Matt Reynolds: Hi, I’m Matt Reynolds, editor of Packaging World magazine, here for a Memorial Day weekend edition of—what do we call this podcast again?
Group: End of the Line.
Matt Reynolds: Right, End of the Line. It’s the start of a holiday weekend, so clearly our brains aren’t firing on all cylinders yet. Let’s go around and introduce ourselves. Liz, it looks like you’ve got much better weather than I do right now.
Liz Cuneo: Yes, I’m in the Charleston, South Carolina area. I’m Liz Cuneo, editor-in-chief of Healthcare Packaging, and I’m looking forward to a long weekend with hopefully great weather.
Matt Reynolds: Good. Derrick, you’re in Michigan, right?
Derrick Teal: I am. I’m in West Bloomfield, Michigan, sitting out on my deck. We’ve got sunny skies, but it’s very windy. Oh, and I edit a magazine called ProFood World—probably should’ve led with that.
Matt Reynolds: And then we have what looks like the most tropical setting of all. Sean, introduce yourself.
Sean Riley: I’m Sean Riley, editor-in-chief of OEM Magazine. I’m based outside Philadelphia, where we had hot weather for about a week before it turned cold, windy, and dreary again. The chance of getting rained on was too high, so I relocated somewhere a little farther south.
Matt Reynolds: Meanwhile, I’m farther north in northern Wisconsin, surrounded by pine trees. You might even spot hummingbirds flying behind me if you watch closely.
Speaking of Wisconsin, Sean has some news out of the Badger State about a project we’ve been discussing for a while. It sounds like it’s finally coming to life.
Sean Riley: Yes, and since you’re already familiar with it, I’ll give everyone else some background.
Spee-Dee had an employee named Dennis who has been with the company for more than 40 years. Naturally, they were concerned about him eventually retiring and taking decades of tribal knowledge with him—knowledge that isn’t written in manuals or formally documented anywhere.
Initially, the idea was to follow him around with a video camera and record everything he knew. But once they thought through the logistics, it became clear how impractical that would be. Imagine following someone around every day for one or two years while they try to explain 40 years’ worth of experience.
Instead, with help from NAI, they created something called “Digital Dennis.” We’ve got a story on it online now, and it’ll appear in print next month. They equipped Dennis with an AI recorder that captures everything he says while working. They also provided him with a script structure so that whenever he encountered certain machines, products, or projects, the information would be categorized properly within the system.
For example, if he discussed a specific machine, the information would automatically be attached to that machine’s searchable database entry. If he talked about aftermarket parts, it would be tagged accordingly.
They’ve already seen strong results. At one point, they were troubleshooting a fault code that would normally require reading through 30 pages of documentation. Instead, within 30 seconds, the system identified the issue based on something Dennis had previously mentioned in conversation.
It’s a really practical example of AI—not embedded directly into machinery, but supporting operations through knowledge management and back-office functionality.
Matt Reynolds: You mentioned that the original video-recording concept could’ve taken one or two years. Do we know how long the voice-recording process has taken so far?
Sean Riley: He’s actually still doing it. The system continues building its library every day. I don’t want to quote the wrong number, but they’ve already cataloged a large number of machines and applications.
So now someone can search for something like “rice filler,” and the system will instantly surface previous examples, troubleshooting notes, and relevant experiences Dennis has shared.
Compared to video documentation, this has proven far more practical and scalable.
Liz Cuneo: That really highlights an ongoing issue—experienced employees leaving with years of institutional knowledge, especially when there aren’t enough skilled workers coming in behind them.
Matt Reynolds: Exactly. We always hear that AI is only as good as the data it’s fed, so it sounds like they were very intentional about organizing and structuring Dennis’s knowledge properly before feeding it into the system.
Sean Riley: Absolutely. I think there’s a lot of trust in Dennis and the knowledge he’s built over the years.
Matt Reynolds: Well, we covered AI almost immediately. Any other AI sightings out there this week? It feels pretty omnipresent these days.
Derrick Teal: It’s funny you mention that. At Interpack, I visited a drive manufacturer that had developed an AI assistant for customer support. The product itself was interesting, but what stood out was how they were using AI to troubleshoot issues without requiring as much staff support.
They admitted it wasn’t perfect for highly technical questions, but for general inquiries and routine troubleshooting, it worked very well. When questions became too technical, the AI would simply direct users to a human technician instead.
It was interesting because AI wasn’t necessarily front-and-center at the show—it was more embedded “under the hood” in various systems and workflows.
Matt Reynolds: That’s a good point. AI can really level the playing field for smaller companies that don’t have large customer service teams or engineering staffs. Liz, what’s new on your side?
Liz Cuneo: Interestingly, kind of the opposite of AI—more of a back-to-basics trend. I’ve been seeing a lot of packaging redesigns lately, especially in the wellness space.
Many brands seem to be pulling back visually and focusing on clean ingredients, minimal labeling, and simpler designs. Instead of crowded packaging full of claims and bright graphics, they’re presenting themselves in a much cleaner, more straightforward way.
I think it’s partly about standing out on crowded shelves, but it also reflects consumer interest in simplicity and transparency. It’s interesting to see packaging design becoming more restrained while technology everywhere else becomes more complex.
Matt Reynolds: There’s definitely momentum behind the broader “clean label” and “Make America Healthy Again” movement. Consumers are looking for fewer processed ingredients and more transparency, even if defining “ultra-processed” can get complicated.
In a world saturated with technology and AI, there’s also this growing desire to reconnect with something more natural and grounded—which, coincidentally, I’m attempting to do here in northern Wisconsin.
Speaking of earthy topics, one thing from Interpack that really stood out to me was compostability.
The conversation around compostable packaging seems to be maturing. In the past, compostability was often framed as an all-or-nothing alternative system. Now, it’s being discussed more as a situational tool that works well in certain environments and applications.
I heard discussions involving companies like Mars and BASF about how compostable materials make the most sense where industrial composting infrastructure exists—or where home-compostable materials are appropriate for specific small-format packaging applications.
One misconception is that compostable materials can’t coexist with recycling systems. In reality, some bio-based materials, like bio-based PET, can still be recycled alongside conventional PET.
The key takeaway was that compostability needs to be viewed tactically and situationally rather than as a universal solution.
Another important point is that compost itself has economic value. Composters sell mulch, soil amendments, and compost products, so what goes into that stream matters. Packaging contaminated with food waste—like greasy pizza boxes—can actually provide nutritional value to compost streams, whereas clean cellulose packaging may not add much value at all.
So compostability works best in applications where food residue is naturally part of the waste stream.
Derrick Teal: Speaking of sustainability, I saw something interesting recently: Amsterdam has banned advertisements for meat products.
Liz Cuneo: Wait—we’re doing meat again, Derrick?
Derrick Teal: We are. The ban also applies to fossil fuel advertising, but the reasoning isn’t health-related—it’s environmental. The idea is that advertising drives consumption, which in turn increases carbon emissions.
Interestingly, fast food companies can still advertise, but they can’t show meat products in those ads anymore. So they can show fries, salads, or dairy products—just not burgers or meat items.
Matt Reynolds: That feels like a bit of a stretch, especially when there are other products people might expect to face advertising restrictions first. What about seafood? Pickled herring feels pretty integral to Dutch culture.
Derrick Teal: Honestly, I couldn’t find much detail on that. Apparently seafood doesn’t count as meat under the policy. These are the important questions people want answered.
Matt Reynolds: I imagine once you leave Amsterdam city limits, you’re immediately bombarded with meat advertisements again anyway.
Anything else before we wrap up?
Liz Cuneo: Matt, regarding composting—do you think Europe is further ahead than the U.S.?
Matt Reynolds: I’m not sure there’s a simple answer. Europe is somewhat more organized around waste sorting and regulation, but even within the EU there’s still significant variation from region to region.
Historically, the biggest limitation for compostability has been the lack of industrial composting infrastructure. Now, the technology itself has improved, and many materials are technically “home compostable,” meaning they don’t require extremely high heat or pressure to break down.
At this point, the bigger challenge is creating consistent waste-stream participation and getting everyone moving in the same direction. It’s a bit like herding cats.
So I wouldn’t say any one region is dramatically ahead. Some local markets are simply better suited for composting than others.
Derrick Teal: Alright, Matt, I see a firepit behind you. Are you planning to do some outdoor cooking this weekend?
Matt Reynolds: Hopefully. My wife is finishing up school and driving up tonight, and if the weather cooperates we’ll take the pontoon out, maybe catch some fish, cook them—and apparently avoid advertising them.
Liz Cuneo: Will you pickle them?
Matt Reynolds: Absolutely. Pickled herring, pickled crappies—you name it.
Derrick Teal: Sounds good. Everybody have a safe, fun, and hopefully dry Memorial Day weekend—especially you, Sean. We’ll be back next week, hopefully fully ready for summer.
Group: Thanks, everybody.
