Krones Group Annual Report 2025
At drinktec 2025, Krones showcased its position as the innovative global market leader – in stable medium to long-term growth markets. The entire Krones team will leverage this strong starting position and work hard to ensure the company’s ongoing success.
Krones’ focus is on customer needs and requirements, which we meet in full at all times. The key to this is innovative products and services. With “Solutions beyond tomorrow”, we help our customers implement their strategies. And in doing so, we shape Krones’ successful long-term future.
Success factor innovation
“drinktec was a great success for the whole company”, Christoph Klenk, CEO
The highlight of 2025 for Krones was drinktec, the world’s leading trade fair for the industry, which only takes place every three to four years. How was drinktec for Krones?
CK: “drinktec was a great success for the whole company. We had numerous one-on-one conversations with customers, who gave very positive feedback on the innovations we had on show and how we are driving innovation. Listening attentively to customers is vital to us. It gives us a better understanding of their needs and requirements, which we can then translate into new, innovative products and services for the future – ideally as “Solutions beyond tomorrow”.
Did Krones have a special highlight for customers?
CK: “Yes: Ingeniq. Our new, technologically leading Ingeniq line concept with digital connectivity and an innovative service approach is a first in the industry. Ingeniq is an integrated concept combining machinery, digitalization and services. This transforms Krones from a plant and machinery manufacturer to an integrated partner for customers’ production performance.
But Ingeniq was just one of a whole range of innovations that we presented at drinktec across our three business segments.”
What other insights did you take away from drinktec?
CK: “The competition never sleeps, and the contest for orders stays challenging. Although the beverage and liquid food industry is still ready and willing to invest in principle, economic and political uncertainties are affecting customers’ investment decisions. Krones will respond to these challenges by quickly translating customer needs into sustainable innovations and by continuing to reliably deliver on its promises to customers. Furthermore, we are investing heavily in Germany, the USA, India and China to enhance the company’s flexibility and resilience.”
How would you sum up drinktec in a few words?
CK: “At drinktec, Krones demonstrated that it is not only an excellent plant and machinery manufacturer, but also a comprehensive technology and service provider for the beverage and food industry. The entire Krones team will build on the positive momentum from drinktec, and will continue to inspire customers with innovative, sustainable solutions, to the long-term benefit of both Krones and its customers.”
Success factor innovation
Stable markets present good growth opportunities for Krones
Eating and drinking are basic human needs, and the global population will continue growing steadily in the coming decades. At the same time, with rising prosperity, particularly in emerging economies, and increasing urbanisation, more and more people around the world are turning to packaged beverages and foods. The global volume of packaged beverages is set to increase by around 120 billion litres to around 1,620 billion litres between 2025 and 2028 alone.
Growing demand served by Krones’ unique full solution portfolio
Rising beverage consumption drives growing demand for innovative beverage production, filling and packaging equipment. The need for fully automated logistics solutions is also increasing in line with the number of packaged beverage units. From 2025 to 2028, this is expected to grow by 180 billion to 2,220 billion units.
Krones is the global market leader in filling and packaging technology and, as a full-service provider, also offers process technology and intralogistics solutions, recycling technologies and advanced moulding technologies. The company is thus ideally positioned to benefit from the stable demand growth in the medium to long term.
Global challenges
Krones operates in stable growth markets that are relatively unaffected by economic cycles. However, the company cannot escape global developments entirely.
Trade conflicts
For companies to compete globally, they need fair terms of trade and largely unrestricted market access. Global trade policies triggered a major setback to free trade worldwide in 2025. Tariffs affect product prices and thus companies’ competitiveness. Trade conflicts can also impact international supply chains.
Military conflicts
Military conflicts are having a negative impact on the global economy. Major repercussions of military conflicts include rising raw material prices and global supply chain disruptions that pose challenges for all companies.
Formation of trade blocs
Restrictions on free global trade can lead to individual countries establishing new common economic areas, making it harder for suppliers from other regions to access them. The formation of such trade blocs can endanger companies’ ability to maintain trade relations and sales markets.
Our customers have challenging requirements
The general global challenges also influence the needs and requirements of Krones’ customers. We aim to meet customers’ needs in the best possible way by providing innovative solutions. These follow partly from very high standards in the production and processing of beverages and foods. Cost-efficiency and sustainability aspects are also important investment criteria for our customers. Key customer requirements and priorities include:
- Economic Sustainability
- Greenhouse gas emissions/net zero
- Product safety
- Quality
- Resource efficiency
- Circular economy
- Sustainable packaging
- Cost savings (TCO)
- Digitalisation
- Footprint
- High availability/reliable production
- Line efficiency
- Product diversity
Innovation is an integral part of Krones’ DNA. Krones presented numerous innovations and improvements at drinktec 2025. These included high-quality process technologies, energy and media-efficient filling and packaging solutions, and fully automated intralogistics concepts.
With its comprehensive solution portfolio, Krones impressively demonstrated how digitalisation, economic sustainability and efficiency combine for added value. The focus is no longer on machines, but on the perfect interoperation of all line components – smartly connected, versatile and with the clear aim of reducing operating costs, saving resources and making processes and production even more reliable.
The common goal of all Krones products and services is to reliably meet demanding customer requirements. In line with our vision of “Solutions beyond tomorrow”, we aim to develop the innovations of the future for the food and beverage industry.
Filling and packaging technology
In filling and packaging technology, we presented numerous machines and features at drinktec that take our customers’ production to a new level. All of these innovations contribute to the four major areas of lower operating costs, higher efficiency, economic sustainability and production reliability.
A small spatial footprint and thus a compact layout are also key selling points for many beverage producers. Other investment criteria include rapid cleaning, faster product changeovers and lower maintenance costs. The greatest potential savings on a PET line relate to energy and packaging materials.
Krones presented the Lavasonic HI new-generation bottle washer at drinktec 2025. Effective ultrasound cleaning and the new high-intensity module shorten the bottle treatment cycle and reduce the amount of thermal energy required. Lavasonic HI also uses less water and has a 35% smaller overall carbon footprint. Bottles are transported very gently through the machine – an important customer requirement, especially in the case of delicate lightweight glass bottles.
Another filling and packaging technology highlight presented by Krones at drinktec was the Prefero injection moulder. Developed by our 2024 acquisition Netstal in Switzerland, where it is marketed under the name PET-Line, the system produces PET preforms at very high speed. MHT provides the necessary tools. Together, the two Krones subsidiaries make up the Advanced Molding Technology unit. The latest Prefero generation has an output of some 108,000 ultra-light preforms per hour.
The Prefero injection moulder is the heart of the Prefero system. In this system, Krones has combined Netstal’s injection moulding technology with moulds from subsidiary MHT and the Krones Contiform stretch blow moulding technology to create a unique solution for the production of PET bottles. The Prenexo conveyor and buffer system ensures smooth, efficient material flows between the injection moulder and the stretch blow moulder. This increases the degree of automation and efficiency of the system with reduced energy consumption.
Process technology
Krones supports customers from the beverage and liquid food industry throughout the entire production process, from raw materials to the finished product. Accordingly, a major focus at drinktec 2025 was on production machines, lines and processes.
Together with subsidiaries Steinecker, Milkron, HST, Evoguard, Ampco Pumps, Perfinox and GHS, Krones presented an integrated and innovative process technology portfolio at the trade fair. This included energy-efficient solutions for beverage production, resource-efficient water treatment, technologies for the biotechnological production of plant proteins, and also high-quality individual components such as pumps and valves. In the Krones family, customers will always find the perfect solution for all types of beverage.
One example is Ozonomic. This compact unit is a safe and efficient solution for filling still water. Ozonomic generates ozone from oxygen to hygienically stabilise the drinking water. The top end of the bottle and the cap are also disinfected with ozone rising out of the water. The outcome is maximum product quality and safety at low operating costs.
Intralogistics
Krones subsidiary System Logistics exhibited at drinktec 2025 as the ideal provider for implementing complete intralogistics solutions in collaboration with customers. As we know, what customers depend on is absolute efficiency. They need short transportation distances, lean processes and agile material flows that flexibly adapt to production and shipping schedules.
System Logistics provides the planning and design of warehousing, order-picking and material flow systems together with the matching software solutions. The portfolio also includes automated guided vehicles, which were shown in service at drinktec. Our highly automated solutions enable customers to save energy, reduce the number of operating personnel and cut operating costs.
The Automatic Pick-to-Pallet System (APPS) is an ideal solution for automating order-picking processes in the food and beverage industry. This fully automated product from System Logistics both saves on operating personnel and quickly and reliably handles complex orders.
Our customers have demanding goals. They want to produce as economically, sustainably and reliably as possible.
At drinktec in 2022, we worked together with customers to develop a vision for the line of the future. Just three years later, Krones presented he trailblazing new “Ingeniq” line generation at drinktec 2025. Customer feedback was very positive.
This is because Ingeniq provides the answer to the industry’s most pressing question: How to operate a line with top performance and minimum cost over the long term. But Ingeniq is more than just a line, it is an integrated overall concept consisting of three building blocks.
The three building blocks of Ingeniq
1. High-end Equipment: The technologically cutting-edge line is modular, digital, smart, energy-efficient and has a small carbon footprint. Ultra-efficient individual machines within the line are smartly connected, with the highest possible degree of automation. An important part of Ingeniq alongside our energy-saving, small carbon footprint enviro machines is autonomous and automated material handling throughout the production process.
2. Connect and Secure package: This connects to the digital Krones World. Thanks to the shared Krones.world platform, we and our customers have access to all relevant production data at all times. This enables Krones to manage the machines and lines remotely, perform software updates, ensure cyber security and provide digital services such as real-time data acquisition and predictive maintenance.
3. Lifecycle Alliance: This is a partnership with the customer with the aim of jointly ensuring the agreed line efficiency level. The Lifecycle Alliance package applies over the entire line lifecycle. This partnership is an absolute first in our industry and offers numerous benefits for our customers. The basis for Lifecycle Alliance is a modular and custom-tailored service contract.
In Ingeniq, machinery, software and services combine to form a highly innovative integrated whole. Ingeniq transforms Krones from a plant and machinery manufacturer to an integrated partner for production performance.
Ingeniq – investment pays off for customers
A key customer requirement is low total cost of ownership (TCO). This includes the cost of purchase plus all other costs incurred for the line’s operation. With Ingeniq, Krones has managed to reduce TCO by up to 10% over the entire lifecycle.
The higher purchase cost and Krones’ performance-based service are more than offset by significantly greater savings in terms of packaging, energy, waste and personnel. Consequently, Ingeniq enables customers to considerably reduce operating costs and produce efficiently and reliably for the long term.
Ingeniq enables customers to reduce
total cost of ownership by up to 10%!
Scroll down and click to read parts of the annual report in HTML