Among the 250 new products entered by exhibitors, 42 products were shortlisted by a broad panel of international specialist journalists and will be displayed on a PACK INNOVATION space at ALL4PACK Paris (Hall 7 stand F160), which will be a true source of inspiration to professionals.
9 innovations were selected by the Pack Experts Committee as winners of the 2016 INNOVATION AWARDS, divided into 4 categories:
- Raw materials and consumables / Accessories and components / Packaging and containers
- Machines, systems, equipment
- Services, software
- Equipment, software, automated systems and services for lifting, handling, storage and logistics.
The confirmed trend for new products and solutions in packaging and machinery is that functions and performance go hand-in-hand with reduction in consumables and the objective of zero waste. Packaging is the champion of the circular economy.
New developments in software, services, handling and logistics are shaping the structure of the factory 4.0. Flexibility is controlling performance, quality and safety.
Digital technology stimulates innovation and optimises value along the entire supply chain. Packaging that has become fit-to-size also communicates, software allows on-demand availability, equipment supplies real-time information for immediate responsiveness.
New products are shortlisted into an international selection from which the Pack Experts Committee, coordinated by international packaging expert Annette FREIDINGER-LEGAY, makes its “Pack Experts’ Innovation Awards”.
Member of the 2016 Pack Experts Committee
ANTONIO PUIG, BEL, CHARAL, COCA COLA Entreprises, ECO-EMBALLAGES, FAUCHON, GALERIES LAFAYETTE, GROUPE CARREFOUR, ILLYCAFFE, L’OREAL, LABORATOIRES EXPANSCIENCE, LE BHV MARAIS, MARS PETCARE France, MERCK, NESTLÉ, PFIZER CONSUMER HEALTHCARE, PHILIPS ÉCLAIRAGE, SOUL PACKAGING, VENTE-PRIVÉE.
Category “Raw materials and consumables / Accessories and components / Packaging and containers”: more with less!
- An increasing range of properties: bottle caps can be twisted on and off with one hand, flow packs can be resealed, large size bags can stand up with their opening system. Practical considerations are everywhere.
- Product safety remains the absolute norm: PET bottles keep UV rays out, water fountains are made of BPA-free PET, antibacterial labels safeguard hygiene, bubble packaging becomes insulating material.
- On the road to zero waste: lighter materials, plant-based PE and naturally-sourced renewable cellulose fibres are making headway. From the freezer to the oven, packaging can be composted. Zero waste is already a reality for some packaging forms.
![]() | SOCIÉTÉ GÉNÉRALE DES TECHNIQUES (SGT) New monolayer PET preform | Stand 6D048 |
![]() | SLEEVER INTERNATIONAL LDPET Mineral Water | Stand 6G035 |
![]() | JINDAL FILMS EUROPE SealTOUGHTM | Stand 7A031 |
![]() | CGL PACK Single material RSR food trays | Stand 7C104 |
Category “Machines, systems, equipment”: flexibility, safety and intelligence for products and people
- Objective: High OEE (overall equipment effectiveness): the Innovation Awards entrants offer new options: sleeving on a range of products, using collators to arrange packages on demand or modular systems which fit directly onto conveyor belts; enabling format changes in less than a minute or creating bespoke packing boxes for e-commerce.
- Reducing line wastage and energy consumption: skin pack and MAP packing machines dispense with film heating, and thermoforming machines work with “zero film skeleton”.
- Smart machines communicate: clip-on sensors can connect up all electrical equipment to enable predictive maintenance, single cables for “communicating and power” no longer need an electrical cabinet. Smart tech is used to enhance worker safety thanks to collaborative robots.
![]() | TASCO Trojan 2, digital label press | Stand 6J129 |
![]() | NEOPOST SHIPPING CVP-500 | Stand 6E118 |
![]() | MATÉQUIP Platformer | Stand 5aH066 |
Category “SERVICES, SOFTWARE”: packaging and packing as forerunners of the factory of the future
- The Factory of the Future or 4.0: in packaging, creation and production cycles are already driven by customers. 3D design software offers a real-time response to packaging customisation requirements through to shelf stacking. 3D printers make prototypes or parts of packaging in limited series or made-to-measure conveyor parts.
- Even more flexible and optimised production: UV and 4-colour inkjet printing on cylindrical plastic packs is now possible to 360°. In multi-packs, stretch sleeves can now hold products together without the need for a heat-shrink oven.
- Further enhanced product security: identification and tracking solutions can now protect the entire chain, smartphone applications based on the package’s intrinsic material verify whether the product is authentic. Connected tablets and glasses can film machines for distance repairs or video-based maintenance.
![]() | SS&C IC3D 4.0 | Stand 6P147 |
Category “Equipment, software, automated systems and services for lifting, handling, storage and logistics”: aiming for operational excellence in intralogistics.
- Intralogistics today offers increasing added value and competitivity: modules for the high-speed conveyance and dispatch of single loads can be attached onto conveyor lines with 24V powered versions, telescopic arms enable presses and machine tools to be loaded and unloaded, combining compactness and versatility.
- Measuring service quality and performance:viewing systems can count products, read codes and use-by dates, detect non-compliant products and remove them. Racks become dynamic. In e-commerce, conveyors increase the speed of automatic unloading of parcels delivered loose in trucks and containers.
- User-friendliness and improvement in working conditions: pullers and pushersadapt to bins and trucks, swing mast forklifts can work in very narrow aisles. Computer programmes analyse data and performance of throughput and AGV productivity.
![]() | IMH Swing mast forklift truck | Stand 6B087 |
All of these innovations will be on display in the PACK INNOVATION space - Hall 7, stand F 160.
The big event not to be missed
TV programme and prize giving on the TV studio stage (Hall 7, C 110),
Monday 14 November 2016 at 11.40am.