The industry came together at PACK EXPO International (Oct. 23-26, 2022). The show convened over 44,000 attendees, surpassing the 2018 event. With 2,200 exhibitors showcasing groundbreaking packaging and processing innovations over 1.2 million net square feet at McCormick Place in Chicago, PACK EXPO International was the one and only time the entire industry came together this year.
The show opened its doors with the industry ready to do business after years of consistent growth, reported show owner and producer PMMI, The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies. In 2019, the market for packaging machinery was USD10.8bn, this year the industry broke the USD15bn mark, a growth of 40%, according to PMMI’s State of the Industry U.S. Packaging Machinery report.
“The success of PACK EXPO is a testament to our industry’s continued growth as well as PMMI’s commitment to bringing the industry together to share cutting-edge innovations,” says Jim Pittas, president and CEO, PMMI. “No other event this year showcased so many end-to-end solutions, offering attendees everything they need to compete in a changing marketplace.”
Industry growth translated into buyers coming in significant numbers, ready to see the latest packaging materials as well as technology in action.
“The show is very well attended. The end user base was eager to come back and see equipment in person. For our industry, the economy looks like it will be robust in 2023. Customers are acting on buying automation and not just talking about it,” says Jeff Kaplan, VP integrated systems, Hamrick Packaging Systems.
Improving operations, reaching sustainability goals, and checking out new innovations are just a few of the drivers that brought consumer packaged goods (CPG) and life sciences companies to PACK EXPO International.