How A PACK EXPO Test Drive Closed the Deal for Rennco
Running real product on the show floor gave Ankerpak the confidence to scale automation quickly, turning a single demo at Rennco into repeat machinery orders.
Rennco had product in its booth to demonstrate the capabilities of the EZ20 Vertical Bagger to AnkerPak.
Rennco
For exhibitors, the goal of any PACK EXPO is an event where real projects take shape. At PACK EXPO International 2024, Rennco, a flexible bagging and sealing solution ProMach brand, experienced that firsthand when a booth demonstration turned into a multi-machine deployment for Ankerpak, the contract packaging partner for Uniball.
What began as a hands-on demo on the show floor quickly evolved into a long-term customer relationship, highlighting how live demonstrations, distributor collaboration, and face-to-face engagement continue to drive measurable ROI for exhibitors.
This reinforces research from the PMMI Media Group 2025 Buying Cycle and Supplier Studies, which found that suppliers identified trade shows as their primary source of lead generation, and end users identified trade shows as their go-to source of information when exploring equipment options.
A targeted visit with a real project in mind
Ankerpak is a Georgia-based contract packaging company that supports national brands with retail-ready and e-commerce packaging, serving customers with high SKU counts and variable packaging formats. When Ankerpak secured a new Uniball program, the requirements were clear: flexible inner-pack bagging, fast changeovers, and equipment that could be deployed quickly without introducing production risk.
“I’ve grown up going to PACK EXPOs,” says John Anker, owner of Ankerpak. “For a long time, I was looking at these shiny, well-engineered machines and thinking about how to apply them in our small business environment. As we grew, we had to be very deliberate about where we put our money.”
Rather than browsing aimlessly, Ankerpak leaned on a trusted distributor relationship. Atlantic Tape & Packaging, a long-time supplier and packaging advisor, recommended Rennco and coordinated a visit to the Rennco booth, ensuring the OEM team was prepared for a meaningful, product-specific demonstration.
“Mike Benton [from Atlantic Tape] knew we weren’t looking for a big gamble,” Anker says. “We were looking for small wins that would work every day.”
Live demos using actual product
Rennco EZ20 Vertical BaggerRenncoAt the Rennco booth, the Ankerpak team didn’t watch a generic demo, Director of Distribution and Technical Sales Mike George ran actual blister-packed pens on the EZ20 Vertical Bagger, allowing Anker to test different bag sizes, orientations, and programming presets.
“I wanted to see it, touch it, feel it,” Anker explains. “You can look at drawings and specs, but you don’t know how a machine behaves until you’re standing there making changes and watching it run.”
Rennco’s team anticipated the visit and prepared accordingly.
“We knew John was coming,” says George. “That’s what we try to do at PACK EXPO—be ready to demonstrate equipment in the way the customer actually needs it demonstrated.”
During the demo, Anker asked for adjustments on the fly.
“I said, ‘Change that. Stack the product this way. Let’s see it run like this,’” he recalls. “And the machine just kept running.”
The ability to test real-world variability—rather than idealized test conditions—gave Ankerpak confidence not only in the equipment, but also in the people behind it.
“I’m not a mechanic,” Anker says. “I’m a business owner. I needed to know my team could understand it, fix it, and get help quickly if something went wrong.
One sale becomes three
Shortly after PACK EXPO International, Ankerpak placed its first machine order. Within months, as the Uniball program ramped up, the company added a second machine—followed quickly by a third.
“All of that happened over about three months,” Anker says. “But only after we confirmed the first machine delivered what we needed.”
Rennco’s equipment was deployed in a newly built Ankerpak facility dedicated to Uniball, supporting both retail and e-commerce distribution. Though the operation has been in production less than a year, it continues to deliver steady improvements in productivity and labor efficiency.
Material efficiency adds value During the live demonstrations, Rennco highlighted the benefits of transitioning from pre-made bags to rollstock, reducing packaging costs and material waste.Rennco
In addition to equipment performance, material optimization played a key role. By transitioning from pre-made bags to rollstock material, Ankerpak reduced packaging costs and material waste, an advantage that became clear during the live demonstrations.
“With roll material, you can size the bag to the product,” says George. “That flexibility lowers cost and reduces waste compared to pre-made bags.”
Why PACK EXPO matters for exhibitors
For Rennco, the experience reinforces the value of exhibiting at PACK EXPO, not just as a lead generator but to accelerate real projects. By partnering closely with distributors and staffing booths with experienced technical personnel, Rennco turned a show-floor interaction into repeat business.
Specs
Machinery
Machine model: Rennco EZ20 Vertical Bagger
Throughput range: Max throughput is 25 bags per minute depending on product size
Mobility / footprint: Comes standard with a 110V electric connection with machine on castors making it easy to install and change position as needed. Machine footprint is compact (3ft x 3ft) with a working load point of 38 in from the floor.
Integrated equipment: Additional options include hole punch for air release, static eliminator, film registration for printed film, pin perforator for shrink film, print and apply labeler, and multiple infeed solutions (pusher, belt, bucket, or cobot) depending on customer needs.
Material
Film structure: Polyethylene and polyolefin films run on the EZ20
Material format: Center folded rolls of film can be anywhere from 60 Guage to 4 mil in thickness up to a 20” roll size and 16” diameter size
Waste reduction: Right sized bagging utilizes less film material compared to pre-made bags, as well as labor savings when moving from manual bagging to automated bagging with the EZ20.
Cost savings vs. pre-made bags: Cost savings in material is significant – based on the application can exceed 50-60% savings on the center folded material used on the Rennco machine. End-users of the EZ20 are not tied to any one film material supplier, they have the ability to shop around and are not committed to extensive contracts with one film supplier.
PACK EXPO ROI: What Made the Difference
Distributor-led introductions through trusted partners
Live demos using actual customer product
Booth teams prepared for real application testing
Immediate technical adjustments on the show floor
Face-to-face trust building that accelerated decisions
