Pack Expo 2022 Highlights Recap
The Pioneer team was at Pack Expo 2022 in Chicago last month! With over 44,000 in person attendees, the show was the largest it has been in years. We went as attendees to stay up to date with everything happening in the industry. Our crew had a great time there and loved talking about some of latest automation technology, consumables, sustainable packaging supplies, protective packaging options, and more.
Because the show was so large and crowded this year, we know it was a sensory overload for a lot of the attendees. There were way too many products and innovations to see in a few days. Because a lot of the technologies and materials that were on display at the show will help your business, we want to point out what we saw. Feel free to reach out to us for more information on any products you are interested in learning more about.
Paxiom automated packaging technology
Paxiom set the standard for automated packaging at the show this year. They brought their VF 1200 high speed continuous motion bagging machine, PKR Delta pick and place robot, WeightCheq 0-250 high accuracy check weigher, and a bulk bagging system that features the BI 600 automatic bag inserter and BU 600 automatic bag uncuffer. These machines help speed up your packaging process and reduce labor needs for a wide variety of markets, including food and beverage, pharmaceuticals, automotive products, and more.
Signode strapping and banding
The Signode booth displayed high quality strapping, banding, and stretch wrap products. They showcased both steel and plastic strapping options for light, medium, and heavy duty loads, film for both manual and automated operations, and a variety of other consumable products and automated machines to help secure goods for transport using less manpower.
Protective packaging from Pregis
Pregis was at the event showing off some of their latest protective packaging options that are offered through Pioneer. Here are a few of their new products that they had at the show:
- Pregis Easypack® GeoTerra™ wrappable solution Made from Kraft paper, GeoTerra is a curbside recyclable paper solution that provides light cushioning and interleaving for fragile products, such as glassware, cosmetics, candles, and jarred food products.
- Pregis Easypack Quantum™ Pro void fill system Set to be released in 2023, Quantum Pro features a patented technology that virtually eliminates paper jams and allows packers to efficiently grab and pack.
- Pregis AirSpeed® HC (hybrid cushioning) film Pregis is debuting HC material that is a proprietary square pattern that offers protective cushioning and a premium unboxing experience for the end customer.
- New paper bags on a roll Pregis just released new curbside recyclable paper bags on a roll for ecommerce fulfillment. You can simply replace your current poly bags and run these environmentally friendlier bags on your existing machines.
The major themes we saw at the show
As attendees, our team really was able to explore the whole event and see where the industry is heading. Without a doubt, the two biggest themes were automation and sustainable consumables and packaging solutions.
Packaging automation is a trend that’s here to stay. There was a huge variety of automated machines at the show to help cut labor costs and material waste. From flow wrapping machines and baggers to precision robots and thermal ribbon printing, manufacturers are releasing a lot of new machines to automate every part of the packaging process.
When it comes to sustainability, there was a large amount of paper and poly packaging with high levels of recycled content. Additionally, more packaging manufacturers are offering store drop off and curbside recycling to simplify the disposal process for ecommerce and retail customers.
Packaging automation is a trend that’s here to stay.
What you can do moving forward
There were way too many things at the show to list them all here. But the bottom line is that Pioneer can get you whatever packaging supplies, consumables, or machines that you need for your operation. If you are looking to further automate your packaging process, make it environmentally friendlier, or integrate some of the latest technology from top brands like Pregis, Paxiom, or Signode, we can help.