The NVC PAIPA research project

Productivity increase by AI-assisted Packaging Automation

What is PAIPA?

PAIPA explores the fundamentals of using AI assistance tools to improve the man-machine interaction at packaging machines.

The PAIPA research project is accessible to all NVC Packaging Centre member companies. The results of the project will be presented in the NVC ACCELERATE Project annual meeting 2028.

Companies that participate as a project team member will have first-eye access to all the results and insights discovered already from the start of the project in November 2026.

Which challenges are addressed in PAIPA?

Productivity loss due to ‘imperfect’ change-over from product run A to product run B between different consecutive runs at the same packaging machine by the same operator.

Productivity loss due to ‘imperfect’ change-over to new operator, from operator I to operator II, with the same product runs.

Quality improvement c.q. risk-mitigation related to errors resulting from ‘over-experienced’ confident senior operators and/or ‘novice’ nervous new operators.

Which are the central PAIPA research questions?

How can (Gen)AI that is implemented at the man-machine interface, decrease/prevent the productivity loss associated with the ‘imperfect’ change-over between different consecutive runs at the same packaging machine by the same operator?

How can (Gen)AI that is implemented at the man-machine interface, decrease/prevent the productivity loss associated with the ‘imperfect’ change-over to new operator between (or during) same run at packaging machine?

Where does the PAIPA research take place?

The research will be executed at a unique facility, specially created for PAIPA, at the Brainport Industries Campus (BIC) in Eindhoven, The Netherlands. Eindhoven is one of the Europe’s largest technology hubs in machine innovation. The facility enables the controlled and monitored execution of packaging operations. This facilitates the studying of the interaction between an operator and the machine in a structured, analytical manner.

The BIC is perfectly accessible via Eindhoven EIN, Amsterdam AMS and DUS Duesseldorf international airport. There are also excellent train and motorway connections to destinations all over Europe

All research data are stored in an NVC curated database, hosted in Europe, that can be “interrogated” by different AI-agents. Notably, the research will be supported by the NVC in-house AI-assistant AYDA, that is specialised on packaging.

How can my company join PAIPA?

PAIPA is an NVC Packaging Centre members-only initiative. The unique research facility is made possible specifically by NVC member companies Omron Corporation and Sollas Packaging Machinery.

The results of the project will be shared with all member companies in the NVC ACCELERATE Project annual meeting in Q1, 2028. Companies that participate as an active PAIPA project team member will have first-eye access to all the results and insights discovered already from the start of the project in November 2026.

You are welcome to join the project as an active PAIPA project team member before 1 October 2026.

REGISTER HERE and/or contact the NVC association office (phone +31182512 info@nvc.nl ) and Michael Nieuwesteeg (PAIPA Project lead) at m.nieuwesteeg@nvc.nl