tna robag Quantum takes Gold at Good Design Awards 2026

The tna robag Quantum has won the Good Design Award Gold for 2026, and the organisers state it is the first vertical form fill seal (VFFS) packaging solution ever to receive this honour. The machine claimed the top prize in the Product Design: Commercial and Industrial category.

The throughput figure sits at the centre of the jury's citation. In its written assessment, the jury said: "The self-configuring set-up and throughput of up to 300 bags per minute demonstrate genuine ambition to elevate industrial equipment beyond conventional engineering practice."

For packaging engineers and plant operators, that sentence carries two distinct claims worth separating. The first is raw speed: up to 300 finished bags per minute on a single VFFS line. The second is the self-configuring set-up, which the jury framed as part of a broader shift in how high-speed packaging machinery behaves day to day.

What did the jury credit the machine for?

The awards jury commended the solution for what it called a "meaningful shift in high-speed packaging machinery, moving from manual, operator-dependent systems toward fully automated, outcome-led operation." That phrasing describes a change in the operator's role: instead of adjusting the machine by hand and relying on individual skill, the operator supervises an automated process that is judged by its output.

The machine excelled across the award's three core evaluation criteria:

• Design
• Innovation
• Impact

The jury recognised the focus on simplifying operation through automation while maintaining high performance, and it noted that this combination delivers meaningful improvements in usability and efficiency.

The interface drew particular attention

One element of the product received specific mention: the operator-proof interface. According to the jury, this interface is designed to enhance safety, increase production and reduce waste on the line. In an industrial setting, an interface described as operator-proof is one that a person cannot easily configure incorrectly — a property that directly affects scrap rates and stoppage times, since misconfiguration on a VFFS machine typically produces sealed bags that fail quality checks.

The jury closed its citation with a direct commendation of the team behind the product: "The design team is congratulated on this significant platform evolution that addresses current manufacturing challenges with clarity and purpose."

How the manufacturer reads the win

Darren Alchin, Product Development Manager – Packaging at tna and engineering lead for the project, connected the award to the product line's history. "Every generation of the tna robag has continually redefined what's next in food packaging, and the Quantum is the next evolution of that legacy," Alchin said.

He also framed the Gold award as a collective result. "This is a proud milestone for our entire team and recognition of the innovation, expertise and passion that brought it to life," Alchin said.

Why a design award matters on the factory floor

Industrial machinery rarely appears on design award shortlists, let alone takes Gold. A VFFS machine winning in a commercial and industrial category signals that juries now evaluate usability, automation depth and waste reduction with the same weight they give mechanical performance.

For food manufacturers weighing capital purchases, the award offers a third-party signal: an independent jury judged the Quantum's automation and interface against design, innovation and impact criteria, and found it set a new standard for the category. Whether other packaging OEMs follow tna toward self-configuring, outcome-led machinery will shape the next generation of line equipment.