Episode 10 of The Downtime, a weekly manufacturing podcast from WTWH Media, was published on June 26, 2025, and covers Ranpak’s automated packaging machinery, cartoning market projections, and an exclusive interview with Judy Poirier from Hargrove Controls & Automation.
Introducing the co-hosts of The Downtime podcast
Each week, Sarah Wynn, senior editor (digital) at Packaging OEM, and Sheri Kaspzrak, managing editor of Plant Engineering, Control Engineering, and Consulting-Specify Engineer, team up to co-host the show.
New episodes drop every Thursday. Tune in to this week’s show on SoundCloud, Spotify, and YouTube – all embedded right here in this story.
The Downtime Podcast | Episode 10: Manufacturing Fun! Focusing on automated packaging machinery, flexible packaging, co-op programs
During this week’s episode, Sarah spotlights Ranpak’s automated packaging machinery — including pad insertion, on-demand printing, box cutting, and AI-enabled software for smarter packaging. She spoke with Bryan Boatner, Ranpak’s global managing director for automation, who demonstrated the machinery earlier this year at ProMat:
· Print’It: Offers manufacturers the ability to print full-color customized designs on up to 15 boxes per minute.
· Cut’it EVO: Reduces voids before shipping, leading to lower manufacturing costs. Emphasizing sustainability, it uses less material and can produce up to 900 boxes per minute.
· Pad’it: Paired with a robotic arm to ensure precise placement, this machine automates the insertion of protective paper pads. It can add protective layers up to 15 boxes per minute.
· DecisionTower: Uses AI to detect out-of-scope boxes to optimize packaging and prevent machine stoppage. It offers a combination of 2D and 3D computer vision for quality inspection.
The full story on Ranpak’s solutions can be read here.
On the heels of last week’s flexible packaging discussion, Sarah and Sheri discuss Capri Sun’s viral 15-inch summer solstice pouch, showcasing the consumer-convenient features of the packaging format.
Sarah also addressed recent market research from Towards Packaging, which projects the cartoning machine market will surge from $8.72 billion in 2025 to $13.58 billion by 2034. Read more about that here.
Sheri spoke to Jody Poirier, controls and automation division engineering leader at Hargrove Controls & Automation, on using co-op programs to address the engineering labor shortage. Their conversation included how co-op programs encourage entry-level workers to learn company-specific needs, processes, and more. Read that story here.
Show lineup for The Downtime Episode 10: Co-op programs, viral flexible packaging, Ranpak’s automated packaging machinery, cartoning market forecast
0:40 – Sheri provides a preview of the episode
4:00 – Sheri introduces an interview with Jody Poirier of Hargrove Controls & Automation and discusses a Control Engineering article on university co-op programs
6:23 – Sheri’s interview with Jody Poirier
19:00 – Sarah and Sheri talk about Capri Sun’s viral 15-inch summer solstice pouch
22:03 – Sarah highlights Ranpak’s automated packaging machinery
23:40 – Sarah shares data on the cartoning machine market forecast
24:20 – Sheri previews Episode 11, featuring a 150-year-old manufacturer that’s streamlining processes with automation
Check out The Downtime’s archive!
Episode 1: Packaging + Robots + Tariffs, Oh, My!
Episode 5: Thinking Inside the Box
Episode 6: Conveyance, Copilots & College Grads
Episode 7: Running on AI and Coffee
