Industry Reports
Quantifiable outlook of specific markets or trends as it pertains to the packaging and processing industry.
2022 The Future of Automation in Packaging and Processing
The Future of Automation in Packaging and Processing, published by PMMI – The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, examines 2022 primary survey and interviews on automation adoption across CPG operations and benchmarks adoption trends over three‑year and near‑term horizons. The analysis indicates three focus areas: workforce development and skills enablement paired with simplified machine design and OEM‑led training; asset resilience strategies such as predictive maintenance, spare‑part sourcing and 3D printing combined with remote diagnostics and cybersecurity; and flexible automation adoption including robots, cobots and warehouse solutions to support the D2C shift. Charts highlight adoption gaps and comparative ROI signals, and emerging patterns show partnership models gaining traction. The report reveals where engineering teams are prioritizing investments to strengthen resilience.
2022 Challenges and Opportunities for Packaging and Processing Operations
Challenges and Opportunities for Packaging and Processing Operations, published by PMMI – The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies in October 2022, examines evolving operational priorities using insights from Vision 2030 focus groups and a pre-event survey at PACK EXPO International 2022. The analysis indicates four cross-cutting focus areas—sustainability (material machinability and supply consistency), workforce development and retention (automation, training and knowledge transfer), remote access and cybersecurity, and predictive maintenance (including thermography, vibration analysis and CMMS)—and provides comparative context across CPGs, OEMs and suppliers; charts highlight trade-offs and implementation barriers. The report reveals where engineering teams are prioritizing investments to strengthen operational resilience.
2022 Meat - Poultry - Seafood & Alternative Proteins
Meat, Poultry, Seafood, & Alternative Proteins, published by PMMI – The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies in September 2022, examines how protein manufacturers are adapting operations amid post‑pandemic shifts and near‑term capital planning. Drawing on dozens of interviews and aggregated industry sources through 2022, the analysis indicates supply‑chain pressures and labor constraints are accelerating automation and targeted capital spending over the next 12–24 months. Focus areas connect workforce development and retention with automation and machine innovation; packaging sustainability and preservation, including vacuum skin packaging and HPP; and supplier engagement centered on TCO and traceability, while charts highlight format demand shifts. Download the full report to see where engineering teams are prioritizing investments to boost operational resilience.
2022 Robotics And Cobots - An Automated Future
2022 Robots and Cobots: An Automated Future, published by PMMI – The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies in June 2022, examines adoption, capability, and strategic implications of robotics across processing and packaging lines. Drawing on interviews and industry sources and benchmarking global installation trends, the analysis indicates priority focus areas including workforce development and retention alongside knowledge capture and upskilling; AI-enabled vision and end-of-arm-tooling advancements that expand delicate handling; and integration, connectivity, and ROI/TCO considerations for deployment. Emerging patterns show suppliers moving toward turnkey, cloud-enabled and SPE/ethernet platforms for applications such as case packing, palletizing, and AMRs, and charts highlight adoption trajectories and integration challenges. The report reveals where engineering teams are prioritizing investments to strengthen operational resilience.
2022 Achieving Packaging Sustainability
Achieving Packaging Sustainability, published by PMMI – The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies in June 2022, examines industry responses to packaging circularity and operational decarbonization through roundtable insights, manufacturer audits, and case studies from OEMs and CPGs. Analysis indicates four focus areas: collaborative R&D and retrofit strategies to enable new materials; material innovation and consumer/retailer acceptance; recycling infrastructure and circular-feedstock integration; and energy and material-waste reduction combined with machine-level benchmarking. Emerging patterns show pilots and partnerships tend to de-risk capital projects and inform business cases, and charts highlight trade-offs between durability and recyclability. The report reveals where engineering teams are prioritizing investments to strengthen operational resilience.
2022 Shaping the Future of Packaging Operations
Shaping the Future of Packaging Operations, published by PMMI – The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies in March 2022, examines insights gathered from the Top to Top summit, pre-conference questionnaires and industry benchmarks including PMMI surveys, Visier and labor statistics to map near-term priorities for CPGs and OEMs. Analysis indicates four focus areas—strategic collaboration and early supplier engagement; workforce development and automation-enabled skills retention; productivity through flexible machinery, training and remote diagnostics; and sustainability spanning material choices and energy efficiency—where emerging patterns show joint R&D, modular design and operator-centric tools tend to improve outcomes. Charts highlight comparative trends and case-based examples, including modular systems and AR-enabled training. The report reveals where engineering teams are prioritizing investments to strengthen resilience.
2022 Pharmaceutical Manufacturing: Trends Shaping the Future
Pharmaceutical Manufacturing: Trends Shaping the Future, published by PMMI – The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, examines evolving production and packaging priorities across the industry using interviews with manufacturers and aggregated market and shipment data through 2021–2022. Key focus areas include format evolution including injectables and personalized packaging, throughput-driven automation and robotics, digitization and data integrity for serialization, sustainability and direct-to-consumer e-commerce packaging. The analysis indicates manufacturers tend to favor machine flexibility, stepped digital integration, and targeted robotics and AI for inspection, while emerging patterns show greater use of contractors to manage smaller runs. Charts highlight supply-chain pressures and integration benchmarks across operations. The report reveals where engineering teams are prioritizing investments to strengthen operational resilience.
2021 End-of-Line Equipment: Purchasing Trends and Design Insights
2021 End-of-Line Equipment Purchasing Trends and Design Insights, published by PMMI – The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, examines end-of-line machinery dynamics using interviews and PMMI State of the Industry data spanning 2015–2020 with directional forecasts through 2026. The analysis indicates several focus areas—sustainability and material variability, supply-chain visibility and enhanced labeling, and workforce development alongside automation strategies—where manufacturers generally seek greater machine flexibility, integration, and reliability. Emerging patterns show OEM demand for modular, multi-function machines, AI-enabled inspection, and streamlined integration services; charts highlight growth drivers and tradeoffs from robotic palletizing to compact wrapping and labeling examples. The report reveals where engineering teams are prioritizing investments to strengthen operational resilience.
2021 Key Challenges for Packaging and Processing Operations
Top to Top Report 2021, published by PMMI – The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, examines operational priorities and challenges across packaging and processing by synthesizing insights from the 2021 Top to Top Summit, CPG and OEM survey responses, and industry benchmarking gathered over the prior 12 months. Focus areas include workforce development and retention, including re-skilling and career pathways; automation and IIoT adoption with data and cybersecurity implications, such as remote access and predictive maintenance; packaging formats, design and sustainable materials; and third-party services such as machinery-as-a-service and contract packaging. The analysis indicates firms tend to accelerate automation to address labor gaps, emerging patterns show demand for machine flexibility and open architectures, and charts highlight rising interest in outsourcing and remote support. Download the full report to discover where teams are prioritizing investments to strengthen operational resilience.
Packaging & Processing - Coming Through COVID-19
Packaging & Processing – Coming Through COVID‑19, published by PMMI – The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies in June 2021, examines how the pandemic reshaped CPG operations across 2020–2021 using survey and focus‑group insights from manufacturers, OEMs and systems integrators. The analysis indicates three focus areas: workforce resilience and skills retention, including training and third‑party maintenance; accelerated digital and automation adoption, such as remote diagnostics and virtual FATs; and shifting operational priorities and investment drivers, from throughput to lead times and pricing, with sustainability often temporarily deprioritized in favor of continuity. Charts highlight adoption trends and benchmarks versus pre‑COVID norms. The report reveals where CPGs and OEMs are prioritizing investments to bolster agility and operational resilience.
2021 Beverage Trends Driving Change
2021 Beverage Trends Driving Change, published by PMMI – The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies in June 2021, examines industry shifts using interviews with beverage manufacturers and aggregated market data through 2020–2021 with forecasts to 2025. The analysis indicates four focus areas: sustainability and material sourcing, from rPET adoption to alternative formats; functionality and convenience driving SKU expansion and new formulations; flexible equipment and digital-tool adoption, including IIoT, robotics, and smart automation; and workforce, safety and pandemic-driven hygiene practices. Emerging patterns show supply-chain constraints and capital reallocation, and charts highlight equipment and format trends—download the full report to see where engineering teams are prioritizing investments to strengthen operational resilience.
2021 Cybersecurity: Assess Your Risk
2021 Cybersecurity: Assess Your Risk, published by PMMI – The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, examines cyber threats to manufacturing through 2020–2021 incident analyses, industry surveys, and expert interviews to map vulnerabilities and response gaps. Key focus areas include IT/OT convergence and network segmentation, IIoT/cloud/edge risk and secure-update practices, workforce and insider risk management and training, and OEM/supplier chain-of-custody with remote-access controls; examples range from unsecured sensors to compromised service portals. The analysis indicates organizations tend to underinvest in tested recovery plans, and charts highlight common attack vectors and detection challenges. The report reveals where manufacturers and OEMs are prioritizing investments to strengthen cyber resilience.
Packaging and Predictive Maintenance
Packaging and Predictive Maintenance, published by PMMI – The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, examines how early‑2021 survey and interview research of packaging and processing stakeholders assesses adoption, barriers, and comparative value of predictive maintenance relative to other digitization initiatives. The analysis indicates three focus areas: data and sensing strategy, which considers smart sensors, drives‑as‑sensors and PLC telemetry for run‑time and electrical signals; business models and monetization, from per‑sensor subscriptions to Machines‑as‑a‑Service and OEM incentives; and operational enablers, including cybersecurity and remote access, legacy integration, and workforce knowledge capture. Charts highlight adoption patterns and common downtime drivers, and emerging patterns show practical paths to scale; the report reveals where engineering teams are prioritizing investments to strengthen operational resilience.
Pharmaceutical & Medical Devices — Trends & Opportunities in Packaging Operation
Pharmaceutical & Medical Devices: Trends & Opportunities in Packaging Operations, published by PMMI – The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies in November 2020, examines packaging operations across pharmaceuticals and medical devices using industry interviews and public data sources to benchmark near- and mid-term investment priorities. The analysis indicates three focus areas—regulatory traceability and serialization (including DSCSA and UDI compliance), automation and digitalization (such as IoT, remote diagnostics, and robotics), and flexible, sustainability-oriented production to support personalized and high-mix manufacturing—framed against supply-chain pressures and COVID-era disruptions. Charts highlight comparative equipment needs and ROI considerations, and emerging patterns show where capital is being directed. The report reveals where engineering teams are prioritizing investments to strengthen operational resilience.
Trends in Adoption of Remote Access: Moving Forward During Covid 19
Trends in Adoption of Remote Access, published by PMMI – The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, examines how CPGs, OEMs and system integrators responded to remote-support demands during the early COVID-19 period (survey and focus-group research conducted in 2020). The analysis indicates evolving focus areas—workforce and knowledge capture, IT/OT alignment and cybersecurity governance, and remote-access architectures and vendor models (from direct VPNs to black-box and external managed secure networks). Emerging patterns show adoption and investment priorities tend to reflect operational risk trade-offs; charts highlight differences in acceptance and planned investment. The report reveals where engineering teams are prioritizing investments to strengthen operational resilience.
Secondary Packaging Trends: Retail | E-Commerce | Direct-to-Consumer
Secondary Packaging Trends, published by PMMI – The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, examines evolving end-of-line strategies and channel-driven packaging choices using 2020 survey responses, expert interviews, and market research to benchmark practices across CPGs and SMEs. Focus areas include automation and robotics adoption—emphasizing flexible changeover, vision inspection, and line integration—sustainability and material innovation from recyclable corrugate to tray-and-film alternatives, and channel impacts such as e-commerce/DTC demands for durability, right-sized boxing, and branded unboxing; outsourcing and co-packing to manage SKU proliferation are also explored. The analysis indicates manufacturers tend to prioritize flexibility and traceability, and charts highlight emerging patterns across channels. The report reveals where engineering teams are prioritizing investments to strengthen operational resilience.
Automation Timeline: The Drive Toward 4.0 Connectivity in Packaging & Processing
Automation Timeline: The Drive Toward 4.0 Connectivity in Packaging and Processing, published by PMMI – The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, examines industry progress and barriers between 2017 and 2020 using interviews with CPG manufacturers, sector surveys, and market indicators. Focus areas include workforce development and retention, knowledge capture and documentation, and digital-tool adoption and integration, with the analysis indicating persistent hurdles around ROI, skills, and legacy systems. Emerging patterns show robotics and IIoT expanding beyond end-of-line, while predictive analytics and cloud strategies gain traction; charts highlight comparative adoption trends and integration gaps. The report reveals where engineering teams are prioritizing investments to strengthen operational resilience.
Contract Packaging and Manufacturing Packaging Operations - Trends and Challenge
2020 Contract Packaging and Manufacturing: Packaging Operations, Trends and Challenges, published by PMMI – The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, examines North American CPCM dynamics from 2018–2025 using primary interviews, investment data and comparative benchmarks. The analysis indicates three focus areas: workforce development and retention, where labor constraints tend to accelerate automation adoption; knowledge capture and documentation, addressing serialization, traceability and anti-counterfeiting; and digital-tool adoption and version control, encompassing IoT-enabled tracking, labeling upgrades and equipment lifecycle management. Emerging patterns show sustainability and e-commerce are reshaping formats — from flexible pouches to aseptic cartons and PET bottles — and charts highlight regional investment and equipment-sourcing pressures. The report reveals where contract packaging leaders are prioritizing investments to strengthen operational resilience.
Packaging Sustainability: A Changing Landscape
2020 Packaging Sustainability: A Changing Landscape, published by PMMI – The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies in March 2020, examines how CPGs, OEMs, and material suppliers are adapting machines, materials, and formats to meet evolving sustainability commitments. Drawing on 60 interviews and 100 industry sources, the analysis indicates three focus areas: operational readiness including machine modifications, automation, and sensor-driven dashboards; material and supply-chain innovation such as resin choices, mono-materials, and PCR-enriched options; and systemic enablers including consumer education, recycling infrastructure, and policy alignment. Emerging patterns show trade-offs between cost, performance, and circularity, and charts highlight common machine and format challenges. The report reveals where engineering teams are prioritizing investments to strengthen operational resilience.
A CPG's decision to buy new equipment or modify existing equipment depends on many factors in their drive toward more sustainable packaging. Some CPGs are looking to buy new equipment, while others are looking to make modifications or alterations to existing machines when specifically addressing sustainable packaging changes. Find out what's happening in the packaging industry by downloading PMMI's report on sustainability.
Trends and Drivers Impacting the Pet Food Industry
2020 Trends and Drivers Impacting the Pet Food Industry, published by PMMI – The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, examines market shifts from 2019 through recent forecasts and synthesizes primary interviews and industry sources such as Dynovel and Euromonitor to assess implications for processing, packaging, and commercial strategy. The analysis indicates several focus areas—packaging and e-commerce–driven SKU complexity; ingredient innovation and nutraceutical integration affecting processing; equipment modernization emphasizing modularity, sanitation, and compact footprints; and sustainability, regulation, and co‑packing strategies guiding sourcing and distribution—illustrated by charts that highlight regional and benchmark comparisons and including examples such as ovens, fillers, and screening equipment. Download the full report to explore where pet food companies are prioritizing investments to strengthen operational resilience.
