Tag: Faster

Stand-Out Packaging

Written on by frain-sales

Media consumption and exposure continues to climb at an ever-increasing rate.  It’s estimated that U.S. adults are exposed to approximately 10 hours, 39 minutes of media per day.

The same fight for attention happens in retail and e-tail with merchants carrying tens of thousands of items or in the case of Amazon, more than 500 million.  Think about that for a minute.

So, how do brands develop innovative and attention-grabbing products, packaging, etc. that stand out?

Just like media headlines, e-commerce websites are able to simultaneously test messaging and imagery to understand what offers, packages, colors, words work best.

Data then points to which package or collection of words, images, etc. will offer the largest return on eyeballs.

The key for brand companies becomes not over-analyzing what to launch but launching variety efficiently and while mitigating or removing risk altogether.

Frain has worked on dozens of large brand projects over the past couple years.  From these projects, we’ve seen a shift in the way projects run.  Companies are now more nimble than ever, getting to market faster by renting resources and equipment and shutting down or ramping up production based on the data.

The focus used to be on trying to launch the perfect project, inexpensively – which may have included finding a machine at a lower cost.

But, now, realizing that days or even minutes of a successfully running project can pay for the machine or at least for the price to rent, and ability for equipment customers to rent – we’re seeing multiple product packaging launch ideas come thru all at once to increase speed to market, data, and revenue.

As we know the insatiable market demand for more variety exists, as does the opportunity to seize this demand quickly to maximize revenue.  The difference between winning and losing today is the ability to act and act again based on data.

“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” – Thomas A. Edison

3 Reasons Our Customers Rent Machinery

Written on by frain-sales

With so many projects coming and going thru Frain, we’ve seen more and more of our customers renting and leasing machines lately.

Like a skier, flying into Colorado and checking out the most ideal pair of skis for the weekend, our customers are constantly refining their equipment needs based on their own needs, conditions, and the shifts being made by an ever-evolving consumer.

Like anything that’s lasted over 35 years, Frain has evolved with customer needs and demands.

This has enabled us to not only see sustainable growth over the years, but to become more and more valuable to our customers with a focus on improving the value we bring.

After seeing thousands of project ship under eco-friendly, rental terms, we’ve come across the three most common trends among our rental customers and insight as to why they choose to rent.

1. Flexibility

Like new, or many times brand new, rental equipment gives our customers the flexibility to respond to the unknown future.

They may order machinery based upon increased demand, business, new retail distributor deals / relationships or they are testing something new, such as a new product or packaging.

rent-packaging-machinery

In either case, many times the future may be unknown in terms of how long the machine will be needed and renting provides the flexibility of returning if or when its no longer needed.

2. Budget

While every company may have enough money, they may not have budgeted for a particular equipment purchase.

Being able to rent machinery enables companies to get what they need for an item, which may not have been included in the original forecast, but will allow them to reach new heights.[kkstarratings][kkstarratings]

Companies like Mars, Clorox, and Meijer have worked with Frain to get to market months sooner and see positive ROI within literally minutes of running the machine under rental terms.

3. Footprint

With machinery and projects constantly evolving, our customers can optimize use of their floor space by returning equipment after renting from us and leverage the freed up space for another project.

Frain helps its customers reach peak performance by delivery quality packaging, processing machinery and complete packaging lines sooner than traditional channels, while offering the flexibility to rent and return the equipment as needed.

A Wild River Ride!

Written on by John Henry

I suspect that most of you are happy with Amazon’s speedy deliveries but always want them to be just a little bit faster. I know I am and do.

We also love the idea that they will provide drone delivery, lockboxes at the corner store and other innovations to provide us with almost instant delivery. Faster is better, right?

I’d not thought much about this from the manufacturer’s standpoint until a couple months ago. For most of my clients, Walmart is their most significant customer, accounting for half or more of sales. They are usually their most challenging customer as well.

I found an exception when a client called me in to help them reduce setup and changeover times. Walmart was a biggie for them, of course. Amazon was even bigger and tougher, particularly on delivery times.

Their current contract Amazon requires 36-hour shipment. Their upcoming contract will require 33 hours. I’ve never seen shipping requirements expressed in hours instead of days except in some special circumstances. I was amazed and still don’t see how this is possible unless FEDEX/UPS are picking up almost hourly.

This company had almost 1,000 SKUs so keeping inventory is out of the question.

They’re not there yet but I see Amazon pushing them towards single piece manufacturing with short cycle times. Buy one, make one. In hours, not days. And cheaper too, please.

Vicky Smitley of the Contract Packaging Association spoke about mass customization at Pack Expo earlier this month. She (and all of us, really) want exactly what we want and we want it now. As a customer, she wants it all. As a manufacturer, it drives her crazy.

You’ve gotta do it. If you don’t your competition will and you will be left behind.

They key to meeting this challenge is total commitment by everyone, starting with marketing/product design. Products and packages must be designed for small batch manufacturing and nimble changeover.

Lines and plants must be designed for nimbleness and everyone in the plant, top to bottom, must understand the strategic importance.

Delight your customers, one unique product at a time.

Do More…. Faster…. For Less

Written on by frain-sales

During our time at Pack Expo, hundreds of customers had the opportunity to learn more about our new brand, Frain Integration. They met with our industry experts to understand the impact of speed to market, accelerated cash flow, flexible manufacturing, and risk avoidance.

Surprisingly, the Frain Team learned a great deal from you.

More and more companies, large and small, do not have engineers and technicians in house to assist in the regular upkeep of their machinery let alone to recondition a complete line. Many outsource technical services and often end up paying a lot more than they should…downtime increases and wholesale brand revenue is impacted.

We found that manufacturers want reconditioned and integrated solutions working with a team capable of combining these elements. Frain Integration fills the void that currently exists in the packaging industry, and it does so by providing the largest certified pre-owned packaging equipment inventory in North America.

Frain appreciates the time all of you spent at our booth. We thoroughly enjoyed meeting you and the conversations we had.

The Growing Element

Written on by frain-sales

In our recent Third Quarter Customer Survey we discovered that 64% of all respondents rate time as the top priority for choosing Frain. They also identified several growing trends, such as equipment automation, flexibility, sustainability, lead time, and a growing market. The respondents appreciate the trends above differently, but lead to an interesting phenomenon: they classify specific growing trends that, in fact, describe what Frain does.

40% of all respondents see a growing trend in what has been identified as the Frain Element. This element consists of 9 factors that shape the way the companies, vendors, and partners interact and respond to consumer demand.

 

Graph Table

 

Time and speed play a dynamic role in the factors with an inclination toward a faster response at 28.6% and shorter lead time at 21.4%. Our customers appreciate the importance of not only shorter lead times, but also being able to customize machines to accommodate a growing market and the demand for immediate delivery.

Frain has instinctively stayed ahead of the competition by understanding what customers want and providing those services via the largest equipment inventory, faster equipment delivery, and unmatched man power. The Frain Element is the largest and most important trend that customers view as a game changer. We are machine enthusiasts and take pride in providing the right equipment faster than anyone else in the industry.

Read the complete Third Quarter Customer Survey Report for more details on growing trends.

Uber Speed Revolution

Written on by frain-sales

Uber-Revolution

Recently, Frain Integration spent over 500 hours of research time in interviewing 100 Brand Owners, CEOs and Plant Managers within the Packaging and Processing Industry.  Not surprisingly, most respondents ranked speed to market as their top priority.

Looking deeper into why speed to market is number one, research respondents specified that for every week late to market – 7% of brand category sales and 12-15% of margins are lost. With companies frequently launching new products, quickly finding out what is working and what’s not working is critical.

Traditional strategies- including direct OEM purchases, broker or third party purchases, used equipment dealers, or working with several companies- proved to be unsuccessful.  And even with what appears to be an excellent strategy, companies have repeatedly faced inconvenient turnaround times and problematic delays from trusted equipment suppliers.

Companies today need ultimate speed and convenience in being able to adjust to market demand, innovation, and finances.  In other words, they need disruptive, Uber-style strategy that enables them to “get cash sooner” and surpass competition. Frain Integration reacted to respondents concerns by introducing an approach that expedites new product launches, enabling customers to respond faster to market demand changes. Additionally, Frain customers can safeguard shelf space, and produce incremental-additional revenue faster.

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