Digital Transformation

Obsolescence Poses Growing Risk

All stakeholders have a role to play in communicating, planning for, and managing obsolescence events.

August 4, 2026

Digital Transformation

Coding & Marking

Polytag Announces Compatibility with Videojet Technologies to Enable Smart QR Code Printing on Production Lines

Polytag

The collaboration connects coding systems with Polytag’s platform to generate GS1-compliant QR codes containing live product data at the point of manufacture.

August 3, 2026

Digital Transformation

Auburn University RFID Lab

1550 E Glenn Ave

Auburn, AL 36849

July 24, 2026

Logistics/Supply Chain

Pilot from Walmart, Hanes/Gildan Teaches Cartons to Talk via RFID, 2D

A GS1 US initiative nicknamed Operation Brilliance gave 30,000 apparel cartons a web address of their own. The eight-week pilot gave Walmart and Hanesbrands (now Gildan) their first true end-to-end view of what actually moves through the supply chain.

July 23, 2026

Podcasts

Through the Line Podcast: AI Lights the Path for a Circular Future

What are the dominant forces shaping packaging over the next decade?Editor-in-Chief Matt Reynolds sits down with Brian Wagner, co-founder of PTIS Global, to discuss how AI is reshaping packaging faster than expected. New PTIS research shows brand owners, data, and technical expertise will define who leads, and who falls behind.

July 14, 2026

Digital Transformation

Robotics Industry ‘Poised for an Explosion of Growth’

Automation leaders say the next wave of robotics growth will depend on systems that are simpler to use, easier to maintain, and able to improve after deployment, with humanoid robots adding new questions around task, form, and safety.

July 9, 2026

Logistics/Supply Chain

'Hard and Messy': What Sysco Learned by Getting Out in Front of EPR Reporting

Packaged food distributor Sysco started building its EPR data infrastructure two years ago, before most brand owners knew they would need one. Now, fees are live. Here's what a sustainability director at Sysco learned when she looked around and realized she was ahead of the curve.

July 7, 2026

Podcasts

Through the Line Podcast: AI Mines Product Reviews for Packaging Insights

How does PackSense, an AI-powered system for product quality insights, address the gap between controlled testing and real-world experience?

July 7, 2026

Digital Transformation

Boxed Water Brand Hands Heavy Case Stacking to Robotics

The brand turned to a full-service robotic automation model to take physical strain off workers at the end of the line while maintaining uptime and adapting to a growing case mix.

July 2, 2026

Digital Transformation

Ask the Right Questions of AI in Packaging

AI is accelerating packaging innovation—but long-term success depends on defining the right problems before seeking the right answers.

June 29, 2026

Robotics

AI Must Earn Its Place on the Control Layer

In a keynote address at Automate, Siemens Digital Industries leaders Chris Stevens and Annemarie Breu walked the audience through what it takes for AI and automation to deliver real shop-floor impact.

June 23, 2026

Robotics

Getting Industrial Automation Right the First Time

Vention's Brendan Sterne argues that simulation, digital twins, and AI-assisted virtual commissioning are turning costly automation rework into a digital exercise.

June 23, 2026

Robotics

Physical AI Dominates Automate 2026’s Opening Day, While Humanoids Steal the Show Floor

New eight-axis arms, seven-axis cobots, and AI-driven platforms put physical AI to work in Chicago. Backflipping robots and coffee-pouring humanoids are the fun part, but they aren't ready for the packaging line.

June 23, 2026