Why Volatile Market Conditions Call for New Machine Concepts

Packaging machine manufacturing rarely stands alone. Its development is closely linked to the industries it supplies. When uncertainty prevails in these markets, it has a direct impact on investment decisions. Three industry experts provide insight into the current situation and show what matters now.

“Our industry is doing relatively well, in some cases even very well. It always depends on the area in which the companies operate,” emphasises Martin Buchwitz, Managing Director of Packaging Valley Germany e. V. “The pharmaceutical industry remains a safe bet, with some companies' order books filled for up to three years.” According to Buchwitz, the situation is different in the food packaging sector, but it is still good. However, one division is a particularly important anchor for the industry in these stormy times: automation technology. “This area has been challenged more in the last 12 months than the industry has ever been in the last few decades,” says Buchwitz.

 

“Without Digitalisation, There Can Be No Sustainability”

According to Buchtwitz, the situation is more difficult in areas that are closely related to plastics. Here, legislative uncertainties and public debates are hampering investment. The EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) adopted in 2024 is increasing the pressure to offer environmentally friendly and recyclable solutions.

“As a machine manufacturer, it is important to offer customers packaging solutions that comply with PPWR,” says Jörg Schebetka, Head of Marketing Communications at Koch Pac-Systeme. Koch relies on consulting services to support its customers in this endeavour. Instead of offering machine solutions alone, the focus is on comprehensive consulting that accompanies customers from the choice of materials to the final packaging solution. The aim is to integrate technical implementation and packaging concepts at an early stage.

Sustainability does not end with the choice of materials – it requires seamless integration into existing processes. This is exactly where digitalisation comes into play: it is the key to making sustainable packaging solutions efficient, reproducible and economically viable.

“In short, you could say that without digitalisation, there can be no sustainability in the packaging machine sector,” Buchwitz sums it up. After all, even the most sustainable packaging material must run through the packaging machine in the right quality and quantity. “In this respect, we represent one of the key industries on the road to sustainable packaging,” explains the Managing Director of Packaging Valley Germany e. V.

 

Less Personnel Expenditure, More Product Diversity

But sustainable packaging solutions are only one piece of the puzzle. Equally crucial to the industry's future viability is how it deals with the growing shortage of personnel in customer industries and the increasing demand for flexibility in production. According to Dietmar Bohlen, Vice President at Multivac Germany, technological developments in these areas are a key focus. Many tasks on customers' packaging lines have traditionally involved a high level of manual effort. The goal now is to automate as many of these processes as possible, for example through the use of artificial intelligence. Another key development focus at Multivac is the prevention of unplanned machine downtime. “Delays – for example in deliveries to food retailers – can result in heavy penalties. This can quickly eat up the entire margin of a product,” adds the Multivac VP. That is why plant availability is much more important today than it was a few years ago, when the focus was primarily on the price and delivery time of packaging machines. “To avoid such downtime, we rely on predictive maintenance, well-thought-out maintenance concepts and fast, easily accessible service,” explains Bohlen. Multivac machines are therefore networked and equipped with dashboards. Customers can access their systems via an app and analyse performance data in real time – even remotely. If, for example, the power consumption of a motor increases, technicians can proactively flag a defect and deliver a replacement in good time.

Another major issue is the increasing demand for smaller batch sizes and growing product diversity. “Today, our customers need machines that can be converted particularly quickly and easily – often by personnel without specialised knowledge. Operation must be so intuitive that even semi-skilled workers can perform these tasks without errors,” says Bohlen.

Jörg Schebetka also confirms: “The demand for machines that can be quickly adapted to different packaging formats is growing.” For this reason, Koch has expanded its machine portfolio – in addition to its high level of expertise in standard and customised machines, it now offers modular machine construction, which will be presented for the first time at FACHPACK with two modules.

 

Conclusion

Looking at the future viability of German packaging machine manufacturing, it can be said that Germany is currently still the world market leader, but there is a certain amount of uncertainty in view of global developments. “Technology plays a very important role here. However, not for its own sake, but with a clear focus on customer benefits in terms of productivity, sustainability, service quality and new business models,” says Buchwitz.

“Quality and precision are core characteristics that will continue to distinguish mechanical engineering made in Germany in the years to come. It is important to stay on the ball and not let up,” confirms Schebetka.

Author: Alexander Stark