At a joint committee meeting last week, PMMI, The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, pulled back the veil on the newly branded PMMI Media Group (PMG), a business-to-business media company with print and digital offerings that the association says will provide new ways to distribute content and interactive communication tools to members and the industry.

They’re good at what they do. We just want to make sure that they continue to be successful while giving them the tools that they need to do their job.

The creation of PMG comes just three months after PMMI announced it had purchased Summit Media Group, a well-known publications and event producer in the packaging and industrial automation industry.

“We looked at our digital footprint and what it would take to really develop a robust digital platform like theirs, with content marketing, video, everything else, and it was a pretty daunting task,” said PMMI President and CEO Charles D. Yuska. “It turned out, when we approached Summit Media Group about a possible acquisition, it turned out to be the right time for them and the right time for us to get together.”

The decision to bring the media outfit into the PMMI fold adds a number of industry-specific publications to the mix, but, according to Yuska and PMG President Joe Angel, it was about far more than just a couple of magazines.

“When PMMI acquired us, they acquired all of our technology,” Angel said. “Our portfolio of exclusive tools includes world-class events, business intelligence, education, and workforce development resources, and will help companies in the processing and packaging supply chain discover best practices and grow their business.”

It also gave PMG access to a trove of industry data that will be used to advance the association’s position as a thought leader. And PMG will play a big role in continuing to engage members and customers throughout the year, beyond the organization’s popular tradeshows like PMMI’s Pack Expo.

“We haven’t even begun to scratch the surface in terms of what we’ll be doing with content marketing throughout the year,” said Angel. “Traditionally, PMMI tradeshow websites would peak about a month before the show and right after the show, and then all of a sudden it would fall off. PMG’s reach is substantial globally, so we’ll be using that digital platform year round to communicate with all of the customers and prospects of the PMMI members, and the packaging community as a whole to keep those conversations going.”

For Yuska, the PMG’s success hinges on PMMI’s ability to simply stay out of the way.

“[Summit was] a very successful business, which is why we bought them,” he said. “From that standpoint, I’ve been really trying to tell my leadership, ‘Listen, we’re not going to go in there and tell them how to run their business.’ They’re good at what they do. We just want to make sure that they continue to be successful while giving them the tools that they need to do their job.”

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