We offer a comprehensive range of leading-edge packaging equipment that service a wide range of industries.
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We provide complete food and beverage packaging automation, from precise weighing and filling to case packing and palletizing. Our integrated systems deliver high throughput, reliable uptime, and easy changeovers for seamless end-to-end production.
We deliver complete bakery packaging automation, from flow wrapping, bagging, and product filling to case packing and palletizing. Our fully integrated systems ensure sanitary handling, high throughput, and smooth changeovers for seamless end-to-end bakery production.
We specialize in packaging automation for powders and granular products, delivering accurate weighing, dosing, and bagging from single-serve to bulk formats. Our integrated systems maintain freshness and ensure efficient, reliable end-to-end production.
We deliver complete frozen-product packaging automation designed to preserve cold temperatures and maintain product integrity. Our washdown-ready, sanitary systems are built for icy environments, ensuring reliable performance and seamless production from weighing and filling to end-of-line automation.
We provide flexible packaging automation for snack and confectionery products, designed to handle diverse shapes, sizes, and textures with ease. Our scalable, high-speed systems deliver efficient throughput in compact footprints, ensuring seamless production from primary packaging to end-of-line automation.
We provide sanitary, versatile packaging automation for pet food and pet care products, designed to handle unique shapes and applications. Our scalable systems support varied speeds and seamless production from primary packaging to end-of-line automation.
We deliver reliable packaging automation for household and cleaning products, engineered to safely handle liquids, powders, and chemical formulations. Our durable, high-quality systems ensure consistent performance and secure packaging from primary fill to end-of-line automation.
We provide packaging automation for personal care products, built to manage unique formulas and formats with precision. Our systems ensure rigorous packaging quality control and offer flexible machine speeds to support everything from small-batch runs to high-volume production.
We deliver precision packaging automation for health and medical products, engineered for safe, hygienic, and contamination-free handling. Our systems ensure accurate, secure packaging and meet the highest sanitation standards for trusted end-to-end production.
No matter the product, our versatile packaging systems are engineered to adapt and perform. You’re the experts in what you make — we’re the experts in packaging it. Together, we build long-term partnerships and reliable solutions that scale with your business and stand the test of time.
July 20, 2026
The way people consume vitamins, hydration powders, drink mixes, supplements, and functional ingredients has changed. Consumers are no longer building their routines around a kitchen counter, a tub of powder, and a plastic scoop. They are moving faster, traveling more, working out on the go, and looking for products that fit into their day instead of interrupting it.
That shift is one of the biggest reasons stick packaging continues to gain momentum.
From early drink mix formats like Crystal Light On The Go to modern wellness brands like Liquid I.V., AG1, hydration powders, greens blends, collagen, protein, electrolytes, and vitamin mixes, the stick pack has become more than just a package. It has become part of the product experience.
It is portable. It is clean. It is easy to dose. It helps protect the product. Most importantly, it gives customers the flexibility to use the product when and where they need it.
From Scoops and Bottles to Single-Serve Convenience
For years, many powder-based products relied on canisters, tubs, scoops, jars, or liquid filling formats. Those formats still have a place, especially for at-home use, but they do not always match the way today’s customer lives.
A scoop can be messy. A large tub is not easy to pack in a gym bag. Liquid products can be heavier to ship, more complex to package, and less convenient for travel. With stick packs, brands can offer the same core product benefit in a format that feels lighter, cleaner, and easier to use.
The appeal is simple: tear, pour, mix, and go.
That matters in categories built around routine and lifestyle. Whether someone is adding electrolytes to a water bottle after a workout, taking a greens supplement while traveling, using a vitamin powder at the office, or keeping drink mixes in a backpack, the stick pack supports a more flexible “do it when you need it” approach.
It also helps remove friction. Consumers do not need to measure. They do not need to carry the whole container. They do not need to worry about whether they packed the scoop, spilled powder, or exposed the product to moisture every time they opened the main package.
Health and wellness products are often built around consistency. The customer has to remember to take the product, enjoy the product, and feel like it fits naturally into their routine. Packaging plays a major role in that.
Stick packs make that routine easier.
They allow brands to deliver a controlled portion every time. That is especially important for vitamins, supplements, electrolytes, functional drink powders, collagen, protein, fiber, probiotics, and other active ingredients where serving size matters.
They also help support sampling, variety packs, subscription models, travel packs, and club-store formats. A customer can try multiple flavors, keep packets in different places, or bring a week’s worth of servings on a trip without carrying a full container.
For the brand, this format creates more flexibility. Stick packs can support premium positioning, on-the-go convenience, seasonal flavors, trial-size programs, retail-ready multipacks, and larger bulk formats. They also provide more space for thoughtful secondary packaging, whether that is a carton, a pouch, a display box, or a master pack.
One of the most interesting packaging trends is the rise of stick packs inside a larger master package. This is especially relevant for club stores, online subscription programs, and larger retail formats.
Instead of selling only a tub of powder, brands can offer a high-count format with individually sealed stick packs inside a larger premade pouch, carton, or club-store pack. This gives consumers the value of bulk purchasing while keeping the quality and portion control of individual servings.
That combination is powerful.
The customer gets the convenience of buying more at once, but the product is still protected one serving at a time. Each packet stays sealed until use, which can help preserve freshness, reduce mess, and make the product easier to share, store, and travel with.
For powders that are sensitive to moisture, clumping, aroma transfer, or repeated exposure, the individually sealed stick pack can also help protect the experience from the first serving to the last.
This is where the package becomes part of the brand promise. The customer is not just buying a powder. They are buying consistency, convenience, and confidence that the product will be ready when they are.
Stick packs also open up new commercial opportunities.
A brand can sell a 10-count trial pack, a 30-day routine pack, a 60-count club pack, a variety pack, a travel pack, or a subscription refill. The same product can be packaged for e-commerce, retail shelves, gyms, hotels, sample programs, and warehouse clubs.
That flexibility matters for growing brands. It allows companies to meet the customer in more places without completely changing the product formulation.
It also gives established companies a way to modernize legacy products. A drink mix, supplement powder, hydration blend, or functional ingredient that was once sold only in a tub can be reintroduced in a more portable, lifestyle-focused format.
In many ways, stick packaging helps brands move from “use this at home” to “take this with you.”
At PLAN IT Packaging, we understand that not every company enters the stick pack market at the same stage. Some brands are launching a new product and need an efficient entry-level system. Others are scaling quickly and need higher lane counts, faster output, and more automation around filling, sealing, counting, and secondary packaging.
That is why PLAN IT Packaging offers stick pack solutions built for a wide range of production needs, from entry-level 2- to 4-lane machines all the way up to large-scale 24-lane high-production systems.
Whether the application is hydration powder, vitamins, drink mixes, supplements, collagen, protein, sugar, sweeteners, nutraceuticals, or other powdered products, our team can help align the right machine configuration with the product, package size, speed requirement, and long-term growth plan.
Stick packaging is not just about making a smaller package. It is about creating a format that matches how people live today. It supports travel, portion control, freshness, convenience, and the growing demand for products that fit into active routines.
No matter where your customers go, PLAN IT Packaging helps make sure your product is packaged and ready when they need it.
Whether you're launching a new hydration mix, scaling a supplement brand, or modernizing an established product line, PLAN IT Packaging can help you find the right stick pack solution for your production goals. From entry-level systems to high-speed multi-lane packaging lines, our team designs equipment that grows with your business.
Contact PLAN IT Packaging today to discuss your application and discover how stick pack packaging can help improve convenience, efficiency, and product presentation.
May 8, 2026
In food manufacturing, production challenges are often discussed in terms of labor, scheduling, supply chain delays, sanitation, communication, and yield loss. While these issues may not always begin with the machine itself, packaging equipment plays a major role in how well a facility responds when those challenges appear.
That is where spare parts become more than a maintenance item. They become a planning tool, a risk-reduction strategy, and a way to keep production moving when every hour of downtime matters.
For food processors and packaging teams, keeping the right spare parts on hand can help reduce emergency repairs, protect uptime, improve maintenance response, and create a stronger return on investment over time.
Unplanned downtime is rarely just one simple expense. It can impact labor, product waste, missed shipments, overtime, customer commitments, sanitation schedules, and the overall production plan.
When a packaging line stops because of one missing component, the cost is not only the part itself. The real cost includes the time spent diagnosing the issue, sourcing the replacement, waiting for shipment, rescheduling production, and restarting the line.
That is why the idea of “we’ll order it when it breaks” can quickly become an expensive strategy. Emergency parts, rushed shipping, delayed production, and lost efficiency often cost far more than maintaining a planned inventory of critical spare parts.
A smart spare parts program helps manufacturers shift from reaction to preparation.
Every operation has to manage costs carefully. No one wants to overstock shelves with parts that may not be needed for years. At the same time, carrying too little inventory can leave a production team exposed when a critical component fails.
The goal is balance.
A strong spare parts strategy helps identify which parts are critical, which parts are commonly replaced, and which components have longer lead times. This allows maintenance and operations teams to stock what matters most without overloading inventory.
Critical parts may include items such as belts, blades, sensors, sealing components, wear parts, contact parts, bearings, rollers, switches, electrical components, or machine-specific assemblies that are essential to keeping the line running.
The question is not simply, “How many parts should we keep?”The better question is, “Which missing parts would stop production if we did not have them?”
Labor shortages and skill gaps continue to affect food manufacturers across North America. New operators, temporary labor, and smaller maintenance teams can make troubleshooting more difficult, especially when a worn component begins affecting machine performance.
Having the right parts available helps reduce uncertainty.
Instead of losing valuable time identifying, ordering, and waiting for replacement parts, technicians can respond quickly and get the line back into operation. Spare parts do not replace training, but they do make it easier for teams to solve problems with confidence.
For facilities managing turnover or limited technical support, organized spare parts inventory can make maintenance response faster, cleaner, and more consistent.
High SKU variety is common in food manufacturing. Facilities may switch between package sizes, films, cartons, labels, formats, recipes, or product types throughout the week.
Every changeover matters.
When parts are worn, missing, or not ready, changeovers take longer. Operators may spend extra time adjusting the machine, troubleshooting seal quality, replacing small components, or trying to work around an issue that should have been handled before production began.
Keeping changeover-related and wear parts on hand helps reduce these delays. Fresh sealing components, knives, belts, guides, forming parts, rollers, and sensors can help teams move from one run to the next with fewer interruptions.
The more prepared the line is before a changeover begins, the less time is lost once production is ready to restart.
Most downtime events do not feel large at first. One belt wears out. One sensor fails. One blade dulls. One seal component begins causing inconsistent packages.
But one missing part can create a chain reaction.
A small issue can lead to stopped production, delayed shipments, overtime labor, increased waste, missed sanitation windows, and pressure on every department involved in the production schedule.
This is why spare parts planning is not just a maintenance concern. It is an operational risk strategy.
The line may be ready. The team may be ready. The product and packaging materials may be ready. But if one critical part is missing, the entire system can slow down or stop.
Food manufacturing has unique requirements that naturally interrupt production. Sanitation cycles, inspections, QA checks, documentation, and compliance steps are part of the process.
Reliable equipment helps those required interruptions go smoother.
Worn belts, damaged seals, cracked guards, loose fittings, or aging contact parts can create additional delays during inspection or startup. Having replacement parts on site helps maintenance teams address these issues before they become food safety concerns or production interruptions.
Spare parts also support preventative maintenance planning. Instead of waiting for a component to fail, teams can replace high-wear parts during scheduled downtime, sanitation windows, or planned service intervals.
That means fewer surprises during live production.
Not every issue shuts down the line immediately. Some problems quietly reduce performance over time.
Worn parts can contribute to poor seals, inconsistent cuts, misalignment, overfill, underfill, packaging defects, product waste, or rework. The machine may still be running, but the operation is losing efficiency with every imperfect package.
Replacing worn components at the right time helps protect package quality and production consistency.
In food manufacturing, small inconsistencies can become expensive quickly. A strong spare parts plan helps protect yield, reduce waste, and support a more stable finished package.
A spare parts strategy does not need to be complicated. It simply needs to be intentional.
Maintenance teams should review each machine and identify:
1. Which parts are critical to uptime?
2. Which parts wear most often?
3. Which parts have long lead times?
4. Which parts are needed for changeovers?
5. Which parts support sanitation and food safety?
6. Which parts are shared across multiple machines?
7. Which parts should be reordered once used?
This helps create a practical spare parts checklist for each line. It also helps avoid two common mistakes: stocking too much of what is rarely needed and not stocking enough of what can stop production.
Digital or organized manual tracking can also help teams monitor inventory levels, reorder points, usage history, and part numbers. The faster a team can find the right part, the faster they can recover.
For many maintenance teams, the challenge is not understanding the value of spare parts. It is justifying the investment internally.
The business case is simple: stocked critical parts reduce risk.
Leadership teams should consider the cost of one hour of downtime, one missed shipment, one emergency repair, one rushed shipment, or one extended production delay. In many cases, the cost of a small spare parts inventory is far less than the cost of waiting until something breaks.
Spare parts are not about expecting failure. They are about protecting production.
Spare parts are not just about fixing something after it breaks. They are about preparation, control, and confidence.
For food manufacturers managing labor challenges, changeovers, supply disruptions, sanitation requirements, planning gaps, and yield pressure, having the right parts on hand can make a measurable difference.
A well-planned spare parts inventory helps reduce avoidable downtime, support maintenance teams, protect product quality, and keep packaging lines ready for what comes next.
At PLAN IT Packaging, we believe spare parts are part of a stronger production strategy. Because when your line is prepared, your team can focus less on reacting to problems and more on keeping production moving.
For more than 150 years, Ganong Bros. has been part of Canada’s confectionery story. From iconic products like Chicken Bones and Pal-o-Mine to modern co-manufacturing partnerships across North America, the company has continued to evolve while staying rooted in quality, tradition, and innovation.
Today, we are proud to share that PLAN IT Packaging has been featured alongside Ganong Bros. in the April/May issue of Canadian Packaging magazine, highlighting a recent automation project designed to help support Ganong’s growing production demands.
As demand for Ganong’s confectionery and co-manufacturing services continued to grow, the company identified an opportunity to expand its packaging capacity while improving operational efficiency and redundancy.
To support this initiative, PLAN IT Packaging supplied and integrated:
The result was a packaging solution designed to improve throughput, flexibility, sanitation, and uptime while helping Ganong continue scaling production efficiently.
One of the key goals of the project was to avoid relying on a single high-output packaging system.
Instead, PLAN IT Packaging recommended four completely independent bagging lines. This approach provided Ganong with:
As highlighted in the article, this configuration allowed Ganong to exceed its original throughput expectations while maintaining continuous production capabilities if one line required servicing or maintenance.
“If one line does go down for any reason, at least you still have other lines up and running.”— Sal Choudhary, Sales Manager, PLAN IT Packaging
The installed Mars Rapid VFFS baggers were designed to support high-speed pouch production while maintaining sanitation and accessibility for operators.
Key system features included:
The ELITEWEIGH 24H multihead weighers also provided Ganong with increased weighing accuracy and versatility for handling a variety of candy and snack products.
According to the article, the new system helped Ganong achieve approximately 2.5 times the output of its previous packaging process.
One of the most important themes discussed throughout the feature was the role automation plays in supporting employees, not replacing them.
Ganong emphasized that automation investments are helping the company grow production while creating opportunities to upskill staff and improve engagement by reducing repetitive manual tasks.
This philosophy strongly aligns with PLAN IT Packaging’s approach to automation: implementing systems that help manufacturers improve efficiency, consistency, food safety, and operational reliability while empowering their teams for long-term success.
This project represents more than the installation of packaging equipment. It reflects the value of collaborative partnerships, thoughtful system design, and scalable automation strategies tailored to each manufacturer’s goals.
We are grateful to the Ganong Bros. team for the opportunity to support this exciting phase of growth and proud to see the project featured in Canadian Packaging magazine.
The full story dives deeper into Ganong’s incredible history, their approach to modernization, and the collaborative packaging automation project completed with PLAN IT Packaging.
Read the Full Canadian Packaging Article Here
PLAN IT Packaging delivers turnkey automation solutions for manufacturers across food, confectionery, snack, pet food, and consumer packaged goods industries.
From weighing and bagging to case packing, robotics, and palletizing, our systems are designed to help manufacturers scale with confidence.
Let's PLAN IT Together! Give us a call or tell us more about your packaging needs here.
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