Packaging OEM

Triangle Package Machinery Company will debut SmartChange, a guided changeover technology for its X-Series vertical form-fill-seal (VFFS) packaging systems, at PACK EXPO International 2026. SmartChange combines automated positioning, laser verification, digital feedback, and operator guidance to help food manufacturers standardize setup between product and package changes. Triangle says the technology can reduce changeover-related downtime by up to 60%.

PACK EXPO International is just over a month away, and exhibitors are starting to share what they’ll bring to Chicago. This early look includes inspection, robotics, cartoning, integrated packaging, and product movement technologies that will be on display. Want access to our curated email newsletter? Subscribers receive it every Tuesday. Click here to sign up.

Offshore manufacturing began to take shape in the 1970s but really took off in the 1990s as global supply chain logistics made it possible for OEMs and component companies to set up shop in another country, where labor costs were much lower than in the United States. But after the COVID-19 pandemic exposed supply chain vulnerabilities, manufacturers found more value in having control over the supply chain than in lower labor costs.

Antares Vision Group will demonstrate its ALL-IN-ONE system at PACK EXPO International in Chicago, combining multiple quality control steps into one machine. The system brings several inspection functions together, including leak detection, X-ray inspection, checkweighing, label and code inspection, seal inspection, and serialization.

Encoder Products Company (EPC) recently added a high-resolution programmable incremental encoder designed for motion feedback applications, including packaging machinery. The 36RT/H Accu-CoderPro offers factory- or field-programmable resolution ranging from 1 to 100,000 counts per revolution (CPR). It’s available in hollow-bore and thru-bore configurations with bore sizes up to 10 mm.

Cannabis packaging sits at the intersection of product protection, regulation, production, and shelf appeal. In this edition of On the Line, we look at how Calyx Containers approaches cannabis packaging in the United States and what food manufacturers need as flexible packaging continues to expand. Want access to our curated email newsletter? Subscribers receive it every Tuesday. Click here to sign up.

Banner Engineering has introduced the Q2F flat pack photoelectric sensor, a fixed-field photoelectric sensor designed for embedded and space-constrained installations where conventional sensor housings may not fit. The Q2F is available with cutoff distances of 10, 15, 30, and 45 mm. These options support stable detection near rails, brackets, fixture surfaces, and other background objects.

Counting 1,000 inventory items with a handheld barcode scanner is harder than it looks, even when the warehouse is virtual. Xemelgo, a provider of cloud-based software for tracking inventory and assets, recently launched the Xemelgo Experience Center.

At Calyx Containers’ Salt Lake City operation, cannabis packaging can take several forms before it ever reaches a dispensary shelf. Inside the company’s 17,000-square-foot facility, a rigid child-resistant container may be molded while flexible packaging moves through digital printing, laser die cutting, and pouch converting. Meanwhile, other types of bags are being designed to hold pounds of cannabis flower through its curing process.

Artificial intelligence is starting to move closer to the day-to-day work of keeping packaging lines running. Instead of only analyzing data after the fact, AI-enabled systems are being used to support troubleshooting, identify patterns, anticipate problems, and help equipment respond to changing conditions. In this edition of On the Line, we look at how AI is changing connected support, how machine data can help operators solve problems, and what OEMs need to consider as remote service expands.