Talking Automation, Sustainability, and Smarter Packaging with Viking Masek
This year at PACK EXPO Las Vegas, we sat down with the team from Viking Masek for a live episode of their Wrapping Things Up podcast. The show floor was buzzing with rows of machines, endless film rolls, and that familiar hum of innovation. It was the perfect setting to talk about how automation, design, and sustainability are shaping what’s next for packaging. Here's a synopsis of what we covered on the pod:
Format and Material Shifts Are Accelerating
One thing we’re seeing across the board: packaging is becoming leaner, smarter, and more adaptive. Traditional 16 oz formats are giving way to 12 oz or 10 oz versions to balance cost, shelf presence, and sustainability. We’re also seeing growth in multi-size strategies, variety packs, sample sizes, and club-size formats, all powered by automation that can handle quick changeovers.
Material science is keeping pace too. More brands are shifting toward monomaterials and lightweight recyclable films, replacing complex laminates without compromising barrier performance. These changes require close coordination between machine settings, material specs, and brand teams, since every decision ripples through the supply chain.
Balancing Design, Function, and Sustainability
We often describe packaging strategy as a Venn diagram; design, machine, and material overlapping to find balance. Optimizing for one usually affects the others. While a recyclable film may need different seal temperatures, a downgauged pouch might shift how it displays on-shelf. Our conversation with Viking Masek reinforced how critical it is to involve engineers, designers, and production teams early in the process.
The real takeaway: innovation isn’t just about the next new substrate or closure; it’s about aligning every layer of decision-making so brands can adapt faster and stay compliant.
Partnerships, Not Transactions
The future of packaging will belong to collaborative partnerships, not transactional supplier relationships. Viking Masek’s approach is helping brands evolve machinery and process alongside design and sustainability goals, which mirrors how we operate at PCKG.
When converters, equipment manufacturers, and brand teams collaborate proactively, it reduces downtime, prevents missteps, and keeps packaging strategies agile enough to handle tomorrow’s shifts in regulation and consumer behavior.
The Coffee Connection
In categories like coffee packaging, innovation hits the shelf first. It’s a product where design and function are inseparable because consumers care about freshness, but they also expect storytelling and quality through every touchpoint. Smaller bag sizes, reclosable features, and improved valves are helping brands reduce waste while keeping their identity strong.
We also talked about how these moves are driven not just by regulation, but by consumer experience, and how automation enables those choices at scale.
Automation + Sustainability = The Future
Automation and sustainability aren’t separate conversations anymore. As labor costs rise and ESG commitments tighten, brands are re-evaluating entire packaging systems, rather than just individual SKUs. The most successful brands are designing packaging that’s machine-friendly, material-efficient, and visually strong all at once.
That’s the intersection where we’re focusing our work at PCKG: connecting machine, material, and design so our partners can move fast without compromising quality or compliance.
Final Thoughts
Recording live at PACK EXPO reminded us how fast this industry is evolving. Packaging is no longer a cost center; it’s a brand’s physical interface with the world. Every film, fold, and feature carries purpose.
We left the show energized about what’s ahead and grateful for partners like Viking Masek who share that same forward-looking approach.
You can listen to the full episode here:
🎧 Packaging Trends with Purpose: Innovation, Design & Sustainability