Industry Data

The food processing and packaging machinery industry serves many sectors, including the large European dairy, bakery, beverage, meat and poultry, seafood, fruit and vegetables, confectionery, and ice-cream processing industries. Our customers range from local dairy processors and bakeries to world-wide food processing companies.

The European food processing industry is a strong economic actor, operating in a competitive world market. Production of food-processing and packaging equipment is recognised as a European speciality: the sector consists of over 4,000 companies which employ more than 100,000 people; its gross turnover is estimated at 10 billion euro, some three times the U.S. level. Moreover, 60% of the world's industrially produced food is manufactured with machines made in Europe.

Our sector is a substantial contributor to the European trade balance: one third of Europe's production is exported, and exports are seven times higher than imports. The food processing and packaging equipment sector is made up of many specialised and often small companies, exploiting niche markets and responding to the demand for custom-made machinery. The industry is technology-and-innovation-driven, with large investments in research and development and employee training to keep up with public demand for superior quality and state-of-the-art specialised equipment.