Looking to the Future of Packaging Automation at PACK EXPO 2023

This year’s PACK EXPO was record-breaking with 2,300 exhibitors and nearly 32,000 attendees. The Las Vegas Convention Center was alive with excitement around the newest innovations in material handling, packaging, and processing. 

Here are our takeaways from PACK EXPO 2023: 

Higher Attendance from a Wide Range of Industries 

This year’s PACK EXPO attracted customers from a wide range of industries, including life sciences, pet care, household, automotive, cosmetics, chemical, and food and beverage. As the food industry looks to future innovations, we noticed there were a wide range of food companies seeking unique automation solutions. Additionally, we noticed a higher attendance of medical/life sciences companies than in previous years. 

Labor Issues Continue to Drive the Push to Automation 

Companies across all industries are increasingly seeking automation solutions to combat the lack of workforce required to package and ship their unique products. Many customers we spoke with shared that labor shortages were one of the main reasons they were considering automation for their operations.  

Where automation wasn’t deemed suitable or technologically advanced enough to perform the role of a human being before, it can now be used through vision/robotic integration. Vision guided robots can increase throughput in facilities by improving OEE (uptime) as well as increasing profitability by reducing overhead costs.  

Custom Automation Solutions? They Exist! 

After a few conversations, we realized many companies did not know about custom automation, or the fact that there is an entire industry dedicated to helping them solve their automation needs. Traditionally, many companies (in the food industry for example) have purchased machinery or equipment items from a catalog. Buying from a catalog required them to adapt their manufacturing processes to work with what they purchased instead of what they really needed.  

Through conversations we shared what custom automation is and talked through ideas on how we could partner together to customize solutions.  

While some companies were introduced to custom automation for the first time, we crossed paths with potential customers who were looking for a turnkey solution to solve their manufacturing challenges. While we have a handful of turnkey solutions available, our biggest impact on your business comes from designing a custom solution meeting your exact requirements.  

Some attendees shared that they had already purchased equipment, but unfortunately it was unable to do what was needed. This is an area we can help as an automation integrator. Our team of experts can find a way to merge technology and machinery together to create the ideal solution for you.  

If you were able to attend PACK EXPO 2023, we hope you enjoyed experiencing the new packaging and logistics technology as much as we did! It is an exciting time in warehousing and logistics as more companies across all industries look to automation to solve issues like labor shortages.                           

Have questions about automation or how we could partner with you? Contact us today!