• A strong turnout at the APPMA dinner in Sydney.
    A strong turnout at the APPMA dinner in Sydney.
  • Mark Emmett, HMPS (left) and Gary Daley, ETF.
    Mark Emmett, HMPS (left) and Gary Daley, ETF.
  • (from left) Drew Hoxey, Axelent Australia; Mark Dingley, Matthews Australasia; and Rob Quinn, Axelent Australia.
    (from left) Drew Hoxey, Axelent Australia; Mark Dingley, Matthews Australasia; and Rob Quinn, Axelent Australia.
  • (from left) Scott Lucas, Robert Marguccio, and Rhoardi Borbajo.
    (from left) Scott Lucas, Robert Marguccio, and Rhoardi Borbajo.
  • Stuart Shaw, APPMA (left) and Adam Saint, Scott Automation and Robotics.
    Stuart Shaw, APPMA (left) and Adam Saint, Scott Automation and Robotics.
  • (from left) Mark Emmett, HMPS; Clyde Campbell, Scott Automation and Robotics; and Peter Bradbury, ABB.
    (from left) Mark Emmett, HMPS; Clyde Campbell, Scott Automation and Robotics; and Peter Bradbury, ABB.
  • Anne-Marie Mina, ETF (left) with Wayne Robinson, PKN.
    Anne-Marie Mina, ETF (left) with Wayne Robinson, PKN.
  • (from left) Mira Kozah, Executive PMC; and Kristian Guard and Jonathan Cook, Scott Automation and Robotics.
    (from left) Mira Kozah, Executive PMC; and Kristian Guard and Jonathan Cook, Scott Automation and Robotics.
  • (from left) Hassan Rahman, Rhima; Rafica El Shami, Greenpack; Robert Silicato, Siemens; and Milan Bawa, Siemens.
    (from left) Hassan Rahman, Rhima; Rafica El Shami, Greenpack; Robert Silicato, Siemens; and Milan Bawa, Siemens.
  • Robinson Sartori Jr, SMC (left) and Mario Faciolli, Festo.
    Robinson Sartori Jr, SMC (left) and Mario Faciolli, Festo.
  • (from left) Richard Taig, Datalogic; Braydon Cocks, Matthews Australasia; and Jitesh Sharma, Datalogic.
    (from left) Richard Taig, Datalogic; Braydon Cocks, Matthews Australasia; and Jitesh Sharma, Datalogic.
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APPMA members were treated to a presentation on guaranteed margin improvement at the association's first member dinner of the year, held at a sparkling harbourside location in Sydney last night.

Award wining author Paul Allen was the main speaker at the event, the first after the successful AUSPACK show, and which drew around 100 members of the Australian Packaging and Processing Machinery Association.

APPMA chair Mark Dingley welcomed guests, telling them the evening was a “learning, networking and collaborating” event. He welcomed new members Mitsubishi and Siemens, and he reflected on the success of AUSPACK, which was the largest to date.

Nominations for new APPMA Board positions are open until 29 July, with the Board operating a rotations system with a third of its members elected every three years, ensuring, said Dingley, “A great combination of fresh ideas and continuity.”

Dingley said APPMA is “well placed financially”, and has a “clear mandate to deliver improved brand awareness and industry collaboration”. He said, “Our aim is to ensure that all members receive value from APPMA.”

Guests then enjoyed, and were challenged by, Allen's presentation Take Back Your Margin, before enjoying convivial networking against the spectacular backdrop.

The next event will be the AGM, slated for 10 September, at the equally spectacular MCG in Melbourne.

Food & Drink Business

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Victorian brewery, Bodriggy Brewing Co, is the first brewery in the state to achieve carbon-neutral certification and only the second in Australia to do so. The independent Abbotsford-based brewery achieved certification under the federal government’s Climate Active program.

According to Rabobank data, Australian consumers are facing higher chocolate prices heading into Easter, with retail chocolate prices up 8.8 per cent on the previous year as global cocoa prices soar.