Featured by Food Beverage: Packaging Flexibility Without Extra Costs

As food and beverage manufacturers face market uncertainty, Packserv is helping businesses improve efficiency through flexibility.

The last few years have brought no shortage of challenges for Australian food and beverage manufacturers, according to Packserv managing director and founder, Nathan Wardell.

“There’s a rising cost in energy, freight, packaging, insurance, raw materials, and that’s a lot of pressure in terms of cash flow and expenses on SMEs,” he said.

At the same time, manufacturers are under increasing pressure to improve efficiency, reduce waste and maintain product quality. This demonstrates how flexibility has become an important trait for manufacturers navigating the current environment.

Operating for more than 20 years, Packserv is a packaging machinery designer, builder, manufacturer, offering supply, rental and technical services nationwide. The company designs and manufactures packaging machinery, supported by a full-engineering workshop, CNC machining capabilities and a team of engineers, fitters and product specialists.

Wardell has spent more than three decades supplying packaging machinery to FMCG manufacturers. He stated that the company is one of the few remaining manufacturers of packaging machinery in Australia.

“We buy raw materials, have a full metalworking shop, and we design and build the machines in-house in our head office in Marrickville,” said Wardell.

The business now operates from five locations around Australia and recently expanded its reach into the United States through a distributor network.

Lifting financial burdens

Unlike larger multinational manufacturers that can absorb market fluctuations more easily, smaller businesses often feel the impact immediately. Added pressures from sustainability expectations, regulatory requirements and softer consumer spending have made it harder for businesses to maintain profitability.

“A lot of businesses are focusing on improving efficiencies and reducing downtime, minimising waste, increasing production output, and also without increasing their overheads, which is a tricky thing to do,” said Wardell.

Although the shift to automation is gaining traction, investment decisions has made adoption complex as access to finance tightens. Understanding this, Packserv is helping businesses by offering pathways for customers to access equipment, including rental, rent-to-buy and finance options.

The approach allows manufacturers to preserve cash flow while gradually scaling production capacity in line with demand. Rather than committing to a large capital purchase upfront, businesses can introduce automation at a pace that suits their operations and financial circumstances.

How flexibility saves time

From filling, capping, labelling and container handling, Packserv helps manufacturers become more agile by designing modular, scalable packaging machinery that can adapt as production requirements change.

“Rather than requiring a complete production line overhaul, our equipment enables businesses to expand capacity, introduce new products, and accommodate different packaging formats with minimal disruption,” said Wardell.

Designed for quick changeovers and easy integration, manufacturers can respond to market opportunities and changing requirements at speed.

For example, Packserv’s new PLC-controlled filling and capping machinery range has been developed with both ease of use and operational efficiency in mind. Equipped with an intuitive HMI touchscreen interface, operators can quickly adjust settings, switch between products, and save job recipe information for future production runs.

Wardell highlighted that this reduces setup times and minimises downtime during product changeovers, providing real-time production monitoring for greater visibility. Additionally, the company’s local manufacturing capability helps reduce lead times that are often associated with imported equipment.

“We have it in stock as we’re a local manufacturer,” said Wardell. “We build the products here, and we can deliver and install quickly.”

SIAT distributorship

Appointed as an Australian distribution partner, Packserv supports and supplies packaging equipment for Italian packaging equipment manufacturer SIAT. Under the partnership, the company can deliver modular production lines integrating filling, capping, labelling, printing, conveying, case erecting, case sealing and pallet wrapping.

Wardell said the collaboration allows the company to provide a more complete packaging line solution for customers.

“What the SIAT partnership does for us is to go from the tank all the way to the truck,” he said.

Having an end-of-line solution enables manufacturers to take the finished goods off the production line and into packaging, making a smoother transition from the manufacturing facility to the retail outlet.

“It helps us expand our ability to provide customers with more complete production line solutions, going from filling and capping all the way through to final packaging and palletisation as well,” said Wardell.

Access to SIAT’s proven European-engineered equipment, combined with Packserv’s local sales, service and technical support, provides customers with a reliable solution for their complete production line requirements.

From flexible access to automation technologies, efficiency and speed to partnerships, Wardell calls them strategic decisions to enforce resilience. According to him, businesses that continue to succeed are those that can adapt to changing market conditions, evolving expectations and operational challenges.

“Resilience is about building flexibility into your operations, investing wisely and maintaining a long-term perspective,” said Wardell. “At Packserv, we aim to work with manufacturers to deliver quality and efficiency best positioned for sustainable growth.”