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Some types of packaging machinery have filled domestic gaps and can now basically meet the demands of the domestic market, with certain products even being exported. However, at present, China's packaging machinery exports account for less than 5% of its total output value, while imports are roughly equivalent to the total output value—a situation far behind that of developed countries.

The problems existing in China's packaging machinery manufacturing industry are as follows: first, a lack of macro-level overall planning; second, insufficient capital investment, with enterprises' R&D investment accounting for less than 1% of sales revenue on average; and third, a shortage of specialized technical personnel. The technological gaps are mainly manifested in the following aspects:

Compared with developed countries, China's packaging machinery industry has only about 1,300 product varieties, with a limited number of supporting products and a lack of high-precision and large-scale products that cannot meet market demand. In terms of product quality, the gaps are reflected in low product performance, poor stability and reliability, unattractive appearance, rough surface finishing, and many components with poor quality, short service life, and low reliability, which compromise the overall product quality. In terms of enterprise conditions, the domestic packaging machinery industry lacks leading enterprises, and there are few companies with large-scale production capacity and high-end product grades. In terms of product development, China essentially remains at the stage of testing and imitation, with weak independent development capabilities, a lack of pilot-scale R&D and production bases, and R&D funding accounting for only 1% of sales revenue, compared with 8%–10% in foreign countries.

Overall, the technological level of China's packaging machinery lags about 20 years behind that of advanced countries, placing it at a disadvantage in terms of product development, performance, quality, reliability, and service.

According to estimates by relevant industry experts, China's packaging machinery output is expected to increase to 670,000 units (sets) by 2005 and to 930,000 units (sets) by 2010. However, relying solely on increased capital investment and expanded production scale—an extensive mode of operation—can no longer meet the demands of the evolving situation. China's packaging production has entered a new phase of adjusting product structure and enhancing development capabilities. Technological upgrading, industrial renewal, and operational management remain important topics for the industry's development.

Relevant authorities have suggested that, in terms of product structure, the industry should be market-oriented, change the current situation dominated by low-tech content and low-level competition, phase out products that are inefficient, high-consumption, low-grade, low-value-added, and labor-intensive, and strive to develop and produce large-scale complete equipment and high-tech products that are efficient, low-consumption, and sell well. In terms of packaging functionality, industrial and agricultural products should move towards greater refinement and diversification, while packaging machinery should develop in two directions: multi-functional products and high-speed single-function products. For confectionery packaging, for example, pillow-type, special-shaped, and multi-unit combination packaging are needed, requiring a single packaging machine to complete the packaging of a series of products.

In terms of technical performance, advanced technologies from other fields should be applied to packaging machinery, such as mechatronics integration, heat pipe technology, remote control technology, and automatic flexible compensation technology, to significantly improve product technical performance.

In terms of manufacturing, specialized production has become a prevailing trend. International packaging machinery manufacturers attach great importance to the compatibility of packaging machinery with the entire packaging system. Some general standard components are no longer produced by packaging machinery companies, while certain specialized parts are manufactured by highly specialized producers. In a sense, true packaging machinery companies function as assembly plants.