Aussie food manufacturers are set to increase capex for packaging line equipment, with a focus on robotics and automation in the next few years, according to results from the PKN Packaging News and Food & Drink Business Packaging Technology Survey 2017.
In this survey we sought input from industry to gain insight into current Australian industry practices, drivers and future plans related to the purchase of packaging line equipment and robotics automation technology. We also explored equipment procurement practices, pertaining to the selection, purchase and commissioning of packaging equipment.
Respondents to the in-depth survey and telephone interviews comprised professionals from senior management, operations management, engineering, sales and marketing and quality assurance functions from a broad spectrum of industries, with 50% of respondents from the food industry and a further 25% from the consumer packaged goods industry.
Key findings include:
- Close to three quarters (72%) of survey respondents have recently installed or were intending to install new packaging, product inspection or robotics automation equipment in the next year.
- Over half of respondents (52%) said they expect their capex to be more than the previous year
- Over half of companies surveyed (53%) intend to implement robotics automation technology within the next two years.
- Managing labour costs was ranked first in the top three challenges that Australian companies are encountering, and this is driving investment in automation.
Produced in collaboration with engineers and consultants from Accupak, Accuweigh and Robotic Technologies-Systems Australia, the survey and resulting report aims to provide readers with research insights and understandings that will help them make informed capital investment decisions.
