Jorge Izquierdo, PMMI’s vice president of market development spoke to the press on Monday to highlight trends the association has identified through its industry research reports. Izquierdo said that, while economic uncertainty remains, U.S. packaging equipment and U.S. food and beverage processing equipment shipments are both expected to continue to grow through 2027. Izquierdo noted that pressures companies are facing that could negatively impact productivity include workforce knowledge loss; obsolescence of equipment parts, components, and software; and SKU proliferation. To address these challenges, companies are prioritizing automation; equipment flexibility and adaptability; simplified machine operation, maintenance, and cleaning; and targeted AI implementation.

Schneider Electric released new survey data during Pack Expo showing that U.S. manufacturers are adopting AI faster than the rest of the world. The data showed that 52% of U.S. consumer packaged goods (CPG) manufacturers have deployed AI across multiple sites or processes, compared with 27% globally and that 67% of U.S. respondents expect AI to be core to their operations by 2030, compared to 37% of respondents globally.

The data also showed that U.S. CPG manufacturers estimate that downtime, waste, delays, rework, and suboptimal asset use costs them 20% of potential manufacturing revenue, and those losses are expected to rise to 34% by 2030.

According to Schneider Electric, “To capture the full value of AI, manufacturers must pair AI adoption with foundational investments in connected, contextualized data, open automation and industrial intelligence solutions that turn insight into action and enable continuous innovation.”

Robotic solutions were prominent throughout the exhibit hall, particularly for packaging applications but increasingly for processing applications as well. For example, Material Transfer highlighted its IntelliBreak robotic bag break system for automating the handling of 50-pound bags in bulk solids processes.

New solutions featured on the show floor included SimulTask 6, an AI-enabled image analysis platform for X-ray inspection from Eagle by Mettler Toledo. The platform provides real time inspection data to process equipment, enabling on-the-fly process adjustments to help improve efficiency and product yield. And Hapman introduced the IntegriVac, a modular, quick-clean vacuum conveying system for transferring powders and bulk solids in dilute, semi-dense, or dense phase, depending on the application.

Three innovations at Pack Expo were selected by attendees for the 2026 Technology Excellence Awards. In the Food/Beverage category, Mitsui Chemicals America won for its TAKELAC WPB 341 advanced water-based barrier coating technology, which protects products against oxygen and moisture, helping to extend product shelf life while enabling more sustainable packaging formats. In the General Packaging & Processing category,

Finally, in the Sustainability category, Amcor Rigid Packaging Solutions won for its DecoFusion 100% PCR tube, which combines near-seamless, photorealistic decoration with a lightweight polyethylene tube design. The base tube can incorporate up to 100% post-consumer recycled material while reducing package weight by up to 27%.

PMMI's next event will be PACK EXPO Southeast 2027, which will take place April 12-14 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta.