When the international metal packaging industry gathers in Essen for Metpack from 5 to 8 May 2026, knowledge transfer will also take center stage on the second day of the trade fair. On Wednesday, 6 May 2026, the Metpack Conference 2026 will bring together experts from across the entire value chain. At Congress Center West, participants can expect a compact international lecture program covering current developments, innovative technologies and sustainable solutions relating to cans and closures.
As always, The Metpack Conference complements the exhibition at the world’s leading trade fair for metal packaging with a strong platform for professional exchange. While live demonstrations, product presentations and personal discussions take center stage in the exhibition halls, the conference in the adjacent Congress Center West will become the industry’s think tank. Eight international speakers will present in-depth technical talks on the current challenges and future issues facing the global metal packaging industry.
The Metpack Conference will open with Clarissa Odewald, chairwoman of the Executive Board of thyssenkrupp Rasselstein. In her keynote on the structural transformation of the industry, she will outline how the metal packaging industry must evolve in the face of decarbonization, geopolitical uncertainty, volatile energy and raw-material markets, and growing regulatory requirements. The focus will be on the question of how competitiveness and climate targets can be achieved at the same time – and on the role the metal packaging industry plays in Europe’s industrial base.
A key thematic block of the conference is dedicated to modern packaging steels, material efficiency and lightweighting. In their presentation ‘Designing the Next Generation of Packaging Steel: the Maleis® Case for Easy Open Ends,’ Laura Rigoni and Gilles Mangin of ArcelorMittal will present new approaches to packaging steel for easy-open-end applications. The focus is on metallurgical principles and different hardening mechanisms that enable further weight reduction while preserving the ductility required for opening performance.
Anne Reichardt, research engineer at thyssenkrupp Rasselstein, and Benjamin Liebscher, FEA Specialist at thyssenkrupp Rasselstein, will follow later with the presentation “Material matters: Let’s redefine your standard!”. They will show how additional downgauging potential in D&I food cans can be unlocked using finite element analysis. The aim is to achieve higher strength without impairing formability, thereby further advancing material savings, efficiency and sustainability.
Dr. Nick Silk, head of product development at Tata Steel UK, will also address the future of packaging steel. His presentation, “High recycled content packaging steels”, explores how increasing recycled content and varying scrap qualities affect the chemistry and processing of packaging steels. It also addresses how packaging steels with significantly higher recycled content can be manufactured and what this means for producers and consumers.
A second thematic block focuses on new packaging and process solutions. In ‘A sealable can & aseptic canning method,’ Jiawen Chen, founder of Guangzhou Jorson Food Technology, will present a concept for the aseptic filling of solid foods in heat-sealed shallow drawn containers. The method combines an easy-open can with an aseptic preservation process and is intended to enable shorter heating times together with quality advantages for the filled products.
Gus Reall, executive director of CDL, and Dennis Stammen, vice president, Metal Forming, of Stolle, will present another innovative approach to greater sustainability in the beverage can sector. Their presentation, “1-Alloy Cans & Ends for a Sustainable Canning Industry Future”, introduces a concept under which beverage can bodies and ends could in future be manufactured from a single aluminium alloy. This would simplify the material cycle, reduce the need for new aluminium and further improve the environmental footprint of the beverage can.
Addressing alternative container concepts, Florian Weil, CEO of Weil Technology GmbH, will speak on “Sustainable packaging solutions: Laser-welded stainless steel containers for demanding filling goods”. He will present laser-welded stainless steel containers as a PFAS-free, durable and fully recyclable addition to conventional can production. The presentation will show how modern laser welding technology creates smooth, tight and hygienically suitable seams, opening up new perspectives especially for demanding, reactive or high-value filling goods.
Another key focus is on coatings, regulatory requirements and product integrity. In his presentation, “Using Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy to Track Coating Degradation in Metal Cans”, Alain Cagnard of Eastman Chemical Company will explain how coating degradation in metal cans can be detected and quantified at an early stage using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). This includes chemical, thermal and mechanical stresses as well as the transition to chromium-free passivation alternatives (e.g. CFPA) and the requirements placed on suitable coating systems.
Building on this, Marco Minghetti, closures lab manager at Sacmi Imola, will discuss the ongoing transition to PVC-free caps and closures for food contact in “Opportunities of a steady and continuous transition toward PVC-free caps and closures for food contact”. His presentation traces the development of this transformation and highlights the opportunities, market requirements and technical prerequisites it creates for manufacturers and users.
Tickets for the Metpack Conference are available exclusively via the online shop at www.Metpack.de (subject to availability). The ticket includes the lectures and conference documents, catering, and a two-day admission pass for the trade fair.
