AI X-ray inspection, 24 kg cobots and the PPWR

October was a month of trade fairs: VISION in Stuttgart, Alimentaria FoodTech in Barcelona and Pack Expo in Chicago. The same idea came up at all three: inspection and end-of-line equipment is no longer judged only on what it rejects or palletises, but on the data it leaves behind. And in Brussels, Parliament has voted to ease one of the PPWR burdens for small companies.

Technology and developments

X-ray systems that explain their rejects

Eagle, part of the Mettler-Toledo group, launched SimulTask 6 at Pack Expo, the new software for its X-ray inspection systems. It shows throughput, accepted and rejected packs and the reason for every reject in real time, and includes inline and offline verification routines, automatic start-up checks, batch PDF reports and RFID log-in.

What it brings: when every reject is logged with its cause, you can tell a real contaminant from a false reject and see which shift or SKU they cluster in. Batch reports save hours when preparing for an audit. Before investing: ask for a trial with your own product, ask how the data reaches your systems and who reviews the AI model when the recipe or pack changes.

Source: Sustainable Packaging News, 27-10-2026

24 kg cobots for palletising

At Pack Expo, Bosch Rexroth built a complete palletising cell with its VarioFlow plus conveyor, aluminium framing and the KR 1824 cobot from Kassow Robots. It is a seven-axis arm introduced in the spring, with a 24 kg payload and 1,800 mm reach, intended for palletising, packing and end of line.

What it brings: with more payload and reach, a cobot can handle heavier cases and shrink packs and taller pallets, ground that until now belonged almost entirely to guarded industrial robots. What to check: the payload includes the gripper, so add case and tool together; check what pallet height it reaches with your pattern, the real cycle rate and the risk assessment for the cell.

Source: Packaging Technology Today, 19-10-2026; New Equipment Digest, 07-05-2026

Industry 4.0 and 5.0

AI is in the plant; the data is only half there

According to Rockwell Automation's 2026 State of Smart Manufacturing report, nearly 90% of food and beverage manufacturers use AI or machine learning or plan to soon, yet they make effective use of only about 45% of the data they collect. Across all respondents, AI-supported processes are expected to rise from 37% today to more than 60% by 2030; 93% expect these projects to reshape their workforce and 40% have reskilled staff in the past year.

What changes on the shop floor: the brake is not the algorithm but data without context. A stoppage without a cause or a reject without a reason is of no use to any AI. Before thinking about models, make sure each data point arrives with its line, shift, SKU and reason.

Source: Rockwell Automation, 28-10-2026

Trade fairs

From the shows just held: VISION (Stuttgart, 6-8 October) set a record with 494 exhibitors and more than 9,000 trade visitors (+14%), with AI in image processing as the common thread; the next edition is in October 2028. Coming up:

11–12
NOV

Madrid

Empack Madrid

Machinery, materials and reusable packaging at IFEMA, alongside Logistics & Automation Madrid. The congress opens with a PPWR Academy: two sessions on adapting to the regulation.

24–26
NOV

Nuremberg

SPS

Industrial automation, with industrial AI as the central theme and sessions on the EU Cyber Resilience Act.

27–28
JAN

Paris

Pharmapack Europe

Pharmaceutical packaging and drug delivery systems, at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles.

Regulation: PPWR relief for small companies

On 20 October the European Parliament voted by 616 to 9, with 39 abstentions, to suspend the obligation to appoint an authorised representative in every country where packaging is sold without a local establishment. It would cover only EU small and micro-enterprises (fewer than 50 employees and up to €10m turnover or balance sheet) and would last until 2035 or until the planned Circular Economy Act is adopted. Other extended producer responsibility obligations, such as fees, are unaffected (Packaging Europe, 21-10-2026).

The Council's position and inter-institutional negotiations are still to come: until publication in the Official Journal, the obligation remains in force. The act on the harmonised packaging label has still not been adopted, with adoption planned for the fourth quarter (PPWR Connect, 26-10-2026).

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.