Through the Line: Packaging and Processing

As robots grow more capable, what does it take for manufacturers to integrate and optimize them successfully? Industrial robotics are transitioning from rigid, task-oriented machines to intelligent, autonomous systems capable of handling complex manufacturing environments. Learn how AI and Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs) are revolutionizing production by enabling flexible, real-time adaptation to...

How can protein processors stay on top of traceability? Manual tracking of inventory from animal receiving through regulatory checks and all the way to warehousing and shipping can take diligent record-keeping. Bar-W Beef, a beef producer based in Nephi, Utah, avoided this traditional paper-based tracking by starting with a VistaTrac supply chain traceability system from day one. This is an AI-gen...

How does PackSense, an AI-powered system for product quality insights, address the gap between controlled testing and real-world experience? Editor-in-Chief Matt Reynolds sits down with Michigan State University (MSU) student Jordan D'Amario and MSU professor Dr. Euihark Lee. They discuss how AI is turning online reviews into actionable packaging data. MSU research shows how brands can pinpoi...

Will digital labels transform healthcare packaging? The Sunrise 2027 initiative marks a global shift in the pharmaceutical industry from traditional barcodes to advanced 2D digital labels and QR codes. This transition aims to modernize the healthcare supply chain by improving traceability, reducing administrative errors, and providing patients with real-time medical information.  While some region...

How does adding flexible automation allow Café Spice to improve production and deal with labor woes? The need to improve precision, throughput, and flexibility leads to an automated RaaS solution that offers greater profitability. The company saw an opportunity to go beyond typical end-of-line automation and target portioning and pre-packing—one of the most labor-intensive and quality-sensitive po...

What new demands is automation placing on packaging performance and testing? Packaging World Editor-in-Chief, Matt Reynolds, sits down with  IBM's Bill Green and ISTA's Eric Hiser to discuss how e-commerce, automation, sustainability, and data are reshaping packaging design. Meanwhile emerging automation requirements for the Walmarts of the world are raising the stakes for pack testing a...

How is end-of-line automation reshaping high-volume medical product distribution? Medline Industries partnered with Ranpak Holdings Corp. to deploy the Cut'it! EVO right-sizing system and Form'it! automated case erector at its distribution operations.  The shift eliminated a manual pack-out bottleneck downstream of Medline's AutoStore goods-to-person picking system, with workers now...

How can food processors balance automation adoption with workforce retention and morale? In its modern plant in the Antioquia area of Colombia, the global food producer integrates collaborative robotics to boost productivity, safety, and well-being—without losing sight of its human and sustainable character. This is an AI-generated episode. Read the full featured article on ProFood World .

What were some of the biggest takeaways from the summit? Senior Editor, Anne Marie Mohan, sits down with representatives from Google, Nestlé, Kenvue, and Just Born Quality Confections to discuss paperization, sustainable design, and AI as EPR preparation tool. Find live coverage from the summit on Packaging World .

How do the sterility assurance gaps reflect broader challenges in medical device and pharmaceutical packaging compliance? More than 3.1 million bottles of lubricating eye drops were recalled because products weren't properly tested, meaning sterility couldn't be verified. However, passing a sterility test doesn’t guarantee that a whole batch of product is sterile. It only confirms that n...

How does proactive and predictive maintenance practices help food processors do more with less? Maintenance is often viewed as a necessary cost, an unavoidable overhead to keep production moving. But in times of economic uncertainty and capital constraints, it’s time to reframe maintenance not as a cost center, but as a strategic lever. This is an AI-generated episode. Read the full featured artic...

How are new tools, in conjunction with AI, helping engineers at Google? Packaging World Editor-in-Chief Matt Reynolds sits down with Ken Leung,  Senior Mechanical Engineer at Google, to discuss high-speed imaging and AI-driven analysis for packaged data center hardware. Leung explains why traditional testing methods may be missing the point because of changes to the products they're meant to...

How does a transition from a disposable, prefilled autoinjector to a reusable pen change user experience? Editor-in-Chief, Liz Cuneo, sits down with Lucy Baldwin, Head of Research and Design at Ensera Design. They discuss why when it comes to medical devices, safe isn’t the same as usable, and usable isn’t the same as equitable. Read the full featured article on Healthcare Packaging .

What does it really mean to design for change in food and beverage processing? Disciplined process design, sanitation strategy, and modular thinking can enable frequent changeovers without sacrificing stability. But, the pursuit of extreme flexibility can backfire, and the most adaptable systems are often those that place clear boundaries around complexity. This is an AI-generated episode. Read th...

What's behind the sudden surge in packaging robotics—and is it here to stay? Senior Editor Anne Marie Mohan sits down with A3's Alex Shikhany to unpack the latest robotics data, including a notable end-of-2025 spike in packaging, picking, and placing applications and the rise of collaborative robots to nearly 20% of total orders. They discuss workforce shortages, e-commerce growth, and h...

What is the key innovation introduced by Cadence OTC’s UTI Relief Kit? The healthcare company Cadence OTC has developed a comprehensive UTI Emergency Relief Kit designed to provide an immediate, organized response to urinary tract infections. Listen in to hear more about this dual-package design held together by a shrink-wrapped cover card that emphasizes user clarity through intuitive labeling. T...

What does it actually take to build a world-class food manufacturing facility from the ground up? Editor-in-Chief Derrick Teal sits down with Matt Pulskamp, Vice President of Operations at Custom Flavors, and David Sawicki, Vice President of A M King to continue the discussion of the company’s East Coast expansion in Concord, N.C.  The group unpacks how a lean manufacturing mindset, phased build-o...

Why are brands commitments to contract manufacturing and packaging deepening in 2026? Editors Joe Derr and Matt Reynolds sit down to discuss the waves of success contract manufacturers and packagers are experiencing in 2026.  Brands are showing increased confidence in external manufacturing partnerships and clearer strategic priorities, according to the 2026 Annual Outlook Report. Read the full an...

What trends and insights have PMMI Media Group editors seen in the past week? Editors Liz Cuneo, Matt Reynolds, Sean Riley, and Derrick Teal sit down to discuss what’s come across their desks this week. They cover Amazon's flywheel of growth, healthcare recalls, and Mike Rowe's insights into worker retention. Watch the full featured video on Healthcare Packaging .

What does it take to turn an existing facility into a future-ready food and beverage plant? Editor-in-Chief Derrick Teal sits down with Matt Pulskamp, Vice President of Operations at Custom Flavors, and David Sawicki, Vice President of A M King to discuss the company’s East Coast expansion in Concord, N.C.  The group talks through how early collaboration, design-build planning, and a flexible faci...

What happens when AI, sustainability mandates, and packaging innovation all collide at the world's biggest trade show? Editors Matt Reynolds, Derrick Teal, and Casey Flanagan report live from day three of interpack. They discuss how sustainability isn't optional, it's engineered in. From AI-powered artwork compliance tools to active packaging, the innovations on the show floor are s...

What does low-GWP propellants mean for inhaler design, manufacturing, and packaging? As sustainability pressures intensify across healthcare, one often-overlooked component is taking center stage: the propellant inside metered dose inhalers (MDIs). While invisible to patients, these propellants account for up to 95% of an inhaler’s formulation—and a significant share of its environmental footprint...

Is AI in packaging finally past the hype—and what does it look like when it actually works? Editors Matt Reynolds, Derrick Teal, and Casey Flanagan share one crucial takeaways from interpack: AI has quietly crossed a threshold.  It's a deeply embedded capability inside inspection systems, x-ray platforms, and automation lines doing real, measurable work. 

What does the future of packaging look like at Interpack? Editors Matt Reynolds, Derrick Teal, and Casey Flanagan share first impressions from the show floor at Interpack 2026.  From the rapid industry-wide shift toward 2D barcodes and QR codes, to the surge in AI-enabled and operator-friendly machinery. The conversation digs into the growing prominence of fiber-based and paper packaging replacing...

How is the GLP-1 craze impacting the healthcare, food, and packaging industries? PMMI Media Group editors Liz Cuneo, Derrick Teal, and Matt Reynolds sit down to discuss how GLP-1s are showing up on their desks. They cover topics ranging from cold chain to smaller pack sizes. Watch the full featured video on Healthcare Packaging .