drinktec exhibitor preview: part 1

Enjoy part 1 of our exclusive preview of what to expect from some of the exhibiting companies at this year’s drinktec edition, taking place from 15 to 19 September 2025.

Ball Corporation – Stands C2-323 & C2-325

Image: Ball Corporation

Ball is preparing to make a bold statement at this year’s drinktec event – one the company sees as especially pivotal. This year, Ball expects the energy at the event to be high and the dialogue even sharper around key themes such as innovation, circularity, brand experience and consumer engagement.

“For us, it’s a chance to connect in person, listen, share – and most importantly, co-create the future with our customers,” said David Martin, vice president, global head of enterprise strategy and marketing at Ball Corporation.

“We’re stepping into this show with a clear ambition: to reinforce our role as a trusted partner that helps brands navigate change and seize opportunity.”

Ball plans to move beyond traditional displays at drinktec to create interactive digital experiences and offer a fresh, tech- led approach to packaging innovation. “We will not just show products – we will show possibilities,” Martin noted.

The emphasis will be on how brands can use packaging to drive recruitment, premiumisation, and repeat purchase in today’s fast-paced, highly competitive market. “Drinktec is about what’s next, and we’re bringing a glimpse of exactly that.”

Sustainability continues to be a defining force across the beverage industry, and for Ball, it is a cornerstone of its strategy. “Sustainability is no longer a side conversation. It’s at the heart of consumer demand, regulatory compliance, innovation, emerging DRS systems and long-term brand value,” Martin explained.

Ball’s global operations are informed by deep local insights, allowing the company to help customers navigate complex challenges such as supply chain compliance and recycled content targets. Its Climate Transition Plan is grounded in science and aligned with the 1.5°C pathway, with a goal of reducing emissions by 55% across its entire value chain by 2030. In 2024, 74% of the aluminium Ball used globally came from recycled sources. This not only benefits the environment but also supports cost efficiency, resilience and regulatory readiness.

Looking ahead to the next 12 to 24 months, Ball identifies two major forces shaping the industry: evolving consumer expectations and broad market transformation. The company sees packaging as a critical enabler in addressing both.

“There’s a growing demand for more personalised, purpose- driven experiences, and packaging plays a key role in that,” Martin shared. “Consumers want more than a product; they want to feel connected with the brands they buy. At the same time, brands face increasing pressure to stand out, adapt quickly and deliver on sustainability promises.”

Ball’s response is proactive. Whether through dynamic printing capabilities that enable multiple designs in a single production run, technologies that support premiumisation, or ongoing investment in circular innovation, everything the company does is aimed at helping brands grow, engage consumers and stay ahead in a constantly evolving marketplace.

“At drinktec, we’ll demonstrate how we turn insights into action – and how we’re ready to partner with brands on what’s next,” concluded Martin.

 Domino Printing Sciences – Stand A5-101

Image: Domino

At drinktec 2025, Domino experts will be on-hand to discuss how beverage manufacturers can rethink their coding and packaging operations, and introduce beverage packaging solutions that will deliver greater efficiency, traceability and sustainability.

Visitors to the company’s booth will experience Domino’s latest coding solutions for beverage manufacturing, including high-speed laser systems, smart 2D code integration, as well as its advanced, all-in-one, can coding system – all designed to meet the toughest demands of beverage packaging.

“Drinktec 2025 is the ideal place to connect with beverage producers and discuss how coding technology can support their production and packaging challenges,” commented Russell Wiseman, head of global beverage solutions at Domino. “From labelless PET bottles to high-speed canning lines, we’re helping manufacturers work smarter – with reliable, future-ready solutions built for the realities of modern beverage production.”

Domino’s highlights at drinktec 2025 include: faster coding performance with Domino’s Dx-Series CO₂ lasers – delivering up to 30% more speed in harsh, high-output beverage production environments; the F-Series fibre lasers – producing clear, permanent codes on canned beverages, even on wet or curved surfaces; and the new Beverage Empty Can Coding System (BECCS) – an integrated coding solution combining conveying, fibre laser coding, inspection, rejection, and guarding into a compact, all-in-one unit.

The BECCS is Domino’s most advanced pre-fill can coding solution, developed with major beverage brands to boost line efficiency. Using an innovative vacuum bridge, cans are suspended for precise coding – eliminating the need for twisters or guides and reducing errors caused by conveyor movement.

Running at over 100,000 cans per hour, BECCS also helps cut waste and costs by rejecting only empty cans when errors occur. It saves labour time by removing the need to handle full-can errors, thanks to real-time detection via an integrated vision and rejection system. BECCS is a smarter, more sustainable way to do more – optimising processes while protecting the bottom line.

Additionally, as a GS1 solution partner, Domino supports manufacturers in implementing advanced 2D coding across beverage lines to meet global compliance standards, and can discuss this further with visitors to its stand at drinktec 2025.

 Julius Kleemann – Stand C2-402

Image: Julius Kleemann

Julius Kleemann will be showcasing its resealable two-litre beverage can at drinktec 2025.

Featuring a welded side seam, coated on the outside with protective lacquer and powder-coated on the inside, the can is suitable for packaging beer, wine and soft drinks and features a BPA-NI food-grade internal coating. It can withstand high pressures of up to maximum 4 bar due to the use of high-quality tinplate sheets and a specialised manufacturing process.

The can’s specially developed and patented screw cap enables homogeneous pouring behaviour and protects the beverage against unwanted contamination. The two- litre can is suitable for all standard filling systems and can be easily integrated into a company’s filling process, according to the company.

 Krones – Stand B6-100 

Image: Krones

In drinktec halls B6 and C6, Krones is set to show how digital transformation, sustainability and efficiency are not only compatible but, in fact, enhance each other.

Krones will showcase its expertise in process technologies to energy- and media-efficient filling and packaging solutions right through to fully automated intralogistics concepts at the show.

In canning, Krones is expanding its Modulseam series with an 18- head seamer, which can handle up to 135,000 containers per hour.

Additionally, for the first time, Krones will host its very own lecture forum, which will run across the entire week of drinktec. Five days will each be dedicated to a specific theme and will include a total of more than 40 talks on the topics of: the line of the future, digital transformation, sustainability, trends and products, and visions.

The forum stage will be located in the centre of the Krones stand and speakers will include in-house experts as well as customers and other partners. They’ll outline the latest technological trends, provide exclusive insights into production practices and discuss key topics for the future of the industry.

In order to reach not only drinktec visitors but also those unable to attend in person, Krones will also livestream the talks on the drinktec page of its website.