Rockwell Automation announces Best Future Machine Award winner

The final shortlist and eventual winners were chosen by a prestigious judging panel comprising representatives from four international manufacturers: Johnson & Johnson, Procter & Gamble, Kimberly Clark and Nestl©; and two major European trade associations: UCIMA and GEPPIA.

Cama Group is known globally for the cutting-edge technology and reliability of its packaging systems. The packaging machines and the robotised lines, designed, manufactured and installed by the Italian company worldwide, can be used in food and non-food industries and cover the whole primary and secondary packaging processes, from the line entrance to the end-of-line packaging operations, before palletising.

The award-winning machine is the company's new IF318 Robotised Monoblock Loading Unit. It incorporates many of the features that make Cama's machines standout, including cabinet-free technology, ergonomics and friendly use. Of particular interest is Cama's use of the innovative iTRAK intelligent track system from Rockwell Automation.

Cama rated highly in a number of categories, including ease-of-use, where it came top. According to the jury members the Cama machine ticked a lot of boxes and showed how an integrated, modular design concept can be flexible and suit multiple applications.

Other category winners included:

Smart Machines

Goglio won with its GCap6, a filling machine for aluminium capsules. The judges were impressed with machine's remote access capabilities and its use of the Connected Enterprise.

Modular machines

Gebo Cermex's modular CareSelect infeed system stood out for its product handling, where movers are only in contact with bottle for 0.3 seconds.

Sustainability

The judges particularly liked CMC Machinery's CartonPack box-on-demand system, which produces optimum box sizes with minimal packaging waste.

Traceability & Product Safety

SN Maschinenbau's FM 200 pouch packaging machine's communication capabilities - designed with Industrie 4.0 in mind - offered a raft of data capture possibilities for traceability.

Commenting on the judging process, one jury member explains: "This was an incredibly tough competition to judge as some of the machines we saw really did impress us across multiple areas. It is obvious to see that innovation really is alive and kicking in the packaging industry and I am convinced that some of these machines will very quickly establish themselves as class leaders."

The winner was announced at a ceremony held on the Rockwell Automation stand on the evening of the first day of the interpack show. Cama will be given free flights and hotel accommodation to the Automation Fairevent, 15-16 November 2017 at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, Texas, USA. While at the Automation Fair event, Rockwell Automation will give Cama representatives the opportunities to meet senior management teams and key industry personnel from the USA. Go to www.rockwellautomation.co.uk to learn more.