Must-see Exhibits at Interpack 2026

This year’s Interpack meeting arrives on May 7, 2026, in Düsseldorf, Germany, with some of the biggest manufacturers in the EU presenting their upcoming innovations. This year's exhibition includes a range of technology areas based around development and manufacturing operations. Modular packaging lines for parenteral and solid-dose products, automated carton handling, and precision counting equipment will be on display from the Uhlmann Group.1 Filling and closing systems for liquid pharmaceutical and consumer healthcare products, alongside digital process monitoring tools, will be presented by groninger.2 Labeling materials and application technology for pharmaceutical and hazardous goods applications, including tamper-evident and variable-data solutions, will be covered by HERMA.3

What Does Increasing Complexity in Pharmaceutical Packaging Require?

For Uhlmann Group, the answer involves positioning its member companies as a coordinated portfolio rather than a set of independent equipment vendors.1

"As a group, we combine technologies, expertise, and experience to provide expert consulting and pioneering, modular solutions, thereby actively driving change in the packaging ecosystem." said Prof. Dr. Matthias Niemeyer, CEO, The Uhlmann Group, in a press release.1

Uhlmann Pac-Systeme's exhibit centers on two lines with direct relevance to parenteral and solid-dose packaging.1 The PTC 200 is a modular solution for packaging parenteral products in carton mono-packages; the BEC 500 combines a blister machine and cartoner in a single unit. Both are designed for flexibility across packaging materials. Visitors can explore these lines through a digital presentation, including three-dimensional visualizations and an interactive holowall display that walks through line functions and process steps.

Groninger approaches the complexity question through a different lens: the formulation itself.2 Throat sprays without preservatives, eye drops with modified viscosities, novel topical creams, each one introduces new demands on filling processes. Batch sizes are contracting, changeovers are accelerating, and hygiene requirements are stricter.

"Our customers operate in markets that have become significantly faster and more complex, while quality requirements continue to rise," says Otto Helmle, vice president sales consumer Healthcare and Cosmetics, Groninger, said in a press release.2 "With flexcare, we rely on a platform concept that combines stable processes and high precision with the ability to react quickly and flexibly to new demands." The flexcare platform's modular design allows a wide range of viscosities to be processed reliably, with retrofit options intended to protect longer-term capital investment.

For labeling operations, Sven Pleier, Key Account Manager, HERMA, said in a press release,3 "Today, labels have to do far more than simply convey information. What is needed are solutions that save material and costs, can be sourced flexibly and at the same time reliably meet even demanding requirements in terms of durability, safety and variable marking."

How Are Digitalization and Material Sustainability Shaping Equipment Decisions?

On the digital side, groninger's VisionX Pink platform is designed to make machine data transparent and enable early detection of process deviations.2 Real-time data availability and process capability supports analysis, and an integrated dashcam function allows video-based fault diagnosis.

"Digitalization must never be an end in itself," Frieder Kanitz, CEO, Groninger, stated in the press release.2 "It has to support the people at the machine — through transparency, better decision-making and access to relevant knowledge."

On materials, KOCH Pac-Systeme is introducing a new folding carton module for its KMO platform that uses a horizontal cartoning process with side product insertion for fully automated handling.1 Folding cartons are gaining ground in part because of their recyclability and material efficiency, and in part because of evolving European packaging regulations. The KMO's standardized modular interfaces mean the machine can be adapted to new material requirements without full line replacement.

Goldfuss Automation’s fully automated feeder with an integrated collaborative robot retrieves pre-packaged blanks from the pallet, opens shipping cartons, and loads blanks directly into a cartoning machine's magazine.1 The system can manage the complete material flow through to the removal of empty cartons and interlayers, reducing manual handling in packaging areas where contamination control, ergonomics, or labor efficiency are concerns.

In labeling, HERMA's focus is on linerless label materials, including InNo-Liner, which requires neither silicone nor liner and has been validated in logistics applications where it reduced waste by approximately 60% and cut costs relative to conventional systems.3 The pharma-specific exhibit covers film-based labels that can be variably printed using ultraviolet lasers, creating permanent, smudge-proof, and disinfectant-resistant marks without ink or ribbons.

"What is always crucial is the interaction of material, adhesive, printing process and reliable application in the line," noted Marc Trapp, Head of Sales Industrial Labels, HERMA, in the press release.3

References

1. Uhlmann Group Holding GmbH & Co. KG. Interpack 2026: One Group. One Responsibility: Uhlmann Group showcases integrated solutions for complex packaging requirements. Press release. April 8, 2026.
2. groninger & co. gmbh. Filling Processes in Transition: How groninger Keeps Sensitive Products Under Control. Press release. April 14, 2026. https://www.groninger-group.com.
3. HERMA GmbH. HERMA label solutions at interpack 2026: Labels for growing demands. Press release. Filderstadt, Germany; April 2026.