PPMA Total Show 2025: thoughts and reflections

Posted on 30 September 2025 by Sovereign Labelling Machines

As the UK’s biggest processing and packaging machinery exhibition, PPMA Total Show is one of the most important dates in the diary for our business.

Engaged brands and co-packers are the perfect audience for our labelling and sleeving technology, which is engineered to provide them with the perfect solution to their packaging challenges.

This year’s show was no exception and proved to be an extremely fruitful event for the team of Jordan Hynes, John Walsh, Todd Killington, and myself, who were present throughout.

Over the course of the three-day show, we were delighted to welcome existing customers and new contacts on to our stand. Those new to Sovereign were extremely interested in our expertise in building bespoke and modular solutions, while we caught up with current customers about their existing labelling and sleeving set-ups, expansion plans, and need for new production lines. This included conversations around upgrade projects for existing machines and the seamless on-site integration of additional solutions that take labelling and sleeving to the next level.

Food for thought

Many of these conversations were spurred on by our turnkey bottle labelling system that was running throughout the show.

This unique demonstration showcased the breadth of steps involved in truly efficient and effective labelling. The controlled and autonomous feeding of containers into and out of the line, followed by precise label application, inline coding, quality control  and verification, and security sleeving, was an inspiration for many.

The tight integration of third-party systems – including overprinting, coding and verification – into the high-speed labelling line provided further impetus for visitors to our stand to consider and rethink their current labelling operations and what they need for the future.

The horseshoe configuration of the demo line also evidenced how even those with the smallest floor plan and tightest, most inconvenient available space can have access to the best possible solutions. Using the expertise we have built up over the last 30-plus years and our bespoke manufacturing footprint in the UK, we are uniquely positioned to provide solutions to the most challenging customer requests.

Drink it in

Visualising is one of the most effective ways to communicate this message to customers.

While we were the architects of the line on display in collaboration with parent company The ENE Group, we owe a great deal of gratitude to our supply chain partners who helped bring the demonstration to life.

• The highly decorated labels, which were striking with their black and gold design and expertly converted, were provided by fellow Essex-based business Label Solutions;
• A thermal transfer overprinter (TTO) from Clearmark was integrated to the applicator and added late-stage product-level information (best before dates) to the pre-printed labels;
• The lid and body labels were applied to containers produced by European packaging products heavyweight, Pont Packaging, and provided the perfect canvas to demonstrate our ability to turn humble labelling into artwork to be celebrated;
• Keyence provided an IV4 vision sensor with built-in AI, which was used to confirm the data overprinted on the label was present and if not, rejected the defective product off the line;
• A continuous inkjet (CIJ) module from Germany’s Leibinger prints critical product-level information, such as best before dates, lot numbers and other variable data, directly onto the containers. This printer was supplied by Rotech Machines, a distributor for Leibinger systems in the UK; and
• Neck sleeves using films from Viscose Closures in Wales served as a demonstration of additional product security and completed this truly international alliance of supply chain partners.

Together, we each contributed to a standout demonstration of not only what labelling could be but what it must be to provide a striking and impactful shelf presence for brands and their products.

This made a real impact on the busy show floor of PPMA Total Show 2025 and made sure we stood out as the preeminent supplier of labelling and sleeving technology to brands and co-packers alike.

We are also delighted to be featured at the show as a designated ‘Partner in Automation’ by our trusted partner and long-time collaborator, SMC, which develops pneumatic and automation solutions.

Thank you to all those who visited our stand at PPMA Total Show 2025. We look forward to following up and working with you on the next iteration of your labelling and sleeving journey.

For further information, please explore our website to discover our labelling and sleeving solutions and contact us to discuss your needs.