As a machine builder, it is very important to be in constant contact with our suppliers, converters, operators and distributors as all of them contribute an essential part in developing new market trends in the packaging industry. In order to successfully gathering all market information, a team of six area managers of WM Thermoforming Machinery is working day-by-day with 30 agents who cover 56 different countries worldwide.

We summarize the major overall trends of the year 2014/2015 for you. The market is looking for more personalized packaging solutions with unique shapes, sizes and colors in order to offer more diverse and personalized food packaging products. We notice also a continuous growing demand of recycled and composted materials.

The food industry in particular is demanding more transparent containers with higher clarity that are showing even better the characteristics of the final product.

  • Raw materials: During the past years, the material applications have been changing with a notorious increased demand for polypropylene material.
  • Machinery: Highly automated machines that run faster, more efficient and at a lower cost.
  • Distribution: The biggest players are becoming bigger through new acquisitions while the niche distributors have to adjust their strategy in order to maintain their competitiveness.
  • Operations: Foodservice operators are looking for product differentiation by offering sustainable products and new menus in order to respond to the changing demographics and consumption habits.

 

WM has been able to respond customers’ requirements with its technology, by carrying through the following objectives:

  • Higher clarity of packaging: WM In-line extrusion and thermoforming assures better PP transparency thanks to solid forming for providing linear orientation.
  • More tamper evident solutions: WM contributed to several successful projects in collaboration with renowned mold makers in order to ensure customers satisfaction.
  • In line labeling and marking system: WM has delivered several machines provided of labeling and marking system integrated.
  • Portion packaging instead of large containers and beverage downsizing: WM new stacking systems are able to stack, count and bag in that allows even very complex product shapes being processed fully automatic.
  • Flexible machinery to run small and medium productions due to the growing customized and downsized product packaging: WM Robot stacker and quick mold changes ensure 45-production change time.
  • Reducing resin cost by using fillers or expanded material especially in PP material that is replacing materials such as EPS, PS, OPS. PET on the other hand is gaining some the PP products due to the lower density.

WM IN-LINE extruder and thermoforming line with IN-MOULD trimming technology a state-of-the-art solution for processing PP material and two colors with fillers in order to achieve close tolerance for food packaging products at a lower cost.

  • Lower Energy Consumption: the regenerative feeding system, Latest technology of heating elements, Latest technology of heating elements, improvements to align to the European Direction EuP2005/32/EC (Eco design of Energy-using Products)
  • Labor cost reduction: this is put in effect since the system is fully automated and can operate with only one machine supervisor.
  • Contributes to continuous processing for increased efficiency and consequently decreasing the CapEx cost $ versus labor cost (fully automated vertical production)

WM technology is inspired from our customer and from the market requests. We have no special talents, we are only passionately curious!!!