Uhlmann Group: EU packaging regulations accelerate pace of transformation

"It's a marathon", Thomas Sievers says with conviction. But the Uhlmann Group's Future Business Manager has no doubts about achieving the goal of sustainability: "Solutions for sustainable packaging are increasingly in demand", says the 56-year-old.

The electrical engineer has been with the company for 19 years. He knows the company, the production division and the high demands on packaging, especially for the pharmaceutical industry. The Uhlmann Group's customers include Bayer, Novartis, Pfizer and AstraZeneca. But Thomas Sievers is not a fan of consulting buzzwords. On the contrary, he persistently pursues his goal like a long-distance runner.

This is the case with sustainability, which is becoming increasingly relevant with the new packaging regulations and the reporting obligation. The packaging industry has long been preparing for the EU packaging regulations PPWR, which are due to come into force in 2025. The final approval of the adopted draft by the Parliament and Council of the European Union is still pending, but it is considered a fait accompli. "The transparency of carbon footprints and supply chains will be just as important as financial controlling in the medium term, at least in large companies that are subject to CSRD reporting obligations", Sievers expects. This includes around 50,000 companies in the EU, and experts estimate that there are 15,000 such companies in Germany alone. This means that the pace of transformation is accelerating.

Sustainability is one of the Uhlmann Group's USPs, especially in the pharmaceutical packaging market. The company from Upper Swabia is recognised as a technology leader in this field, located in the centre of the region between Frankfurt, Stuttgart and Munich. Packaging Valley Germany is one of the world's most innovative and powerful clusters in the packaging industry. 

Almost a third of all machines in operation in the packaging sector worldwide come from Germany. The industry generated sales of more than 16.5 billion euros in the last financial year – an increase of five percent and a record figure. The 16 billion mark was exceeded for the first time, reports Beatrix Fraese, economic expert at the VDMA Food Processing and Packaging Machinery Association: "With exports of 86 percent, the German food processing and packaging machinery industry has an above-average level of activity in foreign markets. Last year, 53 percent were delivered to countries outside Europe, with a focus on Asia and North America. On the one hand, we benefit from the continuing high level of investment in automated, efficient and sustainable production and packaging technologies in industrialised countries, and from the growth dynamics of densely populated countries on the other."

To ensure that this remains the case, the business is investing: the Uhlmann Group invests around seven percent of its total sales (most recently 460 million euros) in research and development; a large proportion of this goes into the development of machines that offer sustainable production processes. Metrics such as the carbon footprint, energy monitoring and the validation of new materials have become the units that Thomas Sievers and his 2,600 colleagues use to calculate.

The result is packaging machines such as the PTC 200 or the BEC 400 blister line. Both are flagships of the new sustainable packaging generation: significantly more energy-efficient, flexible in terms of material processing and reliable in terms of performance. "Recyclable monomaterials and films made from renewable raw materials can be processed on the BEC 400. This has a positive effect on the ecological balance and the recyclability of the blisters produced. The sales units produced on the compact line fulfil all current requirements for the packaging of drugs in solid form", says Sievers. Such developments could strengthen Germany's pole position as a centre of innovation, also with regard to the dynamically growing market for food and pharmaceutical packaging.

VDMA economic expert Beatrix Fraese emphasises this for the entire industry: "We continue to see growth for our industry, as the global demand for safe and high-performance machines remains immense." The strongest investment drivers are hygiene and food safety, automation and efficiency improvements, resource conservation and sustainability in production and the packaging process.

This is a dynamic that the Laupheim-based business was quick to adapt to. In addition to the parent company Uhlmann Pac-Systeme, founded in 1948, the group also includes KOCH Pac-Systeme in the northern Black Forest, Cremer Speciaalmachines in the Netherlands, Axito in Poland and Wonder Packing Machinery in China. The business operates at a total of 20 locations in 14 countries worldwide.

Sievers sums up what all the companies in the Uhlmann Group have in common: "With our innovative packaging solutions, we ensure the global availability of sensitive products, from pharmaceuticals and food to healthcare, consumer goods and agriculture, to ensure better quality of life for generations to come."

And they are visibly successful, he says proudly. KOCH Pac-Systeme was honoured with the German Packaging Award 2021 for the Cycleform. This packaging type, made made entirely from organic fibre material, was also named a finalist for the German Sustainability Award. All this motivates the staff at Uhlmann to tackle the next uphill stretch of the marathon.