As we prepare for IPPE 2026 in Atlanta this January, we sat down with two of Triangle's most experienced poultry packaging machinery experts—Gene Gallagher and Jeff Schuch.
Gene and Jeff discuss what makes Triangle Package Machinery Company the go-to partner for vertical form-fill-seal baggers, fresh poultry weighing solutions, and bag-in-box cartoning in the poultry industry.
What makes Triangle's vertical form-fill-seal baggers the best choice for the poultry industry?
Gene: Sanitation is a big thing—probably the biggest thing—and reliability. So, on top of our typical hygienic design, we offer expanded metal doors, and the entire system is washdown-ready.
Just that ability to survive that harsh washdown environment is critical, and a key differentiator.
Jeff: Our ability to customize. We will take on more complex projects that others may not, especially those that offer very plug-and-play systems. We will go through and do an-depth analysis that may require engineering changes, design tweaks and additions to customize it for the very specific application—and not everybody does that.
The Custom Cut Solutions project is a great example. We took what we’ve learned over the years, we improved on that, and now we have the right design, which is honestly very different than where we started with the original engineered solution.
We don't tend to make standard systems. Everything is customized for the application.
How does your approach differ from typical equipment sales?
Jeff: What Gene and I tend to have to do, especially in poultry, is act as the customer's site engineer. We get in there, and it's important to understand what's going on in the freezer, in the cook process and beyond. What are your rates? What are your variables? A difference of 50 pounds an hour can really change the design that we may go with.
All the details of the product—how sticky it is, how clumped—play into the menu of variables that we can choose from, including solutions from outside vendors we incorporate into our system to give the customer the ideal solution.
Gene: Here's a good example: I used to always ask, "How many pounds an hour are you producing?" and we'd get killed because they were counting the amount of pounds that they ran through the freezer, but they didn't tell you about the stops and starts.
So now it's "What's the maximum pounds you're going to run per minute?" That way, you can size and scale everything appropriately to support the full operations. You just try to get your ducks all lined up, you get as much information as you can—just like Jeff said. It's like being a site engineer.
Jeff: Running or being a leader in manufacturing plants in the past gives us an advantage in knowing right off the bat what the future problems are going to be and how to address them.
We understand the confusion and frustration that modern poultry operations can face when it comes to production and packaging, and we work closely with our customers to help them not only understand the issues or challenges, but also how our solutions can eliminate major problems.
Gene: One advantage that Jeff and I both have is that we were previous plant managers. So we know and understand the bottlenecks. We can kind of assist them.
If it's a whole new setup for them, we can help as to what would work best for them, as well.
How does Triangle's service approach differ from competitors?
Jeff: My priority is to make sure that the customer is happy—not just right away, but ongoing. And that is definitely not something that I think everybody else does.
Our strategy at Triangle is to support that customer, and that bagging system, for the lifetime of the product and the relationship. If my customers have a packaging problem of any type, whether it is associated with our machines, or not, I want them to know that I'm here as a resource to help their production and packaging operations run smoothly.
Gene: I'll tell you something else that impresses most of our customers: being out there when we have a major problem. Not only our sales and leadership teams, but our parts, service and support teams are going to stand behind what we've provided.
When our customers see the salesman out there, hands-on with the service tech, we want them to know that it's not just about selling machines for us, it's about delivering meaningful solutions that last - and are supported - for a lifetime.
Why do customers continue to choose Triangle?
We take pride in being able to advise our partners, and steer them in the right direction.
Jeff: I couldn’t agree more with Gene on that point. As a team, that’s one of our cultural pillars: You've got to get them to call you for everything.
Becoming that go-to resource is the reason poultry producers trust us. It’s solving problems. It’s adding value. It’s about building a partnership that goes beyond just a sale. The sale, for us, is just the starting point.
What emerging concerns are you seeing from customers?
Jeff: I've been getting into a number of customers that we haven't had exposure to before. Some of these smaller, emerging producers are beginning to explode. Many smaller but growing producers used to only be foodservice, and now they're getting into retail. That's exposing a ton of deficiencies on their end.
For example, when selling into retail, producers have to metal detect and X-ray in four different points of their process. All of these food safety and process challenges are a really big deal because a recall absolutely devastates a poultry business.
Having that knowledge and being able to provide insight and understanding across all of these choke points—that's adding value for folks, while also helping them expand their business.
Gene: Absolutely. You have to educate. That's all there is to it. People can't afford a problem.
Gene: One thing that's going to be a great advantage for us now is going to be our new bilingual HMI screens and the fact that we have RFID. Spanish and English—that's going to be a big selling point.
Jeff: Having techs that can come in and speak Spanish and really talk to the operators and the maintenance people—that brings an additional level of connection and personalization between our team and the team working on the machine day-in and day-out.
We’re also seeing more and more of our customers going to three-sided bags. We're one of the only companies that can really do that and still make your traditional pillow bag. We can do it on the same machine and that machine is extremely popular in poultry.
What makes Triangle a one-stop shop for best-in-class poultry packaging?
Gene: We can run that retail pack real fast, but still do your foodservice on the same machine.
Jeff: There are fewer and fewer engineers, and more and more people getting promoted into management positions who don't truly understand the poultry processing and packaging floor.
Being that go-to source as their trusted advisor and problem-solver, plus our customized approach to manufacturing–that’s everything. We can do things that others can't, and we will customize.
Ready to discuss your poultry packaging challenges? Visit us at IPPE 2026 in Atlanta this January. Our team of experts will be on hand to discuss customized solutions for your specific operation.