With the continuous development and progress of science and technology, the emergence of various food processing products has put forward new requirements for packaging technology and equipment, and packaging machinery is playing an increasingly important role in the circulation field. At present, the competition in packaging machinery is becoming increasingly fierce, and highly automated, intelligent, multifunctional, high-efficiency, and low consumption packaging equipment is increasingly favored by the industry.

Since entering the 21st century, compared to traditional packaging machinery, new packaging machines require features such as simplicity, high productivity, more complete supporting facilities, and greater automation. The future packaging machinery will cooperate with the trend of industrial automation to promote the overall level improvement of packaging equipment. New intelligent devices such as highly intelligent CNC systems, encoders and digital control components, and power load control have been widely applied in packaging machinery equipment, enabling equipment users to have more independence, flexibility, operational correctness, high efficiency, and compatibility during the operation process.

It is understood that currently, countries with high levels of packaging and food machinery abroad mainly include the United States, Germany, Japan, Italy, and the United Kingdom. And Germany's packaging machinery is in a leading position in design, manufacturing, and technical performance. In recent years, the development of packaging and food machinery equipment in these countries has shown new trends.

The food and beverage industry is a strong economic sector globally, with high investment and being one of the largest buyers of packaging machinery, accounting for 60% of the market share. The pharmaceutical industry is also less affected by economic fluctuations because people need access to essential drug supplies. This industry's procurement volume accounts for 20% of all packaging machinery procurement volume.

Therefore, the global packaging machinery industry trade has been continuously increasing for many years, reaching 14.6 billion euros in 2008. The global economic and financial crisis suppressed demand, and exports briefly declined in 2009. But the industry expects a strong increase in demand again in 2010.

In 2009, the export volume was about 4 billion euros, a decrease of a quarter from the previous year, and Germany's share in world exports was 34%. From the development of the five major packaging machinery exporting countries, these countries account for about 73% of global exports, and Germany remained the world market leader in 2009. Germany and Italy jointly dominate the export business. Italy's share in world exports is 27%.

Germany is the main supplier in 15 out of 20 export markets for packaging machinery. Europe holds a 51% share and remains the main sales region for packaging machinery produced in Germany. The export volume share of Western Europe is 34%, unchanged from 2009. But the decline in supply in Russia and Ukraine has led to Asia taking the second place in sales regions, with a share of 17.2%, surpassing Eastern Europe's 17%. From 2005 to 2009, the export share of German packaging machinery in Asia increased by 22%. The share of German packaging machinery in the total export value in Asia increased from nearly 32% in 2005 to over 34% in 2009. The fourth largest sales region is North America, with a share of around 11%. Next is Africa at 8%, Latin America at around 6%, and the Near and Middle East at 5%. The United States and Russia remain the most important national markets for German packaging machinery. Among the top ten export markets, China ranks third.

The decline in demand for packaging machinery at the end of 2008/2009 was entirely due to the global economic climate and does not indicate market saturation. On the contrary, the demand for packaged food and beverages continues to flourish. The sales volume of packaged food reached 534 billion metric tons in 2009. Market research firm Euromonitor International predicts a total growth of 20% by 2014. In terms of beverages, Euromonitor expects a total growth rate of 19% over the next five years.

Nowadays, the degree of automation in the production process is increasing. At present, automation technology accounts for more than 50% of the packaging production line, and computer design and mechatronics integration control are widely used to improve productivity, equipment flexibility, and increase the use of robotic arms to complete complex packaging actions. Each robotic arm is controlled by a separate computer, and the camera monitors the packaging action and feeds back the information to the computer to adjust the amplitude of the action, ensuring the quality of the packaging. Packaging machinery will soon innovate in emerging industries.