At interpack 2026, TNA used the global stage to showcase more than a new high-speed packaging platform – it also signalled the next phase of the Australian-founded company’s manufacturing, digitalisation and global growth strategy.
For TNA, interpack has always been more than just another trade show. Speaking with PKN at the company’s expansive Düsseldorf stand, CEO Michael Jonson described the event as being “centralised in TNA’s past”, tracing back to the company founders, Alf and Nadia Taylor's earliest appearances at the show “outside in a tent”.
Today, the company occupies a prominent position at the world’s largest packaging and processing exhibition, reflecting both its global scale and ambitions.
“We believe interpack is one of the industry flagships,” Jonson said. “It gives us the opportunity to showcase what TNA is about, which is innovation, and we’ve done that since the beginning.”
That innovation focus was front and centre this year, particularly through the launch of the new tna robag Quantum vertical form fill seal platform, which Jonson described as the culmination of three years of engineering development and customer input.
“Quantum is really the core of what TNA started many years ago,” he said. “It’s about high speed, high efficiency, high productivity – but also simplicity.”
The system has been engineered to deliver greater throughput while making operation more intuitive through enhanced software and data visibility. According to Jonson, the machine is designed for manufacturers seeking productivity gains in increasingly space-constrained and labour-constrained environments.
“We’ve tried to make the machine a lot more intuitive,” he said. “It gives customers more data points while delivering the kind of throughput and efficiency they’re looking for.”
[Watch PKN's video interview with TNA's Simon Hill moments after the Quantum was launched at interpack.]
Innovation focus
Beyond the machine launch itself, TNA’s broader innovation strategy is increasingly focused on automation, predictive analytics, remote support and immersive digital technologies.
Jonson said many of the company’s major customers are now looking towards highly autonomous production environments, with manufacturers asking suppliers to help address workforce shortages and productivity pressures.
“They are asking us, ‘Please help us manage some of the critical risks we are facing’,” he said. “One of those is really around resourcing and productivity.”
To support that transition, TNA is investing heavily in technologies including remote diagnostics, remote training and XR-enabled digital environments. At interpack, the company showcased elements of its XR Zone, including digital twins and immersive factory visualisation tools designed to support training, maintenance and production planning.
“We are looking at how we can seamlessly automate the entire line for our customers,” Jonson said. “It’s about helping minimise downtime and allowing a more seamless production environment.”
While TNA now operates across approximately 137 countries, with North America currently representing its strongest growth market, the company continues to position Australia as the heartland of its manufacturing and innovation activities.
In commercial terms, Australia represents only around three per cent of the company’s total market. Yet despite that relatively small domestic sales contribution, the business continues to deepen its manufacturing footprint locally.
“Australia has always been the centre of everything for TNA,” Jonson said.
The company recently acquired a large new manufacturing facility outside Melbourne, where it is consolidating key parts of its operations. TNA’s confectionery systems manufacturing has already been relocated from Sydney to Victoria, with packaging operations also expected to transition into the expanded site.
The move is designed to create a centralised manufacturing and integration hub, bringing engineering, production and systems expertise together under one roof.
“When we have most of our manufacturing in one location, it allows for better integration,” Jonson said. “It allows the teams to work much more closely together.”
The Melbourne consolidation also reflects broader workforce and operational considerations, including access to manufacturing talent and engineering capability.
“We had an ageing demographic and wanted to bring fresh engineers and new manufacturing talent into the company,” Johnson said. “Melbourne is still one of Australia’s major manufacturing centres.”
The facility expansion reinforces TNA’s long-standing identity as an Australian manufacturing exporter. Over several decades, the company has built a global footprint while continuing to design and manufacture much of its technology locally.
“We’ve always been proud as an Australian brand taking Australian manufacturing and technology to the world,” Jonson said.
That export orientation remains central to the business as global demand continues to shift across regions including North Africa, the Middle East and Southeast Asia, where TNA is seeing increasing levels of customer inquiry and investment.
At the same time, the company is also focusing on strengthening relationships with Australian and New Zealand customers through enhanced service and operational support.
“When customers are not necessarily investing heavily in new capital equipment, we need to help them get the most out of the equipment they already have,” Jonson said.
As for the new Quantum platform, Australia could well become one of its first real-world deployment sites.
“We’re in a privileged situation where we are going to have to choose where to place the first Quantum systems because of the level of demand,” Jonson said.
“There is definitely strong interest from a major Australian customer.”
