Page 28 - PWM2025_January EBook

GPP PACKAGING

Packaging machinery trends at Gulf

Print & Pack

A machinery trends to see at Gulf Print & Pack 2025. Andy
utomation, robotics and flexibility will be key packaging

Thomas-Emans reports.
One of the key goals of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 pro-
gram is to substitute imports with domestic production
across a vast range of consumer and industrial product categories. The
Saudi Kingdom’s goal is to carry out this ambitious project in a highly
sustainable way using cutting edge machinery and software tools.
This helps define what packaging machinery and materials will be
required for global suppliers looking to invest in Vision 2030-related
projects.
A good place to start is the recent announcement by Nestlé of a
partnership with the Saudi Authority for Industrial Cities and
Technology Zones (MODON) to significantly boost local food produc-
tion by constructing its first food manufacturing plant in the Kingdom.
The agreement, signed in September 2024 in Riyadh, allocates a
117,000 square meter plot in Jeddah city’s Third Industrial City for the
facility.
The project aims in its initial stages to produce children’s food ‘and Automation means businesses can redeploy staff to profit-making roles such
to launch an automated production line with modern technologies for as research and development. Automated equipment runs faster than any
packaging and filling materials, operated by highly skilled and quali- processes requiring manual operation, and is more accurate, meaning less
fied national personnel’. The targeted production capacity in the first spoilage. Automated machinery also allows for 24/7 operation. Robotics will
phase is 15 thousand tonnes annually. form an essential part of any future packaging machinery line. Because new
So what kinds of packaging machinery and systems are we looking at industrial capacity in Saudi Arabia will be built on greenfield sites, it can be
here? What technology trends will most interest visitors to Gulf Print & designed with robotics in mind from the outset.
Pack 2025? Alternatively, robotic equipment can be progressively integrated into exist-
The first key factor is flexibility, which means packaging machinery is ing operations. For example, a robotic arm could be installed which could
not left obsolete by rapid changes in market demands. Flexibility in pack- improve pick and place operations, and modern robots are able to handle
aging machinery ranges from the ability to handle different sizes and types items even the most delicate items.
of products, to being able to reconfigure a packaging line by using modular Further examples of robot application include end of line work, such as
units which can quickly and efficiently be used to perform different work. dramatically improving palletising, stretch-wrapping and labeling operations.
The ability to link modular units with conveyors or by AGVs (automated A growth area of robotics is the ‘cobot’, which works in partnership with
guided vehicles) or AMRs (autonomous mobile robots) is one of a range of human staff. Cobots take over repetitive, tedious and physically demanding
ways towards truly flexible work environments. tasks, leaving employees to manage processes and to undertake work which
Programmable controls also add flexibility and make changeovers cobots cannot do, such as clearing obstructions or fixing component break-
faster – they are an increasingly important element in machinery specifi- downs.
cations. Beyond programming, machine learning and AI (artificial intel- Accurate controls are at the heart of automation, and the role of ever-more
ligence) adds to the way that packing operations can be designed to remain capable vision systems are key to machine control, measurement and inspec-
relevant to the changing demands of the packaging industry. Automation tion. The move towards stereo vision allows extremely detailed monitoring of
means the elimination, where possible, of manual handling and inspec- processes while they are running, and examination of any flaws in finished
tion operations. Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 program envisages training a products and packages.
skilled workforce, moving away from reliance on manual labor. X-ray vision systems are increasingly important for highly accurate exami-
So expect to see at Gulf Print & Pack 2025 turnkey solutions that reduce nation of package contents and product batches. Modern vision systems can
labor, increase efficiency and maximize output using fully automated eliminate the need for manual code validation and inspection, with the capa-
bility to reduce false rejection rates. Vision systems are also behind the rise of
packaging systems with advanced HMIs (Human/Machine Interfaces).
AGVs and AMRs, giving them the ability to work around obstacles.
26 PrintWeek MENA January 2025 www.printweekmena.com