Packaging is increasingly about connecting technologies, data and expertise across the entire production process. At PACK EXPO, Coesia will present an integrated approach that brings together automation, robotics, digital tools and sustainable packaging solutions.
Luca Aiolfi, Head of Division, Consumer Market Solutions at Coesia, shares some insights into the challenges shaping today’s production environments and the technologies helping manufacturers respond.
How does Coesia combine technologies and expertise across the Group to respond to increasingly specific production needs?
Manufacturers increasingly need complete production solutions rather than individual machines. Coesia’s segment approach starts with the customer’s production challenge in mind and brings together the most relevant expertise across the Group to address it. For example, Coesia may supply a full bar line by combining ACMA’s flow wrapping solutions, FlexLink conveyors, R.A Jones cartoning and high-speed robotic handling by PWR, a Coesia partner. By combining these capabilities, customers can optimize the production flow, improve efficiency, reduce manual intervention, and increase flexibility when market requirements change.
At PACK EXPO, Coesia will focus on sectors including snacks, pet food, pharma and personal care. What market needs and production challenges are driving these priorities?
These sectors face similar pressures, such as increasing product variety, labor constraints, sustainability requirements and the need for greater flexibility.
In snacks and pet food, manufacturers manage more SKU variations and shorter product lifecycles, requiring efficient product handling, wrapping, pouching, cartoning and shelf ready packaging. In highly regulated environments such as healthcare and pharmaceuticals, priorities include traceability, inspection, serialization, compliance and process control. Personal care manufacturers need frequent format changes, rapid product launches and attractive shelf appeal.
Across sectors, customers want to improve productivity while maintaining quality and adapting faster to changing market conditions. Coesia combines automation, packaging, material handling, inspection and digital capabilities to address these challenges holistically.
Automation and robotics help manufacturers combine human expertise with intelligent systems to improve productivity and ergonomics.
How are automation and robotics changing production efficiency, ergonomics and the role of operators on the shop floor?
Automation and robotics help manufacturers improve productivity and working conditions. FlexLink’s robotic handling and palletizing solutions automate repetitive and physically demanding tasks while maintaining stable product flow.
With increasing automation, operators spend less time on manual activities and more time supervising systems, monitoring performance, supporting quality assurance and driving continuous improvement. The objective is to combine human expertise with intelligent systems to improve ergonomics and production efficiency.
How are digital tools, AI and sustainable packaging solutions helping manufacturers improve performance and prepare their lines for future needs?
Manufacturers want to achieve predictable performance, higher equipment effectiveness and lower total cost of ownership throughout the equipment lifecycle.
At Coesia, digitalization, AI and services increasingly work together to translate this vision into concrete milestones and results. We support customers through service models ranging from corrective and preventive maintenance to predictive approaches that use data and early issue detection to reduce downtime.
AI creates value by transforming production data into actionable insights, improving maintenance planning, performance optimization and OEE.
Sustainability follows a similar logic; the challenge is not only identifying new packaging materials but implementing them reliably at industrial scale. We help customers test materials, validate machinability and adapt equipment for recyclable, paper-based and mono-material solutions, ensuring sustainability does not compromise performance or productivity.
About Luca Aiolfi, Head of Divison, Consumer Market Solutions
Luca Aiolfi leads Coesia Consumer Market Solutions at Coesia, bringing extensive international experience across packaging, automation, and manufacturing technologies. Having held various leadership roles at Coesia, ACMA, and GDM, including Chief Executive Officer of GDM, he has a strong track record in business transformation, operational excellence, and innovation. His expertise spans global operations, customer-centric industrial solutions, and sustainable growth strategies for consumer goods manufacturers.
