Packaging Intelligence Brief - Automation Trends

Robotics: speeding products to market through changeover acceleration, efficiency improvement and cost reduction.

As a result of the growing demand for new ways to differentiate products and engage consumers at retail to generate sales, new product introductions have skyrocketed, and pack patterns and pack sizes change constantly to meet retailer and consumer requirements. Delivering these packaging variations in a timely manner requires flexibility that often can only be accomplished by automated equipment. This need for greater flexibility in handling multiple packaging formats through quicker changeovers is producing an increase in demand for automated equipment.

To address the need for automation, packagers are deploying more robotic systems, performing more tasks via software and demanding more tightly integrated machines, while at the same time keeping a firm rein on costs.