explitia at Interpack 2026 in Düsseldorf

Interpack 2026 in Düsseldorf showed that the packaging machinery industry is increasingly moving toward digitalization, data integration, and automation. For us, it was a time for conversations with manufacturers, clients, and exhibitors, but also an opportunity to verify which needs are currently the most visible in the packaging industry.

Interpack 2026 brought together packaging machine manufacturers, integrators, and production companies from various countries. The scale of the event was enormous. The halls were filled with operating machines, and visitor traffic at the stands remained high throughout the entire trade fair.

Apart from participation itself, conversations about where the market is heading were particularly important for us. Interpack 2026 clearly showed that packaging machines increasingly need to cooperate with MES systems, ERP systems, and production performance monitoring tools.

The trade fair hosted manufacturers of solutions for the food industry, pharmaceuticals, pet food producers, and companies involved in industrial product packaging. In many places, visitors could see operating production lines and machines running live.

This was exactly the element that distinguished Interpack 2026. Companies demonstrated working equipment, production speed, and process automation capabilities.

The strong interest from visitors confirms that the market continues to invest in the development of the packaging sector. Conversations with exhibitors regularly touched on the growing demand for food and the increasing production scale, which results in the need for further investments in packaging and printing machinery.

One of the strongest signals coming from the trade fair was the readiness of manufacturers to integrate machines with higher-level systems. Just a few years ago, many devices operated as standalone production stations, but the situation has changed significantly.

During Interpack 2026, manufacturers regularly emphasized the possibility of integrating machines with MES systems, ERP systems, performance monitoring solutions, and production data collection tools.

Companies no longer expect only efficient machines. Increasingly, access to data, reporting capabilities, and real-time production efficiency analysis are becoming equally important.

Packaging machines are becoming part of a broader production environment in which data is just as important as the mechanics of the equipment itself.

During conversations at Interpack 2026, the topic of AI was also highly visible. There was still no talk about mass implementation across the entire industry, but the first signals are already clear.

Some manufacturers presented solutions ready for integration with AI-powered tools or demonstrated the future development directions of their systems. This included production performance analysis, predictive maintenance, work parameter optimization, and quality monitoring.

This shows that the packaging machinery sector is becoming increasingly interested in data-driven solutions and automated process analysis.

The presence of companies from Germany, Italy, and China was particularly noticeable at the trade fair. Italian manufacturers especially stood out with the large number of booths and their activity during business discussions.

Polish companies were also strongly represented. Many exhibitors from Poland attended the event for the first time, but already declared their intention to participate in the next edition of the trade fair.

Conversations with Polish companies showed a positive attitude toward the market and a large number of new inquiries related to automation and production.

Although Interpack 2026 is primarily associated with technology and machinery, conversations with clients and manufacturers were equally important elements of the event.

The trade fair created space for exchanging experiences regarding market development directions, production challenges, and expectations connected with industrial digitalization.

For explitia, conversations regarding system integration and manufacturers’ approach to production data were particularly important. More and more companies already assume cooperation with reporting and production management systems at the machine design stage.

Digitalization is no longer an addition to production, but it is becoming a market standard.

Interpack 2026 showed that the packaging machinery market continues to grow and that manufacturing companies are increasingly investing in automation and data.

A change in the approach of machine manufacturers is also visible. What matters is not only machine efficiency, but also the possibility of integration with the entire production environment.

The growing interest in MES systems, ERP systems, and production data analysis shows that companies want greater control over processes and faster responses to production issues.

The trade fair in Düsseldorf also confirmed that the topic of AI is beginning to appear in the packaging industry. For now, these are mainly first implementations and infrastructure preparation for future solutions, but the direction of change is already visible.

For us, it was a valuable time for conversations, market observations, and meetings with partners and clients from different parts of the world.