A Call for Packaging Managers

Thomas Roudebush, product development manager at Paragon Films, obtains his Certificate of Packaging Management

Many of my projects involve supporting large consumer packaged goods companies with research on their packaging decisions. It’s common to see rather large teams that range from a dozen up to 80. However, I recently connected with a global company that manages 300-plus SKUs with just four folks, plus a manager. As I dug into the details, it occurred to me that strong managers with diverse histories of packaging projects can have a significant impact on business operations.

The world needs more packaging managers—folks who understand the supply chain and the business acumen of packaging and who are able to communicate the value that our products provide to brands and stakeholders. Unfortunately, these folks are uncommon and usually not actively seeking employment, with job placement above 90 percent upon graduation from institutions that are unable to accommodate the global demand. There is a tremendous need: 33,000 packaging manager positions and more than 100,000 other packaging jobs are posted on Indeed.com right now.

The Packaging School (www.packagingschool.com) has teamed up with Clemson University’s Center for Corporate Learning to provide a unique solution to this industry need. The program is designed for people already in the workforce, and it’s coordinated through online classes, weekly conference calls, and collaborative document-enabled projects. We form a quarterly cohort of brands and packaging suppliers to fulfill Package Development Plans, which enable organizations and teams to build a full understanding of your customer’s needs. Consider expanding your library of packaging knowledge and empowering your team so they can make better, faster, and richer packaging decisions for your business.

Our recent cohorts featured Blue Buffalo, KIND, RXBAR, and Georgia-Pacific—to name a few—and they had this to say about the program:

• “This is a well-structured and engaging program that has given me confidence in manufacturing, design, production processes, and packaging sustainability.”
• “This program helped me level up by sharpening my knowledge and skills in sustainability, materials, project management best practices, and the various regulatory agencies that affect packaging.”
• “The courses were very detailed and covered virtually every aspect of packaging types and processes.”

When considering the value of becoming a packaging manager, ask yourself the following questions:

1. Are you able to articulate your client’s supply chain and the needs and risks across each of the package touch points?
2. Are you able to solve concerning packaging processes in various areas such as procurement, sales, quality assurance, operations, research and development, (technical) marketing, and logistics?
3. Are you able to identify, report, and resolve bottlenecks within packaging development projects?
4. Are you able to work successfully on a cross-functional team?

Great leaders are often engaging and involved in the community they are leading. By providing everyone the opportunity for education, they have the opportunity to lead by example. Managers should have the tools needed to challenge and drive the package development process.

Learn more about the Certificate of Packaging Management at www.packagingschool.com/cmpm.

Andrew Hurley, Ph.D., is an associate professor of packaging science at Clemson University. He can be reached at me@drandrewhurley.co.