PAC Machinery, CMES Robotics, and FANUC are teaming up at Automate 2026 to demonstrate a fully integrated, AI-driven pick-to-pack system that combines robotic piece-picking with automated sustainable bagging — a configuration with direct implications for commercial foodservice packaging and distribution operations.
The joint demonstration centers on an end-to-end cell in which FANUC robotics handle piece-picking tasks guided by AI vision, feeding directly into PAC Machinery's bagging equipment. CMES Robotics provides the integration layer that ties the picking and packing functions together. The result is a system designed to reduce manual labor touch points and material waste simultaneously — two persistent pressure points for foodservice distributors and large-scale prep operations.
For equipment consultants and operators specifying high-throughput prep-and-storage solutions, the configuration is noteworthy: AI-guided picking reduces mispick rates that traditionally inflate packaging waste, while the sustainable bagging component addresses growing operator and regulatory pressure to cut single-use plastic consumption in back-of-house workflows.
The foodservice supply chain has been an active adopter of robotic automation over the past several years, with distribution centers and commissary kitchens leading investment. Collaborative demonstrations like this one — where a robotics integrator, an end-of-arm tooling specialist, and a packaging OEM present a unified cell — reflect the industry's move away from siloed equipment purchases toward turnkey line solutions. Dealers and manufacturer reps working the institutional and contract-feeding segments should take note of the channel model this partnership implies.
Automate 2026 continues to serve as a key proving ground for automation technology with foodservice adjacency. While the demonstration is aimed broadly at packaging industries, the sustainable bagging and AI-picking combination maps cleanly onto high-SKU foodservice environments — think portion-pack lines, grab-and-go assembly, and produce prep. Operators and consultants following energy-and-sustainability initiatives in commercial kitchens will find the waste-reduction angle particularly relevant as municipal packaging regulations tighten across major metro markets.
No throughput figures, footprint dimensions, or bag-material specifications were released ahead of the show floor demonstration.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
