Data and automation converged at WM’s Swiss open house

During Plast 2026, WM Thermoforming Machines not only attended the fair at Fiera Milano in Rho (Milan) as exhibitor but also hosted a two-day open house at its headquarters in Stabio, Switzerland, offering customers and industry professionals a live demonstration of its latest developments in thermoforming technology.

The event welcomed around one hundred international visitors and highlighted WM’s vision of a fully integrated and data-driven manufacturing ecosystem. Through live machine demonstrations and connected production flows, the company showcased how thermoforming is evolving toward smarter, more synchronized operations.

Three core machine technologies were on display, showcasing the breadth of WM engineering: the FXL 1000 (market debut), one of the largest steel rule die thermoformer available on the market, designed for high-volume production, running PET trays with Gravolab tooling; the FX780 IM2, producing PET tamper-evident containers with Vulcan tooling; and the FT900 punch-and-die thermoformer, manufacturing PP Aquacups with Kiefer moulds.

On the digital side, WM presented the WM Empower suite, the result of three years of focused R&D in smart analytics and production intelligence. Key applications included WMind, Form.AI, and the new WM Explora, designed to support real-time data analysis, operator assistance, and interactive technical documentation.

A further highlight was the smart intralogistics integration, developed in collaboration with Smartlogistix and MacDue Impianti, which demonstrated a fully automated workflow from material supply to finished product handling. Automated guided vehicles (AGVs) delivering film reels directly to the production lines were seen in live operation by attendees, illustrating a seamless, end-to-end factory concept with minimal human intervention.

The open house confirmed WM’s strategic direction toward connected, intelligent, and fully integrated thermoforming environments.