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Three trade fairs coincide this week (Alimentaria FoodTech, VISION and CPHI) with a shared message: new equipment is no longer judged only on what it does, but on the data it gives the line. This month we look at a palletiser that changes format in minutes, thermal inspection of packs, measuring compressed air and what is still pending under the new Packaging Regulation.
Technology and developments
Cobot palletising: the software works out the pattern
Close-R has presented Palletizy, a palletiser built around a collaborative robot on castors. It takes up about 3,000 × 1,100 mm, works without guarding and calculates the stacking pattern for each case itself. According to the manufacturer, an operator with no programming knowledge can change format in around 3 minutes, and the cell can be moved from one line to another.
What it brings: on lines with many SKUs and short runs, the biggest time loss is usually the changeover, not the speed. Before investing: check the maximum case weight, pallet stability with your real cases and the risk assessment for a cell without guarding.
Source: Close-R, 29-09-2026
Thermal cameras to check the pack without touching it
Teledyne Vision Solutions will bring two demonstrations to Pack Expo: a Calibir GX2 infrared camera measuring bottle temperature without contact, and a Forge IP67 camera that detects missing caps, verifies fill level and finds pack defects.
What it brings: temperature reveals problems an ordinary camera cannot see, for example in hot filling, sealing or shrink tunnels. What to check: thermal resolution against defect size, the emissivity of each material (glass, aluminium and plastic behave differently) and how each reject reaches your quality records.
Compressed air: measure instead of estimate
At Alimentaria FoodTech SICK is presenting the FTMg, a sensor that measures compressed-air flow, pressure and temperature to find leaks, anomalies and excess consumption.
What it brings: with flow and pressure measured per branch you know which machine is losing air and whether consumption continues while the line is stopped. What to check: where to place the measuring points (site-wide and per line) and that the data reaches the same system where you already see production, so consumption can be matched against units produced.
Source: Novologística, 05-10-2026
Industry 4.0 and 5.0
Five million robots in the world's factories
The International Federation of Robotics (IFR) published its World Robotics 2026 report on 24 September: more than 600,000 industrial robots were installed in 2025 (+11%) and the operational stock has reached five million (+9%). China accounted for 59% of installations; Europe moved more slowly, with Germany installing around 25,000 (−8%) and Spain around 4,300 (−15%). The forecast for 2026 is 655,000 installations.
What changes on the shop floor: the difference is no longer having robots but integrating them well, with people moving to supervision, changeovers and troubleshooting. To justify each step, measure before and after: stoppages, units per hour and strenuous tasks removed.
Source: IFR, 24-09-2026
Trade fairs
OCT
Barcelona
Alimentaria FoodTech
End-of-line robotics, machine vision, plant digitalisation and monitoring of energy, water and compressed air (Interempresas).
OCT
Stuttgart
VISION
The leading machine vision fair, held every two years: cameras, optics, lighting, software, quality inspection, robot vision and code reading.
OCT
Milan
CPHI Milan
The whole pharmaceutical value chain, including machinery and packaging, with a sustainability summit on 6 and 7 October.
OCT
NOV
Madrid
Empack Madrid
Machinery, materials and reusable packaging at IFEMA, alongside Logistics & Automation Madrid.
NOV
Nuremberg
SPS
Industrial AI, industrial communication and cybersecurity, including the EU Cyber Resilience Act.
Regulation: what is still missing from the PPWR
Regulation (EU) 2025/40 has applied since 12 August, but several pieces are still pending. The act on the harmonised packaging label, due by 12 August, was registered by the Commission on 14 September as initiative 19243, with adoption planned for the fourth quarter of 2026 (Polygon One, 29-09-2026). In addition, the European SME association SMEunited asked on 30 September for a suspension of the obligation to appoint an authorised representative in every country where a company has no branch: by its figures, registration costs more than €500 per country and the representative between €200 and €800 (Packaging Europe, 30-09-2026).
What to do now: keep the materials and weights of each pack up to date per SKU, together with the list of countries where it is sold, so you know where registration is required.
News from TIVOX
OEE, stoppages and waste, explained on one page
We have published a page explaining how availability, performance and quality are measured per line and shift, with every stoppage and its cause, counted waste and CSV history. It connects via I/O, Modbus TCP, OPC UA, SQL or CSV, includes an AI virtual analyst, and the data stays at the plant.
From the blog
Alimentaria FoodTech 2026: AI comes to the line
What to look for in vision, sensors and maintenance before investing, with AI at the centre of the show.
Pack Expo 2026: cobots and vision at end of line
What to look for in end-of-line cobots and what to ask before investing.
New lines: measure the ramp-up too
What to measure in the first weeks of a new line so the investment pays back sooner.
Peris lightens its tub: sealing is the challenge
19.5% less plastic in the tub: what changes in sealing, handling and control.
Reny Picot recovers water and heat at Navia
115,000 m³ of water and 5,741 MWh a year: what measuring water, steam and energy means for a plant.
If you would like to discuss any of these topics for your line, simply reply to this email.
TIVOX Solutions