| 1 | | PW | Optimize Corrugated Usage for Sustainability, Cost Savings, and DIM Weight Savings | Corrugated board represents a sizable share of packaging material and freight costs—and its footprint is increasingly scrutinized under emerging EPR rules. By trimming board caliper, tightening case dimensions, and aligning carton size with parcel-carrier DIM weight brackets, brands and contract packagers can reduce fiber use, lower transportation charges, and simplify reporting on material usage. Engineering trials at supplier labs show that even small reductions in corrugated translate to measurable savings across high-volume club-store and e-commerce channels. We will outline practical steps—design-of-experiments, board spec reviews, and unit load testing—to help procurement, sustainability teams, and operations staff quantify the trade-offs and incorporate recycled or lightweight grades without compromising product protection. | | 01/23/26 |  |
| 2 | | PFW | Ensuring Smooth Vertical Startup / Operational Readiness | An up-and-running line means sales, so making sure it’s ready to go from day one is essential. The first time a line begins should be a time for excitement, not fear. These are the steps and processes food and beverage manufacturers can take to make that happen. | | 02/13/26 | |
| 3 | | PW | The Rise of Modular End-of-Line Systems: A Smarter Strategy for Case Packing and Palletizing | End-of-line operations are getting a modular makeover. New case packing and palletizing systems—built from standardized sub-assemblies, plug-and-play conveyors, and robot-ready frames—let CPGs and co-packers scale, rearrange, or pilot automation without a forklift upgrade. Articulated arms, delta robots, and cobots add pattern flexibility in compact cells, while tool-less changeovers and scalable controls slash downtime. The result is “agile automation”: a right-sized capital path that tames SKU proliferation, labor gaps, and floor-space pinch points today, yet leaves room for tomorrow’s formats. Are your case packers and palletizers engineered for swap-out growth and phased investment? | | 03/20/26 | |
| 4 | | Mundo | Meet the Next Generation of Cobots for Palletizing | Collaborative robots dedicated to palletizing are rapidly becoming a practical route for consumer packaged goods (CPG) manufacturers to automate end-of-line operations and reduce ergonomic risks. This session examines the latest generation of cobot palletizing solutions, emphasizing real-world capabilities such as handling heavier payloads, AI-driven motion planning, advanced palletizing software, compact cell designs, and integrated smart-vision systems. Attendees will gain actionable guidance for evaluating and deploying these technologies to improve throughput, safety, and floor-space utilization. | | 04/10/26 | |
| 5 | | PFW | Predictive and Preventive Maintenance - The Value of Including Remote Monitoring in Your Plan | The evolution of maintenance continues. The days of waiting for something to break before fixing it were replaced by prescribing times for when maintenance should happen. However, that means replacing a part that might not need to be replaced and spending money unnecessarily. Predictive and preventive maintenance have made the process even more efficient, but adding remote monitoring can make it even more effective. | | 04/17/26 | |
| 6 | | HCP | Balancing Sustainability & Patient Adherence in Pharma/ Med Device | This topic probes sustainable material and equipment considerations for pharmaceutical and medical-device packaging. We’ll identify the new materials emerging, gauge their effectiveness for product protection and compliance, and pinpoint machine alterations needed to run them. Consider how to weigh sustainability against patient-adherence requirements, assess material viability on existing lines, and understand how much influence sustainability truly has on current package-development choices. | | 05/15/26 | |
| 7 | | PW | Integrating RFID, QR, and NFC: Is Your Labeling Equipment Ready for the Smart Packaging Revolution? | Labeling lines are shifting from static print-and-apply to digital hubs that encode RFID, NFC, and variable QR codes in real time. We explain how today’s labelers integrate in-line encoding modules, vision verification, and MES connectivity to place serialized smart labels at production speed—supporting traceability mandates while opening new channels for inventory visibility and consumer interaction. We outline the mechanical and software features to evaluate (encoder modules, closed-loop verification, database links, retrofit options) and compare smart-label types and their typical applications. Engineers, operations teams, and brand owners will get a framework for assessing whether existing equipment can be upgraded or whether a new smart-label-ready platform is the better route for compliance, supply-chain data capture, and future consumer engagement initiatives. | | 05/22/26 | |
| 8 | | PFW | The Operational Impact of the Building Envelope | Food and beverage manufacturers are consistently being asked to do more with less. But getting the most out of your operations doesn’t have to be done by maximizing the production lines alone. This ebook examines all the ways that finding efficiencies, and the inefficiencies, in a facility itself can impact operations. | | 08/14/26 | |
| 9 | | HCP | Advancements in blister packaging and the next-gen equipment that powers them | Examine what’s new in blister packaging—spotlighting sustainable materials, thinner films, and high-speed equipment that can fill, code for serialization, and run the new films. Learn from work on sustainable blister options and from machinery suppliers adopting these materials on both existing and brand-new lines. Discover how to evaluate new materials, retrofit current equipment, and leverage next-generation machines that add serialization and keep production moving. | | 08/21/26 | |
| 10 | | Mundo | Upgrading your Packaging Machine to Tackle New Bio, Mono and Paper Packaging Materials | This approach will delve into the specific technical considerations needed to upgrade or adapt the FFHS and FFVS packaging machines to process efficiently the new sustainable materials for paper packaging, monomaterial pouches, biomaterials new solutions. | | 09/18/26 | |
| 11 | | PW | Barrier Breakthroughs: The Science Fueling the Paper Packaging Revolution | Plastic-to-paper shifts succeed or fail on barrier performance. We unpack the science behind today’s paper-friendly coatings—including bio-based and water-borne dispersions, mineral barriers, hybrid multilayers, and emerging nano-sprays—and explain how each option handles moisture, grease, and oxygen while maintaining recyclability, repulpability, or compostability. Examine links between coating choice, regulatory pressures (PFAS phase-outs, EPR reporting) and end-of-life realities. We also illustrate trade-offs with case examples, and outline a step-by-step framework that engineers and specifiers can use to match barrier properties to product requirements and line conditions. | | 10/23/26 | |
| 12 | | PFW | Mechanical Conveying Systems Drive Improved Throughput and Efficiency | Machines are able to produce product faster than ever, but it doesn’t matter if the systems moving those goods can’t keep pace. What manufacturers are doing to improve production speeds and reliability to ensure production continues to flow will be explored. | | 11/20/26 | |