FachPack 2016: Signpost to new products and a guide through the innovation jungle

19-Sep-2016 - Germany

Trends & Innovations in the packaging sector under one roof
Exhibitor and product database delivers a transparent presentation of the sector’s developments
Theme clusters provide a guide for trade fair visitors

Be it the product, process or service – innovations are an elementary component of the packaging sector and this year a central theme of FachPack, the European trade fair for the Packaging Industry. As a result, Nuremberg from 27 to 29 September will once again be the meeting point for inspiration and concrete solutions covering all aspects of packaging, technology, processing and logistics. The last event attracted around 44,000 trade visitors who came for an exchange with the 1,565 exhibitors on the products and services in the packaging sector. In 2016, over 500 new products and innovations are being presented. These have been allocated to a total of seven theme clusters and can now already be accessed via the exhibitor and product database.

“The visitors to FachPack are in particular looking for new products and innovations which will enable them to package their products in a more effective, flexible, more attractive, secure and sustainable way”, states Heike Slotta, Exhibition Director FachPack. “In addition, FachPack is an information exchange for trends in all sectors of the filling and packaging industries”, Slotta went on to add. This is exactly what FachPack 2016 will once again be bundling over three compact trade fair days and this year placing the focus particularly on new developments covering the themes of efficiency, sustainability, product safety and Industry 4.0.

New products and trends in the packaging industry at a glance

A new feature this year: the exhibitor and product database on the FachPack 2016 website now provides sector insiders with even more specific information on new products, innovations and further developments – and it already does so before they visit the fair (www.fachpack.de/exhibitors-products). Under the “New” / New products” button, the user can specifically search for the latest sector trends, innovations and developments from various sectors. The search is made even more convenient thanks to the seven theme clusters, which classify the trends further asservice, product and process innovations (www.fachpack.de/innovations). As a result, the website presents an overall picture of the development steps taken by the packaging industry this year with the aim of moving the sector forward. These new functions are expected to delight our visitors in particular, because they know exactly that good planning in good time pays off: it not only increases the efficiency of the fair visit, but also enables them to conduct qualified discussions and meetings with the exhibitors.

Future-orientated packaging trends

Not every innovation here is at first glance groundbreaking. But sometimes a new packaging design, which enables an improved product differentiation, proves itself as a top-seller in a product category following its first application. The “Stickpack” packaging style is one such success story. It was initially used for sugar portions, today the slender mini stand-up sachets are of course also to be found as unit-dose packaging in the highly sensitive pharmaceuticals sector.

“The exhibitors at FachPack are in close contact with their customers. They are best informed about the requirements in the various sectors and develop demand-orientated solutions”, explains Heike Slotta. In this connection for example, the ink spectrum for marking appliances has been expanded to include water-based inks. These inks can now also be used to label sophisticated, high-quality materials such as plastics or coated cardboard packaging. This is of interest not only to the food industry, but is also an attractive solution for the pharmaceuticals and cosmetics sectors.

It is not always a question of reinventing the wheel either. Concepts, which are adapted from other sectors, can be a highlight for companies’ own products. The new products and innovations database on the FachPack website enables a continually growing overview of products, machines and developments by the exhibitors.

Digitization at the forefront

The digital transformation requires networked sensor technology and special control electronics for packaging machines. The process data available at all times ensures greater transparency, process control and production efficiency and thus forms the basis for the traceability of products and batches. The automatic adjustment of formats, (end) stops and tools along with many other positioning variations are performed by smart drive technology.

With process innovations too, digitization and automation are right at the top of the companies’ agenda. They are expecting greater flexibility in packaging styles and tailor-made machine solutions, with standard modules, which are extendible from a basic model up to high-end application.

When it comes to service, the issues of safety, quality control and Track & Trace are closely associated with the integration of data in the standard data management systems. In addition to marking technology, image-supported processes are playing an ever greater role. In this sector too, innovations ranging from packaging material manufacture through to product packaging up to logistics are regularly entered in the exhibitor and product database.

Sustainability the focus of innovations

Sustainability is not only a theme in packaging material, but also for machines and robots. Smart functions support the facilities’ profitability. Modular and scalable design enables client-specific configurations through the combination of standard machine modules. This involves higher productivity and flexibility along with lower total operation costs. With a range extending from double-lined folding sachets for glass breakage protection with fluid pharmaceuticals up to the foldable IBC for viscose products, the exhibitor and product database offers suggestions and solutions for all packaged products. For a fast guide, the new products and innovations are continually integrated in the existing theme clusters, which reflect the relevant trends in the sector. It is therefore repeatedly worthwhile taking a look to find ideas for own projects, which can be discussed with the exhibitors at the fair.

https://www.yumda.com/en/news/1149102/fachpack-2016-signpost-to-new-products-and-a-guide-through-the-innovation-jungle.html