I'm back into the packaging industry... but why?

Why did I get back into packaging?

They say change is the only constant in life.

Well, whoever came up with that saying is pretty much bang on the money! That plus taxes :-)

But you don't need to have a history degree or have a PhD in human evolution to understand that change is part of life.

But back to the question...

Why did I get back into packaging?

Well maybe before I get into that I should probably give you a quick timeline on how I got here (insert flashback music!).

• So let's rewind to well over a decade ago, 2009 to be exact! This is the year where I first entered the packaging world, from here I spent the next decade or so in distribution and manufacturing and quickly learnt the importance of packaging to the economy & community, so much so that decided to write about it back in 2019 (see original article below).

• One of my purposes, when I was in packaging, was to help grow the respective revenues of the businesses I was representing, and more importantly help my customers, partners and markets navigate their packaging decisions, which then led to lifelong friendships and connections around the Asia Pacific region and the World!
• I loved the latter part of building connections and friendships so I decided to double down on that and that led me to learn new innovative solutions in sustainable packaging, which then led to a feature article on Supply Chain Digital (see link below), and had me thinking I was way over my head, but that was just the #tallpoppy syndrome and I soon learnt how to be proud of that achievement!

• Then in the middle of a Global Pandemic, I decided to shift gears and try my hand in the hygiene world.... which didn't quite go to plan but don't worry I learnt some invaluable life lessons during that time :-).
• That decision led me to try my hand in the Supply Chain world of Third Party Logistics (3PL) and this opened my eyes to the importance of supply chains and operations, especially amid a global pandemic!
• Then still in the middle of the Global Pandemic I found myself gravitating toward packaging conversations, and getting invited to talk about my packaging experiences with audiences around the world and here in beautiful New Zealand (see posts below).

• THEN that's when it started to dawn on me and asked myself the below question...

"What if I'm meant to be in this industry for a reason?"

This then leads perfectly into the earlier question,

"Why did I get back into packaging?"

The short answer is, that something felt right in my gut.

The long answer is, that your "gut feeling" often has a funny way of helping you realize the uncertainty in life, and in this case, it was an opportunity to get back to helping brands, organizations and build teams to realize the potential that packaging has AND does make.

So where to from here?

Well, you may have noticed I've joined the wonderful team at Hi-Tech Packaging to help lead the Sales, Marketing and Business Development team. I have to say, the team at Hi-Tech Packaging is a lovely close-knit, passionate group dedicated to doing exactly what I plan on getting back into which is helping brands, organizations and our industry realize the potential of packaging.

AND whilst I am aware we cannot solve every packaging challenge, we can certainly start by having a conversation.

So with that in mind drop me a line here and let's chat over coffee or your choice of beverage, as I would love to hear your stories and challenges and get back in touch with the packaging community after a couple of years away.

Till next time,

Michael