The thinking inside the box
Packaging design, production and converting is a multi-disciplinary industry that touches on many aspects of life for both businesses and individuals. It is also an area where technology is playing a vital role in terms of lowering production costs, increasing efficiencies, and adding new capabilities to the packaging itself.
Packaging has traditionally had three key roles: to protect the product in transit and during the retail process, and to facilitate its use; to make the product look more appealing to customers and to help differentiate it from other, similar, products; and to convey information to supply chain stakeholders and to the end user (such as ingredients, usage instructions or warnings).
Packaging solutions from Kemtek
In partnership with our principals, Kemtek offers a range of packaging technology solutions focused on printing, cutting and converting packaging, making Kemtek your first-choice packaging solutions provider.
The significance of packaging is reflected in the technological innovations that have transformed the sector in recent years, both in terms of how packaging (including labelling) is created, and how it is used at each stage in the lifecycle.
These innovations have focused on increasing efficiency, reducing costs and – increasingly – on enhancing sustainability through reducing resource consumption and waste.
Kemtek is proud to work with principals that are bringing ground-breaking solutions to market. These include linerless label printers from the likes of SATO and Argox – an innovation that can help reduce the environmental impact of your operations through reduced waste and logistical requirements.
Packaging’s vital role in logistics and traceability is highlighted by developments in RFID technology, with Kemtek principals CROSSCALL, ProGlove and CipherLab producing outstanding bar code scanners and mobile computers for use in manufacturing, warehousing and distribution centre applications.
Flexibility in packaging can be achieved through compact label printers such as those produce by Bentsai and Argox.
Printing packaging
Digital printing presses have transformed the packaging sector through increased efficiency, and their ability to make even short-run jobs profitable. With virtually zero downtime between jobs, presses can run for more time during each shift, which ultimately means greater profitability through improved productivity.
Software solutions such as HP Mosaic allow for mass customisation of packaging in line with the latest consumer trends, while press compatibility with cutting machines enables a seamless workflow through your printshop and lets you include significant value-adds in your offering.
Packaging as a link in the supply chain
Specialist printing solutions play a vital role in traceability – by adding bar codes or QR codes to packaging, the information each items carries can be augmented to allow for it to be uniquely identified and tracked at every stage of its journey from printshop to manufacturer to retail environment. This can assist with product management, stock control and locating specific items or batches in the event of a quality issue, complaint or recall. With bar coding solutions from Kemtek, packaging can work harder and smarter.
The functional aspects of packaging are of course only one side of the coin. Packaged goods need to also appeal to the people who will ultimately buy them. Consumer purchase decisions are a nuanced, complex process, involving many visual and tactile cues.
The quality of packaging production plays a role here – it is often the first time that consumers will be having a hands-on interaction with a product, and they will subconsciously judge the quality of a product by the look and feel of the packaging it comes in.
Colour register is important here, as this is a key element in branding and brand differentiation – there is no room for error in this key regard. The use of print embellishments such as foil, or more innovative inks, can give products a premium feel and justify increased margins for resellers and retailers.
Works of art that work
The crossover point between form and functionality occurs when the consumer selects a product (often based on design, whether novelty or familiarity). As noted, this is perhaps the only occasion on which a consumer willingly takes marketing collateral into their home.
Packaging therefore needs to be both attractive and practical – the experience of the packaging is almost as important as the perception of the product it contains.
Also available in green
An increasingly important criterion for assessing the overall quality of packaging is its sustainability, and this applies at every stage on its journey from ‘cradle to grave’ – or, ideally, if it is recyclable, from ‘cradle to cradle’.
Sustainability touches on every aspect of packaging: the quantity and type of materials used to produce each item (including substrate and inks) and the extent to which it can later be recycled or repurposed.
Consumer concerns around the environment are driving the trend towards packaging options that use less material, such as flexible packaging. Here again, Kemtek can assist with technology solutions that can assist your business in pivoting towards the types of packaging that are most in demand.
Watch these short informative videos:
For more information about packaging solutions from Kemtek, contact Hendrik Booysens on+27 (0)83 415 1445, email hendrikb@kemtek.co.za or visit https://kemtek.co.za/product-category/bar-coding/
