ItaliaImballaggio: what we saw at Fachpack 2025

Set against the futuristic setting of the Nuremberg Exhibition Centre – with its linear architecture blending concrete, steel, and large glass façades – the 2025 edition of Fachpack took place, guided by the theme “Packaging meets processing”. 

Maria Costanza Candi

During its visit to the exhibition, ItaliaImballaggio met a wide range of Italian and European exhibitors who, with continuously evolving innovations, are ready to strengthen their position in the German market – the main target of the event, despite its increasingly international ambitions.

METSA BOARD

Among the standout materials on display, paper once again took centre stage, building on sustainability and innovation, led by the solutions presented by Metsä Board. The Finnish multinational is committed to ongoing research into paper-based materials made from virgin fibre, offering increasingly advanced barrier properties and high-quality packaging performance. These advancements are the result of consistent investment, such as the company’s latest research centre, to which Metsä has allocated €60 million. Also noteworthy is the launch of the natural FBB: an uncoated boxboard designed to provide a natural feel to the touch while maintaining both barrier performance and sustainability.

MONDI

What stands out at the Mondi booth is the wide range of applications showcased, where paper and plastic coexist in flexible packaging solutions: a clear reflection of the increasingly shared belief that there is no “best” material, only the most suitable one for each specific application. Among the solutions: a monomaterial plastic without aluminium, specifically designed for coffee packaging, paper-based packaging with special coatings and a broad array of products tailored to various uses, including heavy-duty packaging made from cardboard and wood, reusable and fully recyclable, with a load capacity exceeding one tonne. Mondi presents an extremely diverse portfolio, covering applications from food to pet food, as well as secondary and tertiary packaging, and even the transport of special and hazardous materials.

NIEDERWIESER

At Niederwieser booth, the spotlight was firmly on plastic. The company, following a rebranding and generational transition, is now strongly focused on recyclability. Key developments include mono-PE solutions fully compliant with the PPWR, as well as polypropylene films designed for high-temperature packaging. Among Niederwieser’s most notable innovations is a new metallised polyester material used to produce aluminium bags containing 30% recycled content. The solution also offers improved material separation, enabling a true second life for the packaging.

PLASTIGRAF TREVIGIANA

An interesting innovation in the field of materials and packaging design comes from Plastigraf Trevigiana, in collaboration with EuroBrilliance. Specialised in paperboard lamination, the company offers a wide range of plastics, bioplastics, surface treatments and coatings designed to provide protective solutions, including for food-contact applications.  Among the highlights is a premium packaging solution that received a Red Dot Award and features a 3D visual effect achieved through ZeroPlast metallisation and the Fresnel Natureal lens effect. The result is a visually striking, three-dimensional design achieved on a completely flat surface, made possible through the expertise of highly specialised suppliers.

SENZANI BREVETTI

Completing the overview on materials is a sustainable solution from Senzani Brevetti: “U-Seal”, a cardboard tube produced from a flat blank, using cold-sealing technology. This solution offers clear advantages in terms of transport, logistics, and storage efficiency, as the blanks are delivered flat – minimising volume – and then formed and sealed directly by the customer.

SCHUBERT

Moving from materials to industrial applications, here is Schubert presenting a range of automation and robotics solutions for the food and beverage sector, with a particular focus on sustainability, primarily expressed through process efficiency. Schubert showcased two product lines from a broader portfolio that targets different packaging needs – from ready-to-use to highly customised systems: on the one hand, the tog.101, a novel standalone single-lane carton erector, and on the other, a fully standardized entry-level cartoner from its ‘lightline’ series. At Fachpack, Schubert further demonstrated the versatility of its tog.519, a pick-and-place robot equipped with an AI vision system, based on in-house developed machine learning software. Assisted by cameras, the robot performs pick-and-place operations at up to 90 cycles per minute regardless of the objects’ shape or positioning in the crate, before proceeding with their correct placement, e.g. onto conveyor belts.

MH MATERIAL HANDLING 

And it is precisely conveyor systems that take centre stage in the solution from MH Material Handling, which showcased its BAT-buffer accumulation system equipped with the new USC (Ultimate Safety Chain), developed in collaboration with Ammeraal Beltech. The solution is fully backwards-compatible with the 879 BAT chain, a long-standing market bestseller since the 1990s. The new line, set to be launched by the end of next year, will feature various sizes, tangential engagement, overlapping link wings for maximum chain safety, and a pivot cardan joint specifically engineered to reduce noise at high speeds. A sustainable solution thanks to retrofitting, greater efficiency, and a strong focus on operator safety.

CMI INDUSTRIES

Chemical and corrosive products are at the core of CMI Industries’ business, which presented a two-nozzle filling machine for corrosive substances, equipped with Endress+Hauser magnetic flowmeters. Also on display was a single-head stainless steel capping machine for both screw and press-on caps. Both systems – CMI’s bestsellers – stand out for their operator-friendly ergonomics, versatility, and quick format changeovers.

PREO

Preo also takes the spotlight with its comprehensive Vela series of gluing systems, alongside the new JV entry-level applicator. The lineup is completed by 12 kg and 18 kg models with pneumatic pump and gear systems, the latest version of the electromagnetic gun with integrated driver for high-speed applications, and an innovative stainless steel automatic glue loading system – a unique solution on the market, compatible with both proprietary and third-party solutions. The choice of stainless steel, in contrast to the plastic materials commonly used in the market, makes Preo technology suitable for any production environment, including food & beverage and pharmaceutical sectors, where strict hygiene standards are required.

SCHÜTZ

Completing this overview is the industrial packaging solution from SCHÜTZ, which includes IBCs and drums for chemical, flammable, high-viscosity, and food-grade products – all made from recyclable plastic and tailored to meet the needs of various markets. Of particular interest is an IBC model with customised dimensions designed specifically for the U.S. agricultural market, engineered for transport on pickup trucks and equipped with an integrated impeller for product stirring. It is interesting to note that, with SCHÜTZ RECOBULK, the company offers a collection and reconditioning service for its own IBCs, enabling the recovery and reintroduction of tested and certified products into the market, in full compliance with SCHÜTZ standards.