Australian machine building giant HMPS has come a long way since the invention of the first bag-in-box system in the 1980s, and its evolution was further accelerated by the acquisition of Propac Industrial and Integrated Machinery, within two years.
According to Mark Emmett, owner and CEO of HMPS Group and Propac, the company is growing its end-to-end production line offering, and the evolution of the company is underpinned by “its passion for problem solving and adapting to meet customers’ ever-changing needs”.
“As our customers grow, so do their requirements. We are here to meet these requirements – all along the packaging line.”
Also, like many others, HMPS saw the recent Covid-19 pandemic as a time for opportunity, and its bold strategy and risks taken paid off.
“Supply chain challenges meant more companies were looking to local suppliers. Most of our clients operate in essential services with the supply of food, personal items and pharmaceuticals. These customers experienced an unprecedented demand as items flew off the shelves,” explained Emmett.
“We saw this as a good time to invest to be able to step into the gap and deliver through our local manufacturing capabilities.
“Our revenue is up by 30 per cent across the different companies, despite the uncertainty and travel restrictions that we experience. We used this as a time for problem solving and renewal.”
Industry trends
Emmett is passionate about growing and promoting local manufacturing, and while intense competition between local and international machine builders continues, he observed that an increasing number of manufacturers now have an appetite for local automation.
“We want our customers to become less dependent on imported machinery. It’s part of our vision to create a sustainable ecosystem right here on our local shores,” he said.
“I believe Australian machine building can, and will compete with the rest of the world, and we are already seeing keen interest from the likes of the US.
“They’re looking for a turnkey solution – not just a bagger or case packer, but everything for a full production line. The customer wants one supplier and a project engineer who can handle everything from design, sourcing, implementation, to final deliver, and not forgetting after-service.”
The company has expanded its service offering and is now also able to help with packaging design.
“Working with packaging material suppliers gives our customers the best result, which is cost effective, improves the look of their cartons, and ultimately, their final packaging design,” said Emmett.
“The company is also looking into sustainable packaging materials and engineering their machines to handle different types of recyclable and biodegradable packaging materials.”
AUSPACK and empowering the next-gen machine builders
Passionate about empowering the next generation of machine builders, the company’s expansion and acquisition strategy will further enhance the team’s roles and responsibilities, said Emmett.
The idea is to further the company’s skills and providing a fulfilling work environment with more opportunities.
“Our team currently compromises around 110 team members across the four branches,” he said.
“We have a host of young engineers, fitters and turners, designers and business development employees. Therefore, the bigger we are, the more opportunities there are for staff. We want them to continuously learn and grow.”
Moving to the upcoming AUSPACK event, at which HMPS will be exhibiting (Stand G140), Emmett believes it is a good opportunity to bring the packaging community back together again.
“It’s great to connect with as many customers and visitors in one week as possible, and rather than selling machines on our stand, we want to use this time to collaborate with customers, to share new ideas, and to find out how we can add value,” Emmett concluded.
