Rewriting the Playbook for Workforce Development
- Published: August 3, 2026
By Vicki McDonald Kastory, RDG Media Managing Editor
The flexible packaging sector isn’t just growing, it’s gaining momentum.
In fact, flexible packaging now represents roughly 20% of the total U.S. packaging market, making it the second-largest segment behind corrugated materials according to the Flexible Packaging Association (FPA).¹
The U.S. flexible packaging market reached $42.6 billion in 2024 and hit an estimated $44.6 billion in 2025, according to the FPA report.2 Looking ahead, Grand View Research projects the U.S. segment will grow at a 4.6% compound annual growth rate through 2033 — a trajectory driven by demand for convenience formats, sustainability and domestic production growth.3
Within the flexible packaging segment, pouches continue to drive growth. Stand-up pouches remain the backbone of the category, while spouted formats are among the fastest-rising category, fueled by demand for convenience, portability and resealability for food, beverage and household applications.
Totani’s blend of automation, advanced cutter control, digital recipes and robust customer support delivers measurable gains in efficiency, product quality, and safety. Image courtesy of Totani
New Pressure Points
For converters, this creates growth opportunities, and new pressure points. More demand means more complexity, more SKUs, and more production lines to staff, in a labor market that is already running on empty.
Research by PMMI identifies workforce availability as a top concern among packaging equipment end users.4 A shortage of new hires, a technical skills gap among veteran operators, and the ongoing baby boomer retirement wave are collectively draining decades of institutional knowledge from plant floors. The result: a shrinking bench, a steeper learning curve, and a growing gap between the volume of work the market demands, and available operator capacity.
The good news is that original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) are continuously simplifying human-machine interface (HMI). And, in doing so, rewriting the playbook for workforce development.
“Customers aren’t just buying equipment. They’re investing in long-term capability. Our role is to make sure that capability keeps improving, even as teams and projects change.”
Jeff Smits, National Sales Director, Totani America.
Onshoring Adds Urgency
The workforce challenge in flexible packaging does not exist in isolation. It is being amplified by a concurrent trend: the reshoring of converting operations.
Supply chain volatility, tariffs and rising transportation costs are pushing more production back to North America. And this shift is not temporary according to analysts. McKinsey’s research on supply chain resilience characterizes it as a durable strategic realignment: companies are not simply bringing production home for the duration of a trade dispute, but redesigning their supply networks for long-term domestic manufacturing capability.5
For converters, reshoring translates into new facilities, new equipment and an immediate need for trained operators. Equipment design is evolving accordingly, with HMI taking its place alongside performance and precision as a core engineering priority.
As a result, machines are increasingly engineered to reduce reliance on operator experience, embed process knowledge and guide users through production.
Jesse Rosenow, Sales Manager at Totani America, explains, “Pouch-making machinery is being engineered to decrease the learning curve. Today, operators can move from basic familiarity to confident operation in days and weeks rather than months.”
The Case for Intelligent Machinery
Historically, onboarding a pouch machine operator could take months, or longer. Automation is significantly compressing that learning curve. The core technologies driving this shift include:
Recipe-based changeover automation: Rather than requiring operators to manually configure temperature profiles, dwell times, seal pressures and web tension for each SKU — a process that once demanded deep institutional knowledge — today’s advanced pouch-making equipment stores validated production recipes digitally. An operator selects the job; the machine configures itself. This single capability fundamentally changes the knowledge required to run a changeover correctly.
Guided HMI systems: Touchscreen HMIs present operators with real-time alerts and visual confirmation prompts that mirror the intuitive design logic of the machine technology. The cognitive load of machine operation drops substantially when the interface actively guides the operator, rather than requiring interpretation of analog gauges and institutional memory.
Automated feature adjustment: When print repeat variations occur, having seal bar positioning and print registration controlled by motors, the margin for operator error shrinks. Consistency becomes a function of the machine’s programming rather than the operator’s accumulated experience.
Automated quality controls and process monitoring: Integrated vision systems, feedback loops, and integrity verification do more than catch defects — they teach operators what a good product looks like by providing real-time, objective feedback on process parameters. A new operator learning alongside an automated quality system is, in effect, learning from a patient, infinitely consistent instructor.
“Pouch-making machinery is being engineered to decrease the learning curve. Today, operators can move from basic familiarity to confident operation in days and weeks rather than months.”
Jesse Rosenow, Sales Manager at Totani America
Building What’s Next
The labor challenge in flexible packaging is not going away. Growth, demographics and reshoring will continue to put pressure on operations.
“The goal isn’t to replace experience — it’s to leverage it. When machines handle repetitive setup tasks, your most experienced people can focus on process improvement and teaching best practices,” explained Rosenow.
Smarter machines, stronger training systems and deeper OEM partnerships are helping converters build more resilient operations, positioning businesses to grow without being constrained by workforce limitations.
The Expanding Role of the OEM
As machinery evolves, so does the role of the OEM. Today’s leading equipment suppliers are providing far more than hardware.
“Customers aren’t just buying equipment. They’re investing in long-term capability. Our role is to make sure that capability keeps improving, even as teams and projects change,” said Jeff Smits, National Sales Director, Totani America.
Expanded OEM support includes:
- Structured training programs
- Recipe and process standardization
- Software updates and ongoing technical support
- Deep application expertise
- Service and operator training throughout the machine’s lifetime
Converters are no longer evaluating equipment based solely on output metrics. They are examining how well a supplier can support workforce development over time. In a tight labor market, that support becomes a genuine competitive differentiator.
About Totani
Totani’s blend of automation, advanced cutter control, digital recipes and robust customer support delivers measurable gains in efficiency, product quality, and safety. For more information, contact National Sales Director Jeff Smits at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or Sales Manager Jesse Rosenow at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Learn more at www.totaniamerica.com
References
- Flexible Packaging Association (FPA) – Industry Data: https://www.flexpack.org/state-of-the-industry
- FPA 2025 State of the Industry Coverage: https://tinyurl.com/3cjhas8a
- Grand View Research – Flexible Packaging Market Outlook: https://tinyurl.com/4mh38w36
- PMMI – 2025 State of the Industry Report: https://www.pmmi.org/video/2025-state-of-the-industry
- McKinsey – Supply Chain Resilience: https://tinyurl.com/cpc5mptp
