Reflections From PACK EXPO 2021

This past week, I had the opportunity to attend PACK EXPO 2021 in Las Vegas alongside many of my WestRock colleagues.?Throughout the event, we connected with hundreds of attendees to learn about their packaging needs and how we could best serve them.

With our new-to-market packaging and automation innovations, we demonstrated how we are reshaping the packaging industry through sustainable solutions that help customers meet and exceed their operational goals. We envision a future where sustainability, automation and connectivity come together to help companies respond to consumers’ shifting preferences for more fiber-based packaging, while enabling increased productivity in their operations and supply chains.

This year, we were excited to highlight innovative new-to-market solutions for a variety of end-markets enabled by the full power of the WestRock enterprise. Among them were: the PFS 500 Small Format Tray Former and our Evergrow family of fiber based punnets to replace traditional plastic clamshells for fresh produce and other similar applications; the Cluster-Pak? eMerge? Combo a fully integrated system that enables optimized fiber-based primary, secondary and tertiary for frozen and ready meals; the redesigned Pak On Demand? Pouch System, a sustainable fiber-based and automated pouch/envelop system for e-commerce. We also brought back our BoxSizer? packaging system, part of our industry-leading portfolio of automated solutions to improve production line performance, optimize supply chains and drive margins. I want to send a heartfelt thank you to our team who helped organize the event as well as representatives at the WestRock booth who took the time to demonstrate these innovations to event attendees.

I also want to thank our senior leaders who hosted two Innovation Stage presentations. Greg Magnell, senior vice president, Box on Demand, highlighted our Pak On Demand Pouch System as a sustainable alternative for companies looking to switch out their plastic and bubble mailers for fiber-based packaging. Also making Innovation Stage appearances were John Perkins, vice president, Global Packaging Systems, and Michelle Cooper, senior innovation and automation manager, who shared how the CP eMerge Combo helps increase line efficiency and lower total cost for food manufacturers.

At WestRock, we believe that connections are vital to driving toward a more sustainable future. We were thrilled to once again have the opportunity at PACK EXPO to meet with our customers and peers, showcase our commitment to innovation and sustainability and ultimately, help businesses improve their performance through industry-leading packaging and automation solutions. Thank you to PACK EXPO for organizing this event and we hope to see you next year!?