Thermoforming Equipment to Outperform Most Other Packaging Machinery Types Through 2026

A new Freedonia Group analysis projects global demand for packaging machinery to advance to expand 5.8% per year through 2026 to $71.1 billion. Although from a small base, thermoforming machinery is expect to outperform most other product types:

• Thermoforming is the process of heating thin plastic film or sheets and then forming them into various shapes.
• Thermoforming equipment used in packaging applications is generally used to produce vacuum, blister, skin, MAP/CAP, and other film based shaped packages.
• These machines differ from form-fill-seal equipment because they form the packaging material themselves, giving them greater capabilities and versatility.

Through 2026, demand for thermoforming equipment will be boosted by rapidly rising demand for blister, skin, and clamshell packaging due to their ability to extent the shelf-life and preserve the appearance of such products as meats, poultry, and seafood.

However, the high cost of thermoforming packaging equipment and its limited availability is some parts of the world will prevent the segment from registering larger gains.

Want to Learn More?

Global Packaging Machinery is now available from The Freedonia Group. This study provides historical data for 2011, 2016, and 2021, and forecasts for 2026 and 2031 for global packaging machinery shipments, demand by product type, and net exports on a country-by-country basis, valued in millions of current US dollars, including inflation.

Products:

• filling equipment
• case forming, packing, and sealing machinery
• labeling and coding machinery
• wrapping equipment
• other types of packaging machinery
• packaging machinery parts

Demand is also analyzed by the following markets:

• food
• beverage
• pharmaceuticals and personal care products
• chemicals
• other markets