Laboratory of Industrial Automation for packaging Machines LIAM is an industrial research laboratory focused on the aspects of automation machines for the packaging. Companies that have gave birth to laboratory are: IMA SpA, SITMA SpA, SACMI SC, SELCOM SpA and Tetra Pak Packaging Solutions SpA. A decade of experience built within a collaborative environment such as the CRIT srl, has led in companies proponents and supporters of the project to built a laboratory to develop solutions to specific problems, and in parallel spreading technological innovations on own automatic machines and new skills in personnel directly and indirectly involved. The companies have decided to move on from simple, albeit useful, information-sharing to the creation of joint industrial research and experimental development, sharing expertise and combining the efforts and requirements to get faster and more effectively to significant technological advances in the sector. During the first two years of the laboratory (2011-2012), the laboratory activities will be: Virtual Prototyping Solutions for predictive diagnostic Software architecture machine independent & platform independent Benchmarking of industrial commercial platforms