Anne Spellman | Director of Strategic Initiatives & Innovation | Empire EMCO
Home »
Anne Spellman
Director of Strategic Initiatives & Innovation, Empire EMCO
Packaging Expertise That Drives Innovation
Anne Spellman has spent more than 30 years immersed in the packaging industry. Her experience spans rigid packaging, custom development, packaging engineering, manufacturing, sourcing, materials, components, supply chain strategy, and commercialization.
How did Anne Spellman's packaging expertise lead to a role in innovation?
Anne Spellman's decades of hands-on packaging experience gave her a deep understanding of what makes a packaging idea work in the real world. She understands materials, components, engineering, manufacturing, sourcing, cost, performance, supply chains, and commercialization. That foundation allows her to focus today on innovation — identifying new possibilities and helping manufacturers turn creative packaging ideas into solutions that can actually be produced, scaled, and brought to market.
Packaging Expertise Became the Foundation for Innovation
Anne's innovation role is not a departure from packaging. It is the natural next step in a career built around understanding packaging from every angle.
Decades of Packaging Experience
Anne built her career solving real packaging challenges for manufacturers and brand owners. That experience gave her a working knowledge of the technical, operational, and commercial realities behind successful packaging.
- Rigid packaging systems
- Plastic, glass, bottles, jars and closures
- Pumps, sprayers and dispensing systems
- Custom bottle and mold development
- Packaging engineering
- Manufacturing capabilities
- Global sourcing
- Cost and performance optimization
- Sustainable packaging
- Supply chain and inventory programs
Applying Packaging Knowledge to Innovation
Anne now applies that packaging knowledge earlier in the development process, when companies are asking bigger questions: What is possible? How can this be different? Can this idea actually be manufactured? How do we turn it into a successful product?
- Identify emerging packaging opportunities
- Explore new technologies and materials
- Turn ideas into viable packaging concepts
- Connect brands with technical resources
- Evaluate concepts for manufacturability
- Develop prototypes and custom solutions
- Create commercialization strategies
- Help move innovation from concept to market
What Packaging Innovation Means in Anne's Role
Innovation is more than creating something new. Anne helps determine whether an idea can become a packaging solution that works technically, commercially, operationally, and for the customer using it.
Discover
Anne explores new packaging technologies, materials, manufacturing capabilities, suppliers, and ideas that may create new opportunities for customers.
Develop
She helps transform ideas into tangible packaging concepts through engineering, custom development, prototyping, mold development, and technical collaboration.
Commercialize
Anne helps bridge the gap between a creative idea and production by considering manufacturability, cost, sourcing, performance, scale, and supply chain requirements.
Anne's Packaging Expertise
Anne's innovation work is grounded in extensive packaging knowledge. She understands the components, engineering, manufacturing, sourcing, and supply chain considerations that determine whether an innovative concept can succeed.
Containers & Components
- Plastic bottles
- PET bottles
- HDPE bottles
- Glass bottles
- Jars
- Closures
- Child-resistant closures
Dispensing & Custom Development
- Pumps
- Sprayers
- Dispensing systems
- Custom bottles
- Custom molds
- Stock packaging
- PCR packaging
Engineering & Supply Chain
- Packaging engineering
- Packaging design
- Design for manufacturability
- Global sourcing
- Warehousing
- Inventory programs
- Supply chain optimization
How Anne Helps Move New Packaging Ideas Forward
Concept & Strategy
- Concept development
- Packaging innovation strategy
- Emerging technology evaluation
- Material exploration
- Creative problem solving
Development & Engineering
- Custom packaging development
- Custom mold development
- Packaging engineering
- Rapid prototyping
- Design for manufacturability
Commercialization
- New product commercialization
- Supplier identification
- Global sourcing
- Production readiness
- Commercialization strategy
How Anne Can Help
- Turn packaging ideas into viable concepts
- Explore innovative packaging technologies
- Develop custom bottles and closures
- Engineer custom packaging
- Develop custom molds
- Evaluate manufacturability
- Create and evaluate prototypes
- Identify global sourcing solutions
- Improve packaging sustainability
- Commercialize new packaging concepts
Questions Anne Helps Customers Answer
- Can this packaging idea actually be manufactured?
- Is there a better way to package this product?
- What new technologies could solve this challenge?
- Can we create a custom bottle or dispensing system?
- How can we differentiate our package?
- Can we make the package more sustainable?
- How do we move from prototype to production?
- Where can the package be manufactured?
- Can we improve performance while controlling cost?
- How do we bring this concept to market successfully?
Anne Works With Manufacturers Across the United States
Anne's innovation role is not limited to a traditional sales territory. She can collaborate with manufacturers, brand owners, product developers, and packaging teams anywhere in the United States on innovation, custom development, engineering, sourcing, sustainability, and commercialization initiatives.
Packaging innovation support throughout the United States
Bring Anne Into Your Packaging Innovation Project
Whether a company is developing a new product, rethinking an existing package, evaluating emerging technology, or trying to solve a difficult packaging challenge, Anne can work across regions and alongside local Empire EMCO resources to help move the project forward.
- Available for packaging innovation projects nationwide
- Collaborates with manufacturers and brand owners across the U.S.
- Supports early-stage concepts through commercialization
- Connects projects with Empire EMCO engineering and sourcing resources
- Works across industries, packaging formats, and manufacturing technologies
Meet Anne's Support Team
Jennifer Bieber and Mia Nance provide account management, order coordination, inventory management, logistics support, and packaging expertise for Anne and Empire EMCO customers.
Jennifer Bieber
Regional Account Coordinator
- 33 years with Empire EMCO.
- Provides experienced account coordination and customer support.
- Responsible for order management, inventory management, and domestic and international freight.
- Enjoys helping customers find creative solutions to their challenges and grow their business.
Mia Nance
Regional Account Coordinator
- Provides responsive account coordination and customer support.
- Brings 12 years of automotive industry experience supporting diverse customer needs.
- Uses a creative, solutions-focused approach to helping customers navigate packaging challenges.
Questions About Anne Spellman and Packaging Innovation
What is Anne Spellman's role at Empire EMCO?
Anne is Director of Strategic Initiatives & Innovation. Her focus is using decades of packaging knowledge to identify new opportunities, develop innovative packaging concepts, connect customers with technical resources, and help move ideas toward commercialization.
Where does Anne Spellman work with customers?
Anne can work with manufacturers and brand owners throughout the United States. Her innovation role is not limited to a traditional sales territory, allowing her to collaborate on packaging development and innovation projects nationwide.
How does Anne's packaging experience support her innovation role?
Anne's extensive experience with packaging components, materials, engineering, manufacturing, sourcing, cost, performance, and supply chains helps her quickly determine whether an innovative idea can become a practical and commercially viable packaging solution.
Can Anne help develop a completely new packaging concept?
Yes. Anne helps manufacturers take packaging ideas from early concept through development, engineering, prototyping, manufacturability, sourcing, and commercialization.
Can Anne help with custom bottles, closures, and molds?
Yes. Anne works with Empire EMCO's engineering and manufacturing resources to develop custom bottles, closures, molds, dispensing systems, and other rigid packaging solutions.
Can Anne help commercialize an innovative packaging idea?
Yes. Anne helps evaluate whether a concept is technically, operationally, commercially, and financially viable and helps connect the resources necessary to move it toward production.
Does Anne work on sustainable packaging innovation?
Yes. Anne helps manufacturers evaluate PCR materials, lightweighting, mono-material approaches, material alternatives, packaging redesign, and other strategies for improving sustainability.
Turn “Could we do this?” into a packaging solution.
Whether you're located on the East Coast, West Coast, Midwest, South, or anywhere in between, contact Anne to discuss a new packaging concept, innovation challenge, custom packaging development, emerging technology, engineering, prototyping, sustainable packaging, or commercialization.