It's here...the 2013 Pantone color of the year is EMERALD GREEN 17-5641.

As a printer, CartonCraft Inc. knows all about Pantone and their color swatches. 

Last year Pantone's 2012 color was "Tangerine Tango," but this year Pantone says this color really makes a statement,

"Green is the most abundant hue in nature – the human eye sees more green than any other color in the spectrum," said Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute. "As it has throughout history, multifaceted Emerald continues to sparkle and fascinate. Symbolically, Emerald brings a sense of clarity, renewal and rejuvenation, which is so important in today's complex world. This powerful and universally appealing tone translates easily to both  fashion and home interiors."  See the full article from Gizmodo to read more about Pantone's idea behind their color choice at: http://gizmodo.com/5966456/here-is-the-official-color-of-2013

Source: Here Is the Official Color of 2013 (http://gizmodo.com/5966456/here-is-the-official-color-of-2013) by Casey Chan

After attending the 2012 PLMA expo on November 12-13th (held at the Rosemont Convention Center in Chicago, IL,) it wasn’t surprising to see the overwhelming amount of exhibitors for the following industries: Food, Pharmaceutical, Personal Care, Animal Health/Petcare and Household...

So what does private label mean? Private label products are brands owned or sponsored by a retailer or supplier and made by a contract manufacturer and most private label products continue to be sold under retailer brands but are produced by firms further up the supply chain, according to The Private World of Private Label Food Brands.

The rising rate of private label brands has really made a spot for themselves on retail shelves worldwide. According to the article, Store Brands Step Up Their Game and Prices from the Wall Street Journal, “Every year, U.S. shoppers buy more generic goods, many of them trading down from more expensive, name-brand labels to save money. But consumers are developing loyalty to store brands for reasons besides price, and that could be a problem for food and consumer-products companies as the economy rebounds.”

This so-called loyal fan base has made such an impact on current markets that for the food industry alone “Private label food brands are a $90 billion business accounting for 17.4 percent of retail food sales in the U.S. and over the past six years, while most food categories have been struggling, private labels have grown at a rate of 6 percent per year,” from The Private World of Private Label Food Brands article.

A majority of the store brand items have jumped on the private label wagon by carrying the same name. For example, Costco's Kirkland, Whole Foods' 365 Everyday Value products, Dominick’s Safeway, and Walmart's Great Value and Marketside has created a loyal fan base that not only saves its consumers money but also maintains the quality and freshness of the product. These store brands have been able to position themselves as premium brands by “mimicking or bettering the national brands packaging” - shape, size, graphics and labels. And because of this copy-cat effect, many consumers today think that they are buying a national brand rather than the private label brand.

So the next time you find yourself deciding between a name brand or private label just ask yourself, what’s really in a name?

If you want to try to look ahead to what might happen to healthcare packaging businesses after the presidential election, there are plenty of available clichés and truisms to turn to. They can help start a discussion, but they usually don’t tell the whole story.

You could stroke your beard and say knowingly that President Obama, if reelected, will continue his traditional pro-regulatory ways, adding burdens and obligations to business the way Democratic politicians do. Or you could remove your reading glasses, sigh, and say, well, if Mitt Romney is elected president, he’s already promised he will get regulations out of business’s way, so the climate will be generally better for business.

Such clichés—of Democratic politicians adding government regulation and Republicans taking it away—are a good starting point for a lot of analyses. The world, in that way it has, is proving a little more complicated, though.

**Please read the full article for more information on the 2013 presidential election and Healthcare Packaging: http://www.packworld.com/trends-and-issues/regulatory/how-presidential-election-results-might-influence-healthcare-packaging

Source: How the presidential election results might influence healthcare packaging regulations (http://www.packworld.com/trends-and-issues/regulatory/how-presidential-election-results-might-influence-healthcare-packaging) by Eric F. Greenberg

From the article, "9 Things That Motivate Employees More Than Money" by Ilya Pozin, it's interesting to see what factors inspire people in the business world today.

http://business.time.com/2012/08/21/9-things-that-motivate-employees-more-than-money/

Here is a quick list of what was shared:

1. Be generous with praise.

2. Get rid of the managers.

3. Make your ideas theirs.

4. Never criticize or correct.

5. Make everyone a leader.

6. Take an employee to lunch once a week.

7. Give recognition and small rewards.

8. Throw company parties.

9. Share the rewards - and the pain.

Click on link above to read more about each of these suggestions. Do you agree or disagree with these statements? In what ways does your company motivate YOU? 

Source: 9 things that motivate employees more than money (http://business.time.com/2012/08/21/9-things-that-motivate-employees-more-than-money/) by ILYA POZIN

Good news for box manufacturers!

New study forecasts U.S. demand for corrugated and paperboard boxes to climb $36.5 billion in 2016.

The industry market research firm says growth will be boosted by an overall strengthening of the U.S. economy following the 2007-2009 recession. In particular, growth will benefit from expanded food, beverage, and durable goods output, as well as from a rebound in construction spending, which will stimulate demand for goods and materials (and their related boxes) used in construction applications.

Boxes and folding cartons sporting high-quality graphics and printing will also generate demand, as will retail- or shelf-ready containers, which are also expected to gain ground. Food and beverages, which accounted for 50% of total U.S. box demand in 2011, represent the largest single box market.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CLICK ON THE LINK AND READ THE FULL ARTICLE:

http://www.packworld.com/package-type/cartons-and-boxes/box-demand-continues-rise

Source: Box demand continues to rise (http://www.packworld.com/package-type/cartons-and-boxes/box-demand-continues-rise) by By Jim Butschli

CartonCraft Inc. was proud to participant in Chicago's Ronald McDonald House Charity Family Fun Walk on Saturday June 23, 2012. This 4 mile walk inspired our team while allowing us to help numerous families in need. Not only did every team member finish the walk strong, but we all had the opportunity to see and experience the worlds largest Ronald McDonald House before anyone else!! The House was fantastic and equipped with all the necessities a person can wish for. CartonCraft Inc. raised over $1,500 and was truly honored to be involved in this event!

http://designshack.net/articles/graphics/effective-package-design-does-more-than-look-good-on-the-shelf/

Manufacturing Marvels ™ airs on The Fox Business Network at 8:35pm EST M-F and is narrated by John Criswell.  CartonCraft Inc. was recently spotlighted on Manufacturing Marvels in a  2-minute feature on American manufacturers, their products, as well as the companies’ processes and customers.

October 31,2011 - National Minority Supplier Development Council, Inc.

NETWORK, NETWORK, NETWORK!

Being a minority-owned packaging supplier, CartonCraft, Inc. was fortunate enough to attend the 2011 NMSDC Business Opportunity Fair in Atlanta, Georgia. This was a fantastic venue to be a part of as so many of our current clients were exhibiting; not to mention all of the prospective clients that we hope to partner with in the future.

In order to attend this event a company must have the proper documentation that shows it is at least 51% minority-owned. According to the National Minority Supplier Development Council, there are "standardized procedures to assure consistent and identical review and certification of minority-owned businesses" (http://www.nmsdc.org).

After a business is properly registered with the NMSDC, the benefits are endless. Their Opportunity Fair allows minority-owned businesses of all sizes to directly network with corporate America! CartonCraft Inc. took full advantage of this opportunity - and for that we thank you NMSDC. We look forward to attending next year in Denver, Colorado.

Source: 2011 NMSDC CONFERENCE MINORITY BUSINESSES AND CORPORATE AMERICA: Raising the Bar through Sustainable Strategies (http://www.nmsdconline.com/)
Source: The National Minority Supplier Development Council, Inc. NMSDC Profit through Partnership (http://www.nmsdc.org/nmsdc/#.TxXQA6W0zEZ)

PACK EXPO Las Vegas 2011, September 26 – 28, was an innovative experience and learning success for CartonCraft, Inc! A packaging crowd of 25,000+ professionals and over 1,600 exhibiting companies attended this year - did you?

CartonCraft, Inc. put more than a few miles on our shoes as we walked along the never-ending booths and the on-going aisles of this show!  

We greeted several of our current clients who also attended this show and assured them that CartonCraft Inc. is aware of the modern packaging trends that continue to arise each year. Such trends include the following: graphic/ structural packaging designs, machine filling equipment, and updated technical software all in which will help our clients overall bottom line.

Overall, the Pack Expo 2011 included the processing and packaging needs for the industry's in: foods, beverages, confectionery, pharmaceutical, personal care and consumer packaged goods of all kinds! This was a networking show that wasn't worth missing. 

If your company exhibited or just attended like us, we want to hear your thoughts...How did this expo help your company for the future in the packaging industry?