New Schubert Machines

Volker Haaf from Schubert unveils a packaging machine at a trade fair stand while visitors watch the presentation.

Environmentally friendly machines and services

GEARING UP FOR A

TECHNOLOGICAL LEAP

Sometimes taking technology to the next level calls for a radical break with the past. That’s why, in 2025, we channelled our entire development capacity exclusively into our new generation of machines. Although the official launch didn’t take place until interpack 2026, the work had begun years earlier.


Stronger performance, a smaller footprint and a fair price – these were three ambitious goals we had set for the new Schubert machines to thrive in a highly competitive market. We added two further points to the list: technological leadership and low energy consumption. Both aspects are enshrined in our Mission Blue Sustainability Initiative, as they strengthen Schubert’s position as an innovative company while reducing the carbon footprint of its packaging lines. Yet we could not have achieved this technological leap without an equally innovative partner.

Visitors watch a demonstration of a Schubert packaging machine at a trade fair.

Working together for the next generation

Working alongside specialists from Bosch Rexroth, Schubert’s development department, led by Jan Köhler, spent three years researching, building and testing a new decentralised drive system. “This close collaboration enabled us to incorporate our requirements directly into the development process and test the technology under real-world conditions at an early stage,” says Köhler. In the next generation of machines, the new control-cabinet-free drive technology featuring servo motors (DC drives) will be integrated directly into the machine structure. This offers Schubert customers numerous benefits in terms of performance, space requirements, scalability and energy consumption.

Advanced energy saving

Thanks to this drive technology, the new machines can transfer surplus energy even more efficiently from one drive to another. If one robot decelerates, for example, the braking energy is fed back into the shared DC intermediate circuit via energy recovery, and another robot uses the power to accelerate. As the DC intermediate circuit covers the entire machine, further components – such as the self-optimising vacuum pump – can be connected to it. This design eliminates the energy losses previously incurred within the machine due to the conversion from DC (direct current) to AC (alternating current) and back again. This increases the energy efficiency of the entire line. Another milestone in the new packaging machines is the use of passive air cooling instead of conventional water cooling. The energy consumption of the new cooling system is virtually zero.


>> Following the launch of the new Schubert machines at interpack 2026, we will measure the energy savings in even greater detail.

Jan Köhler, Head of Series Development, Gerhard Schubert GmbH

“With our new generation of packaging machines, we’re purposefully evolving our modular, control-cabinet-free concept towards a more flexible machine architecture.”

Jan Köhler, Head of Series Development, Gerhard Schubert GmbH

Illustration of a vacuum gripper with a pie chart showing the energy mix of current packaging machines.

Energy mix of current Schubert machines

Naturally, our new generation of machines now sets the bar significantly higher when it comes to energy efficiency, and rightly so. However, we have also continuously optimised our current models for energy efficiency. There is also plenty of measurement data available to analyse their energy consumption with precision. The energy mix of our current packaging lines can be broadly divided into three parts. One third is used by the drives, one third is consumed by vacuum generation, and the final third includes compressed air generation, heating and cooling. We also make some of this consumption data available on the ECO Dashboard in our customer portal. Regardless of the machine generation, at Schubert we always keep a close eye on energy consumption.

How Schubert customers are already saving energy

>> Energy-efficient water cooling instead of fans

>> High-efficiency IE4 motors or servo drives

>> Recovery of robot braking energy within a frame

>> Automatic shutdown of unused power consumers

>> Work area lighting with energy-efficient LEDs

>> Glue-free cardboard box assembly: 9% reduction in energy consumption across the entire machine

>> New, more efficient gluing units: 35% reduction in energy consumption

>> Performance-optimised F2 robot movements using Schubert Motion: 10-20% reduction in energy consumption