The VDMA represents over 3,200 mainly small and medium size member companies in the engineering industry, making it one of the largest and most important industrial associations in Europe.

The Food Processing and Packaging Machinery Association represents one of 38 specialist associations within the VDMA and with more than 300 members it is one of the largest. The many different engineering products produced in this field make it a very heterogeneous sector. The member companies manufacture machines in the subdomains of bakery, meat processing, beverage production and dairy technology, confectionery, packaging as well as machines and equipment for vegetable raw material processing and installations for producing pharmaceutical and cosmetic products.