How Digital Processes Drive Packaging Innovations

Like the rest of the world, packaging to has evolved with technology. Today, improved materials and automatic packaging processes are shaping the best practices in all retail and manufacturing industries. Digitization has continued to open doors and is expected to make a continual impact on the way products are packed and delivered.

Technology to meet consumer demands

Modern-day consumers have got more and more demanding; not with the quality of the product but with the way it is showcased, stored or delivered to them. Simultaneously, manufacturers have adopted the need to continually upgrade their production processes. It’s really a tall order to address, beginning from logistics and regulation compliance to fighting shelf competition and attracting the customers. The advance in technology has allowed packagers and producers to keep pace with regulatory oversight (which again is being continually improved) and consumer mandates.

Drive Packaging Innovations

Food packaging, as an example, can be an interesting industry to understand how digital processes have come to improve the packaging standards. Elements such as food quality, shelf life, and consumer safety have been the driving force for the industry. Technology has offered functional additives in packaging, including barriers that control microbe development or moisture migration. Consequently, manufacturers are able to increase their product lines in the market.

Apart from offering a greater shelf life and product safety, technology has enabled packagers to work upon the aesthetics of delivery. Today, we have packages that come with barrier coatings that serve as oxygen scavengers, keeping the food fresh for a longer time. Retained aroma and flavor are also helped by innovative packaging design and materials. In this context, it has actually been the consumer demand for healthier food that has led to these packaging innovations. Foods that contain healthy fats are more susceptible to chemical processes like oxidation compared to products that contain more unhealthy fats. Technology has been able to influence exposure, processing methods and other barrier advances without compromising the integrity of the same.

Waste reduction and sustainability

There has been a strong drive toward environmentally sustainable manufacturing processes. Retailers have been able to respond to the cause of using technology in packaging. Digitization has allowed manufacturers to work with materials that have increased accountability and a minimal impact on the environment. A good example in this context is Bioplastics. It not only has set industry standards but met social imperatives. The naturally derived Bioplastic material is also safe to be recycled and directly addresses the concerns of the “green minder” shoppers.

Digitization in printing solutions

Crucial elements in product packaging have always included features like graphics, logos, and texts. Consequently, it has been able to create a standalone industry of packaging printing. Modern packaging printing methods include offset, digital and flexography – each a gift of innovative technology.

Overall, technology has enabled the packaging solution to turn:

1. Flexible: digital printing runs allow consumers to integrate changes in no time. This allows marketers to tailor campaigns more precisely.

2. Personalization: Technology has also enabled manufacturers to explore the opportunities associated with personalized packaging. Digital printing makes personalization easier and effective in real-time.

3. Bulk Customization: Staging multiple versions of the same products and marketing them as well has been made easier with digital packaging technologies. Using contract packagers, manufacturers are able to address last stage stock requirements, country-specific shipping, and other variances.

Drive Packaging Innovations

Packagers and producers will continue to embrace new technologies as a means to meet demands and gain competitive advantages. Further, technology has also made packaging a more cost-effective part of the whole operation.