A packaging machine for forming pouches from a web of material having web tension control. A second pair of infeed rolls allows web tension through a sealing section to be controlled. An unwind reel is power-driven according to downstream web demand to thereby minimize tension spikes through the infeed section. The power unwind further minimizes the amount of festoon area needed. An entire packaging machine may be provided using modules. The registration-related operations of each section are independently controlled so that each module need only coordinate input and/or output speeds with interfacing sections.