Production lines are running faster, while packaging is becoming lighter, thinner and more delicate. Recyclable materials, reduced plastic films, paper and cardboard are changing the way products behave along production lines. On one hand, these changes represent an important step towards greater sustainability. On the other, they introduce new challenges in product handling and manipulation.

In an increasingly production-driven landscape focused on automation, process optimization, and maximum operational safety, material handling has become a strategic factor in ensuring efficiency and continuity throughout the entire supply chain. This is especially true for highly regulated and competitive sectors such as food and pharmaceuticals, where reliability and precision are no longer simple competitive

In recent years, automation has become increasingly accessible for small and medium-sized enterprises. The main goals are clear: increase productivity, reduce manual labour and improve efficiency over time. However, the common approach to automation often focuses on machines, speeds and theoretical performance, while overlooking a key aspect: what happens between machines. In manual lines, operators

The 2023 closure showed increased interest in optimizing existing lines, particularly the demand to implement accumulation or buffer systems, aiming to improve production efficiency, ergonomics, and accessibility of production lines. This process, although it may be difficult to match the results of optimal design from the beginning, offers an opportunity for improvement with relatively little

The sphere sorter is a device, created originally for sorting and distribution applications in the logistics sector, which is proving to be extremely versatile to carry out numerous applications also in food packaging. The operating principle is to activate the movement of idle spheres embedded within a modular plastic chain; the operating method will lead