Packaging Equipment Manufacturers Find Opportunity In Changing Consumer Preferences

By Isaac Fletcher, contributing writer, Food Online

These days, consumers expect more from food packaging, and as food producers hope to meet expectations, packaging equipment firms look to cash in on adaptable, future-proof machinery

The evolving demands of consumers are putting pressure on food and packaging manufacturers to up the complexity and variety of food packaging, especially with regard to flexible packaging. Production equipment must be able to meet the demands of shifting consumer expectations and create the variety of packaging that consumers are after.

For food producers, this means the demand for equipment that is easy to implement into a production line and is also able to adapt to changing consumer demand is on the rise. Specifically, producers will be looking to acquire equipment that can serve multiple purposes and contribute to a variety of packaging types. The type of machinery that allows a food manufacturer to create and execute a new packaging design without equipment upgrades or replacements will become increasingly more desired.

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Many manufacturers of food packaging equipment are taking a close look at waste reduction, energy use reduction, simplification of changeovers, and meeting efficiency and speed needs of producers. These are areas that have become ever more important for food producers, as consumers increasingly expect affordable, high-quality products that take sustainability and the environment into consideration. Additionally, with rising costs of materials and energy, food firms need to eliminate waste wherever possible to improve bottom lines.

Flexible packaging has also come into the spotlight recently and many food producers are jumping on the chance to shift from traditional packaging to this newer, trendier look. Flexible packaging also has the potential to save companies on transportation costs, so their use is being implemented in many food categories. Accordingly, the demand for equipment capable of meeting flexible packaging needs is increasing.

However, this capability alone will not necessarily be enough, as food producers may need the choice over whether a product needs to be re-sealable, or if pouches should be stand-up or lie flat. Packaging equipment manufacturers that can create technology that is readily-and-easily-adaptable to shifting consumer preferences will find no shortage of demand for their products.