From: FoodProcessing 

AUSPACK, Australia's largest bi-annual exhibition for the processing and packaging sectors, is coming to Melbourne in March next year.

Thousands of leading professionals and key players in the global processing and packaging arena will congregate at the Melbourne Convention Centre from the 26th to the 29th of March 2019, and this is just a sampler of what they will see.

Fast and flexible machinery
At AUSPACK 2019, outstanding packaging and processing machinery will set benchmarks for speed, flexibility and fast changeover capability designed to optimise production efficiency and increase overall equipment effectiveness.

Track and trace
Being able to authenticate a product, trace its origin, track its journey in the supply chain and provide complete transparency regarding the provenance of ingredients has never been more important.Track-and-trace capability also provides access to data that can drive production and supply chain efficiency. The coding and marking sector has risen to the challenge, providing a range of solutions in the form of QR codes, serialisation and other unique identification tagging options.

Smart packaging
Using smart device-enabled visual recognition technology linked to augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) applications, brands can deliver experience-rich marketing campaigns via their packaging. Intelligent packaging can also serve to provide vital information on nutritional content, shelf life and cold chain integrity. AUSPACK 2019 will provide a view of how far smart packaging has come.

Digital printing
Aligning with two major market drivers in the packaging space — the demand for flexibility in the face of increasing SKUs and the need to create meaningful brand experiences through the packaging interface — digital printing for packaging and labels is coming into its own. AUSPACK 2019 will showcase the significant benefits of being able to respond to market demands rapidly and customise printed packaging to create meaningful consumer experiences.

Accessibility and convenience
When it comes to packaging formats and closures, a strong focus for converters is to supply products that meet the call for convenience and accessibility: packs in convenient sizes and formats, that are easy to handle, open and reseal, while also providing child resistance and tamper evidence. From pouches to cans, zip locks to CRC caps and everything in between, AUSPACK 2019 will present a colourful array of the latest packaging containers and closures.

E-commerce explosion
Amazon’s imminent arrival in the Australian market is a driving force for e-commerce to take off in Australia, as retailers large and small are under pressure to improve their online shopping platforms. Catering to this channel, innovation is emerging in the area of custom bagging and on-demand carton making fulfilment systems for secondary packaging, as well as packaging delivery via drones. AUSPACK 2019 will provide a window on packaging solutions for the exploding e-commerce sector.

Entry level
The proliferation of craft/artisan brands in the food and beverage sector has prompted equipment manufacturers to address a growing need for small batch brewing/processing systems and packaging lines that can offer flexible, short run solutions. AUSPACK 2019 will give start-ups and SMEs a wide selection of entry-level and customised systems.

Robots on the rise
While most robotics employed in Australian food, beverage and pharma manufacturing are in the end-of-line zone, there’s growing interest in the upstream use of robots and cobots. You won’t go far at AUSPACK 2019 without bumping into a cobot or robot.

Factory of the future
What will the factory and warehouse of the future look like? It’s predicted manufacturing facilities will witness an unprecedented rate of change over the next decade, as emerging technologies like AR, VR and AI take hold and smart glasses, goggles and headsets become ubiquitous workwear. Highlighting materials handling innovation, AUSPACK 2019 will showcase the latest in production and warehousing improvement, including the role of robots, integrated and automated palletising and wrapping, and automated guided vehicles in engineering the factory of the future.

AUSPACK is owned and presented by the Australian Packaging and Processing Machinery Association (APPMA).