A past look at the future of packaging production

Imagine what your packaging line might look like 10 years in the future. Will it be wildly different or incrementally better?

In 1999, I had an opportunity to look ahead 10 years to 2009 and sketch out my idea of a "dream" line for a fictional beverage, with input from a number of packaging line integrators and production experts at the time. Flexible, adaptable and efficient, the production line used robotics, automated guidance vehicles and remote monitoring—all of which are in play today.

Some other features of the line—most notably a direct-to-consumer shipping operation, aka ecommerce—is still an exception, not the rule. But I think that may be changing, as I explain in "Packaging predictions finally on target."

Two questions for you:

1. What do you think of my 1999 packaging line? (Please download the PDF to see the sketch and explanation)

2. What ideas do you have for your packaging line 10 years from now in 2026? Send them to me at [email protected].

I'll share the best recommendations in a follow-up article in a couple weeks, with the source properly cited of course. Good luck!