Spain Food Packaging Market Overview
Spain is the eurozone's fourth-largest economy with 47.8 million residents and a foodservice sector amplified by 85+ million international tourists annually, making it one of Europe's largest consumers of disposable food packaging. The food packaging market is valued at approximately EUR 2,800 million, with sauce cups and portion packaging forming a high-volume segment within the rigid plastics category. Annual plastic packaging production exceeds 780,000 tonnes, supported by approximately 350 injection molding companies. Spain's unique tapas culture drives enormous sauce cup consumption, with the country's 270,000+ bars, restaurants, and cafeterias requiring individual portions of alioli, bravas sauce, romesco, salsa verde, and olive oil. Major QSR chains including Telepizza, 100 Montaditos (Grupo Restalia), McDonald's Spain, and Burger King Spain add structured demand. Tourism-heavy regions (Catalonia, Balearic Islands, Canary Islands, Andalusia) see seasonal demand spikes of 40-60% for disposable food packaging during summer months. Food packaging producers including Nupik Internacional, SP Group, and Plasticos Romero serve this market.
Key Specs
- •Annual plastic packaging production exceeds 780,000 tonnes, supported by approximately 350 injection molding companies.
- •Tourism-heavy regions (Catalonia, Balearic Islands, Canary Islands, Andalusia) see seasonal demand spikes of 40-60% for disposable food packaging during summer months.
32-cavity high-speed sauce cup mold — 3 second cycle time
Key Opportunities: Sauce Cup Sector
Spain's sauce cup market offers three primary growth segments. First, the tapas and bar sector requires enormous volumes of small portion cups (15-30ml) for sauces and dips, with Spain's 270,000+ hospitality establishments each using hundreds of sauce cups daily. Second, the QSR sector is growing at 5-7% annually, with chains like 100 Montaditos (400+ locations), Telepizza (700+ locations), and McDonald's Spain (530+ locations) standardizing on branded sauce portion cups. Third, the tourism sector creates peak demand for disposable sauce packaging in coastal regions and major cities, with 85+ million visitors consuming meals requiring portion packaging. Spanish manufacturers currently source many sauce cups from Turkish and Italian suppliers, creating opportunity for competitive local production. A 24-cavity mold on the HWAMDA SPV5-270 produces 21,600 sauce cups per hour, enabling a single line to serve a significant share of regional demand. The EU Single-Use Plastics Directive exempts food containers from ban provisions, ensuring long-term viability of PP sauce cups.
Import Regulations and Certification Requirements
Spain follows EU harmonized regulations for machinery imports. Injection molding machines under HS code 8477.10 enter with EU MFN duty of 0-1.7%. CE marking is mandatory, covering Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC, Low Voltage Directive 2014/35/EU, and EMC Directive 2014/30/EU. HWAMDA SPV5 machines carry complete CE certification. Food-contact sauce cups must comply with EU Regulation 10/2011 on plastic food contact materials, with testing for overall migration and specific migration limits. Spanish authority AESAN (Agencia Espanola de Seguridad Alimentaria y Nutricion) enforces food safety regulations. For food packaging targeting the tourism and hospitality sector, compliance with Spanish Royal Decree 846/2011 on food contact materials provides additional regulatory framework. Electrical supply is 400V/50Hz three-phase. EU import documentation is straightforward: commercial invoice, certificate of origin, packing list, bill of lading, and CE Declaration of Conformity. No pre-shipment inspection required. HWAMDA provides complete CE technical file, EU Declaration of Conformity, and Spanish-language operation manuals.
Key Specs
- •Injection molding machines under HS code 8477.10 enter with EU MFN duty of 0-1.7%.
INOVA controller with precision process monitoring
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HWAMDA Equipment for This Market
For Spain's sauce cup market, HWAMDA recommends the HMD 270M8-SPV (2,700 kN) with EU-specification electrics (400V/50Hz/CE) and Spanish-language INOVA controller. The machine delivers 368 mm/s injection speed and 158-177 MPa injection pressure with an 860 x 850 mm platen optimized for high-cavitation sauce cup molds. The recommended configuration is a 24-cavity sauce cup mold in 2344 steel with hot runner system and stripper-plus-robot demoulding, producing 3g sauce cups with snap-fit lids at 3.5-4 second cycle times. For high-volume operations, the HMD 308M8-SPV (3,080 kN) accommodates 32-cavity molds on its larger 930 x 900 mm platen. The complete production line includes the SPV5 machine, sauce cup mold, take-out robot, XC-LF10A industrial chiller, vacuum hopper loader, and conveyor with counting system. Energy consumption of 1.0-1.2 kWh/kg and noise level below 72 dB comply with EU workplace standards. The compact 6.2 x 1.7 x 2.4 meter footprint suits Spanish industrial units.
Logistics and After-Sales Support
HWAMDA ships to Spain from Ningbo Port to Barcelona or Valencia ports, with ocean freight transit of 25-30 days. The compact sauce cup line ships in one 40-foot standard container. EU customs clearance is efficient for CE-marked equipment. HWAMDA's European service network provides installation and commissioning in Spain within 5-7 days of arrival. Training covers 3-5 days including high-speed sauce cup production techniques, mold changeover, and maintenance protocols. Spare parts are stocked at HWAMDA's European warehouse in the Netherlands, providing 2-4 day delivery to any Spanish location. The inventory covers hydraulic pumps, servo motors, heater bands, thermocouples, controller modules, and all common wear parts. HWAMDA provides 24-month machine warranty and 12-month mold warranty from commissioning. Remote diagnostic support via INOVA controller internet connectivity enables real-time troubleshooting. Spanish-speaking technical support is available via WhatsApp at +86-159-5888-5672 during European business hours.
Optimized cooling channel design for rapid heat extraction
Getting Started: Investment and ROI
Total investment for a complete HWAMDA sauce cup line for Spain ranges from EUR 115,000 to EUR 165,000, representing 40-50% savings versus equivalent Arburg or Engel configurations at EUR 220,000-320,000. The package includes the HMD 270M8-SPV (EUR 55,000-72,000), 24-cavity sauce cup mold (EUR 11,000-16,000), take-out robot (EUR 8,000-12,000), chiller, loader, and auxiliaries. At 24-cavity running 3.5-second cycles with 85% OEE, output reaches 21,085 sauce cups per hour or approximately 153 million annually. Production cost per sauce cup: PP resin EUR 0.0025-0.0032, energy EUR 0.0005 (Spanish industrial electricity), labor EUR 0.0005, mold amortization EUR 0.0001, totaling approximately EUR 0.004-0.005. Spanish market prices for portion sauce cups range from EUR 0.010-0.018, yielding gross margins of 60-72%. Annual gross profit on a single line exceeds EUR 900,000 at mid-range pricing. Equipment payback is typically 6-8 months. Contact sales@hwamdaglobal.com.
Frequently Asked Questions
The HWAMDA machine produces sauce cups from food-grade PP resin that you source locally or import. When using EU-approved food-grade PP (e.g., from Borealis, LyondellBasell, or SABIC), the resulting cups comply with EU Regulation 10/2011. Migration testing at an accredited European laboratory confirms compliance. HWAMDA molds use food-safe 2344 steel with appropriate surface treatments. The machine's precise process control ensures consistent wall thickness and material distribution.
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