Autopack Group, the leading independent packaging machinery supplier, has unveiled its new, handling, weighing and inspection division, Autoweigh. The new addition to the Autopack family showcased its range of British-manufactured equipment at this year’s PPMA Show, including one of the show’s stars, a 12-head multihead weigher, potentially the world’s smallest.
The bespoke low-level machine is designed for ready meal applications and is suitable for products such as herbs, breadcrumbs and various toppings. The belts feed into six top boxes and the product is then transferred into 12 weigh pans. The machine decides on the quickest combination for the right weight of product to move onto the ready meals.
In addition, the scalable, mobile and compact solution has a unique drive and control system allowing it to drive six belts individually delivering precision control with minimal space. The design has several patents pending.
“This is a brilliant demonstration of British engineering at its best,” said Autopack Group Managing Director Wayne Kedward. “We don’t know of any smaller machine of this type on the market and it’s the result of us listening to a key customer and responding with a highly innovative solution. We are really pleased with how well the weigher was received and it has created a lot of interest across many applications.
“It’s why we’ve added Autoweigh to our group of companies – the expertise, invention and creativity underlines what we’re about in the Autopack Group. We deliver precision in engineering and project delivery as well as innovation through our expertise and experience. This year’s PPMA Show – our biggest yet – underlined our commitment across a range of markets, whether rigid or flexible packaging.”
Based in Bromsgrove, Autoweigh provides UK-made handling, weighing and inspection solutions for manufacturers across a broad range of industries. Its equipment can be supplied as a standalone solution or integrated with Autopack’s flexible and rigid packaging machinery, helping manufacturers improve accuracy, consistency and production efficiency.
Another launch at the show was from Autopack’s APM division. The AP500 auger-fed gross weigher system, designed for B2B sellers, filling 10 to 50 kilograms of powder or granular products into open-top sacks. The semi-automatic machine can fill 4 to 5 bags a minute and is pitched predominantly at food ingredient manufacturers.
Visitors to the PPMA Show also saw a demonstration of a full turnkey rigid packaging line for liquid, which featured an unscrambler for plastic bottles, as well as air rinsing, filling and capping equipment. On the flexibles side, Autopack demonstrated its versatility in premade doypacks and pouches with the MH25 set up for sports nutrition powders. In addition, the MH200 Spouted Pouch machine was configured for shampoo refills – a market and packaging format that’s set to grow.
“The PPMA Show 2026 highlighted just how exciting the future is for the Autopack Group,” added Wayne Kedward. “We have proved again to the market that we are the leading independent supplier of packaging machinery, and that we have the technology to pack almost anything. We’re also not stopping there – Autopack is set to grow in the coming year with more announcements on the way.”
Hereford-headquartered Autopack Group reported a tenfold increase in turnover over five years and, since 2021, has increased its workforce from five to 50.
The group’s growth has also included the acquisitions of Technosys and APM. Technosys brought established vertical form, fill and seal expertise into the business, while the purchase of APM, formerly Autopak Machinery, expanded Autopack’s capabilities in bespoke bulk bag handling, sack filling and palletisation equipment. Both businesses now contribute to the group’s flexible packaging machinery offering for its growing roster of clients.