Trends Affecting Packaging Machine Manufacturers
Packaging machine manufacturers all over the world are experiencing a general upsurge in production. According to recent reports, there are several areas that are creating an impact in the market. Jacob White, one of the industry’s longest-standing packaging machine manufacturers, takes a closer look.
Sustainability
Sustainability is a topic that grows in importance every year for both industry professionals and consumers in all corners of the world. The food industry has invested in implementing sustainability initiatives and machinery plays a significant role in achieving these objectives.
Because of this, packaging machine manufacturers are looking towards greater flexibility and efficiency, exploring smarter technologies and more to address sustainability goals, such as:
• Materials reduction
• Reduced energy consumption
• Increasing efficiency in both packing and unpacking (end-of-line)
Sustainability in the packaging industry also relies on the nature of the packaging materials and with more compostable and recyclable content, machines need to have a greater capacity for a wider range of packaging materials.
The industrial internet of things (IIoT)
The impact of the IIoT is felt across many sectors of the packaging industry, from design to supply and everything in between. In some countries, connectivity technology is not up-to-scratch, and this can affect the uptake of these ‘smarter’ packaging machines.
As cybersecurity is also an influence in this sector, it is of increasing importance that solutions are found to ensure that stable connections, low latencies, and other key factors are handled properly. This is driving collaboration across some packaging machine manufacturing sectors and is thought to be one of the most influencing trends for the future of the industry.
The rise (and rise) of eCommerce
We have discussed the dramatic increase in eCommerce activity before, during the initial stages of the Covid-19 pandemic. The rise of online shopping has driven other sectors too, such as distribution, as consumers changed their habits.
A hard-to-ignore consequence of eCommerce increases centres around minimising packaging materials and increasing the efficiency of product packaging. Driven in part by the consumer, and also a sustainability challenge, automating the process is pushing demand for modern packaging machines.
How packaging machine manufacturers are rising to the challenge
With the growing demand for better packaging processes, packaging machine manufacturers are under pressure to help businesses increase efficiency, meet sustainability goals and implementation deadlines.
Introducing innovative technologies and implementing new processes is an exciting opportunity for packaging businesses and manufacturers alike. It offers businesses the chance to diversify at a time when people on the ground are still governed by restrictions due to Covid-19, such as:
• Minimised staffing levels
• Reduced shift patterns
• Increased hygiene regulations
• Delays in the supply chain
• Distribution challenges
Packaging machine manufacturers are rising to the challenge in many ways. Here at Jacob White, for example, we have always listened to our clients and developed our machines according to their needs and requirements.
We ensure our packaging machines are flexible and scalable, built on a sustainable model that can be tailored to suit the clients’ industry sector, output requirements, energy requirements and local hygiene standards, wherever they are located in the world. Jacob White machines minimise downtime and smooth the implementation process, as all the essential planning is done in advance.
Jacob White understands the impact of influencing factors through more than one hundred years’ experience as a packaging machine manufacturer. Talk to us if you’ve been affected or if you want to embrace the current opportunities in the packaging market.
