Skip to main content
Advantive

Into the Unknown: Prepare for Unforeseen Changes with Automation

By Grace Barton Updated

Change is inevitable. 

This absolute truth might sound scary, but it can also be an opportunity. If organizations take a proactive approach and prepare for the inevitable changes on the horizon, they can lead to incredible business benefits. 

But how do you prepare for the unknown? How can you manage change when you don’t know what the change will be? One of the best ways is through automation.  

Let’s explore why that is and how automation can help future-proof your organization. 

Give me a reason 

The arrival of a new federal administration raises a host of questions about what changes, if any, could be on the horizon.  

While no one knows for sure, it’s important for packaging manufacturers to keep an eye out for: 

Any of these can have a major impact on how organizations operate during the next few years. 

In addition, rapid advances in technology continue to shape industries around the globe. Advances, such as the Internet of Things (IoT), 3D printing, artificial intelligence (AI), and others, have changed the way industries operate.  

And, as in just about every sector, staffing remains a critical, and ever-changing, element of business operations. In fact:  

  • One study projects a shortage of 2.1 million skilled manufacturing workers by 2030. 

  • Another study revealed that about 20.6% of manufacturing plants cited insufficient labor or labor skills as a key constraint. 

  • A new report estimates that manufacturers will need 3.8 million new workers by 2033, with roughly 1.9 million of those positions potentially going unfilled if current labor gaps remain unsolved. 

Any changes in this area – either positive or negative – will be critical to note. 

Time for automation 

With no certainty about the changes on the horizon, how can packaging manufacturing leaders prepare their organizations? They can turn to automation. 

Automation can have a transformative effect on packaging manufacturers and help them tackle potential changes as they arrive. With automation, packaging manufacturers can: 

  • Increase efficiency: Automation streamlines production processes, reducing the time required to complete tasks. Machines can operate continuously without breaks, leading to higher production rates and shorter lead times. 

  • Reduce costs: Automated systems reduce labor costs by performing repetitive and labor-intensive tasks. This also minimizes the risk of human error, leading to fewer mistakes and lower costs associated with rework. 

  • Improve quality: Automation ensures consistent quality by maintaining precise control over production parameters. Automated inspection systems can detect defects and inconsistencies more accurately than manual inspections. 

  • Enhance safety: Automation reduces the need for human workers to perform dangerous tasks, improving workplace safety. Automated systems can handle hazardous materials and operate in environments that are unsafe for humans. 

  • Provide flexibility and adaptability: Automated systems can be quickly reprogrammed to adapt to changes in production requirements. This allows manufacturers to respond swiftly to market demands and easily customize products. It can be the best tool for handling unforeseen changes. 

Automation can drive innovation and competitiveness, and give organizations a robust, scalable tool to handle unforeseen changes.  

From E-commerce to In-Store Displays, the Need for Packaging Grows

Read the whitepaper

The right solution 

Get one packaging solution to automate it all 

Packaging manufacturers have a multitude of options when it comes to automation. But, as with any software, not all solutions are the same. Leaders must look for solutions that feature:  

  • Automatic 24/7 scheduling to help minimize bottlenecks and manual entry by automatically updating corrugator and truck schedules based on product changes or delays. Plans are automatically updated and continuously produce the most cost-effective schedules. 

  • Optimized productivity and enterprise-wide visibility, helping organizations manage multiple plants in a single system. It should streamline and centralize key processes, including costing, estimating, customer service, and scheduling. 

  • Actionable data to drive improvements and product quality. It must provide valuable insights with robust reporting capabilities to help organizations make accurate and timely decisions for process improvements. 

  • Enhanced tracking for increased throughput and reduced waste. These capabilities provide superior work-in-process and finished goods inventory management, which can help minimize loading errors and increase billing accuracy. 

Organizations should also look for a trusted provider with extensive experience who can also serve as a strategic partner. This partner should continually develop forward-thinking solutions (including APIs, dashboards, capacity reservation, and more) to help organizations scale as the business grows. Because even if you don’t know exactly what changes are on the horizon, being proactive, embracing much-needed automation, and choosing the right software and strategic partner can help you be ready for whatever may come. 

And, by doing so, they just might discover some unforeseen benefits as well! 

Grace Barton

Marketing Specialist

About the Author Latest Posts

Grace Barton is a digital marketing and competitive intelligence professional who crafts strategic narratives by bridging marketing insights with analytical expertise. At Advantive, she creates engaging, data-driven content tailored to the distribution, manufacturing, packaging, and quality industries. Her goal is to deliver impactful messaging that drives engagement and growth based on specific gap closure needs, whether responding to sales organization requirements, pinpointing gaps in content, or meeting immediate market trends.
She thrives on transforming competitive intelligence into actionable insights for the sales organization. Grace manages Advantive’s competitive intelligence platform, Klue, to equip the sales team with the battlecards and market data they need to stay ahead of competitors. Since launch, she’s built 28+ battlecards across four lines of business, ensuring the GTM strategy stays sharp.
Grace has a passion for leveraging market insights with storytelling to guide strategic decision-making, empower sales organizations, and nurture organizational growth.

Areas of Expertise: Digital Marketing, Competitive Intelligence, Strategic Narratives, Marketing Insights, Analytical Expertise

LinkedIn

Editorial standards

Fact-checking & editorial guidelines

Every article on advantive.com is written and reviewed against an internal accuracy standard before publication. Here's what that means in practice.

  • Product claims are verified by the brand team that owns the platform.

    When an article references InfinityQS, WinSPC, PQ Systems, Pinpoint, ParityFactory, ProPlanner, KiwiPlan, DDI System, VeraCore, or any of Advantive's other specialty platforms, the relevant product team checks technical statements about features, deployment, and current capability before the article goes live.

  • External statistics cite their source inline.

    When an article references industry survey results, regulatory benchmarks, or third-party research, the source is linked at the point of citation. Statements without an inline source link are first-party observations drawn from Advantive's product teams or customer base.

  • Publication and revision dates stay visible.

    The original publication date and the most recent revision date are both shown on every article. Topics that change quickly — AI capabilities, regulatory rules, product roadmaps — are revisited on a tighter cadence than evergreen reference content.

  • Corrections are issued openly.

    If a factual error is reported, the article is updated, the revision date advances, and material corrections are noted at the bottom of the article so readers can see what changed and when.

Found something wrong, or have a citation to add? Get in touch with the editorial team and we'll review it.

Subject-matter review

Reviewed by subject-matter experts

Advantive is a portfolio of 14+ specialty software platforms — each one built and maintained by a product team that has spent years inside a specific manufacturing or distribution discipline. Articles in technical channels are reviewed by the relevant team before publication.

  • Quality & SPC content

    Reviewed by the InfinityQS, WinSPC, and PQ Systems product teams — the platforms behind statistical process control, capability analysis, and gage management deployments across food, automotive, pharma, and CPG manufacturers.

  • Manufacturing operations & MES content

    Reviewed by the PINpoint, ProPlanner, ParityFactory, and VIA Information Tools teams, whose platforms run production scheduling, traceability, and shop-floor execution for discrete, automotive, and food-and-beverage manufacturers.

  • Packaging & converter content

    Reviewed by the KiwiPlan, Abaca, and AdvantZware teams, who build software specifically for corrugated, folding-carton, and packaging-converter operations.

  • Distribution, ERP & B2B commerce content

    Reviewed by the DDI System (inFORM ERP), Distribution One, VeraCore, Pepperi, and Commerce Vision teams, whose platforms run wholesale ERP, fulfillment, field sales, and B2B portals for specialty distributors and 3PLs.

Are you a practitioner with domain expertise to contribute? Get in touch — we accept guest contributions from operators in the industries we serve.