As the beverage industry continues to see increases in packaging shapes and sizes as well as sustainable offerings, it’s clear that beverage-makers aren’t lagging in the innovation department. However, this means that equipment manufacturers are tasked with ensuring that the equipment they produce meets these new material needs.

Since the 1970s, can manufacturers have reduced the weight of aluminum cans by approximately 35 percent, according to the Can Manufacturers Institute’s (CMI) website. For example, a beverage can was roughly 0.7 ounces in 1973 versus 0.463 ounces in 2011, based on CMI and Aluminum Association data from a recent “Aluminum Beverage Can Life Cycle Analysis” survey. Lightweighting cans presents challenges when also taking speed into consideration, experts note.