Mark Stepney, Managing Director of Schubert UK, discusses how automation, sustainability and smarter systems are reshaping confectionery packaging into a strategic advantage
From your perspective, what are the most significant packaging trends currently shaping the industry, and what is driving them?
Manufacturers are balancing increasing SKU complexity while competing for shelf space under tighter constraints and adhering to changes in regulation including the PPWR.
People are turning to automation to offset labour shortages and rising costs. Though this comes with its own CAPEX spending pressures and understanding, automation has gone from being a want, to stay relevant, to a need, to stay visible within the market.
Retailers and consumers are demanding more differentiation and choice from their chosen brands, from high-protein versions to smaller servings in response to GLP1’s. Packaging used to be a downstream activity, and now it is a strategic lever for success.
Consumers are more brand-aware, sustainability-focused, and responsive to health and product claims. Not only are quality and availability to market important through improved throughput and efficiency, but competitor pressure is consistently testing innovation, formats and expectations for convenience.
How are packaging strategies in confectionery adapting to balance environmental responsibility with product protection, shelf life and brand impact?
The industry is shifting toward recyclable and mono-material packaging. Regulations like the PPWR for example specify a certain percentage of empty space in packaging, which contributes to less material but a complete change in how a product is packaged.
The product must be protected; a lot of confectionery products are delicate or sensitive to temperate so packaging teams and engineering teams are working together much more closely than before.
It’s no longer just about material change, but whether it supports shelf life, product protection, and brand communication. We use minimal material as possible to adhere to regulations that affect multinational markets and sustainability targets.
So, the investment has shifted to systems that can manage lighter, less rigid, and sustainable materials, maintain high levels of consistency and efficiency even at changeover, and withstand the full supply chain.
Confectionery products often require careful handling due to their fragility, shape variation or temperature sensitivity. How is packaging technology evolving to address these technical challenges more effectively?
Confectionery is one of the most technically demanding sectors, sweets coated in sugar may act different to smooth jellies for example. Layered confectioneries may not respond to vacuum tooling. Tooling – the part of the robot that handles the product – must be product-specific. So, there is an element of bespoke innovation that needs to occur but a lot of it also exists in the robotics or vision systems that may not directly interact with the product.
Pick and place solutions need to move with speed but also in a smooth and consistent motion to maintain product integrity at speed. This is where modern robotics offers a clear advantage over traditional mechanisms.
The vision system needs to also manage product variability in real time, noticing rejects but also programmed to understand different colours and shapes etc.
