Top trends at interpack 2017: digitalisation, Industry 4.0 and sustainability

The enormous interest shown by exhibitors in the run-up to interpack 2017, which brought a record attendance of 2,865 companies to the world's largest and most important trade fair for the packaging and related process industries, was followed by days of excellent atmosphere and further records from 4 to 10 May.

170,500 visitors came to Düsseldorf, 74 per cent of whom came from abroad, three quarters of whom were decision-makers. The high proportion of top German and international experts from a total of 168 countries made for very satisfied faces among the exhibitors, who were able to look forward to promising business contacts and even concrete deals, often in the seven-figure range. Conversely, visitors benefited from an internationally unrivalled number of innovations on display and a unique market overview. They honoured this accordingly in their assessment of the trade fair: Almost 98 per cent stated in the official survey that they were satisfied or very satisfied with their visit to interpack 2017. Interest was shown in all areas of interpack, with the topic of Packaging production made a significant leap in attention compared to the previous event.

An open trend at many companies was the topic of further digitalisation of the production process on the way to IIndustry 4.0 applications. Networked production in this sense makes it possible, for example, Personalised packaging to produce economically or Traceability to guarantee the highest quality. In addition, the modular design of packaging machines and process lines as well as optimised Digital operating concepts The use of digitalisation plays a major role in reducing complexity in production and achieving the greatest possible flexibility for batch size changes or product variants. In order to make complexity more manageable in the production process of machines and systems as well as in training and operation, some companies rely on Virtual reality applicationsthat make it possible to experience a machine or system in its entirety.

The topic Sustainability remained dominant at interpack 2017. The companies showed improved Resource efficiencyboth in the material used and in the production process. Alternative packaging materials are also gaining in importance.

Special topics score points

There was not only a great deal of new information on the topic of Industry 4.0 to be seen from exhibitors. The special interpack show of the same name, organised in cooperation with the German Engineering Federation (VDMA), also presented the latest ideas and approaches and was extremely well received by visitors. One of the crowd-pullers was the "smart4i" demonstrator, which produced and packaged personalised power banks. Not only was the entire workflow digital, from online ordering to traceability, but the machine itself was built in record time with the help of a virtual twin and planned in advance in cooperation with several universities.

Six years after the foundation of SAVE FOOD the initiative has grown into a broad alliance of more than 850 international members from industry, associations, non-governmental organisations and research institutions. The initiative's milestone was the SAVE FOOD Congress on 4 May, which was highly acclaimed by participants for its broad thematic focus. It followed a multidimensional approach in order to take a comprehensive look at the issue of food loss and waste.

"interpack has once again impressively emphasised its claim to be the world's most important event and innovation platform for the industry every three years. Thanks to the concept of the newly created global 'interpack alliance', interpack has also become more present as its flagship event in the growth markets abroad, attracting even more top experts to Düsseldorf," explains Hans Werner ReinhardManaging Director of Messe Düsseldorf.

New concept convinces

The revised concept for the 2017 "components - special trade fair by interpack" was very well received by the visitors. The feedback from the extremely satisfied exhibitors was that they were also very high-calibre. Positioning the second components at a central location and running it parallel to the entire interpack was ideal after the subdued premiere three years ago. There was never any doubt about the importance of the topic anyway; after all, the supplier industry plays an important role in the digitalisation of production processes through to Industry 4.0 approaches with components and software for packaging and process technology.

At the biggest interpack of all time

"interpack is an absolute must-attend event for companies in the industry and a unique source of inspiration. Every three years, it is not only a unique showcase, but also the place where suppliers and customers from all over the world come together to exchange ideas and do business," emphasises Friedbert Klefenz, President of interpack 2017. A wealth of interesting and pioneering solutions were presented across the entire product range. There were world premieres with great potential, developments in the packaging sector that can be considered milestones, remarkable presentations by some first-time exhibitors and various awards.

The Weber Mechanical Engineering GmbH, Breidenbach, presented the beltless transport system in an application for the production of sandwiches and ready meals. In a combination of demonstration on the real object and virtual animation, the developers presented the variety of possible applications of the Weber Shuttle System (WSS). It offers a flexible alternative to portion transport via conveyor systems: portions - both sliced products and ready meals and sandwiches - are transported individually, precisely and gently to one or more dispensing points. If required, individual portions can be accessed at any time as they pass through the conveyor line.

The Silk vein Mechanical engineering GmbH, Markt Schwaben, offers track & trace solutions for directive-compliant serialisation and aggregation for individual packaging, bundle packaging, cartons and pallets. At interpack, the company presented its solution in conjunction with the Mediseal blister line (the ItemUnit-Tamper Evident, supplemented by the CaseUnit and the PalletUnit). Codes are printed and verified on folding cartons on the Seidenader ItemUnit, depending on the regulations, e.g. in addition to batch-specific information in plain text and a random, unique serial number, a DataMatrix code containing all of the aforementioned information is also printed.

The aim of the new developments at SOMIC packaging machines GmbH & Co. KG, Amerang, was to increase flexibility and significantly reduce the format changeover time. The newly designed Traypacker 424 T2 impressively demonstrated that this has been achieved. The completely newly developed cutting magazine attracted particular interest, as it eliminates all the time-consuming aids required to achieve full production capability immediately after a format changeover, as the format changeover time has been more than halved.

The BEUMER Group GmbH & Co. KG, Beckum, has developed its Boom app (BEUMER Overall Operation Monitoring), an application that gives employees an overview of all relevant key figures for the packaging lines at all times via mobile devices. It shows the status quo of availability, performance and quality levels as well as energy and compressed air consumption. The programme can be adapted to customer-specific requirements. With this new development, the company is taking a further step towards Industry 4.0.

A machine of the Bausch+Ströbel Maschinenfabrik Ilshofen GmbH + Co. KG was also present at the stand of Siemens can be seen here. The two companies are showcasing a joint project for the future: increasing engineering efficiency by 30 per cent is the common goal of the two companies' future project over the next three years. The means of choice is the consistent digitalisation of the entire value chain: from design and layout to engineering, commissioning, operation and service. At the heart of this is a "digital twin" that faithfully reproduces the future real machine as a virtual model in every phase of its life and is used for simulation and virtual optimisation. This was demonstrated using the B+S machine for processing syringes in the nest.

Spouted pouch packaging is booming worldwide. This makes high output all the more important. The new OptiPouch system from the Optima packaging group GmbH, Schwäbisch Hall, with an increase in output by a factor of three. Liquid to viscous products are processed in prefabricated, leak-tested pouch packaging: The system fills and seals up to 600 pouches per minute. The rotary machine proves to be highly flexible. It covers a format range from 50 to 1,500 ml without format parts. The format changeover runs "on the fly". There is also freedom in the choice of material, with various types of film to choose from. Users can customise the flexible pouch packaging: whether stand-up or gusseted pouches with a centre or side spout, many options are possible. Different closure types such as "no spill", "anti-choke" or dosing aids can be integrated.

Leaking protective gas packaging should not leave the production line. The Ishida GmbH, Schwäbisch Hall, has developed a revolutionary inline system for reliable leak detection. AirScan inspects individual trays and bags at high speeds of up to 180 packages per minute and reports leaks from 0.25 mm in diameter. The quality control system is predestined for fresh meat, ready meals or salads. The machine can be integrated into existing packaging lines within a few minutes without having to modify the conveyor systems.

World premieres at the interpack 2017

The Loesch Packaging Technology GmbH, Altendorf, presented its world first RCB-HS. The innovative development is suitable for small chocolate items and combines a hermetically sealed packaging style with a classic fold wrap look. http://www.loeschpack.com

The MediSeal GmbH, Schloß Holte-Stukenbrock, presented its new BE blister series as a world première. The modular system can be customised in the best possible way to meet individual requirements. http://www.mediseal.de

A world first at the SN Mechanical engineering GmbH, Wipperfürth, Germany, the SF 400 spout filler. The bag filling of liquid or pasty products is carried out by the spout with a specially developed filling system that evacuates the bag beforehand. http://www.sn-maschinenbau.de

The devices of the new ONE-Series of the Heuft Systemtechnik GmbHBurgbrohl, celebrated their world première. They set new standards in metal detection and code verification in terms of detection accuracy and operational reliability for inline quality inspection in confined spaces. http://www.Heuft.com