Innovation and Sustainability in Metal Packaging with Dan Abramowicz, Executive VP for Technology and Regulatory Affairs of Crown Holdings

Dan Abramowicz

Dan Abramowicz is Crown’s Chief Technology Officer with global responsibility for innovation and technology development across Crown’s business platforms (food cans and ends; beverage cans and ends; aerosol containers; closures; specialty packaging; and packaging equipment).

Before joining Crown, Dr. Abramowicz was a Technical Director in GE’s Global Research Center, responsible for innovation and technology development across GE’s Industrial and Consumer Businesses.

Dr. Abramowicz received his B.S. degree in Chemistry and his B.A. degree in Mathematics from St. Francis University and his M.S. & Ph.D. degrees in Physical Chemistry from Princeton University.

Dr. Abramowicz is an active volunteer for non-profit organizations and he is currently serving in several leadership roles with such organizations, including Vice-Chair of the Board of Trustees at Salus University; Chair of the Executive Corporate Board and member of the Board of Trustees of The Franklin Institute; and Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors of Conwell-Egan Catholic High School.

Business Today (Jia Yu): During your education at Saint Francis University, you had studied Chemistry, Mathematics, and Computer Science. Later. What influenced your decision to pursue a Ph.D degree in Biochemistry at Princeton University? 

Dan Abramowicz: I studied in the Chemistry department, and my research was in biophysical chemistry. From a young age, I was interested in biology, chemistry, and mathematics. Physical chemistry was a nice blending of all these disciplines. In our research, we were isolating enzymes involved in photosynthesis and making advancements through chemistry. I chose physical chemistry because I liked its variety of topics, and the biological aspect was part of my effort to make a social impact. 

BT: After your Ph.D at Princeton University, you started your employment with General Electric and eventually become the Technical Director. Do you find any similarities between this previous role and your current role as EVP for Technology and Regulatory Affairs at Crown Holdings? 

DA: Both roles are very similar because they are leadership positions in research and development. When I joined GE’s Global Research Center, I began as a staff chemist working in biological sciences branch. Similar to my graduate work, I also applied biological systems to chemistry. I eventually became part of management and found that I enjoy leading the research process. I first headed a research group on environmental biochemistry — think of using enzymes and organisms to clean up hazardous waste. Later, I led GE’s environmental laboratory and similarly, used biological, chemical, and physical methods to clean up the environment. Finally, I moved into the Technical Director position, focusing on the industrial and consumer business sectors. Overall, my experience at GE is very translatable into my current role at Crown Holdings. It is about leading a group of researchers in developing new technology to increase the company’s competitiveness. 

BT: Generating social improvements is an important trend throughout your career choices. Currently, you also lead Crown’s Environment, Health and Safety Organization. What changes has Crown Holding made in recent years to prioritize and enhance employee health and safety?

DA: I can’t enumerate on all the improvements made within this interview. Overall, metal packaging is made by forming metal, and within these factories, there are presses and other fast-moving pieces of equipment that are quite unforgiving towards human tissue. Two or three decades ago, it wasn’t uncommon for the workers who make an error on these machines to lose a finger. Over the past 20 years, we have been pursuing a large number of initiatives to improve worker safety. I am most proud of our Safety Awareness for Employees (SAFE) program. This program is anonymous. Instead of singling out an employee, we are concerned with overall behavior. During inspections, we would observe a working employee and later explain to them the safety components. For example, some positive habits might include wearing a glove or using the right ladder. Afterwards, we will suggest some ways to improve the task from a safety perspective. Effectively, this is an effort to start a dialogue on safety and increase awareness. Thousands of these observations are happening everyday within our company because all the employees conduct it with their peers. This is one of the many ways we are trying to foster a safer environment for our employees. 

BT: The SAFE program advocates for improvements to employee safety as a company wide effort. Similarly, you have also emphasized how innovation should come from all employees, not just limited to the R&D team. Can you elaborate on how you have promoted this culture of innovation? 

DA: Often, people assume that unless they are designing a new product, they are not doing anything innovative. However, innovation can also come in the form of developing more effective safety procedures. Thus, we want everyone to acknowledge the innovative components to their job and to make a constant effort to do things in a better way. For example, GE didn’t invent Six Sigma (method in production process). However, they were able to adapt it not only to the manufacturing process, but to other processes as well. The spirit of innovative improvement should apply to everything we do. 

BT: Outside of your company, you also promote innovation through involvement with the Franklin Institute and the Industrial Research Institute. Can you elaborate on the role you play within these institutions? 

DA: Education has played an important role in my success, and I try to give back to educational organizations. For example, I serve as the vice chair on the board of my high school. This happened after I entered my current employment with Crown and moved back into my hometown. I am also on the board of Salus University, a local health science university offering advanced degrees in optometry, radiology, physician's assistant, etc. Currently, I am also on the Board of Trustees of the Franklin Institute. I support education because it enables everyone to open new doors. 

I often tell people that when I reflect on my career, I was never worried about my next job. My view is that if you make learning a constant pursuit, you will be able to take on anything. When I first joined Crown, I didn’t know much about metal packaging. My first managerial role was to head a group of Ph.D microbiologists even though I have never taken any courses on this discipline. However, if you are willing to learn, you can earn the respect of others no matter what directions your career leads you. 

BT: Currently, environmentalism and the impending climate crisis are making frequent headlines. Can you elaborate on the areas within Crown Holdings’s production and business where sustainability is highly relevant? 

DA: I am currently on the company’s sustainability committee, and we are investing in renewable energy. Right now, all of our beverage cans in North America are manufactured with renewable energy. Furthermore, we are reducing the amount of metal used in our packaging. Although metal can be infinitely recycled and retain its property, doing so will still consume a lot of energy. 

However, the reduction of food waste is often overlooked when people think of sustainability in metal packaging. Sealed cans are excellent barriers to oxygen, and the food inside has a very long shelf life. We have been researching how this property can reduce food waste considering that around 40% of the food we grow globally are discarded. In the developed nations, we throw them away in stores or at homes, where else, in the developing world, the food rots before getting that far in the process. It is truly a travesty when we realize that malnutrition and starvation still exists. Environmentally, food waste also emits greenhouse gases, which accumulates to an amount only surpassed by the emissions of the United States and China. It would also be a waste of water. 25% of the water we use is to grow food that we later discard. When you consider food waste as a pressing problem, canned food with its long shelf-life can offer the solution. 

BT: For a metal packaging company such as Crown Holdings, raw materials such as aluminum and steel contribute to a significant portion of the budget. Has the ongoing trade conflict between the United States and China impacted your company’s sourcing and purchasing price of these key production materials? 

DA: It is having an impact. Due to the new tariffs, the prices of our metals have gone up substantially. In canned products, around 50% of the cost is invested in the metal. However, we are a very global company, and we do source around the world. We also produce in 40 countries around the world. 

BT: Given your extensive academic and professional career, do you have any general advice or words of wisdom that you wish to give to current college students? 

DA: I believe in this idea of remaining a student and always be willing to learn. It is the mindset of taking on new challenges even in areas that you are less familiar with because they will grow you as an individual.
Nowadays, I often see people with very aggressive career aspirations, particularly recent graduates. They want to be a director in five years, a VP in eight years, and so on. Organizations are delayering and the traditional promotion opportunities are disappearing. So the idea of taking on new challenges, even new lateral challenges, is nevertheless a valuable growth opportunity. 

Overall, your title or level in an organization is not as important as performing your job extremely well. At one point, when I was the head of the environmental lab at GE, I decided to dissolve a group of around 75 scientists. I made this decision purposefully because we have already solved a lot of the environmental challenges. Furthermore, we didn’t lose any jobs because each scientist went back to rejoin their respective groups. For example, chemists may continue to work with polymers, the biochemists with waste or treatment plants, and the physicists with aero-modeling. At the meeting, I specifically told the group that this is not a lay-off because everyone still keeps their own jobs. While, I believe that this decision is better for their career in the long term, I did not realize that I have effectively eliminated my own job. Indeed, it shows how I was never too worried about my own job. I saw myself as a hard worker, and I believed that other doors will open in the company.