Packaging has changed – but have you?
Perhaps more than any other area of printing services, packaging is a dynamic field. For dynamic, read exciting and energising. By embracing the latest innovative technological solutions from HP Indigo and Kemtek, you can equip your PSP or converter business with the flexibility needed to align – and benefit from – the latest packaging trends.
Global change; local impact
HP Indigo recently published a must-read white paper on packaging trends; in this blog, we’ve selected some of the major drivers they identified to see how these could apply to your business.
The need for speed
In today’s post-pandemic new normal, agility is an absolute must. The pace of change has accelerated, and you need to run faster than ever just to stand still. Speed is a key driver of innovation; product lifecycles are shorter than ever, and your customers will be constantly looking for ways to bring new products and SKUs to market faster. Even a short delay of the kind that might have been accepted before the pandemic can put a dent in profits, or result in missed opportunities.
With digital printing presses from HP Indigo, you can pivot at speed, with minimal downtime between jobs. Simpler workflows and a high degree of automation lets you constantly reinvent your service offering and consistently deliver the solutions your customers require as they themselves become more agile in the face of changing consumer requirements.
Sustainability is everything
Consumers are increasingly motivated by sustainability in terms of the purchase decisions they make. At the same time, they report feeling overwhelmed by the scale of the challenge, and they are looking to brands to take the lead.
Packaging is a very visible area where brands can win or lose the sustainability argument; with HP Indigo digital packaging printing presses, sustainable packaging becomes “low-hanging fruit” and an easy win.
With digital printing, you can reduce waste, use eco-safe inks, and print on a vast array of substrates including repurposable, recyclable and even compostable materials. This allows your customers to more convincingly position themselves as ecologically responsible, which in turn will boost how positively their brands are seen.
All about authenticity
Rising costs mean that consumers are more value-conscious. An important aspect of this is an increase in focus on quality and authenticity – consumers want to be sure that they are getting what they pay for. Set against this is the global issue of counterfeit goods – a parallel market worth many billions of dollars each year, but which costs legitimate brands hugely.
Brand protection is therefore a major packaging trend – and here again digital printing solutions can help. Between overt, covert and forensic security elements, HP Indigo presses can be used to create packaging that cannot be duplicated, and which can be instantly verified as genuine.
Specialty inks and exceptionally fine micro-scale details provide an effective deterrent to counterfeiters, and increase consumer confidence. New innovations include incorporating RFID technology into packaging to facilitate foolproof track and trace functionality.
Compliance has never been more important
Consumer protection and sustainability are both heavily legislated areas, again requiring a high degree of adaptability on the part of PSPs and converters. Failure to keep up can result in heavy fines and loss of reputation, so it’s vital to keep your finger on the pulse – and invest in the print technology solutions that will allow you to absorb and process any changes in regulations.
These could apply to both the packaging itself (think food-safe inks and recyclable materials) as well as – crucially – to the information conveyed by packaging. This needs to be accurate and up-to-date at all times, so the ability to edit print jobs mid-run is now a non-negotiable requirement.
Packaging is changing – with HP Indigo and Kemtek, you can change faster still and be ideally positioned to take advantage of these exciting new opportunities.
To learn more about digital packaging printing solutions from HP Indigo and Kemtek, contact Wendy McLoughlin on +27 (0)82 417 7188 or by email at wendyl@kemtek.co.za . Alternatively, click here to download the HP Indigo Packaging Trends white paper: https://kemtek.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/HP-Unpacking-the-future-7-Trends.pdf
