Europe's leading national associations of processing and packaging machinery manufacturers have unveiled the new European federation, Europama, at interpack 2026 in Düsseldorf. The organisation is intended to consolidate the industry's interests at the EU level and strengthen the competitiveness of European mechanical engineering.
With Europama, a permanent coordination platform is being created for the European processing and packaging industry. The goal is to promote exchange between national associations, develop common positions, and consolidate Europe's role as a global leader in processing and packaging technology.
The founding members include Amec, Automate UK, Evolis Organisation professionnelle, Swissmem, Ucima, and the VDMA Food and Packaging Machinery Association. The new federation will be led by Riccardo Cavanna, President of Ucima and Lead Strategist at Cavanna. The Vice-President is Markus Rustler, a member of the VDMA Food and Packaging Machinery Association's board and CEO of Theegarten-Pactec.
A stronger voice at the European level
According to the initiators, Europama is primarily intended to highlight the strategic importance of the industry within Europe. The focus is on industrial competitiveness, regulatory frameworks, knowledge exchange, and representation of interests towards European institutions.
The founding takes place at a time when the packaging and process engineering industry is heavily influenced by new EU directives, pressure to transform, and global competition. Joint positions on regulation, sustainability, and industrial sovereignty are becoming increasingly important, especially for mechanical engineers.
According to the associations, European manufacturers of food processing and packaging machinery exported machinery worth around 35 billion euros in 2024. Two-thirds of the machinery traded globally in this segment therefore originates from the European Union. Italy and Germany are considered global market leaders with market shares of around 20 percent each.
Source: VDMA
