interpack’s mission of uniting global machinery markets reaps dividends

This past week has been nothing if not extremely hectic, with the conclusion of the much-anticipated interpack event in Germany revealing plenty of equipment, systems, and wider technology across our core packaging and processing markets.

From advancements in flowpacking, cobots and robotics-based handling systems, through to VR being deployed to assist companies in meeting a new ‘factories of the future’ agenda honed in on being ever-more efficient and productive.  (see our exclusive concluding video review of the event below). 

Amid the flurry of all the technology being launched by some 2,800 businesses, it would have been easy to have missed the big breaking story of the past week in that for the first time in recent memory, several major companies in the form of Theegarten-Pactec, Acma and LoescPack banded together to express a warning that they were aware of companies attempting to clone their respective machinery.

This is extremely concerning for the sector, and it is far from surprising to hear in their collective statement that the combined businesses intended to put forward prosecutions against those responsible for what they termed as ‘direct copies’ of their packaging and processing lines – in some instances, complete copies of entire turnkey lines.

There can be no excuse of not knowing that such equipment is subject to intellectual property protection – it is one thing to be inspired by other brands in terms of designs or functionality, but an entirely different prospect when it is asserted that an entire make-up of machinery appears to have been cloned by businesses that have not yet been named. Sadly, this is not a phenomenon that is limited to our sector – with the automotive industry in particular being subject to major tests from businesses in Asia that have heavily copied European cars, much to the dismay of the industry.

As indicated, it is only through companies asserting their intellectual property rights, and taking legal action that such activity can be stopped or stemmed – which is notably worrying for a market that is already facing challenges from regulatory pressures, as well as economic uncertainty in a number of territories around the world.

However, despite such tests, the sector rolls on, and as the organisers of interpack have already indicated, while numbers may not have quite matched previous iterations of the event, it has been considered by many exhibitors to have been a considerable success in terms of the quality of contacts made from around the world. After three long years in the making, this year’s show definitely delivered the goods. 

Neill Barston, editor, Confectionery Production magazine

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