10 minute read
CCE INTERNATIONAL 2025
Munich spotlights industry resilience and innovation at CCE International 2025
The tradeshow brought together key players in corrugated and carton board production to present and discuss bespoke processing solutions for today’s evolving markets
Attendees of the recent CCE International, one of Europe’s premier trade fairs in Munich, discovered the future of corrugated and folding carton packaging.
The tradeshow brought together key players in corrugated and carton board production to present and discuss bespoke processing solutions for today’s evolving markets.
Over three days, visitors explored an impressive variety and showcase of live machinery and high-tech equipment while engaging with leading suppliers.
Many of the 100 specialist exhibitors brought their live machinery to Munich, showcasing a new generation of highspeed equipment packed with advanced automation and digital features to boost connectivity and workflows.
Sustainability remained a key focus and theme at the event, with energy-efficient machinery helping manufacturers cut waste and shrink their environmental footprint.
As the international meeting point for sourcing efficient and cost-effective production solutions, CCE International 2025 embraced resilience and innovation, connecting industry stakeholders to the latest technology developments and international producers in the sector.
Industry leaders used the opportunity to unveil cutting-edge solutions and provided attendees with strategies on how to navigate a landscape primed for growth, with projections indicating a steady rise in demand and significant investment in capacity.
Visitors included professionals from corrugated board plants, sheet plants, corrugated sheet feeders, folding carton converters, packaging designers, specifiers, rigid carton manufacturers, honeycomb board manufacturers, core board and core tube manufacturers, and trade agencies.
As a highly specialised marketplace, CCE International provided exclusive access and networking opportunities with international brands including: Vice, Officina Meccanica Sestese, Tien Chin Yu Machinery, Talleres Serra, Macarbox, Baysek Machines, Höcker Polytechnik, Messersì Packaging, Bahmüller, Pentatech, Balemaster Europe, Robatech, Solarco Machinery, Kolbus Group, EDF Europe, and CUIR Corrugated.
“Every production line has unique requirements, making off-the-shelf solutions rare. Investing in custom-built machinery is a long-term commitment, and having a reliable supplier ensures not only seamless integration but also ongoing technical support and innovation,” RX paper and print events event director for converting Patrick Herman said.
“CCE International provides a hands-on experience with direct access to live machinery and – just as importantly –a collaborative environment to build lasting partnerships that help businesses stay competitive. Our entire show concept was built around the industry’s three key pillars: tailored solutions, expert guidance, and futureproof technologies.
“CCE International offers a well-known international platform to personally meet manufacturers and see their latest machinery live and in action. Attendees addressed their specific production requirements in a matter of hours rather than doing months of online research.”
RX is the organiser of CCE International.
Exhibits covered the full spectrum of corrugating lines and corrugated converting equipment, folding carton converting equipment, systems for machine and plant control, materials handling and warehousing, waste extraction and baling, consumables, as well as print machinery, systems and solutions.
Buyers had the chance to see live machinery in action, gaining additional insight and opportunity to carefully assess the benefits of innovative solutions for streamlining their production.
From regulatory changes to evolving consumer preferences, this event also identified insights and opportunities that will shape the industry’s trajectory for years to come.
This highly specialised event acknowledged the longstanding role of the corrugated and folding carton sector as a cornerstone of packaging solutions through two conference streams:
The CCE Conference stream offered an engaging programme of technical talks on the latest trends and developments in the corrugated and carton board sector, with a focus on optimising production processes and value creation.
The Print Conference stream covered print applications in corrugated and folding carton production lines, such as direct-to-corrugated digital printing, flexographic printing for high-volume jobs, or premium print solutions for luxury or high-end retail packaging.
Designed as open seminars, sessions featured representatives from Aumann Lauchheim, Brasilata, BST, COMEXI, Dr. Hönle, ENLYZE, Erhard + Leimer, Fraunhofer IVV, Hewlett Packard (HP), INGEDE, Koenig & Bauer, Kurt Zecher, Meteor Inkjet, MICOR, OPTIMA life science, Plastics Europe, PLG-Consultant, Schreiner Group, Seiko Instruments, Tietoevry, Webfed, Xaar, and other leading suppliers.
The broad agenda covered a wide range of topics, including digital and inkjet printing, label production, packaging, high-speed drying processes, strategic partnerships, sustainability, API-driven communication, e-productivity, automation and digitisation, advanced coating techniques, the circular transition of plastics, as well as new substrates and materials. A dedicated conference stream on ‘Printing for Packaging’ also took place at the show.
HP GTM manager Wolfram Verwuester spoke about hybrid print production in corrugated cardboard printing, and the need to bridge conventional and digital technologies.
As the corrugated packaging industry is evolving rapidly, driven by the changing consumer demands, shorter production cycled, and increasing sustainability requirements, he explored how hybrid print production, combining digital inkjet and conventional flexographic printing, is necessary in today’s environment.
Verwuester spoke about the new HP PageWide T700i build with Koenig & Bauer, and how the company is pushing the boundaries with PageWide technology and the new Gen 5 Printheads, blending digital precision with flexo efficiency for better profits.
Examples of exhibitor showcases
Suppliers brought their latest innovations to their stands, showcasing the capabilities of these machines and solutions.
Graffica was at CCE International showcasing the Century MWZ 1670Q automatic flatbed die cutter. The machine features a highspeed lead edge feeder paired with a robust feeding table, making it suitable for cutting both corrugated boards and laminated sheets. It also has a height-adjustable back stopper for warped sheets feeding.
The die cutter’s automatic self-lubrication system ensures smooth running, while its central positioning system enables fast job changeover and easy machine set-up. Its gear drive system used as a main drive provides high speed operation.
The machine’s stripping section has a central positioning system, simplifying the stripping die set-up and allowing for fast job changeovers. Its heavy-duty double action stripper efficiently removes waste, ensuring positive stripping. The waste separator at the front removes trim waste from the sheet and transfers it to the machine drive side by conveyor belt.
Graffica installed the same machine at a converter’s premises in South Australia in March.
Messersì Packaging allowed attendees to explore its range of solutions and discuss how these technologies can support their needs.
Messersì Packaging established its position into the market with the production of PP and PET strapping band and now offers a complete range of packaging machines including automatic and semi-automatic strapping machines, wrapping machines, hooding machines, thermo-shrinking system and complete packaging lines.
Its focus is on state-of-the-art technology, process innovation, and on heightening awareness of its products and services. The company most recently installed a new wrapping machine at Robotic Automation, a NSW-based automation machinery manufacturing company, ensuring performance and efficiency for the customer.
BCM Transtech presented its smart storage solutions and efficient tooling logistics for the corrugated, folding carton and flexible packaging industries, educating attendees on how they can transform operations.
The company designs, manufactures, and installs innovative and effective customised storage solutions for cutting dies, printing plates, and sleeves – from manual handling to fully-automatic systems.
Its wide product assortment consists of flexo stereo storages, printing sleeve storages, and rotary and flatbed die storages. In addition, its complementary products consist of mobilators, trolleys, mezzanine elevators, steel sheet cladding, and fully automatic flexo stereo cleaning.
COMEXI, a global partner for flexible packaging converting, brought to CCE International its expertise in solutions that cover the entire process – from flexo, offset, and digital printing to slitting, laminating and end-of-line systems.
Attendees to the company’s booth discovered how its latest flexible packaging conversion technologies are designed to reduce carbon footprints while delivering exceptional quality. They also learnt more about COMEXI’s Offset CI, a solution that combines efficiency, sustainability and premium print results.
COMEXI has a technological centre in Bangkok, Thailand, which services the Asia Pacific region – COMEXI’s most important region for the flexible packaging market as it represents more than 46 per cent of its global consumption.
Vice, an Italian chemical company founded in 1999 that specialises in the research, production, and distribution of industrial chemical auxiliaries, took to CCE International to inform attendees about its best chemical specialties for corrugated board.
Some of its products showcased were:
DROP ONDA – Vice’s range of biodegradable liquid gluing assistants that are environmentally friendly and can be used in all starch formulations. DROP ONDA aims to increase machine speed, productivity and mechanical properties of corrugated board.
FIX ONDA – Vice’s range of gluing assistants for different starch formulations in liquid form that acts on different levels, improving the quality of glue for corrugated cardboard.
TAKE ONDA gamma – Vice’s anti-friction/ silicone protective lubricant that aims to provide smoothness on the heating plates, minimising friction and increasing machine speed. The TAKE ONDA T range includes cutting blade protectors that provide a high level of protection and smoothness for all types of blades, reducing friction with the corrugated board and extending their life.
German machinery manufacturing company Kolbus Group brought its expertise in special machine construction for packaging production and corrugated board processing to CCE International.
It showcased its Box maker BX Motion Pro, a machine that creates customised short-run corrugated box production.
It enables production of a wide range of folded packaging (FEFCO types) and custom box styles, including wraps, telescopic boxes, trays, lids, sleeves, and interior features such as inserts, layer pads, and dividers in corrugated board.
With inline digital printing and inline gluing, it allows creasing and countercreasing, cutting lengthwise and crosswise, slitting, die-cutting, and printing in one pass, as well as a MultiOut function for multiple corrugated board blanks arranged next to each other.
Officina Meccanica Sestese showcased its latest innovations in the corrugated and folding carton sectors at CCE International, including its ILS1300/1600 in-line strapping machine, designed specifically for the corrugated cardboard converting industry. This machine aims to offer seamless integration with casemaker and folding-gluing equipment, enhancing the efficiency of strap application in the production process.
The ILS1300/1600 is designed to be installed on the outgoing side of casemaker and folding-glueing equipment for the application of straps in the direction of flow. After the pack of cardboard boxes comes out of the casemaker, it is conveyed, compacted sideways, and kept perfectly squared up to the strapping area. The range includes two basic models, ILS1300 and ILS1600, to process different pack widths.
Established to successfully bridge the gap between traditional rotary and flatbed corrugated paper die cutting, Baysek Machines took to the event to allow attendees to get a closer look at its C190 Die Cutter.
Manufactured in the US, the Baysek C190 Die Cutter requires only one operator to run the machine. A full stack of sheets is fed into the machine and processed, with the nick-free finished die-cut parts exiting the machine, counted, and stacked seamlessly and quickly, ready for immediate shipping.
The company said this machine allows savings on time and additional labour costs, as no further handling is required. The C190 Die Cutter can also process and die-cut all grades of corrugated from single face up to double wall and solid board.
Images courtesy of LinkedIn.
