In 2014, Gallup released a poll that stated the average american work week now is 47 hours. With fewer non-work hours available, it is understandable why on-the-go, convenience products have become popular with American consumers. However, consumers are not the only ones feeling the pinch. In order to keep up with the evolving consumer packaged goods (CPG) market, manufacturers are depending on high-quality equipment to keep operations running efficiently, experts note.
“We’re seeing a trend in the food and beverage industry for higher quality and more serviceable machines,” says Matt Wicks, vice president of product development and manufacturing systems for Mason, Ohio-based Intelligrated. “End-users are evaluating the total lifecycle costs of the equipment, [and] are focused on higher quality and more serviceable features.”