An international group of young engineers have convened at Sidel’s Octeville-sur-Mer site in northern France to explore and solve packaging, sustainability, and automation challenges.
The 19-strong ensemble spent three weeks working alongside Sidel experts on topics including sustainable operations and packaging, digital technologies and industrial artificial intelligence (AI), robotics and human machine-collaboration, computer vision and AI-based inspection for quality and mechatronics, and intelligent machine control, the packaging equipment manufacturer said.
The initiative, known as Nextgen Innovation Lab, combined technical workshops, site visits, customer engagement and hands-on project work.
Students were split into teams to develop proof of concepts, prototypes and business cases, before presenting their final results to a panel of senior Sidel leaders and technical experts.
Developing new talent
The Nextgen Innovation Lab forms part of a wider commitment by Sidel to develop future engineering talent, strengthen relationships with leading universities across Europe, and encourage fresh thinking to help shape the future of sustainable packaging.
Sidel held an awards ceremony at the end of the programme to celebrate outstanding achievements across five categories, including Best Overall Innovation, Most Customer-Centric Solution, Most Disruptive Concept, Most Inspiring Speech and Most Ready-to-Apply Solution.
“Innovation happens when different perspectives come together,” said Ko Hoepman, executive vice-president of equipment, innovation and portfolio at Sidel.
“The Nextgen Innovation Lab created a unique environment where young engineers could collaborate with Sidel experts, challenge existing thinking and develop solutions to real industrial challenges.
‘Fresh perspectives and enthusiasm’
“Throughout the programme, participants demonstrated impressive creativity, technical expertise and collaboration, bringing fresh perspectives and enthusiasm that made this an inspiring experience for everyone involved.”
One student said: “I didn’t realise there was so much innovation and such a wide range of expertise behind the manufacturing of the products I use every day, and that’s been a very pleasant surprise. My first impression of Sidel was very good. It’s clearly a company that values its talent, from engineers to operators.”
Another added: “It’s refreshing to work on real industrial challenges while having direct access to experts who are so open to sharing their knowledge.”
At Interpack 2026, Sidel revealed how increasing packaging line complexity is driving demand for automation, robotics and more connected production systems across food, beverage, home care and personal care markets.
