Benchmarking Reports

Service Rates Quickie Survey, published by PMMI – The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, examines member benchmarking of service pricing and technician compensation based on a 2019 member survey and comparative trend data, and identifies practical benchmarks for firms of varying scale. Focus areas include pricing and special-rate policies—such as weekend, holiday, and overtime charges—compensation and incentive models, including hourly, overtime, and short-notice premiums, and travel, layover and contract terms from billing practices to contract length. The analysis indicates weekends and holidays tend to command higher customer rates and technician pay, while charts highlight cross-company and regional variation; the report reveals where service leaders are prioritizing pricing and resourcing to strengthen operational resilience.

2019 Engineering Practices Survey, published by PMMI – The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, examines engineering organization models, resourcing and practices across packaging machinery companies based on PMMI’s triennial member survey and aggregated departmental benchmarks across revenue bands. The analysis indicates major focus areas—workforce development and retention, including internships and continuing education; knowledge capture and documentation; and digital-tool adoption and version control such as CAD upgrades and PDM systems—alongside R&D allocation and design standardization to improve efficiency. Emerging patterns show firms tend to leverage contract engineers and prioritize standardization, and charts highlight comparative trends and cross-segment benchmarks. The report reveals where engineering teams are prioritizing investments to strengthen operational resilience.

Partners and Suppliers Quickie Survey Results, published by PMMI – The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies in March 2019, examines supplier expectations among member companies across annual sales bands and regional footprints. The analysis, drawn from a brief membership survey, indicates supplier selection centers on previous experience, industry‑leading delivery times, and the ability to customize, while service and responsiveness — including 24‑hour replies and regular onsite visits — form a second focus area. A third set of focus areas covers sourcing channels and relationship cadence, from local distributors to direct manufacturers, and the value proposition of post‑sale support such as technical drawings, training, and installation. The report reveals where engineering teams are prioritizing investments to strengthen operational resilience.

Tariffs Quickie Survey, published by PMMI – The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, examines how member companies are responding to tariff-driven cost pressures based on a January 2019 quick survey of 72 respondents and comparative year-over-year signals from 2018. Focus areas include pricing and commercial responses such as passing costs to customers and adding surcharges, sourcing and supplier strategies including renegotiation and alternative vendors, and operational adjustments from inventory planning to design changes and production shifts; the analysis indicates impacts concentrate on materials such as aluminum, steel, and electrical products and charts highlight common mitigation patterns. The report reveals which mitigation strategies companies are prioritizing and where residual vulnerabilities persist; download the full report to explore the detailed benchmarks.

Commission Rates and Policies Quickie Survey, published by PMMI – The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, examines member company commission practices and policy choices across sales channels. Based on a member quick survey conducted in 2018–2019 and benchmark comparisons, the analysis indicates recurring focus areas: sales-force composition and compensation structures, such as direct versus rep channels and fixed versus tiered rates; commission timing and payout triggers, including final payment, progressive receipts and site acceptance testing; and treatment of discounts, OEM and aftermarket parts and services. Charts highlight prevailing approaches and emerging trade-offs, and the report reveals where companies prioritize commission design to align incentives and strengthen commercial resilience.

Online Marketing Quickie Survey, published by PMMI – The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies in December 2018, examines member-company online marketing priorities and channel effectiveness based on a quick survey of PMMI members and industry benchmarks. The analysis indicates shifting budget allocations and capability models, organized into focus areas such as in-house versus outsourced capability and budget allocation; initiative prioritization and channel mix, including SEO, email, and social media; and lead generation, follow-up practices and regional performance. Charts highlight comparative rankings and emerging patterns that generally show where investments are clustering, and the analysis indicates opportunities for optimization. The report reveals where marketing leaders are prioritizing investments to strengthen lead pipelines and digital reach.

Measurement Standards Quickie Survey Results, September 2018, published by PMMI – The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, examines how member machinery manufacturers use metric and imperial systems across production and markets. Based on a 2018 quick survey of PMMI members spanning revenue and employee-size cohorts, the analysis frames three focus areas: manufacturing standards and global shipping patterns, cost and pricing dynamics, and supply-chain sourcing with U.S. market acceptance. The analysis indicates companies tend to adopt mixed standards for efficiency, generally source metric components internationally when domestic availability is limited, and often price metric and imperial builds similarly; charts highlight these comparative benchmarks across cohorts. The report reveals where engineering teams are prioritizing investments to strengthen operational resilience.

Service Technician Hours Quickie Survey Results, published by PMMI – The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, examines how member companies plan and allocate service technician time based on an August 2018 quick survey of practitioners and benchmarked across company size and sales tiers. The analysis focuses on workforce allocation and scheduling, travel-time inclusion and billing practices, and project duration and routing; findings generally indicate a mid-range planning approach to annual direct labor hours and varied approaches to billing and lodging, with project lengths tending from short troubleshooting visits to multi-day commissioning. Charts highlight patterns by company size and seasonality. The report reveals where service teams are prioritizing staffing and scheduling to strengthen operational resilience.

Benefits Quickie Survey Results, published by PMMI – The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies in August 2018, examines benefit offerings and time‑off practices across PMMI member companies using a member survey and cross‑company benchmarks. The analysis indicates three focus areas—benefits design and health coverage including medical and dental, paid time‑off structure and accrual models ranging from all‑inclusive PTO buckets to separate vacation and sick plans, and supplemental perks and family‑leave policies—tend to vary by company size and sales volume. Charts highlight comparative patterns in parental leave, accrual methods, and nontraditional perks such as tuition support or flexible schedules. Download the full report to access detailed benchmarks and practical recommendations for aligning benefits strategy with organizational size and retention goals.

Detectable Materials Quickie Survey Results, published by PMMI – The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies in July 2018, examines PMMI member survey responses and analyzes recent demand trends, export-related compliance drivers, and detection approaches. Focus areas include standards and compliance (FDA, EU 10/2011, CE), material demand and detection approaches (colored versus metal-detectable thermoplastics such as UHMW and Nylon and methods such as x‑ray and metal-detection), and market adoption. The analysis indicates varied demand across materials and regions, with patterns that generally show stronger interest in visual-detection materials and pragmatic trade-offs tied to equipment capabilities; charts highlight comparative demand and compliance drivers. The report reveals where manufacturers are prioritizing material selection and detection investments to strengthen food-safety resilience.

State Taxes Quickie Survey, published by PMMI – The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, examines how member companies manage out‑of‑state sales and income tax exposure. Based on a mid‑2018 member survey benchmarked by company size and sales volume, the analysis indicates three focus areas: nexus and compliance that distinguishes sales and income obligations, operational footprint and workforce influences, and advisory reliance and mitigation strategies. Emerging patterns show larger firms generally report broader filing and collection obligations, while companies of all sizes cite shipment, installation and remote employees as common nexus drivers. Charts highlight state‑level enforcement trends and guidance preferences, and the report reveals how leading firms are prioritizing compliance and advisory investments to reduce out‑of‑state tax risk.

Payment Terms Quickie Survey Results, published by PMMI – The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, examines how member companies set and negotiate customer payment terms based on a 2018 quick survey and year‑end 2017 reporting. The analysis indicates several focus areas—payment-structure practices such as down payments, milestone balances, and net timing; credit and risk management including credit checks and letters of credit; and order-type differentiation for spare parts, custom systems, and large orders. Emerging patterns show sellers generally tighten prepayment or adopt milestone schedules as buyer leverage increases, and charts highlight variability by order size and geography. The report reveals where engineering and commercial teams are prioritizing investments to strengthen operational resilience.

Drug Testing Policies, published by PMMI – The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, examines how companies are adapting workplace drug-testing policies amid shifting laws and attitudes. Drawing on a May 2018 industry survey with firm benchmarks, the analysis contrasts firms in jurisdictions with relaxed marijuana laws versus those where use remains illegal. Focus areas include policy design and enforcement (applicant versus incumbent testing, post‑accident and reasonable‑suspicion triggers), legal and compliance alignment, and testing methods such as urine versus hair testing, while charts highlight prevalence across jurisdictions. The analysis indicates employers generally test applicants more than existing staff and tend to test incumbents in safety‑sensitive roles or after incidents. The report reveals where companies are prioritizing policy and compliance investments.

Sales Expense Practices, published by PMMI – The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, examines how organizations manage field sales travel and expense workflows based on a September 2017 survey of 94 respondents. The analysis contextualizes booking responsibilities, approval practices, and travel cadence alongside expense-tracking approaches, highlighting focus areas such as booking and approval ownership, digital-platform adoption and reporting efficiency, reimbursement models versus corporate-card programs, and policy treatment of perks and seating upgrades. Emerging patterns indicate companies tend to prioritize self-booking and employee-reported expenses, and charts highlight variations by company size and travel intensity. The report reveals where sales teams are prioritizing policy and technology investments to balance cost control and field productivity.

Technical Services Best Practices Survey, published by PMMI – The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, examines service models and workforce strategies in packaging machinery firms drawing on a mid‑2016 industry survey and respondent profiles benchmarked across average selling‑price categories. The analysis indicates three focus areas—workforce development and retention, knowledge capture and documentation, and service delivery and utilization—grouping related concepts such as recruitment channels, training and compensation; CRM adoption, serial‑number and machine‑type service records and maintenance agreements; and 24/7 support models, onsite versus field deployment and billing practices, where emerging patterns generally show tradeoffs between efficiency and customer responsiveness; charts highlight comparative staffing and billing benchmarks across peers. The report reveals where engineering teams are prioritizing investments to strengthen operational resilience.

SKU Proliferation Quickie Survey Results, December 2016, published by PMMI – The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, examines how consumer packaged goods companies are addressing SKU growth and e-commerce-driven complexity. Based on a quick survey of 56 PMMI members benchmarked to trends over the next five years, the analysis indicates focus areas: equipment and automation flexibility (modular machines and vision systems), operational strategies and outsourcing (co-packers and run segmentation), workforce capability and knowledge capture (operator and maintenance training), and integration and controls (digital controls). Charts highlight tradeoffs between automation and outsourcing, and emerging patterns generally show prioritization of faster, simpler changeovers and flexible platforms. The report reveals where engineering teams are prioritizing investments to strengthen operational resilience.

Importance of Sustainability in the Packaging and Processing Industry, published by PMMI – The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies in November 2016, examines member perspectives on integrating sustainability into packaging and processing machinery based on a member survey and comparisons across sales tiers. The analysis indicates emerging focus areas: design integration and retrofitting, from new-machine planning to selective upgrades; market positioning and communication, including remanufacturing and product messaging; and performance documentation and lifecycle practices, such as energy use, waste reduction and recyclable materials. Charts highlight variations by company size and awareness of implementation resources, and findings generally indicate cautious adoption and selective marketing. The report reveals where engineering teams are prioritizing investments to strengthen operational resilience.

Aftermarket Parts Sales: August 2016 Results, published by PMMI – The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, examines how member companies manage aftermarket parts distribution and digital readiness based on an August 2016 member survey across multiple annual sales tiers. The analysis indicates three focus areas—sales-channel strategy and distributor relationships, digital enablement and e-commerce readiness, and operations and fulfillment—that group related issues such as direct, distributor, and hybrid selling models; ERP compatibility and parts complexity; and catalog digitization, online searchability, and rush-delivery policies. Emerging patterns show adoption gaps and varied timelines across company sizes, and charts highlight comparative benchmarks and implementation trade-offs. The report reveals where manufacturers are prioritizing investments to strengthen aftermarket sales and operational resilience.

Shipping and Receiving Functions (July 2016 Results), published by PMMI – The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, examines how member companies structure and manage shipping and receiving through a mid‑2016 member survey and benchmarking across company sizes. The analysis indicates concentrated multi‑task roles and recurring focus areas—workforce configuration and role consolidation, operational practices and digital enablement, and shipment mix and logistics planning—where examples include packing‑slip generation, carrier booking tools, and automated delivery notifications. Comparative context across business sizes and qualitative comments generally show tradeoffs between manual work and automation; charts highlight patterns in responsibilities and tool adoption. The report reveals where companies are prioritizing investments to strengthen shipping and receiving resilience.

Second Shift Assembly of Made-to-Order Equipment, published by PMMI – The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, examines second-shift practices across member manufacturers using a July 2016 member survey and cross-company benchmarks. The analysis indicates recurring focus areas—workforce scheduling and retention (compensation and recruitment), engineering support and knowledge transfer (shift overlap, briefings, on-call escalation), and operational task mix and capability alignment, including mechanical assembly, wiring, and machining—and evaluates shift-change protocols and documentation practices. Emerging patterns show companies tend to rely on informal handoffs and limited dedicated engineering coverage; charts highlight variations by company size and machinery type. The report reveals where engineering teams are prioritizing investments to strengthen operational resilience.