Packaging Innovations and Empack will reunite the packaging industry when it returns to Birmingham’s NEC on 25 and 26 May 2022. From initial product design and development, to packing, filling and fulfilment, the event will host suppliers from right across the packaging supply chain. Guests can get hands-on with the latest industry technology and innovation, do business in person, and attend a range of seminars tackling the most pressing sector issues.
New Event Technology
Over 300 industry suppliers from across the food and drink, chemical, personal care, label and print, and contract packing sectors will introduce their latest products, technologies, and services live on the event floor.
WePack will present its extensive range of storage, distribution, and pick, pack and dispatch (PPD) services. The storage and distribution services keep clients’ goods secure, making them easier to access and handle. Products are handled by experts, ensuring correct inventory management and stock availability. PPD services ensure accurate picking, and that products are packed neatly. The precise inventory management enhances the speed products can be picked, packed, and dispatched, to increase customer satisfaction.
With an increasing industry focus on sustainability, Robinson will display its range of custom packaging. The products are designed to reduce the amount of virgin plastic used by increasing recycled content within products. On show will be clam packs, rigid trays, and sleeves made from widely recyclable 100% post-consumer recycled material.
Adding to the growing industry focus on sustainability, Yorkshire Packaging Systems will showcase its range of 100% recyclable polyolefin flexible shrink film, which contains a minimum of 30% recycled content. By ensuring a precise volume of recycled content is present in every batch of film for traceability and transparency, the RCB films meet the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC) criteria. The films are also plastic tax exempt, as the production process uses circular polymers.
Martek Industries will present two inkjet printers: the Bentsai B80 and B85. A touchscreen interface allows custom artwork to be uploaded and stored. The technology combines high-definition printing and 100mm-wide format design to allow portable printing of text, barcodes, 2D codes and detailed graphics onto porous and non-porous surfaces.
Event Features
Alongside over 300 exhibitors, Packaging Innovations and Empack 2022 will host an in-depth seminar programme, held across three stages. The Empack Technology stage will feature topics aimed at the manufacturing, logistics and processing sectors. Talks will cover a range of subjects, including robotics, e-fulfilment, and energy efficiency. The Innovation and Design stage and Ecopack stage will cover the latest developments affecting packaging technologists, with brand owners and entrepreneurs explaining their predictions for the coming year. Leading designers will also take to the stage, to highlight new trends in graphic design and consumer behaviour.
The event’s headline feature, The Big Debate, will tackle the latest challenges in the Government’s packaging regulations and assess whether these guidelines will have a positive impact on reducing waste and improving recyclability.
In a commitment to reducing the industry’s impact on the environment, Packaging Innovations and Empack 2022 will introduce the Sustainability Trail at this year’s event. The brand-new feature will highlight panel-approved ‘green’ innovations from across the exhibition floor that are shaping the future of the industry. From materials used to methods of waste management, the Sustainability Trail will help buyers quickly find the right product or service to drive the environmental performance of their next packaging project.
Supplementing the Sustainability Trail will be hotly anticipated return of the Ecopack Challenge. In association with OPRL, The Ecopack Challenge calls for industry professionals to prioritise green design, by creating an all-new sustainable packaging product. The interactive Dragons’ Den-style session will see innovators hoping to be crowned best-in-show pitching their products to a panel including Ocado, OPRL, Pret A Manger, and The Pack Hub.
Elsewhere, 12 exhibitors will compete for the title of ‘Most Innovative Pack’, as the Innovation Showcase returns. This interactive area of the event allows visitors to get up close to some of the most innovative packaging on the market and vote for their favourite, with the winner being crowned live on the event floor.
Renan Joel, Divisional Director at Easyfairs, notes: “We are really excited to welcome our guests to the event this year, as we have a huge range of manufacturing, processing and logistics exhibitors which cover every element of the packaging journey. Our curated seminar programme will provide actionable, takeaway advice for all attendees, such as how to best automate the end of line packaging process. Nothing beat being able to connect with like-minded professionals within the industry, and do business in person after so long without an event at the NEC. We can’t wait for the doors to open in May!”
To register to attend Packaging Innovations and Empack NEC 2022, please visit the registration page. For any further information, please visit the Packaging Innovations and Empack NEC 2022 website or contact the event team on +44 (0)20 196 4300 or PackagingUK@easyfairs.com.
