Heidelberg creating new solutions for packaging production with partners

Packaging Solutions

At interpack 2026, taking place May 7 to 13 in Düsseldorf, Heidelberg is underscoring its position as an end to end system integrator for the entire packaging production value chain. The focus is on processes upstream and downstream of the printing process. However, technological enhancements to the portfolio and the expansion of regional activities in growth regions such as Latin America and India will also be further advanced.

As part of this new approach, the company is announcing several strategic partnerships with the packaging companies Pack-Smart Inc, Metsä Board, and the pfenning group, through which key processes in packaging production will be integrated into a continuous workflow to ensure greater security, sustainability, transparency, and automation.

The partnership with Pack-Smart aims to make it easier for brand manufacturers to authenticate and track their products, thereby protecting their brands across all market segments. The integration of Metsä Board’s particularly sustainable and high quality substrates enhances the sustainability of the entire manufacturing process, for example in the cosmetics sector. The collaboration with the pfenning group focuses on integrating information and material flows into production and logistics. These are designed to meet market demands for shorter delivery times, cost reduction, flexibility and more stringent documentation and traceability requirements.

‘The packaging market is a key growth driver for Heidelberg, as it is driven by global trends such as population growth, urbanisation, and the desire for greater sustainability. We are systematically expanding our solutions to cover the entire manufacturing process in packaging production, from substrate selection through printing, finishing, and logistics all the way to digital integration,’ said Jürgen Otto, CEO of Heidelberg. ‘As an end to end system integrator, we also collaborate with partner companies to create real added value for our customers through higher productivity, greater transparency, automation, and sustainability.’

Heidelberg’s cooperation with Pack-Smart is the central building block for integrating intelligent, data driven processes into packaging production. Pack-Smart’s inkjet printing solutions for serialisation, authentication, and traceability of packaging are being integrated into a seamless production workflow in collaboration with Heidelberg. This applies to high value packaging – for example, in the cosmetics sector – through sensitive pharmaceutical applications to high volume food packaging in the food and beverage industry. In doing so, both companies aim to develop integrated, standardised packaging systems for clearly defined application areas, such as folding cartons, flexible packaging, or labels. These systems enable reproducibility, scalability, and efficient global deployment. To this end, they intend to align their solutions and create a common framework for their global distribution, which will facilitate access to local markets while ensuring uniform technical standards.

‘Together with Pack-Smart, we are combining printing, finishing, and digital intelligence into integrated, standardised systems,’ said Dr David Schmedding, chief technology and sales officer at HEIDELBERG. ‘This shortens time to market, increases process reliability, and creates new opportunities for brand manufacturers and private labels in terms of brand protection and traceability.’

‘The collaboration with Heidelberg gives our portfolio new scalability,’ said Derek Dlugosh-Ostap, founder and CEO of Pack-Smart, Inc. ‘As part of an integrated system with Heidelberg, we will bring our solutions into industrial production environments worldwide – delivering real added value for brand owners and packaging manufacturers.’

As a partner, Pack-Smart will also have a physical presence at the Heidelberg booth, demonstrating live integrated applications for product authentication.

With Metsä Board, Heidelberg is partnering with a leading supplier of high quality, fibre based paperboard solutions for folding carton production as part of its packaging production ecosystem. The offering is specifically geared toward high quality consumer goods packaging. The partnership combines sustainable substrates with Heidelberg’s printing and process expertise, enabling new, high performance packaging concepts where material efficiency and consistent performance are essential.

The collaboration focuses on joint research and development projects, pilot production runs, and customer demonstrations at the Print Media Centre as well as at Metsä Board’s Excellence Centre and Design Studios. The goal is to enable packaging printers to develop sustainable packaging solutions and produce them using Heidelberg systems.

‘Our collaboration with Heidelberg allows us to offer customers new possibilities in packaging design and production efficiency while maintaining our commitment to sustainability and premium quality,’ said Erja Hyrsky, senior vice president commercial operations at Metsä Board. ‘Close collaboration with Heidelberg as a system integrator enables faster development and testing of solutions that support our customers’ evolving packaging needs.’

‘By combining advanced printing and converting technologies with Metsä Board’s premium lightweight paperboard, Heidelberg is supporting the packaging industry’s transition toward more sustainable materials and processes,’ said Andreas Lang, head of global accounts and packaging at Heidelberg. ‘Together, we aim to enable the use of innovative printing and converting technologies with high performance board substrates that meet growing market and regulatory expectations.’

The collaboration with the pfenning group aims to create a holistic process that seamlessly links production and logistics, addresses the potential in goods transport and data flow, and thus adapts more flexibly to repackaging processes in pharmaceutical logistics.

Heidelberg possesses the essential expertise to holistically integrate packaging production: AI driven software with Prinect as the key technology, deep process and application know how, intuitive operating concepts, robotics and automation solutions, as well as a global service and sales network. These capabilities are already well established in folding carton production across prepress, printing, and finishing, including intralogistics and robotics applications, such as the long standing partnership between Heidelberg and MK Masterwork. The trade show presentation now highlights the next strategic step, through which the company is specifically integrating partner solutions into the packaging manufacturing process, even beyond traditional print production, to further automate and digitize the entire value chain. ‘For Heidelberg, system integration for packaging doesn’t stop at folding carton printing,’ emphasised David Schmedding. ‘By intelligently integrating strong partners and industry specialists, we are expanding our value creation both horizontally and vertically — always with the goal of increasing our customers’ competitiveness and strengthening the industry as a whole.’

At its booth in hall 8B, D18, the company will present integrated showcases across the growing market segments of pharmaceuticals, cosmetics (high value), and food and beverages (high volume). The focus of the trade show presentation is Pack-Smart’s inkjet solution, which prints customised information across segments onto pre-produced packaging to enable brand owners to securely identify and track their products. Through an application gallery, trade show visitors can learn about the various ways to optimise the authentication and traceability of packaging solutions.