as an industry companion to our annual Packaging State of the Industry Report.

Our most recent addition is also a new topic, the 2017 Trends Shaping Meat, Poultry and Seafood. It focuses on the operational changes and future equipment needs in the processing and packaging of proteins.

We have also scheduled updates of some of our most popular reports, including beverage, automation and pharmaceuticals. In fact, just last week we released a 2017 Pharmaceutical and Medical Device white paper as an addendum to our 2016 Pharmaceutical and Medical Devices: Trends and Opportunities in Packaging Operations report. The information in the Top 5 Forces Shaping the Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Industries in 2017 and Beyond describes the significant changes in the pharmaceutical and medical device industries in the last decade as the overall demand for healthcare has expanded. As the market has evolved, manufacturers in both industries face a fundamental challenge to adjust to a new business environment in an open, forward thinking way to maintain an innovative edge.

This is true, actionable intelligence that all of us can use whether we deal with this market sector or not as it forces us to recognize that the status quo can —and will— evolve.

As we enter the final quarter of the year, keep an eye out for additional ways the Business Intelligence Committee is integrating our products throughout the PMMI Media Group, PACK EXPO Las Vegas, and with other PMMI Business Drivers.