We're Moving!

Hey everyone! We're growing, so we've moved our blog to our website! You can find us at http://www.macopkg.com/blog/ 

Check out our blog for some relevant, fresh information, and then browse our site for further inspiration. When it comes to packaging for nearly any product or item, MacoPKG can help you succeed! 

Why Choose Maco PKG for Dry Filling

We maintain all safety regulations to ensure high quality packaging for your high quality product.

Maco PKG, an organic and kosher certified dry filling packaging company, provides a dependable packaging option for packaging dry products. What makes Maco stand apart from the rest?

Dust Control

Dry products often become airborne during the filling process. If dry products are filled in the same room, they mix in the air, contaminating both products. To prevent cross contamination, we have several independent environments within our packaging facility for dry filling. Within these rooms we regulate temperature and prohibit dust and other impurities from contacting your dry product.

Dry Filling Options

Dry filling provides almost unlimited options. Since you can dry fill in both rigid and flexible packaging, you can fill in boxes, pouches, cans, jars, or bags.  Lightweight and versatile, dry packaging performs well for many applications. We can create any packaging, from sample packets like sweeteners to ounce-dependent packaging like dry foods.  

Benefits of Dry Filling

Dry filling usually doesn’t need refrigeration but still maintains a long shelf life. It is especially useful for extending the shelf life of dry products that become functional only upon the addition of water.

Manufactured Precisely to Your Specifications

We support equipment and machines that fill precisely and accurately, especially for products that are filled per ounce rather than count. Upon request and depending on prototype results, we incorporate various closures for easy use, such as valves for bulkier products or sieves for finely ground products.

Our dry filling capabilities provide the perfection solution to your dry packaging dilemmas. We are committed to perfection, so we’ll work with you to create and manufacture the perfect packaging for your dry product.

Why Choose Wicket Bags?

Wicket Bags Provide the Perfect Solution for Large Automatic Runs

You’re ready to package a fairly bulky product such as poultry or apples. Maybe you’re pressed for time and want to get your product into the market as fast as possible with as much quantity as is practical. What are your options? You need a solution that minimizes time spent in the factory and maximizes time on the shelf displaying your product. Well, Maco PKG as your food packaging company likely has the perfect solution for you.

The Answer? Wicket Bags!

Wicket bags were first manufactured to provide an efficient but fast way to package large quantities of bulky product. They’re individually cut with a durable bottom gusset and an open top. The opening has two holes on opposite sides that allow a lower-case “n” shaped metal wire to be threaded through as handles. They are easily ported to various locations.

Available Options for your Wicket Bags

Maco PKG provides several options for wicket bags, depending on the end use. For example, we can include a tear-start opening for easy access or headers and seals in whatever size you want. If you need your wicket bag to be adhesive we can manufacture them with Ethylene Vinyl Acetate. If you’re packaging clothing, we can include Ultraviolet Index to protect your product from UV rays, which can cause colors to fade.

An Effective Advertising Tool

In addition to providing an inexpensive way to package anywhere from 100 to 250 on automated packaging machines, wicket bags offer an excellent advertising strategy. We can print your logo or brand name in up to six colors. You can greatly increase your audience’s recognition of your quality product when you incorporate printing on your bags.

Dependable for a Variety of Products

Wicket bags are most often used for bulky products like meat, vegetables and non-perishables. They have strong walls that are able to endure sharp edges from products without tearing. The wire handles present an easy way to port even heavier products like potatoes and ice.

Don’t be Foiled; Use Maco PKG's FOIL PACKAGING

Barrier packaging, Maco PKG’s biggest product line, largely depends on foil to prevent moisture, oxygen, dirt and dust, grease, oil, and even UV rays from contaminating the inside product. Because of its versatility, foil packaging is used for many purposes. About 80% is used for industry and the other 20% for retail.  

Industrial companies take advantage of Maco’s foil bags in several ways. For example, foil bags hold hot cocoa powder to prevent moisture from damaging the product. Since foil is vacuum sealable, the air is removed from the package to oxidize the product. Foil bags also hold beech nuts, cereal bites for kids, sugar, nutritional supplements, pet food, mulch, fertilizer, and even candy bars.

All pouches are formed by a heat seal. Once the material comes off the roll, it gets folded across a heat bar, which melts the material together and seals the bag closed. If the customer needs a 3-seal pouch or a bottom-gusset (for stand up style pouches), then the edges get folded inward before sealing. For co-packaging situations, Maco PKG ensures the customer knows the material is heat sealable at specific temperatures.

Although foil is most commonly used for its barrier qualities, it possesses many other assets. Maco PKG as a co-packer has recently utilized foil for its reflective qualities. To insulate a coffee cup, they use foil, along with other materials, to make a neoprene sleeve and then fill the sleeve with paraffin wax. The pouch reflects the heat and keeps the beverage at a perfectly warmed temperature for extended periods of time.  

The medical industry demands high standards with their foil packaging, which is why they choose Maco PKG for their packaging. They package diabetic testing strips in foil pouches that provide protection from moisture and other contamination. Foil packaging prevents elements from degrading the strips inside, a critical necessity for medical products.

Maco PKG continues to provide high quality, durable foil bags that supports their outstanding reputation. Ready to package your product with quality packaging? Call us today at 1-315-226-1000!

Maco PKG: Military Specification Packaging

Maco PKG, a packaging company well-known for its distinguished reputation and fine products, has maintained a healthy business relationship with the military since World War 2. Although it originated as a window advertising company, Maco shifted gears to support the war effort to create tar sealed military bags for supplies. Soldiers needed to have engine hubs, parts, and ammunition floated to shore. Since 1939, they have been known for reliable, quickly shipped, fair priced materials regardless of the size of an order. They will make one pouch or one million. Maco has an in depth knowledge of Mil-Spec packaging and they are one of the oldest companies in this field. Their  team of experts has been on board for many years.

According to their Account Executive, Tom Seymour, Maco PKG services the military’s packaging needs in many forms, including pouches, military bags, shrouds, roll-stock and custom packaging. One of the unique products manufactured for service men and women is the M295 decontamination mitt. They are issued to soldiers as a measure of protection in the case that they are exposed to chemical agents. Maco is also a supplier of packaging for tourniquet and wound treatment kits that have had a vital part in the preservation of life in IED attacks in Iraq and Afghanistan. They also have experience co-packing food and beverage items into pouches such as meals ready-to-eat (MRE). Maco has  supplied MRE’s like chocolate protein shakes to soldiers in the field. As a diversified manufacturer, Maco has made a variety of Mil-Spec flexible packaging products.

The primary use for military packaging varies greatly. The Department of Defense provides detailed military specifications so that the packaging adheres to predetermined purposes. In some instances, Maco PKG isn’t informed of the end purposes and is simply required to follow the Mil-Spec, or military specifications. Maco PKG works with certified suppliers for their specialized materials such as

• electrostatic discharge
• foil laminates
• static shielded material
• kraft paper laminates
• Volatile Corrosion Inhibitors

These materials provide a specific high barrier to moisture (vapor), oxygen, light, grease, dirt, debris and dust. These materials are heat sealable and are run through a gamut of testing to meet the Mil-Spec. Customers provide the Mil-Spec, (MIL-PRF), which indicates the material needed for the pouch and the MIL-DTL, the standards that need to be followed for the conversion of the materials.

Maco PKG is registered in The System for Awards Management (SAM), a database that the military uses to detail successful accomplishments and qualify potential vendors for military packaging. Maco’s reputation as a dependable flexible packaging company welcomes the military and its partners back again and again. Visit www.macobag.com and discover how Maco can design military bags that meet your specifications.

Some Facts About Maco's Liquid Capabilities

Tanker and Rail Car Bulk Material Management

Any kind of liquid filling requires special treatment and understanding of the needs of the company producing the product. At Maco PKG, we work closely with all of our clients to design a specific dry and liquid filling approach that works best for their individual product. One option we have that is useful and saves time and money for many companies is our tanker and rail car bulk management.

We can do over the road tanker and rail car bulk filling. This vital process can save your company time and money. We can handle any quantity of liquid for transportation and storage. The ability to do over the road rail and tanker bulk liquid filling is the easiest and safest way to handle your bulk liquid filling needs.

We not only handle the actual tanker and rail car filling, but we can also store your liquid product in a holding tank. This reduces wasted time, wasted dollars, and wasted product. We can store your liquid at the proper temperature until the next order needs to be made.

When you rely on Maco PKG for your liquid filling and bulk storage needs, you get the customized solutions you need and the guarantee that we treat each client and product with the utmost care and safety. We can adjust and reconfigure virtually anything necessary to ensure you get the best service, optimal product handling and storage, and satisfaction you deserve and expect.

We can Transport & Store Your Liquid Products at Any Temperature

Liquid filling can be complicated and require many logistic decisions to be made by a company. Trying to handle those logistics on your own can make the process more complicated and stressful than it needs to be. With Maco PKG handling your liquid filling needs, large and small, you can relax and know the job, the materials, and the end result will be exactly what you need.

Bulk product liquid filling makes sense logistically and also economically. However, some companies do not have the ability to store or hold large quantities of bulk liquid filling material. Maco PKG does. We have the ability to hold products in bulk and safely to securely fill and transport those products. For plastic bottles, shipping bulk material saves everyone time and money.

With Maco PKG, we know the temperature of the bulk liquid material matters. We have the capabilities to keep your liquids hot, cold, or maintain whatever temperature it needs to be while transporting and storing.

As with every aspect of Maco PKG, we strive to provide versatility and custom-designed options for all of your dry and liquid filling needs. You can tell us your exact liquid or dry product shipping and storage needs and we will come back to you with an answer to make it happen. Contact us today.

We Offer Over the Road Tanker Rail Car Receiving

Any distribution of bulk product (especially liquid filling) between producers and packagers can be complicated and can easily turn into a logistical nightmare. The good news is that it doesn’t have to be. If you trust in Maco PKG to develop the best way to receive, handle, and store your product, you can rest assured that the most economic, safe, and efficient method will be implemented.

At Maco PKG, we are able to handle over the road tanker and rail car receiving. For many liquid filling product lines, this can be the safest and most efficient method of transport, storage, and handling. This allows us to cut down on the steps needed to get your product handled correctly and delivered from point A to point B. It also allows for more quality control.

With this capability, the reputation Maco PKG has for being a source of customized and versatile solutions is being more cemented than ever before. We take the time necessary to get to know your needs and your company. Your product matters to us just as much as it does to you. Having an innovative and trustworthy source for your receiving, storage, and liquid filling needs matters. With Maco PKG on the job, you can be sure all measures are being taken to make the receiving of over the road tanker rail cars a smooth, seamless, and efficient process with the utmost care for your liquid product and liquid filling needs.  

Shelf Appeal

Our Versatile Facility Can Optimize Your Health and Beauty Product Packaging

When you create and sell health and beauty products, you know the packaging speaks volumes. You also know you need different types and styles of packaging for different products. You can’t rely on the same type of packaging for lotions that you can for powders or fragrances. You need custom packaging that allows for various sizes, styles, and needs. You need Maco PKG.

Our facility is built on the idea that versatility is what makes our system of packaging work. We have a 200,000 square foot facility that allows us to change up sizes, styles, and materials for packaging on site. You might need sample sizes to distribute at trade shows, individual sizes for hotels or promotions, or bulk sizes for salons or industry events. Health and beauty products are never one-size-fits all. Your packaging shouldn’t be either.

At Maco PKG, we also know that your packaging may change over time. You may want to deal in larger product sizes, new packaging materials to stay ahead of the game, or be looking for something new. We have the ability to roll with those changes and keep your product line going smoothly.

For the optimal amount of versatility and individuality in custom packaging for health and beauty products, look no further than Maco PKG.

Are Your Health and Beauty Products Safe, Simple and Engaging?

Health and beauty products come in all sorts of mediums. Your product line might consist of fine powders, liquids, gels, lotions, and fragrances. Obviously, the same packaging does not work for all products. With Maco PKG, you can get the custom packaging you need for each specific product. Not only are our packaging options customizable, but they are safe and engaging for customer interaction.

At Maco PKG, we can design custom packaging that protects your product from leakage or damage. The product inside can be safe from contamination or from breaking open - reducing the cause of loss or messes. Shipping, stocking and displaying lotions and fragrances can be quite an ordeal and a safety issue if the packaging is not up to par. We ensure the product line and everyone who interacts with it is safe and protected. Safe packaging that is free from risk is cost effective all around.

Aside from designing safe packaging for any kind of health and beauty product, we can make it engaging too. With customized graphics and stand-out packaging in general, it will get your customers attention, and keep it.

Have you had packaging not live up to its name before and leave you with product loss or contamination?

Do Your Health and Beauty Products Have Shelf Appeal?

Having a great product that really works and ignites brand loyalty is a dream come true. However, did you know the shelf appeal of your health and beauty product matters just as much as the product itself? It is a proven marketing fact that standing out in an overcrowded retail market can make or break a product as much as the product quality.

The packaging, displays, and placement of a product is what makes for workable shelf appeal. At Maco PKG, our custom packaging can ensure your health and beauty product stands out front and center and gets the attention it deserves.

Part of increasing shelf appeal is picking the right kind of custom packaging for your particular health and beauty product. This may be clear packaging, stand up boxes, or pouches that hang on peg hooks. It is important to note that shelf appeal isn’t just a front and center process. We think about the product from all angles. If it is on a display, it has to have shelf appeal from the sides too.

Mako PKG can take an in-depth analysis of your product line and enhance what sets you apart, then bring that distinction to life for all eyes to see. Having shelf appeal from all sides and all angles can give your health and beauty product line an edge over the competition straight from the get-go.

Let the custom packaging experts at Maco PKG design a packing system that will help your product grow and give it the shelf appeal it deserves.

Packaging & Filling

Our Certifications Mean the Highest Standards

When you trust a company to handle your food packaging and liquid filling needs, you have to be certain of the safety of your product when it is not in your hands. You can depend on Maco PKG to live up to industry standards and to have the certifications needed to give you peace of mind.

Maco PKG is AIB and ISO certified. These industry standards are a vital part of why we are able to provide safe products of all kinds. Both certifications pertain to a high standard of health and safety that is necessary for the protection of your company and also your consumers.

The certifications mean we strive to exceed industry standards for food and liquid safety when it comes to operations, company policies, and storage. The care and conscientious effort to maintain the safety and health of all who have a hand in your food packaging and liquid filling process is our top priority.

We also ensure we can meet any organic or kosher needs you have for your product line and packaging needs.

We take AIB and ISO certification seriously so you don’t have to give safety a thought. Let us show you the health and safety standards by which we operate.  

Our Versatile Capabilities Mean No Standard Runs or Costly Retooling

The one thing that sets Maco PKG apart from most other food packaging and liquid filling facilities is our ability to adjust as we go. Our mission is to not force your product to conform to our capabilities, but to ensure we can conform to your needs.

We have retooling abilities to change up and reconfigure packaging operations as your needs change. We are able to design a system and operate in accordance with your specifications right on site. Maco PKG understands that - as your product evolves and marketing techniques expose any necessary adjustments - you may need to quickly redesign your packaging or add to an existing packaging line. Our ability to make those adjustments without outsourcing the new needs is cost effective for your company as well as ours.

Your product may go through changes and you may also suddenly find yourself in need of trial sizes, promotional, sizes, or product for trade shows. We don’t rely on standard runs that prevent alterations and demands from a changing market. We take the time to learn what system of operations will give you the product packaging look and feel you expect. Then we put into effect quickly.

When you want affordable, efficient, and streamlined food packaging and liquid filling that can be adjusted to meet your needs, let Maco PGK handle the job!

Our Food & Beverage Packaging Types

Maco PKG is the ideal source for any company in need of unique, custom, and certified packaging. When it comes to food packaging and liquid filling, we give you more options and control than you might find anywhere else.

Liquid filling needs to be precise, safe, and secure. It also needs to be economically feasible. If something needs to be changed, such as amounts for promotional items, it shouldn’t and doesn’t need to cost a fortune to retool. With Maco PKG, our on-site capabilities allow for any kind of liquid fill adjustments you may require. We can mix onsite also. Knowing your liquid product is protected from leaks or mishaps is essential to the marketing and sale of what you have to offer.

We can also meet any and all dry filling needs. Maco PKG can accommodate any size and type of dry fillings, from larger sizes to snack sizes for trail mix or any other product. We are able to make precise measurements, and regulate supply and operations so you get the consistency and standards of quality your company depends on. We can package and attach additional ingredients or utilize mixing capabilities so your product is ready to go straight from our facility to store shelves.

Our safety and high quality standards are unmatched and reflect the quality of the product your company works so hard to create and market. Our versatility allows for Maco PKG to amend, alter, and complete all of your food packaging and liquid filling needs.

About Maco PKG

The Four Areas of Our Facility

As contract and flexible packaging experts and innovators, there aren’t too many specifications or requests that we can’t fulfill. Maco PKG focuses on four distinct areas of packaging, and continues to make innovations in each of those areas.

We handle liquid co-packaging and dry co-packaging in separate areas of our facility. Our areas for co-packaging enable us to handle any size order and meet any specifications asked of us. We can manufacture plastic, foil, or materialized pouches and bags and customize them for design, logos, and ease of use. Our co-packaging capabilities allow for water-proof, spill proof, and easy food and snack transport.

We are a flexible converter with plenty of warehouse space to meet any of our client’s needs. There are 30 areas alone that meet the flexible packaging orders we process. We can fill on site and meet nearly any design request.

Any company looking for specific packaging needs or would like to explore just what their options may be should really check out the efficiency and innovation behind the Maco PKG facility. With a long tradition of being cutting edge and having a sensible layout and design, Maco PKG is the only packaging source you may need for your product line.

Our Current Facility

                                  

Maco PKG has maintained consistent growth over the decades. It has introduced flexible packaging innovations and options that were unheard of when the company began in the 1930s. Because of the growth, demand, and push to increase customization and innovation, Maco PKG has always needed a facility that welcomes growth and expansion.

The current facility just north of the Erie Canal is an expansive 240,000 square feet location. The size and different niche areas make Maco PKG a leader in the industry because we can consolidate all of our capabilities under one roof. We can also fill packaging on site so companies can get the full scope of our services and capabilities. We are also able to handle Kosher and organic packaging needs for clients who need those specifications.

As it currently stands, one third of the facility operates for contract packaging businesses. Two thirds make up our flexible packaging lines.

From complex and tiny medical pouches - to heat sealed military spec pouches - to bags and bottles of all sizes and with custom specifications, we are able to accommodate virtually any company’s needs.

The Beginning and Growth of a True Innovator

Maco PKG has been an industry leader and innovator since it began in the 1930s. Stuart McDonald started the business as an advertising agency. Once World War 2 began, he switched over to packaging for the United States Military.

Once the business really began to make ground and change the world of packaging, Scott Miller (McDonald’s son-in-law) worked to take it to the next level. Scott Miller then handed down the majority of the business to his two sons, Mike and Craig. In other words, Maco PKG has been passed down through three generations of the same family - which has helped to to maintain its unity and direction.

Today, the two brothers each own one third of Maco PKG. However, the employees also own one third, giving them all a direct vested interest in the success of the business. Today, there are 175 people who run the facility and make Maco PKG a leader in various packaging methods and innovations. The facility runs on two 10 hour shifts.

From extremely small medical packaging, to large tractor trailer cover materials, Maco PKG handles a wide variety of packaging orders and request for most nationally known companies, including the military.

The flexible packaging and innovative technologies that make packaging a customized option for today’s companies all combine to make Maco PKG an industry leader and innovator that is sure to continue taking packaging to the next level.  

Our Form, Fill, & Seal Co-Packing Capabilities

One option Maco PKG can offer (as far as food packaging is concerned) is our form, fill, and seal capabilities. Chances are you have bought a product that was form, fill, and seal co-packed and may have not even given it a second thought. This option is gaining ground and it may benefit your product to get in while it is still a great option.

Form, fill, and seal co-packing is ideal for any kind of gel product, pre-measured liquids, and snacks. We can customize form, fill, and seal food packaging options to meet specialized needs. We offer multi-pouch capabilities and even re-sealable zipper pouches.

The sleek and portable designs we can bring to life are unmatched. Using form, fill, and seal packaging gives your product a strong protective barrier and an eye-catching appeal that run-of-the-mill packaging just can’t keep up with. It is safe from water, sunlight, or pressure. You can choose from materials and sizes to get just the right look and feel for your product when you turn to Maco PKG.

We are seeing more and more form, fill, and seal co-packing products on the market for a reason. Think about how form, fill, and seal food packaging may benefit your product line.

Bottle Filling - The Co-Packing Advantage

The choices for co-packing capabilities may seem confusing and even overwhelming when you have a new product or simply want to re-vamp an older product. Let us help you decide what method of food packaging may best benefit your budget, needs, and initiative.

One popular food packaging capability we see rising in the industry is bottle filling. We offer full and versatile bottle filling options. Bottle filling is ideal for dried foods that need to be portable, like snack foods, dried fruits, powders, cereals, and baby foods for on the go. Today, consumers are ever moving towards a mobile lifestyle. Any product that can be easily taken on the go and then closed up again will win out almost every time over a product that isn’t portable.

Bottle filling also gives you room to customize the look and feel of your product. Maco PKG can handle various sizes and shapes so your product can stand out. Bottle filling food packaging also gives you room for graphics and decorating options that further put your brand and product on the map.

Have you tried bottle filling for a product before?

We Offer a Wide Range of Co-Packing Capabilities

The greatest reasons to turn to Maco PKG for your co-packing needs may be our versatility and ability to customize the look and feel of your product line. How you go about food packaging matters almost as much as the product itself. Let us help you take advantage of the co-packing capabilities we can offer for your product.

We can design efficient automatic cartons for your product, complete with custom labels and graphics. We also do shrink wrap and heat seal food packaging. Bottle filling and bag loading capabilities make us the ideal source for dried food packaging and snack foods. We also handle folding, gluing, and form, fill and seal co-packing.

When you have a product to present to the masses, you want the packaging to be unique to your product, sensible for its intended use, and you also want choices. Food packaging shouldn’t and doesn’t have to be a one-size-fits-all experience. With Maco PKG, it doesn’t have to be. You can be in control of the co-packing choices but also have the freedom to focus on the production, instead of the packaging responsibility.

If you haven’t checked our list of capabilities yet, do it now and see what we have to offer.

Benefits of Co-Packing

If you haven’t looked into the benefits of co-packing for your product line, you are missing out. The benefits of co-packing by Maco PKG may surprise you.

The one advantage that catches the eye of most industry leaders is the cost effectiveness. If you are introducing a new product line and need food packaging capabilities, is it really worth the extra costs to add a new section to your current facility just to meet packaging demands? By letting Maco PKG handle the co-packing, you are saving money by keeping the costs of your current facility the same.

Our ability to customize co-packing solutions also makes co-packing by Maco PKG the smart choice. We can enhance your product line with eye-catching graphics, innovative designs, and customized features that will benefit the presentation of your company. This advantage will help you put a new product out there with confidence.

By trusting Maco PKG to handle your co-packing needs, you are increasing efficiency by not getting bogged down by your food packaging needs. Your industry and facility can focus on the product alone, while we focus on how it is packaged. Once concept and design of a new or old product is complete, let our co-packing capabilities help you bring it to the masses.

What product do you see on the market that desperately needs to be “re-packaged”?