India’s packaging industry stands at a defining moment. As Bharat Next takes shape – with accelerated growth, deeper localization, and an increasing emphasis on sustainability – manufacturers are under pressure to deliver greater variety, smaller batch sizes, and higher throughput, without compromising quality. Traditional automation models, built for stability rather than change, are no longer sufficient. What the industry needs today is adaptive automation.
“At B&R, adaptive automation is not a vision for tomorrow, it is how we are enabling packaging manufacturers today,” says Jhankar Dutta, regional managing director – Southern and Eastern Asia, B&R Industrial Automation. “Modern packaging lines must respond dynamically to changing SKUs, materials, regulatory requirements, and customer expectations. Across FMCG, pharmaceuticals, food, and specialty packaging, flexibility has become a business necessity. Through B&R’s integrated automation approach, machines are designed to adapt intelligently, seamlessly, and in real time – allowing manufacturers to respond faster to market demands while protecting long-term investment value.”
A clear illustration of this shift is seen in intelligent transport systems such as ACOPOStrak, SuperTrak and ACOPOS 6D. These solutions fundamentally redefine product movement within packaging lines. By replacing fixed mechanical formats with independently controlled product carriers, manufacturers gain unprecedented flexibility. Reduced foot-print of the lines.Faster changeovers, mass customization, reduced mechanical complexity, and significantly higher overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) make these systems ideally suited to India’s high-mix, high-volume production environment.
Machines and robotics collaborate seamlessly to improve performance and efficiency. Machine builders get their robots and machine control system from a single source. They need only one controller and one engineering system for development, diagnostics and maintenance. This lowers the threshold for those who want to implement robotics.
Dutta explains, “With ACOPOStrak, SuperTrak and ACOPOS 6D, packaging lines move beyond mechanical constraints – unlocking independent product flow and true adaptive automation. Software is equally central to this transformation. Through mapp Technology, B&R enables modular, reusable software components that reduce engineering effort and simplify scalability. When combined with OPC UA and open standards, packaging machines become data-ready by design – capable of seamless integration with MES, ERP, and digital quality systems. For CXOs, this means faster commissioning, easier replication across plants, and digitalization that scales beyond pilot projects – an essential requirement for Bharat Next manufacturing.”
Sustainability, increasingly a boardroom priority, is embedded within adaptive automation. Precise motion control, energy-efficient servo drives, and regenerative power solutions enable manufacturers to reduce energy consumption and material waste while maintaining high productivity. This supports not only ESG commitments but also long-term cost competitiveness.
What truly distinguishes adaptive automation, however, is its people-centric design. Intuitive HMIs, simulation tools, and digital twins allow machine builders and end users to visualize, optimize, and validate packaging lines before physical commissioning. This reduces deployment risk, accelerates time-to-value, and empowers local engineering talent – aligning strongly with the Bharat Next vision of capability building and self-reliance.
“India’s packaging industry is not just expanding; it is evolving. The next phase of growth will be led by manufacturers who can adapt quickly, innovate continuously, and scale sustainably. At B&R, backed by the global strength of the ABB Group, we are proud to partner with customers and machine builders on this journey – bringing adaptive automation to life for Bharat Next,” concludes Dutta.
