Automation Shifts From Optional to Essential – MODEX 2026 Insights You Can’t Pass Up

Meagan Young on April 29, 2026

Tension had the pleasure of attending the 2026 MODEX show in Atlanta this year. From April 13-16, we connected with customers, partners, and fellow industry leaders. This blog outlines some of our key takeaways.  

MODEX 2026 made one thing clear: the industry is moving faster, thinking smarter, and demanding more from automation. Across every conversation, one theme consistently surfaced. How to do more with less, without adding complexity. 

Hear from three of our subject matter experts on what to look out for in packaging and automation this year. 

Automation Has Shifted from Optional to Essential

“The biggest takeaway is that automation is not a ‘nice to have’—it’s a requirement. We are seeing customers being much more strategic in their purchases. They are not looking for one-off pieces of machinery, they want to see how it fits into their entire system.”

— Jim Herbert, VP & GM of Tension Packaging & Automation


That sentiment echoed across our conversations. What stood out even more was how companies are approaching automation. There is a clear shift toward practical systems that can be deployed quickly and scaled over time. 

Want to know more about how to start small and scale with confidence?

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Intelligence Is Becoming the Differentiator

“Warehouse technology isn’t simply automated; it is becoming more adaptive… capable of making real time operational decisions.”

— Erin Moloney, Account Executive


Robotics were everywhere at MODEX, but the real story was the intelligence layered on top. AI-driven optimization, adaptive workflows, and smarter decision making are reshaping fulfillment operations. When paired with packaging automation platforms like fitPACK500™ and HPS300, these technologies create connected workflows that are faster, more efficient, and more responsive.

See how fitPACK500™ is driving smarter packaging outcomes:

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Labor and Cost Pressures Continue to Drive Urgency

“No matter how large or small a company is, the goal is to further automate their warehouses and distribution centers.”

— Jeff Ringel, Account Executive


Labor challenges remain one of the most pressing issues. Companies are struggling to find and retain qualified workers, leading to inconsistent operations.

At the same time, rising costs and economic uncertainty are pushing organizations to rethink how they operate. Automation is about more than efficiency. It is about stability and long-term sustainability.

Explore automation strategies built for today’s labor challenges:

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Flexibility Over Complexity

MODEX 2026 fitPACK500 machine at packaging and automation tradeshow

“There’s a common belief that more automation always equals better outcomes. In reality, the key is thoughtful system design.”

— Jim Herbert, VP & GM of Tension Automation & Packaging


As automation adoption increases, so does the need for balance. Overly complex systems can create new bottlenecks instead of solving them.

Customers are looking for flexibility, systems that handle variability, and solutions that integrate cleanly with existing operations.

Learn how to design automation systems that actually work together:

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MODEX 2026 offered a clear preview of where the industry is heading. Not toward isolated machines solving single tasks, but toward connected systems working together intelligently.

The opportunity is not just to automate. It is to automate with purpose.


Start building a smarter, more connected operation by getting in touch now.

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3 Ways Sustainable Packaging Helps Your Operation Reduce Waste

Meagan Young on March 30, 2026

Sustainability in high volume packaging is no longer a tradeoff. The expectation is clear: reduce waste, lower environmental impact, and maintain the speed and precision operations depend on. At Tension Packaging & Automation, sustainability is built into our daily operations, combining material innovation with automation that drives measurable efficiency.

A woman in a neon yellow safety vest and black cap works at a computer in a warehouse or distribution center, with boxes and conveyors in the background.

1. Right-Sized Packaging Helps Eliminates Excess

Packaging should fit the product, not the other way around. Automated right-size packaging reduces excess material, eliminates unnecessary void fill, and improves cube efficiency across every shipment. The result is less waste, lower shipping costs, and a more efficient operation from pack out to delivery. Read our Sustainability Promise.

2. Recycled Materials Engineered for Performance

Sustainable materials must perform at scale. Recycled polybags, including C-fold configurations, are designed to run consistently in high-speed automated environments while incorporating recycled content. This allows organizations to reduce their environmental footprint without introducing risk to throughput or system reliability. 

3. System Level Efficiency That Reduces Impact

Sustainability is driven by how the entire system performs. Integrated automation reduces manual handling, streamlines workflows, and minimizes variability across operations. Fewer touchpoints and optimized processes lead to reduced waste, lower energy usage, and a more controlled, efficient packaging environment.

Tension continues to expand sustainable packaging solutions through collaboration with material partners. This includes recyclable padded mailers and paper-based alternatives that reduce reliance on plastic while maintaining durability and protection during distribution.

These options allow organizations to align packaging choices with broader sustainability goals without sacrificing performance.

You Are What You Repeatedly Choose

Sustainable packaging is not a single decision. It is a system level strategy that requires the right materials, the right automation, and the right partner.

Explore how Tension Packaging & Automation can help you reduce waste, improve efficiency, and scale smarter with sustainable solutions.

Talk with one of our experts about sustainable solutions without environmental compromise.

Tension Corporation Celebrates 140 Years

Meagan Young on March 12, 2026

As we honor Tension Corporation’s 140th anniversary, discover where we started, and how our heritage continues to inspire innovation within the Packaging & Automation industry, as well as the Envelope & Print industry.

Built to Scale: How PharmaPATH Supports Growing Pharmacies Without Growing Pains

Nick Sandridge on January 16, 2026

Summary

As pharmacies expand their prescription volumes, outdated systems can become a bottleneck. Without scalable pharmacy automation systems, growing operations can face fulfillment slowdowns, staffing challenges, and costly workarounds. This blog explores how PharmaPATH’s modular, task-based architecture reduces those issues and allows you to scale effortlessly while maintaining efficiency and accuracy.

Key Takeaways

  1. PharmaPATH is a scalable pharmacy workflow solution that grows with your prescription volume and staffing model.

  2. Its modular, single-task station design allows you to expand operations without disrupting existing workflows.

  3. It reduces risks and costs by eliminating the need for system overhauls or retraining.

Why Scalability Matters in Pharmacy Fulfillment

Modern pharmacies are evolving. Whether you’re growing due to eCommerce, expanding to serve multiple locations, or simply seeing higher demand from patients, your workflow solution must keep up. The challenge for high-volume pharmacies isn’t just handling today’s load. It’s also preparing for tomorrow’s growth. When the system reaches its limits, the result is slower turnaround, frustrated teams, more errors, and expensive workarounds. That’s why scalable pharmacy workflow solutions like PharmaPATH are critical. Designed with growth in mind, PharmaPATH ensures your back-end operations drive your success. No need to rip and replace. No need to slow down to scale up.

A Modular System That Grows With You

PharmaPATH is built around a modular structure of single-task workstations. That means your team can add capacity exactly where and when you need it, whether that’s at a packaging station, a pharmacist verification point, or during manual dispensing. As your order volume increases, your processes can scale seamlessly—without reworking your entire system. This kind of flexibility is essential for growing pharmacies, especially those juggling high throughput with strict compliance requirements. Start with a few core workstations and expand gradually, adding new equipment or software modules from the Tension line as needed. All of it integrates with your existing system through our TensionCONNECT interface. With PharmaPATH, scalability is not a future add-on, it’s built into the foundation.

Growth Without Complexity or Downtime

Scaling operations usually means downtime. With PharmaPATH, you don’t need to stop the line to grow. New stations can be added without disrupting current production, and thanks to the intuitive, single-task design, your staff needs minimal training to onboard. This helps your pharmacy avoid the classic “scaling friction” that creates confusion and delays. Instead, the system adapts to your workflow. The command center dynamically routes orders based on available capacity and station configuration. As you grow, the system grows smarter, automatically optimizing routing for speed and efficiency. Whether you’re adding staff, increasing prescription load, or expanding physical space, PharmaPATH lets you do it on your terms.

Future-Proofing Your Pharmacy

The most successful pharmacy operations are the ones that think ahead. Investing in scalable pharmacy automation means you’re not just solving today’s problems, you’re preventing tomorrow’s. With PharmaPATH, your pharmacy is ready for increased demand, seasonal spikes, new product categories, or geographic expansion. Everything is tracked, audited, and managed through the centralized server, so you stay compliant and efficient at scale. Whether you’re aiming for 2,000 or 20,000 prescriptions a day, PharmaPATH can support you every step of the way. No workflow bottlenecks, no custom re-coding, and no capacity limits. It’s pharmacy fulfillment without growing pains.

Your pharmacy’s growth shouldn’t be limited by your software. With PharmaPATH, you’re equipped with a pharmacy automation platform that grows with you smoothly, efficiently, and without compromise. If you’re ready to future-proof your fulfillment operation, PharmaPATH is the partner to scale with.

Is your pharmacy growing faster than your current systems can handle?


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Packaging and Shipping Automation: Choose a Partner, Not Just a Vendor

Meagan Young on December 19, 2025

When you’re evaluating fulfillment automation solutions for eCommerce or pharmacy operations, it’s easy to focus on the machinery. Specs, cycle rates, integration points, and price all matter. They just don’t tell the whole story. The vendor behind the system will influence your uptime, your accuracy, and even how confidently your team can push through seasonal, clinical, or regulatory demands. Automation isn’t a one-and-done purchase. It’s a long-term relationship that should strengthen your operation’s daily performance.

Here’s what to look for when choosing a packaging and automation partner—and why those qualities matter.

1. Ongoing Service and Support

When something goes wrong in a fulfillment or pharmacy environment, you don’t have hours to spare. You need quick answers, trained technicians, and a service structure that gets you back online. A strong partner offers responsive troubleshooting, predictable maintenance plans, and technicians who know your system inside and out.

eCommerce Example: Picture your automated bagger stalling on Cyber Monday. Orders keep flowing, but your system isn’t. A partner with fast-response support and stocked replacement parts prevents a three-hour hiccup from becoming a three-day backlog. Their goal should be to treat installation as the starting line, not the finish line.

2. A Comprehensive Offering

Your automation equipment doesn’t operate in a vacuum. You need compatible machines, software, packaging materials, labeling systems, and often robotics or conveyance. A partner with solutions and experience across the full ecosystem can help you avoid patchwork fixes that slow operations or introduce errors.

Pharmacy Example: A central-fill pharmacy may run multiple dispensing technologies while relying on mail-ready packaging downstream. If those pieces come from different vendors that don’t integrate well together, troubleshooting becomes a guessing game. Your equipment provider should be able to design a cohesive workflow that works within your operation.

3. Industry-Specific Expertise

eCommerce and pharmacy operations have very different requirements. Pharmacies must maintain chain-of-custody, patient safety, and compliance. eCommerce teams battle extreme volume swings, SKU variability, and customer expectations for speed. A knowledgeable partner understands these pressures and designs systems around them.

eCommerce Example: A third-party logistics (3PL) provider shipping thousands of SKUs needs packaging flexibility and fast changeovers. If a vendor doesn’t understand that, you end up with bottlenecks every time a client changes their product mix. A partner with direct fulfillment expertise builds solutions that keep your lines moving even when your inventory shifts hour by hour.

4. Lifecycle Management

Automation systems evolve. Parts wear, processes change, and your facility will almost certainly adapt its workflow over time. Lifecycle management includes preventative maintenance, performance tracking, upgrades, and end-of-life planning. You want a partner who supports you long after go-live.

Pharmacy Example: A specialty pharmacy may add new medication programs or increase patient volume. Without lifecycle planning, the original system becomes a limitation. A partner who monitors performance and suggests upgrades keeps your throughput steady and your accuracy intact.

5. Training and Empowerment

A strong automation partner brings a service team that knows the equipment down to the component level. Their technicians should understand system operation, detailed schematics, fault diagnostics, and the full spare parts strategy. That depth of knowledge keeps your operation moving because problems get resolved quickly and accurately.

eCommerce Example: If a conveyor fault stops your packing line during a high-volume afternoon, you need a service tech who can diagnose the issue within minutes, not hours. A partner with a deeply trained field team can pinpoint root causes, implement fixes that stick, and keep your backlog from spiraling. Their expertise becomes an extension of your operation when it matters most.

6. Hardware, Software, and Material Integration

Your system needs to communicate and operate seamlessly. Integrated software ensures orders flow cleanly from your warehouse management system (WMS), dispensing, or pharmacy systems to packaging. Materials must feed correctly and seal consistently. A provider who understands all three reduces risk and simplifies your operation.

Pharmacy Example: If your mail pharm system prints patient documentation that doesn’t sync with packaging, you risk mis-picks or delays. A partner who integrates data, labeling, and packaging ensures every order moves through the workflow with minimal touches and maximum accuracy.

7. Scalable, Customizable Solutions

Your needs will change. You may add shifts, expand SKUs, shift packaging formats, or retrofit around legacy equipment. A strong partner offers flexible systems that grow with you, whether you’re reconfiguring a single line or scaling to a second facility.

eCommerce Example: A growing retailer may start with one automated bagger, then expand to multiple workcells as volume increases. A partner who designs for modular expansion prevents you from replacing equipment prematurely. They plan for your next three years, not just your first three months.

The Bottom Line

Choosing a packaging and automation provider is a strategic decision. Beyond a basic machinery investment, you’re investing in expertise, support, adaptability, and a relationship that will influence your daily operational performance. The right partner stands beside you through challenges, growth, and continuous improvement.

About Tension Packaging and Automation

Tension Packaging & Automation brings more than 135 years of experience and a service-first mindset to the pharmacy and eCommerce sectors. Here’s how Tension aligns with the qualities above:

  • Service-First Approach: Tension provides responsive technical support, trained field technicians, and maintenance programs that prioritize uptime and operational continuity.
  • Holistic-Focused Solutions: Tension’s portfolio includes automation equipment, software, packaging materials, labeling, and integrated workflow design, ensuring every component works together.
  • Specialized Expertise: Tension understands pharmacy regulations, fulfillment pressures, and the realities of distribution environments. Their solutions reflect real operational needs, not generic assumptions.
  • Trained Sales and Support Teams: Tension trains its teams on system operation, troubleshooting, schematics, and spare parts planning. They help customers stay confident and self-sufficient.
  • Scalable, Customized Workflow Solutions: Tension excels in deploying flexible systems—new builds, retrofits, and integrated hardware/software/material workflows that evolve with your business.

If you’re ready to explore what a true partnership can look like, connect with Tension’s automation experts today.

Let’s start a conversation.

Breaking Bottlenecks: How Automation Solutions Improve Your Fulfillment Value Chain from Inbound to Outbound 

Karen Loggia on May 27, 2025

In the fast-paced, competitive environment eCommerce fulfillment, speed isn’t just an advantage — it’s a necessity. 

Yet, many fulfillment centers find themselves facing a frustrating reality: bottlenecks that disrupt the flow at some point from inbound receiving all the way to outbound shipping. 

Keeping the fulfillment value chain in balance is critical to long-term success. When operations like picking, packing and shipping aren’t aligned, bottlenecks form — leading to backlogs, overtime and late or missed shipments. If equipment downtime or failure occurs on top of that, the impact can multiply quickly.  

The good news? Proactive planning and the right automation solutions help create a connected, resilient system that can absorb disruptions and keep your operation moving efficiently. With the right eCommerce fulfillment solutions, you can eliminate bottlenecks across the entire value chain — increasing throughput, reducing costs and setting your operation up for scalable growth. 

Where Bottlenecks Begin — and How to Solve Them 

Automation targets bottlenecks where they hurt most — saving time, reducing manual touchpoints and improving consistency.  

In many fulfillment centers, a common bottleneck happens at the pack-out stations. As order volumes rise — especially during peak seasons — manual packing teams often struggle to keep pace with the increased picking rates. Even with efficient picking and inventory management upstream, the final packaging step can become a major constraint. 

Automated bagging systems help resolve this challenge by increasing the speed and consistency of packing. Solutions like the fitPACK500TM automatically create right-sized bags for each order, eliminating the need for manual packing and reducing the chance of bottlenecks at the end of the line. This not only speeds up order throughput but also helps fulfillment centers avoid the costly cycle of overtime, temporary labor surges and delayed shipments. 

Bagging for the Win: Why Right-Sized Packaging Matters 

When it comes to improving throughput and cost-efficiency, right-sized packaging solutions like the fitPACK500 make a major impact: 

  • Speed Gains: The fitPACK500 automatically creates a bag sized perfectly for each order, minimizing waste and maximizing pack-out rates — allowing packaging to catch up with picking speeds. 
  • Shipping Savings: Smaller, right-sized bags reduce DIM (dimensional weight) surcharges from carriers — a hidden cost many fulfillment centers underestimate. 
  • Space Efficiency: The fitPACK500’s compact footprint frees up valuable warehouse space compared to bulky carton lines. 
  • Sustainability: With less void fill and packaging material, right-sized bags help reduce your environmental footprint while also saving costs. 

By optimizing packaging as part of your larger fulfillment strategy, you gain speed, efficiency and bottom-line savings all at once. 

Future-Proof Your Fulfillment with Smarter Solutions 

Bottlenecks are costly — but preventable. 

By taking a full-chain view of your warehouse operations, from inbound to outbound, you can identify where automation makes the biggest impact. 

Solutions like fitPACK500 for right-sized packaging and tailored eCommerce fulfillment solutions help eliminate bottlenecks, lower shipping costs and set your operation up for long-term success. 

Ready to rethink what’s possible in your fulfillment center? Learn more about Tension’s full range of eCommerce fulfillment solutions today. Contact us to get started.