Interpack 2026 came to a close after seven days of presentations, launches and industry meetings. The organisers indicated that this year’s edition focused on three main thematic areas: Smart Manufacturing, Innovative Materials and Future Skills. According to the summary, these themes were reflected throughout the exhibition and event programme, and their importance is expected to continue shaping the direction of the packaging sector in the coming years. The interpack team thanked exhibitors and visitors for participating in the event and announced the next edition of the trade fair in Düsseldorf in 2029. The post-show statements published by company representatives and industry organisations show that, for participants, both technological issues and topics related to raw material costs, regulatory requirements and the circular economy were important. The comments also frequently referred to visitor quality, the international character of the trade fair and the importance of direct discussions for initiating new projects and orders.
Dr Tobias Richter, CSO at Multivac Group, described the event as highly successful for the company. As he emphasised, the trade fair confirmed the importance of integrated, efficient and sustainable packaging solutions for customers. He added that, under the slogan “Think connected. Act smarter.”, the company was able to present its solutions for the food industry and concepts for the medical and pharmaceutical sectors through direct interaction with visitors. He also pointed to the high level of engagement at the stands and the strong interest in the solutions on display. In his view, intelligent production and packaging concepts are the right response to challenges related to efficiency, resource savings and regulatory requirements.
Richard Clemens, Managing Director of the Food and Packaging Machinery division at the German VDMA association, stated that interpack 2026 once again confirmed its role as the leading international trade fair and a driver of innovation. He pointed to the high level of international participation, visitor quality and the successful event programme. As he noted, in the context of current economic and geopolitical challenges, the trade fair demonstrated the resilience of the industry.
Klaus-Dietrich Franzmeier, member of the management board of Sollich KG, reported strong international interest, particularly from visitors from the US, South America and Japan. According to his statement, innovations in the coating machinery segment were particularly well received. One of the important topics of discussion was the rise in raw material costs and its impact on the industry.
Most frequently indicated areas of interest
Markus Rustler, President and CEO of Theegarten-Pactec, described the company’s participation as exceptionally successful. He reported that, despite ongoing global crises, visitors came from all over the world and the quality of contacts was very high. During the event, several packaging systems from Theegarten-Pactec and Makrev were sold, and many new projects were initiated relating to confectionery products, stock cubes and dishwasher tablets. Digital solutions from partner SweetConnect also attracted strong interest, including the integrated AI bot “Mira”, designed to improve machine efficiency through comprehensive data analysis.
Marco Cesari of IMA S.p.A. reported a very positive reception for innovations based on artificial intelligence and robotics. As he noted, the quality of discussions and the level of interest exceeded the company’s expectations, strengthening confidence in further business growth after the trade fair.
Andreas Mueller, Chief Supply Chain Officer at Ti Group, pointed to consistently high interest in the Taghleef Industries stand. Among visitors, European customers predominated, especially from Germany, Italy and the Benelux countries, while among non-European guests he highlighted Japan. Beyond individual products, the greatest attention was focused on the Nativia segment, described as biobased. Discussions primarily concerned the overall market situation, especially material availability and pricing trends. As he noted, the company’s presence at the trade fair is less a tool for direct business acquisition and more a platform for networking, developing existing contacts and deepening customer relationships.
Patrick Löffel, spokesperson for Syntegon Technology, reported that the company’s stand, under the slogan “re:imagine Your Factory of the Future”, was met with a very positive international response. Visitors were particularly interested in the neXt, SVX and SynTiso solutions, resulting in numerous follow-up discussions and new orders.
Piet Tæstensen, CEO of Aasted ApS, said that throughout the trade fair the company recorded a strong flow of visitors, both long-standing customers and new guests from around the world. StellaNova with the integrated CIP system, the bar line, and discussions on how digitalisation and solutions such as Sweet Connect can support customers’ operations all generated strong interest.
Valerio Soli, CEO of Marchesini Group, emphasised the very high quality of visitors and the fact that most meetings had been arranged in advance and had a clearly defined purpose. The company initiated concrete projects and noted strong interest from pharmaceutical companies, especially in solutions developed in line with PPWR requirements and in Line Clearance systems. Europe, India and Latin America were the strongest represented regions, while the Far East and the United States were less prominently represented.
Regulations, circular economy and awards
Jörg Sabo, Global Marketing & Innovation Director at Greiner Packaging, indicated that interpack 2026 was also particularly important for the company from the perspective of awards. The Cubo and Click In Lid products won a total of four awards, including two WorldStar Packaging Awards, the President’s Award in Gold and the Silver SAVE FOOD Award. As he emphasised, this confirms the company’s commitment to innovation.
Marjo Halonen, VP Marketing, Communications and Sustainability at Metsä Board, reported strong interest from brand owners and converters from all continents. Visitors explored fresh fibre paperboard solutions and information on how renewable materials and expert services support carbon footprint reduction.
Flavio Froehli, VP Marketing & Sales at Sappi Europe, stated that interpack once again confirmed its position as a global platform for the packaging industry. In his view, one of the trade fair’s main messages was that market leadership today means the ability to implement change on a large scale, and that the future of packaging will depend not only on the concepts themselves, but also on their reliable industrial implementation.
Christof Kölschbach, CSO at Jokey Holding, pointed to the clearly greater international presence of participants and the high calibre of visitors. He also highlighted the positive reception of the stand after the company’s nine-year absence from interpack.
Guido Aufdemkamp, Executive Director of Flexible Packaging Europe, spoke of very strong interest in the stand, especially during peak traffic hours. He identified the growing substantive level of discussions as particularly important, with PPWR implementation, raw material prices, market trends and changes in end-user markets being discussed in an increasingly concrete and strategic manner.
Mara Hancker, Managing Director Communications at IK, the German plastics packaging industry association, assessed that the trade fair once again became a platform for reviewing the latest developments in the industry. As she noted, the emphasis was placed on innovative solutions intended not only to meet PPWR requirements, but also to help shape a new industrial culture based on circularity, innovation and economic viability. She added that, for plastics packaging manufacturers, the organisation’s stand was a place for exchanging knowledge and experience relating to a functioning circular economy.
Veit Enders, member of the management board of Schütz Group, reported that the company’s stand was visited by customers, partners and media representatives from all over the world. The company presented new products and the new CircularOne service platform, showing how technology can be combined with the circular economy. Two evening side events complemented the company’s trade fair presence.
Conclusions after the trade fair
The published comments show that, for many exhibitors, interpack 2026 was a place to present new solutions, hold project discussions and build relationships with customers from different regions of the world. Among the most frequently recurring topics were digitalisation, artificial intelligence, robotics, PPWR requirements, the cost and availability of raw materials, as well as solutions aligned with the circular economy. At the same time, many companies emphasised the high quality of visitors and the international character of the event. The next edition of interpack has been announced for 2029 in Düsseldorf.
