The Metal Pack Pod

Hosted by Alex Fordham

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May 2026

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An industry first, The Metal Packager brings you 'The Metal Pack Pod'! The industry's only dedicated podcast for metal packaging. We bring you the latest industry analysis from this $14 billion a year industry. Make 'The Metal Pack Pod' your go-to resource for everything you need if conducting business in the industry. Brought to you by metalpackager.com

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May 11, 202620 min

Future makers: The Ball Foundation Effect

Ball Foundation’s Global Impact and the $2M Boys & Girls Club Partnership Alex Fordham interviews Jessica Leary, Executive Director of the Ball Foundation – Ball Corporation’s philanthropic arm – about its mission and recent work. Leary, a 15-year Ball veteran who moved from environmental health and safety into social impact, says the foundation focuses on recycling, manufacturing education, and disaster response, supporting more than 15 partners globally and responding to disasters within 50 miles of Ball facilities (including U.S. hurricanes and South American mudslides). She highlights nearly $2 million invested over five years in Boys & Girls Clubs of America, including the Ultimate Journeys program, to spark hands-on STEM and skilled-trades interest—ideally by middle school (around age 13)—through employee engagement and facility exposure. She notes partners still want both manufacturing and recycling education when infrastructure exists, and the foundation is planning strategy through 2030, while expanding collaborative partnerships to address workforce gaps as industry evolves. Timestamps 00:00 Welcome and Introductions00:21 Meet Jessica Leary00:28 Ball Foundation Mission00:58 Jessica Career Journey01:29 Recent Projects Overview02:36 Boys and Girls Club Partnership03:13 Building the STEM Pipeline04:30 Reaching Kids Early06:32 Future of the Partnership08:38 Disaster Relief and Recycling Work10:51 Impact Stories and Motivation11:46 Strategy to 203013:03 How Anyone Can Help14:49 Power of Collaboration15:32 Sustainability Education for Youth17:39 Closing Thoughts on Workforce Needs19:15 Final Thanks and Wrap Up

May 10, 20264 min

Innovations Unveiled: Intralox at Metpack 2026

The Metal Packager interviews Jasper Joosten about Intralox’s plans for Metpack 2026, described as the leading event for the metal packaging industry and a chance to reconnect with can makers and OEMs after three years.

April 24, 20263 min

Innovations Unveiled: Koenig & Bauer at Metpack 2026

Koenig & Bauer Previes: MetalCoat 484 Premiere and Digital Printing Updates for Metpack 2026 Damien and Alex discuss Koenig & Bauer’s plans for Metpack 2026, highlighting the world premiere of the MetalCoat 484 coating machine aimed at high automation in metal sheet coating. Key features include a closed-loop system and, for the first time, automatic wash-up. They will also display their digital printing portfolio with samples from the MetJET ONE and MetJET PROB, including improvements and new features.The company notes its sales team is trained to address emission regulation and EU Cyber Resilience Act topics, with machines prepared to meet emissions regulations 2027 and the Cyber Resilience Act starting this year, and fulfilling these regulations starting 2026.

April 17, 202626 min

Navigating Innovation and Leadership: A Conversation with Sean Bannon, CEO of Ska Fabricating

In today’s episode we interview, Sean Bannon Ska Fabricating’s New CEO on Packaging Automation, Talent Development and Market Trends Alex Fordham interviews Sean, discussing his decade-long progression from engineer to CEO, and his support for a customer-close organization. Sean describes how an engineering mindset shapes his problem-solving approach and Ska’s culture of creativity across teams and explains efforts to address the labour gap through challenging work, engagement, and intentional knowledge transfer. He explains how customer demand is centred on flexibility and future-proofing capital equipment, including handling varied containers and pallet specifications. Ska is seeing strong activity in retrofits and line optimizations to reduce labour, although there is still market hesitancy around new capacity expansion. Sean highlights new Ska innovation and market commentary on the evolving craft beer market into broader craft beverage trends. As always, please like and share our podcast! Enjoy the show! Time Stamps00:00 Welcome and Introductions00:20 Sean’s Journey to CEO01:35 Leadership Style and Structure02:33 Engineering Mindset at Work04:59 Labour Gap and Talent Pipeline08:56 Knowledge Transfer and Culture10:34 Customer Demands and Market Mood13:29 New Product Innovations16:23 Growth Beyond Palletizers19:22 Craft Beverage Market Shifts21:07 Automation Mistakes and Future Vision23:37 Closing Thanks and Wrap Up

April 13, 202618 min

A Vision for the Future: Training Leaders in the Canning Industry

Welcome to our latest podcast on Young Packaging for Future Generations: Building Can-Making Skills at Ohio State We interview Domingo Gonzalez from Better Cans LLC, about the “Young Packaging for Future Generations” seminar, created to build foundational knowledge in two-piece aluminium beverage can making amid retirements and potential knowledge loss in the industry. Run with Ohio State University and major industry suppliers and OEMs, the pilot seminar took place last August in Columbus, Ohio at the Food Science and Technology Department, delivering 14 lectures over two days to about 60 attendees including can makers, users, co-packers, distributors, and OSU PhD students. This year’s edition taking place on April 14–15 spring session repeats the 14 lectures with improvements and adds sessions on packaging safety and FDA compliance, flanging and inside reforming, and a general overview of the canmaking and beverage industry. Domingo emphasizes the venue as a neutral ground open to competitors and explains his 27+ years’ experience across the supply chain as motivation to leave a legacy. The Metal Pack Pod is brought to you by The Metal Packager, the #1 digital resource for the global metal packaging market, and PPG Packaging Coatings, a global leader in innovative, safe and reliable coatings. Their range of innovative an sustainable solutions help protect and beautify the world.Enjoy! 00:00 Welcome and Context00:37 Seminar Overview and Partners01:42 Who Attends and Why02:52 2026 Agenda and New Lectures04:46 Solving the Skills Gap07:45 Why Ohio State as Neutral Ground9:35 Domingo’s Background and Mission13:17 2026 Spring Session Details16:35 Wrap Up

January 26, 202650 min

The future of water packaging

The global water packaging market is going through one of its biggest shake-ups ever. New regulations, economic uncertainty, shifting consumer expectations, and rapid innovation are pushing brands and packaging suppliers to rethink everything they thought they knew. In a recent episode of the Metal Pack Pod, two industry leaders from very different sides of the packaging world came together to discuss where the sector is really heading.Matt Crocker, founder of aluminium bottle specialist ReWater, and John Bissell, founder and CEO of sustainable materials company Origin Materials, shared contrasting — and sometimes surprisingly aligned — views on recyclability, performance, and what sustainability actually looks like in today’s market.

December 9, 202523 min

How Hyperion Is Reinventing Carbide Tooling: The DZ23 Breakthrough Every Canmaker Needs to Know

Hyperion Materials & Technologies reveals its latest innovation — the DZ23 carbide grade — a major leap forward for canmaking efficiency, tooling durability, and high-speed line performance.In this episode of The Metal Pack Pod, host Alex Fordham sits down with Lluís Miñarro, the Global Segment Director for Can Tooling Products and Services at Hyperion Materials & Technologies, to explore how advanced carbide grades, global supply chain strategies, and customer-driven engineering are shaping the future of metal packaging.Lluís breaks down:Why lighter carbide grades improve punch dynamicsHow tooling innovation reduces spoilage, energy use, and maintenanceThe real impact of APT / tungsten supply constraints on cost and productionHyperion’s expanded global footprint — including new US manufacturing facilitiesWhat canmakers can expect from the next wave of tooling R&DIf you’re in canmaking, tooling, operations, sustainability, or metal forming, this episode delivers real-world insight from one of the industry’s leading experts.00:00 Intro & episode overview01:20 Industry trends: sustainability, demand rebound & regional shifts03:50 Hyperion’s role in global can tooling06:00 Luis Minero’s background & passion for metallurgy08:00 Why tooling innovations matter more than ever11:00 Introducing the DZ23 carbide grade13:45 Performance benefits: wear resistance, weight reduction & line efficiency17:20 Understanding APT and tungsten supply chain challenges19:55 How raw material pricing affects tooling costs20:20 Hyperion’s new US production capabilities22:00 What’s next for Hyperion and can tooling innovation

November 29, 202556 min

CFPA in Metal Packaging - What does the industry need to know?

In this episode of "The Metal Pack Pod," industry experts discuss the transition to chromium-free passivation (CFPA) of metal packaging. The conversation highlights the importance of innovation, rigorous testing, and unified messaging to ensure a smooth transition, while maintaining food safety, performance, and competitiveness in a changing regulatory landscape. Our panel of experts:Eastman – Andy Morse (Tetrashield Business Director), Jake Goodrich (Technical Director)ThyssenKrupp - Dr. Heiner Schäfgen (Head of Technical Customer Services & CFPA TransitionSonoco Metal Packaging – David Hall (R&D Director)Sherwin Williams – Suzanne Bloom (Food Packaging Marketing Lead)

November 13, 202539 min

Sun Chemical: Standardising Colour, Sustaining the Future

In this episode, we interview Eduardo Alegria, Global Business Director for Metal Packaging Inks at Sun Chemical. They discuss Sun Chemical’s new metal packaging colour library, developed with X-Rite, which aims to standardise colour communication and streamline production. Eduardo shares insights on the evolution and resilience of the metal packaging sector, digital printing innovations, and sustainability efforts, including bio-renewable inks and waste reduction.The conversation also covers industry challenges, consumer trends, and the importance of clear messaging around metal packaging’s sustainability advantages.

October 20, 202526 min

Can printing: Why photopolymer plates matter

In this episode, Michelle Garza from Anderson & Vreeland discuss the technology and industry practices behind photopolymer plates used in metal decorating for can making.The conversation covers plate-making processes (CTP and DLE), the importance of prepress, plate care, storage, and cleaning best practices. Industry trends, such as the growth of canned beverages and the need for skilled workers, are explored. The episode highlights the value of proper plate handling to maximise lifespan and sustainability.