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On 11 and 12 November, Ifema Madrid hosts Empack, Logistics & Automation and Logistic & Industrial Build at the same time: three trade fairs organised by Easyfairs, all accessible with a single pass. According to Interempresas, this year's edition fills halls 2, 4 and 6, brings together 456 companies over 31,500 m² and features more than 250 speakers; in 2025 there were 426 exhibitors, 24,000 m² and more than 12,200 trade visitors. Empack covers packaging, raw materials, machinery, automation and services; Logistics & Automation covers intralogistics, robotics, traceability and software.
What matters most to a packaging plant is in the programme. The Empack website announces a new PPWR Academy, two sessions opening the conference and devoted to the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation, plus an area for reusable packaging and another for machinery and labelling. It is no coincidence: the regulation has applied directly since 12 August 2026 and, as Interempresas summarised in June, its obligations arrive in stages: a harmonised pictogram on all packaging from August 2028 and, from 2030, a minimum recyclability grade and a maximum of 50 % empty space in grouped, transport and e-commerce packaging.
What it means for a packaging plant
The PPWR is usually seen as a matter for purchasing and marketing: which material, which label. But every one of those decisions ends up on the line.
A change of material is the clearest example. Moving to a mono-material or thinner film, or to a tray with more recycled content, changes the temperature, pressure and time window for sealing. What sealed well with the usual material may leak or wrinkle with the new one, and sometimes nobody notices until the complaint arrives. It is worth testing with real reels before buying in volume and, for as long as the transition lasts, checking the seal on 100 % of packs rather than by sampling. We explain how on our seal inspection page.
Labelling is the second front. A new pictogram means new artwork for every SKU and, for months, old and new labels sitting side by side in the warehouse. It is the classic setting for the wrong reel in the labeller. A camera that compares every pack with the reference loaded at that moment stops the mistake from leaving the plant.
The third is the end of the line. Limiting empty space means reviewing cases and shrink packs: formats fit the product more closely and more sizes appear. More formats mean more changeovers on the case packer and palletiser, and every changeover eats into availability. Measuring OEE before and after tells you whether the new pack is expensive on the line. And if part of the transport packaging becomes reusable, there will be crates coming back: they need to be checked for cleanliness and damage before they are filled again.
Finally, the paperwork. The manufacturer signs the EU declaration of conformity for its packaging. Knowing, for each SKU, which material was used, from which supplier and in which batch saves many hours on the day someone asks for it.
What to ask at the stands
- New materials: whether the machine has been tested with mono-materials or thinner films, and with what changeover time.
- In-line checks: what inspection it includes (seal, label, date and batch code) and what it does with rejects.
- Data: whether it delivers stops, rejects and counters via OPC UA, Modbus TCP or similar, so OEE can be measured without paper.
- Formats: how long a case or shrink-pack changeover takes and whether it runs from the recipe.
- Reusables: how returning crates are inspected and cleaned.
Two days at a fair go a long way if you arrive with your questions ready. If you are reviewing your packaging for the PPWR and want to see what changes on your line, let's talk.
