The packaging industry’s most cutting-edge technologies and solutions will take centre stage at Packaging Innovations 2020, which returns to Birmingham’s NEC on 26 & 27 February. New for 2020, the show will host a Cobot area and welcome a Start-Up Village, as well as showcasing more than 300 exhibitors, many for the very first time.

Cobot Area

Nine out of 10 packaging companies are now using robots, so to reflect this growth, the show will present a new area dedicated to the latest advancements in automated systems.

• Reeco Automation will display its automated systems that use human-robot collaboration to reduce production costs by integrating with employees and exciting factory equipment.
• Vikaso will showcase its Robotics 4.0 ready solution, alongside the Kuka LBR iiwa, a unique innovation that allows energy and communication to be conveyed to the robot, offering ease of programming and a TCP Force sensor.
• RARUK will unveil two new systems. The SMARTSHIFT Tool Changer which provides simple and fast tool shifting on virtually any type of robot and the EasyPalletizer, a platform that works with Universal Robots to make box palletising easy and mobile.
• Simmatic Automation Specialists, the UK’s only agent of SIASUN Cobots, will showcase the next generation seven axis cobots.

New Product Launches

Sustainability will be a key theme throughout the show with many exhibitors unveiling their latest eco-friendly solutions live at the event.

• Carlton Packaging will launch the X Taper®, an automatic biodegradable handheld paper tape dispenser that provides a tamper evident and fully recyclable seal for cartons.
• Plastimak will debut two sustainable innovations. The EcoMak | Recyclable, a mono-PE structure with high-functional barriers, and EcoMak | Recyclable Paper, a multi-layer plastic substitute.
• Giflor Closure Technologies will release its new 100 percent post-consumer resin closures which help to reduce a brands’ carbon footprint.
• Orbital Industries will introduce its Orbi Eco Wrap, made from 51 percent sugarcane.
• FFP Packaging Solutions will launch Esterseal, a flexible lidding film for pots, tubs, and trays that is widely recyclable and can be collected kerbside.
• Foxpak Flexibles will debut its Compostable Coffee Pouch made from plant-based materials.
• Coveris will unveil RecyclaLite™, its lightweight sandwich skillet for the food-to-go sector featuring a peel-able function for consumers to separate film from board.
• Vetroplas and Eurovetrocap will launch their range of clear bottles and jars made from 90 percent recycled glass.
• Delipac will debut its Sustainable Suite: ‘Meal Deal’, the first of its kind to combine a sandwich pack and coffee cup, and suitable for freezing, heating, and chilling.
• A.Hatzopoulos S.A. will introduce its X-CYCLE recycle-ready, flexible packaging solutions with PP, PE, and mixed-poly variants that feature high-barrier properties.

Many exhibitors will also be launching their latest concepts for improved efficiency and increased customer satisfaction.

• Colpac will debut its Stagione® range for the hot-food-to-go and delivered meals markets.
• Smurfit Kappa and Rollor will unveil its Rollor Packaging designed to enable wrinkle-free shipping of fashion garments for the e-commerce market.
• Liquid Lens will launch a new resin which creates unique, high-resolution mosaics that can be used in the same way as ceramics.
• Cambrian Packaging will unveil its Amazon-approved, e-commerce trigger spray head featuring leak-free patented technology.
• Granby will introduce SwiftReceipt, a service which utilises next generation technology to increase customer loyalty and interaction between brands and their customers.
• ETKİN will launch its latest lid design for the wet wipe market which utilises a tap to allow wipes to be easily pulled out of square or round buckets.
• Korozo will debut KORORCY, a film ideal for a wide range of food and non-food applications, featuring an advanced PE formulation.

Technology will also be a key focus as new packaging machinery is presented:

• TAWI will unveil its unique solution for mobile material handling and order-picking from pallet racks - the Mobile Order Picker.
• Excel Packaging Machinery will launch the Pentavac Piccola VFFS bagging machine suitable for small to medium size production.
• Epson will reveal new on-demand label printers, including auto-cutter and time-saving auto-peeler models.

The Start-Up Village

Also joining the show floor, are six up-and-coming packaging companies presenting their cutting-edge innovations as part of the Start-Up Village.

• Combi Shots will present its unique container system that is able to mix two or more substances at the point of use.
• ReCircle Recycling will present the first ever 100 percent closed-loop recycling solution that sorts, washes, and grinds recycling into pure materials then sells it to manufacturers.
• Triple Line Technology will showcase its TLT-Foamer technology that offers a sustainable method of foam generation for packaged goods, without VOCs.
• GUMIPOD is the world’s first patent-pending packaging with an integrated chewing gum bin that allows for the storage of fresh gum on one side and discarded gum on the other.
• Glancy 3D will showcase the first artificial intelligence for packaging design assessment and optimisation, designed to show which areas have high/low visual attractiveness.
• Woohoop.com Packaging offers a unique approach to packaging by providing standard box templates for different applications that can be printed with any brands artwork.

Victoria Blake, Event Director of Easyfairs’ UK Packaging Portfolio, comments: “Our aim for the event is always to showcase the latest innovations in packaging for our visitors to discover to fulfil their own packaging needs, and this year is no exception. From sustainable solutions, clever designs, cutting-edge technologies, and robotic systems, innovation is alive at every point on the show floor.”

To register to attend Packaging Innovations NEC 2020, please visit the registration page. For any further information, please visit the Packaging Innovations NEC 2020 website or contact the show team on +44 (0)20 8843 8800 or [email protected].

Pictured: Delipac's sustainable suite meal deal