PROCESSING AND PACKAGING: THE PACKAGING PLANT IS STEPPING UP A GEAR
A global market on the rise, driven by automation
The global packaging machinery market exceeded $50 billion in 2025 and is expected to grow by around 5.8% annually to reach approximately $71 billion by 2026. This momentum is driven by the convergence of several structural factors. More than 65% of manufacturing facilities now integrate automated systems, and nearly 58% of food producers are turning to high-speed packaging lines. Pressure from labour shortages, volatile energy costs and tightening regulatory requirements is pushing manufacturers to invest heavily in modernising their equipment.
The food industry remains the primary driver of this demand. In France alone, the agri-food sector represents 20,000 companies, €250 billion in revenue and 520,000 jobs. However, 98% of these players are SMEs, making modernisation both urgent and necessarily gradual. Filling, sealing, dosing and tray-sealing machines are becoming increasingly versatile to meet shorter production cycles, frequent format changes and smaller batch sizes. At ALLFORPACK EMBALLAGE PARIS, exhibitors in the Machines & Packaging Solutions sector showcase precisely these solutions capable of combining speed, flexibility and quality.
Cobots and collaborative robotics: the operator’s right hand
Collaborative robotics has reached a decisive milestone. The global cobot market reached $3.06 billion in 2025 and is growing at an annual rate of over 22%, according to Global Growth Insights. Long confined to automotive assembly, these collaborative robots are now entering packaging facilities. Nearly 55% of factories worldwide have already deployed cobots for assembly, handling, packaging and quality inspection operations.
In packaging, their applications are expanding rapidly: end-of-line palletising, case packing, depalletising, kitting and visual inspection. Packaging and palletising account for around 14% of global cobot installations, and their total deployment cost remains 35 to 50% lower than that of traditional industrial robots, with a return on investment between 8 and 14 months. For SMEs in packaging, often constrained by limited investment budgets, this economic argument is a game changer. Moreover, the latest-generation cobots, equipped with smart sensors and vision systems, can be integrated into existing lines without major reconfiguration.
In 2026, cobotics is reaching a new stage thanks to generative AI: cobots are no longer programmed with complex lines of code, but trained through images or task descriptions. This accessibility is paving the way for much broader adoption, including in smaller workshops.
Industry 4.0: when data drives the packaging line
Automation is no longer limited to adding robotic arms. It now encompasses the full digitalisation of processes, from real-time monitoring to predictive maintenance. Around 60% of recent packaging systems are IoT-compatible, and nearly 57% of manufacturers are adopting high energy-efficiency machines.
Digital twins allow manufacturers to simulate investments before committing CAPEX and accelerate ramp-up phases. Artificial intelligence applied to planning reduces overstocking, shortages and quality-related costs. On packaging lines, computer vision detects sealing defects, labelling errors or dosing anomalies in real time, where the human eye reaches its limits at high speeds.
These technologies are shaping what is known as the “augmented packaging line”: an integrated system where each machine communicates with the others, parameters adjust automatically based on the product being packed, and traceability is ensured batch by batch. At ALLFORPACK EMBALLAGE PARIS, live machine demonstrations on exhibitor stands will allow visitors to visualise these connected architectures and assess their compatibility with their own production setups.
PPWR: an accelerator of process transformation
The European regulatory framework adds an additional layer of requirements. Regulation (EU) 2025/40, known as PPWR (Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation), published in the Official Journal of the EU in January 2025, replaces the 1994 directive and applies directly in all Member States. Its implementation date is set for August 12, 2026, just a few weeks before the opening of the show.
The implications for processing and packaging are considerable. By 2030, at least 40% of transport packaging will need to be reused, rising to 70% by 2040. The PPWR also introduces a recyclability requirement for all packaging by 2030, along with reduction targets through eco-design and the integration of recycled materials. The requirement for recycled content in plastics comes into force as early as 2028.
For packaging lines, this means in practical terms: adapting machines to handle bio-based or recycled materials whose mechanical properties differ from virgin plastics, recalibrating sealing systems for thinner films, and integrating sorting and inspection modules compatible with new packaging classifications. Machine manufacturers that anticipate these changes offer a decisive competitive advantage to their industrial clients.
Decarbonising packaging lines: a competitiveness and environmental challenge
The energy performance of packaging lines has shifted from being an “RSE bonus” to a key lever for economic survival. According to ADEME, manufacturers can improve their energy efficiency by 20% by 2030, a highly relevant objective given that the industrial sector accounts for 18% of greenhouse gas emissions in France.
As part of the France 2030 plan, which allocates €54 billion over five years, around €5 billion is dedicated to the decarbonisation of industrial sites. The levers identified for packaging lines are numerous: electrification of thermal processes, recovery of waste heat from sealers and shrink tunnels, optimisation of compressed air (which alone can account for up to 30% of a packaging site’s electricity consumption), and intelligent utility management using AI.
The French Packaging Council estimates the total cost of decarbonising the sector at around €30 billion by 2050. While the amount is substantial, the gains are equally significant: reduced energy bills, anticipation of the European carbon market, and increased attractiveness to clients who now include suppliers’ carbon footprints in their selection criteria. In 2026, decarbonisation becomes a full-fledged competitiveness factor in the agri-food sector.
ALLFORPACK EMBALLAGE PARIS: processing and packaging at the heart of the 2026 offering
The 2026 edition of the show, taking place from 24 to 26 November at Paris Nord Villepinte, is structured around four sector hubs, including Machines & Packaging Solutions. This hub covers the entire value chain: food processing, transformation machinery, filling, dosing, sealing and palletising equipment, with a particular focus on low-carbon technologies and solutions compatible with the new materials required by the PPWR.
The 2026 edition will feature a new exhibition area, the Re-generation space, dedicated to renewable packaging uses (reuse, recyclability, compostability), as well as the Ruptures créatives and Matières à penser animation areas. The ALLFORPACK INNOVATIONS AWARDS will highlight the most disruptive solutions in packaging machinery and systems.
For packaging professionals, ALLFORPACK EMBALLAGE PARIS offers the opportunity to see machines operating in real conditions, evaluate complete line architectures, and compare their challenges with those of their peers, in a context where every month counts before the PPWR comes into force. A strategic meeting point at the crossroads of industrial performance and environmental transition.
Join us from 24 to 26 November 2026 at Paris Nord Villepinte to discover packaging machinery and processing solutions at ALLFORPACK EMBALLAGE PARIS.
Image credit:
Yunus Tuğ
Getty Images