Packaging systems OEM MULTIVAC is using Interpack 2026 to set out its vision of Smart Production, with a stand (Hall 5, A23) focused on how digitalization, integrated line solutions, and AI can deliver measurable gains in efficiency, transparency and sustainability in food production.
AI at the heart of the line
The centerpiece of the MULTIVAC exhibit is an AI-supported TX traysealer line designed to demonstrate what flexible, high-throughput packaging looks like in practice. The line handles the simultaneous packaging of different products fed from two or more separate infeed streams, with AI-controlled product identification managing format switching. Intelligent “print and apply” labelling is integrated into the same workflow, allowing the traysealer to run at full capacity without manual intervention between product changeovers.
The TX 720 traysealer at the heart of the demonstration is fed in parallel from multiple streams, illustrating a production model that could reduce downtime and improve yield in high-mix food environments.
Vision systems for printing and sealing integrity
Alongside the line demonstrations, MULTIVAC is showing a range of vision systems aimed at contamination control in the sealing area. These detect product residue between the film and the sealing surface, and are said to work with transparent, partially printed and fully printed films — a notable step given the industry’s move towards more complex print treatments on sustainable packaging substrates.
The systems can be integrated directly into thermoforming machines or deployed as stand-alone units downstream of existing equipment. Control is handled through the packaging machine’s HMI, keeping the operator interface centralised rather than adding a separate screen to the line. Modular construction is intended to allow configuration to individual line layouts.
Thermoforming: the RX Ultimate
MULTIVAC is also exhibiting its RX Ultimate thermoforming packaging machine, positioned as a benchmark product for the thermoforming category. The machine features pixelHEAT and pixelSEAL technology, which the company says optimises process reliability when running ultra-thin and sustainable film materials. Multi-sensor control and online connectivity are cited as the means by which consistent pack quality and high output are maintained across production runs.
Services and connectivity
Running alongside the hardware exhibits is MULTIVAC’s CustomCare after-sales offer, a portfolio of services tailored to specific products and production conditions. The framing here is broader than traditional maintenance: Dominik Rotter, Senior Director for Digital Products and Transformation at MULTIVAC, describes productivity as a function of the whole line being networked and predictive, not just the individual machine being well maintained.
MULTIVAC’s Smart Services platform, which includes predictive maintenance capabilities, is being presented as the means by which human expertise and machine intelligence are brought together — connecting people, machines, services and data within a single digital framework.
MULTIVAC at Interpack
Interpack runs in Düsseldorf from 7 to 13 May 2026. MULTIVAC’s Smart Production theme sits alongside its other Interpack exhibits this year, which include Smart Packaging and Healthcare Packaging. For food producers and packaging line operators, the exhibit is worth attention for the AI-driven multi-stream traysealing demonstration alone — it represents a practical illustration of where adaptive, AI-controlled packaging lines are heading.
