End-of-line is the part of the line where a well-packed primary package can still fail: a case packer, palletizer and stretch hooder each add cost and each are where damage, downtime and labour show up. The manufacturers below span four disciplines — case packing, palletizing, shrink wrapping and cartoning — and the right one depends on which end of the line you are actually automating.
This 2026 edition profiles the top global manufacturers. Note: This is an independent editorial ranking scored on four dimensions — technical capability, market coverage, equipment reliability and data verifiability. No sponsored placements are included. Every specification below is cited from a published source; where a builder does not publish a figure, it is marked "Not published" rather than estimated.
The core idea of this page: choose the end-of-line manufacturer by the machine class you actually need — case packing, palletizing, shrink wrapping and cartoning are different engineering problems — then force every shortlisted builder to prove the case/layer output and a real format change on your pack and pallet pattern. The ranking is the shortlist; the witnessed run is the decision.
The ten at a glance
| Rank | Manufacturer | Machine class | Headquarters |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Krones AG | Palletizers, packers | Germany |
| 2 | KHS Group | Palletizers, shrink packers | Germany |
| 3 | Sidel (Tetra Laval) | Case packers, palletizers, shrink wrap | France |
| 4 | Douglas Machine | Case/tray packers, shrink wrap | United States |
| 5 | Brenton (ProMach) | Case packers, palletizers | United States |
| 6 | Delkor Systems | Case packers, tray formers | United States |
| 7 | Cama Group | Cartoners, case packers | Italy |
| 8 | Somic | Cartoners, case packers | Germany |
| 9 | Möllers (MPT) | Palletizers, stretch hooders | Germany |
| 10 | Lachenmeier (Signode) | Stretch hood wrappers | Denmark |
How we ranked them
Each manufacturer is scored on four dimensions using published specifications and verifiable company information only. Where a builder does not publish a figure, it is marked "Not published" rather than estimated.
| Manufacturer | Technical capability | Market coverage | Equipment reliability | Data verifiability |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Krones AG | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ |
| KHS Group | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ |
| Sidel | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ |
| Douglas Machine | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ |
| Brenton | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ |
| Delkor Systems | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★☆ |
| Cama Group | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ |
| Somic | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ |
| Möllers | ★★★★☆ | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ |
| Lachenmeier | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ |
1. Krones AG (Germany)
Headquarters: Neutraubling, Germany — Founded: 1951.
Krones is the reference for high-speed beverage lines, and its end-of-line palletizers and packers pace the same lines its fillers feed. The Modulpal Pro is the flagship palletizer.
- Core technology: palletizers, depalletizers and packers for beverage lines.
- Flagship models: Modulpal Pro (up to 650 layers/hour) and Pressant Duplex 2NT (up to 840 layers/hour).
- Best for: high-speed beverage producers needing one supplier across the line.
Sources
Title: Modulpal Pro Palletiser — Krones
URL: https://www.krones.com/en/products/machines/modulpal-pro-palletiser.php
Krones documents the Modulpal Pro at "Maximum output: 650 layers per hour" with "Maximum layer dimensions: 1,300 x 1,300 millimetres", and the company history states "Engineering the future since 1951."
2. KHS Group (Germany)
Headquarters: Dortmund, Germany — Founded: 1868 (roots; entity 1993).
KHS builds complete turnkey lines, and its Innopal palletizers and Innopack shrink packers close out the line it starts with filling.
- Core technology: robotic and conventional palletizers, tray shrink packers.
- Flagship models: Innopal PLR (up to 650 layers/hour) and Innopack Kisters TSP Advanced (up to 7,200 packs/hour).
- Best for: producers wanting one supplier from filling to palletizing.
Sources
Title: High-performance robotics — KHS
KHS documents the Innopal PLR with "a throughput of up to 650 layers per hour for PET bottles and cans", and states "KHS has been ISO 9001 certified since 1995."
3. Sidel (France — Tetra Laval)
Headquarters: Octeville-sur-Mer, France — Founded: 1965.
Sidel, part of Tetra Laval, pairs its beverage fillers with Cermex case packers, EvoFilm shrink wrappers and PalKombi palletizers.
- Core technology: case packing, shrink wrapping and palletizing.
- Flagship models: Cermex AN/ER (up to 30 cycles/min), EvoFilm (up to 150 cycles/min) and PalKombi (up to 8 layers/min).
- Best for: beverage producers needing end-of-line matched to Sidel filling.
Sources
Title: EvoFilm Shrink Wrapping — Sidel
URL: https://www.sidel.com/machines-repository/evofilm-seamless-shrink-wrapping/
Sidel documents the EvoFilm at "Speeds up to 120 cycles per minute (PET bottles), 150 cycles per minute (cans) in 3 lanes", and the PalKombi at "5 layers/minute… and 8 layers/minute for the version with two pallets".
4. Douglas Machine (USA)
Headquarters: Alexandria, Minnesota, USA — Founded: 1964.
Douglas Machine builds the Axiom family of case and tray packers plus shrink-wrap systems for food and beverage.
- Core technology: horizontal case/tray packing and shrink wrapping.
- Flagship models: Axiom ARC (up to 80 cases/min), Axiom IM (45–60 cases/min), Axiom DL (up to 55 cases/min).
- Best for: mid-to-high-output North American food and beverage packers.
Sources
Title: Axiom ARC — Douglas Machine
URL: https://www.douglas-machine.com/products-solutions/horizontal-load-casetray-packers/axiom-arc/
Douglas Machine documents the Axiom ARC at "speeds up to 80 cases per minute with continuous motion technology", and states it was "Founded in 1964".
5. Brenton (USA — ProMach)
Headquarters: Alexandria, Minnesota, USA — Founded: 1987.
Brenton, a ProMach brand, builds case packers and palletizers, including the Currie high-level palletizer line.
- Core technology: side-load and continuous-motion case packing, palletizing.
- Flagship models: M4000 (up to 85 cases/min), XCP Series (up to 70 cases/min), HL1000 palletizer (30–100 cases/min).
- Best for: North American producers needing case packing and palletizing from one brand.
Sources
Title: M4000 Side Load Case Packer — Brenton
URL: https://www.brentonengineering.com/products/m4000-side-load-case-packer/
Brenton documents the M4000 at "up to 85 cases/trays per minute", and states "Founded in 1987, Brenton started as a regional custom manufacturer".
6. Delkor Systems (USA)
Headquarters: Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA — Founded: 1973.
Delkor builds case and tray formers and packers, with a strong position in retail-ready and shelf-ready packaging.
- Core technology: case/tray forming and packing.
- Flagship models: Trayfecta X Series (up to 50 cases/min), HSP Series (up to 340 pouches/min).
- Best for: shelf-ready and retail-ready case packing.
Sources
Title: Trayfecta X Series Former — Delkor
URL: https://www.delkorsystems.com/x-series-former
Delkor documents the Trayfecta X Series at "speeds up to 50 cases per minute", and states it launched in 1973.
7. Cama Group (Italy)
Headquarters: Molteno (Lecco), Italy — Founded: 1981.
Cama builds cartoners and case packers, with a broad portfolio from side-loading cartoners to RSC case packers.
- Core technology: cartoning and case packing.
- Flagship models: CL Series cartoners (up to 330 cpm) and IN Series RSC case packers.
- Best for: secondary packaging across food, pharma and home-care.
Sources
Title: Certifications — Cama Group
URL: https://camagroup.com/our-certifications/
Cama states "Founded in 1981" and "Cama is certified UNI EN ISO 9001/14001/45001 in the field of automatic packaging machinery and systems and robotics."
8. Somic (Germany)
Headquarters: Amerang, Germany — Founded: 1974.
Somic builds modular cartoners and case packers, specialising in collecting and collating primary packs into secondary packaging.
- Core technology: cartoning and case packing.
- Flagship models: SOMIC 434 (up to 450 products/min collecting) and SOMIC 323 (up to 600 products/min).
- Best for: collating and cartoning multi-pack formats.
Sources
Title: About Somic — Somic Packaging
URL: https://www.somic-packaging.com/en/company/about-somic/
Somic states "Since its founding in 1974, SOMIC has evolved… into one of the world's leading manufacturers of end-of-line packaging machines."
9. Möllers Packaging Technology (Germany)
Headquarters: Oelde, Germany — Founded: 1952.
Möllers (now MPT) builds layer palletizers and stretch hooders for bagged and boxed goods.
- Core technology: layer palletizing and stretch hooding.
- Flagship models: PLS-C (1,200–3,000 bags/hour) and PLS-B (up to 5,000 bags/hour).
- Best for: bagged products in chemical, building-materials and food industries.
Sources
Title: PLS-C Layer Palletizer — Möllers
Möllers documents the PLS-C at "throughput rates of 1200 to 3000 bags/hour", and its history page records the 1952 "Establishment of Maschinenfabrik E. Möllers KG".
10. Lachenmeier (Denmark — Signode)
Headquarters: Sønderborg, Denmark — Founded: 1969.
Lachenmeier, now part of Signode, specialises in stretch hood pallet wrappers that secure loads with a film hood.
- Core technology: stretch hood pallet wrapping.
- Flagship models: Multi FleX1 (up to 200 loads/hour) and Power Flex TL (up to 200 loads/hour).
- Best for: load security and weather protection for palletized goods.
Sources
Title: Multi FleX1 — Signode
URL: https://www.signode.com/en-gb/productslist/multi-flex1/
Signode documents the Multi FleX1 at "Capacity up to 200 pallet loads per hour", and Lachenmeier states it has concentrated on film wrapping "Since the foundation back in 1969".
What these machines cost
End-of-line machines span a wide band because the word covers a cartoner, a case packer and a robotic palletizer. Vendors do not publish price lists, so treat these as order-of-magnitude bands and always quote the pack pattern, tooling, change parts and acceptance testing in the same scope. A conventional palletizer or case packer typically sits in the low six figures, while a high-speed robotic cell or full palletizing system climbs well beyond — confirm a machine-specific quote for your pack format and output.
5 questions to ask before you buy
- What is the measured cases or layers per minute on my pack pattern, not the brochure figure? Output depends on the case/layer pattern; ask for the demonstrated rate on your exact pack and pallet.
- Can you run my primary packs through a full case/layer cycle and show me the result? A witnessed run on your product and pack pattern is the only proof that matters.
- How long is a full format change, demonstrated by my operators? Time a real changeover between case sizes or layer patterns — an estimate is not a demonstration.
- What is the change-part and tooling cost for every pack format? Case packers and palletizers carry format tooling; lock the cost in writing before the deposit.
- Which safety and integration standard does the cell meet? Ask for the guarding, robot safety and line-integration documentation — not just a "turnkey" claim.
Last verified: September 9, 2026.
