At Interpack 2026, Heidelberg It has underscored its position as a global systems integrator for the entire packaging production value chain. The focus is on production flows from start to finish of the printing process. As part of this new approach, the company is announcing several strategic alliances with packaging companies at the trade fair. Pack-Smart, Inc., Metsä Board and the Pfenning GroupThrough these processes, key elements in packaging production will be integrated into a continuous workflow to ensure greater safety, sustainability, transparency, and automation.
The collaboration with Pack-Smart aims to make it easier for brand manufacturers to authenticate and provide transparency for their products, thereby protecting their brands across all market segments. Integrating Metsä's high-quality, specially sustainable 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 in production and logistics. These are designed to meet market demands for shorter lead times, reduced costs, flexibility, and stricter documentation and traceability requirements.
“The packaging market is a key growth driver for Heidelberg, driven by global trends such as population growth, urbanization, and the desire for greater sustainability. We are systematically expanding our solutions to cover the entire manufacturing process in packaging production, from substrate selection to printing, finishing, logistics, and digital integration,” he states. Jürgen Otto, CEO of Heidelberg“As an end-to-end systems integrator, we also collaborate with partner companies to create real added value for our customers through increased productivity, greater transparency, automation, and sustainability.”
Cooperation with Pack-Smart: integration of security solutions into the value chain
Heidelberg's collaboration with Pack-Smart, Inc. is crucial for integrating intelligent, data-driven processes into packaging production. Pack-Smart's inkjet printing solutions for packaging serialization, authentication, and traceability are being integrated into a hybrid production workflow in partnership with Heidelberg. This applies to premium packaging—for example, in the cosmetics sector—ranging from sensitive pharmaceutical applications to consumer goods packaging in the food and beverage industry. To this end, both companies aim to develop integrated and standardized packaging systems for clearly defined application areas, such as folding cartons, flexible packaging, and labels. These systems enable reproducibility, scalability, and efficient global deployment. Heidelberg and Pack-Smart intend to align their solutions and create a common framework for global distribution, facilitating access to local markets and ensuring consistent technical standards.
“Together with Pack-Smart, we are combining printing, finishing, and digital intelligence in integrated and standardized systems,” says Dr. David Schmedding, Chief Technology and Sales Officer in Heidelberg. “This reduces time to market, increases process reliability, and creates new opportunities for brand and private label manufacturers in terms of brand protection and traceability.”
“The collaboration with Heidelberg brings new scalability to our portfolio,” says Derek Dlugosh-Ostap, founder and CEO of Pack-Smart, Inc. “As part of an integrated system with Heidelberg, we will bring our solutions to industrial production environments worldwide, delivering real added value for brand owners and packaging manufacturers.”
Cooperation with Metsä Board: high-performance cardboard as part of the production process
With Metsä Board, Heidelberg is partnering with a leading supplier of high-quality, fiber-based board solutions for folding carton production as part of its packaging production ecosystem. The offering is specifically geared towards high-end consumer goods packaging. The collaboration 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 tests, and customer demonstrations at the Print Media Center in Heidelberg, as well as at Metsä Board's Excellence Centre and Design Studios. The goal is to enable packaging printers to develop sustainable solutions and implement 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,” says Erja Hyrsky, Senior Vice President of Commercial Operations at Metsä Board. “The close collaboration with Heidelberg as a systems integrator enables faster development and testing of solutions that support the evolving needs of our customers’ packaging production lines,” Hyrsky continues.
“By combining advanced printing and converting technologies with Metsä Board’s premium lightweight board, Heidelberg is supporting the packaging industry’s transition to more sustainable materials and processes,” says Andreas Lang, Head of Global Accounts and Packaging at Heidelberg. “Together, our goal is to enable the use of innovative printing and converting technologies with high-performance substrates that meet the growing expectations of the market and regulations.”
Cooperation with the Pfenning Group
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.
Caption: Andreas Lang, Senior Vice President Global Accounts & Packaging in Heidelberg, and Erja Hyrsky, Senior Vice President Commercial Operations at Metsä Board.
