Day one of the 2022 AUSPACK expo at the Melbourne Exhibition and Convention Centre kicked off with high energy as exhibitors, buyers, and visitors were finally able to step onto the show room floor after years of cancellations due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Possibly as a result of the break between expos, or possibly because of the rapid advancement in technology, the products on show at AUSPACK 2022 are both expansive and highly sophisticated.
First impressions on day one indicates automation is one key area of focus for many exhibitors, from augmented reality to robotics, the future of packaging in the food and beverage industry is set to look different to what it does today.
Food & Beverage Industry News was given a presentation by insignia of the new Domino printing and industrial laser which is creating newer methods for used by date coding and the application of 2D codes to products.
The application of 2D is already proving to be a possibly revolutionary application to the food and beverage industry through its ability to create better traceability, quality control, such as limiting the reach of counterfeit products within the global grey market.
Boyd Rose, national sales and product manager for insignia, explained how laser technology had remained largely the same for decades, instead it was the reduction in the cost of the machinery which was making the technology far more appealing for potential buyers, while also limiting the barrier to entry for smaller and middling manufacturers.
Meanwhile, the first day seminar series had a specific focus on packaging and packing materials, and digital transfer, which included presentations from a range of key stakeholders including managing director/co-founder/CEO of O F Packaging, Joe Foster, who spoke about the next hurdles for flexible packaging and how the industry can close the loop at the kerbside and using recycled content in products and packaging.
Meanwhile, Professor Vincent Rouillard and Dr Marlene Cran, from the Sustainable Packaging Research Group, spoke in depth about the development and validation of new sustainable packaging materials.
Tessa Eastman, connected products strategist for Marken-Imaje, lead a thought piece centred on how the evolution of connected packaging can be used to meet market trends.
These are only a sampling of the more than dozen seminar series talks which took place on day one, with the Leaders’ Summit presentations set to begin on day two of the event.
APPMA chairman, Mark Dingley, said exhibitors at AUSPACK 2022 represent the full scale of the packaging industry, from processing, to packaging and filling machinery.
“As part of the Packaging and Process Week, we have an extensive range of business education programs, networking opportunities and awards, all designed to maximise value for every AUSPACK attendees and exhibitors,” he said.
“This year some 200 exhibitors… will exhibit more than 1,000 brands. AUSPACK 2022 hits a record with the highest number of Australian companies taking part in the show, a testament to the business benefits AUSPACK brings.”