Just got home from ENGAGE – The Contract Packaging and Manufacturing Experience in San Antonio. This was an outstanding conference put on by CPA, The Association of Contract Packagers and Manufacturers. The agenda was packed with great presentations from companies representing multiple critical links in the supply chain. It remains clear that the impact from the pandemic is far from over, but that there is a strong spirit of collaboration in the CoPack and CoMan space that is supporting resiliency. Several themes stood out: the absolute need for quality (and yes, of course price will always be a factor), the rapid shift towards localization (in a recent survey, 78% of companies want their suppliers within 4 time zones), and the necessity for agility and flexibility. Many of the Toll Blenders I met with and who presented talked about the fact that it’s not just the Emerging Brands that are contracting for short runs; the Majors are often moving in that direction as well. The rapid changeovers can be incredibly demanding on the CoMans.

At Meco, our custom engineered seals for the food industry are of premium quality and are individually inspected before shipping. 100% of what we ship is manufactured in our shop in Georgetown, Maine, and our team of engineers are frequently in the filed working side-by-side with our customers on installs, troubleshooting, rebuilds and overhauls. We understand through decades of hands-on experience that the changeover at a Toll Blender is all about speed – if the shaft isn’t turning, no one is making money. Our fully split design significantly reduces install, cleaning and rebuild times. And with the critical nature of sanitation during changeovers in mind, our OFS seal – the “Gold Standard” for industrial food processing equipment – is ideal for CIP. Unlike other mechanical shaft seals, OFS seals have no external housing. All components are visible and accessible for highly efficient cleaning, drying, and inspection. OFS seals use a self-adjusting drive assembly and are entirely air-free.

Our mission is to be a true “partner” in the supply chain, not just a vendor. Follow this link to learn more about how we can help optimize your operation.