Sacmi hosted more than 300 specialist operators from 66 countries at the Packaging Innovation Summit 2026, a two-day international event dedicated to technologies and trends in rigid packaging. The meeting in Imola brought together customers, partners, experts, start-ups and stakeholders from across the supply chain to discuss productivity, sustainability, digitalisation, process control and new materials. The programme combined strategic sessions, networking and a tour of Sacmi production facilities, during which several technological developments were previewed. Among the solutions presented were the new CCM80SB compression moulding machine, designed to produce up to 240,000 caps per hour, and new tools for digitalisation and production process control.
Markets, technologies and open innovation
The initiative underlined Sacmi’s positioning as a global technology partner for packaging development, combining industrial performance, quality and automation with attention to market trends. The first day opened with a session on strategic issues for the sector, including high-speed solutions for caps and preforms, circular and green technologies, sustainable materials, food-grade recycled resins, digital tools, control rooms and advanced services. The session also addressed current trends affecting the PET and rPET markets.
Open innovation was also discussed, with contributions from guests connected with strategic venture capital and from start-ups presented as drivers of innovation along packaging value chains.
Digitalisation and the Sacmi Control Room
Digitalisation of production processes was one of the central themes of the summit. Sacmi presented Smartpack and Smartcare services and the new Sacmi Control Room model. The process-control hub has been developed to support diagnostics, predictive and proactive maintenance, recipe and process optimisation, KPI monitoring and continuous improvement.
Through data collection and analysis, automated alerts, digital troubleshooting and integration with support services, Sacmi showed how digitalisation can reduce response times and help prevent machine downtime. According to the company, these functions can also improve OEE, reduce waste and optimise consumption.
Compression moulding for high-speed cap production
On the second day, participants joined a guided tour of Sacmi facilities and a technical session focused on technological developments. These included the new CCM80SB compression moulding machine for ultra-high-speed production of flat-top HDPE caps. It was demonstrated in line with the SFM20SA unit for cutting and folding the tamper-evident band.
The production line was presented with a 1-gram cap and a capacity of 240,000 caps per hour, equivalent to 4,000 caps per minute. The cycle time is 1.2 seconds, described by Sacmi as a sector record, combining productivity, higher machine availability and ease of use.
Alongside the CCM80SB, the tour covered the wider product range, including integration of the CCM48SF, with a cycle time of 1.2 seconds and production capacity of up to 2,400 caps per minute, and the SFM15MA slitting-folding machine. In a 15+15 spindle configuration, the SFM15MA reaches up to 3,000 caps per minute and includes integrated Smartpack and vision systems.
PET and rPET preforms with automated inspection
The technological showcase also included Sacmi’s new flagship machine for PET and rPET preform production, the IPS500 compression moulding machine integrated with a vision system. Sacmi presented this solution as part of its strategy to act as a one-stop partner, covering technology, moulds, inspection and digital services.
The company also highlighted automation of quality control. PVS Robot, Sacmi’s system for automatic preform inspection, integrates robotics, vision and artificial intelligence to automate every stage of inspection. Sacmi also presented the new PVS embedded system, integrated directly into the IPS compression moulding machine, with the aim of inspecting 100% of produced preforms without affecting layout or cycle time.
Materials and applied research
In materials, Sacmi presented PureCap, a project aimed at creating a circular cap-to-cap supply chain for recycled HDPE. The proposal covers the supply of certified material and application support, with consultancy provided by the Rigid Packaging Laboratory.
Another focus was a dry moulding process for cellulose fibre products, intended for potential applications in single-use capsules, caps, necks and containers. Sacmi also indicated the PET beverage cap as an alternative moving towards packaging made entirely from one material.
The summit also covered applied research in production processes. One example was the FSP24M, a solution for in-phase cutting of the tamper-evident band on plastic caps, designed for applications where the cut must be synchronised with cap morphology.
Sacmi also presented LBF, Linear Blow Forming, for producing containers by compression moulding the preform followed by blow moulding. Demonstrations on 90 cc and 500 cc containers confirmed, according to the company, the validity of the process in terms of neck and base quality, dimensional stability, and uniformity of weight and container geometry.
Post-processing, assembly and intralogistics
The programme also addressed post-processing and multi-component assembly solutions, including the MASC cap and Velomat’s expertise in high-speed production lines for caps, closures, micropumps, and medical and pharmaceutical packaging. The technologies are intended for applications requiring speed, flexibility and adaptability, including cap and spout systems, closures with liners or discs, sports caps, dispensers and spray pumps.
The tour also presented Sacmi Intralogistics solutions, designed to extend the offering across factory workflows. These systems connect production, quality control, storage and despatch within a single intelligent, scalable and automated ecosystem.
A supply chain forum
The Packaging Innovation Summit strengthened dialogue with the international supply chain, giving customers, partners and stakeholders an opportunity to discuss technologies and production models affecting the sector.
"We are very proud of the significance of this event," said Paolo Mongardi, Chairman of Sacmi, "as a strategic opportunity to share ideas and exchange views with international customers, partners and stakeholders on the key drivers shaping our sector. We wanted to highlight the direction in which Sacmi is steering this evolution: greater productivity, greater control, greater sustainability and an ever stronger integration of technology, materials and digital services. Our aim is to support our customers ever more effectively through the transformations demanded by the market. We do so by providing expertise, technologies and solutions capable of generating tangible value for products and processes."
