Page 25 - Print21 May-June 2020

Business Intelligence
“This is equivalent to a CAGR of 5.8 per cent by value and 5.3 per cent by volume, which reflects an acceleration of demand compared to the preceding five years.”
Technologies: Digital carton print systems
Carton packaging print is being targeted
by virtually all the major inkjet and offset developers, visitors to drupa next year will see a slew of systems designed to enable digital packaging print onto carton, with the vendors banking on the brand owners wanting to take advantage of short run work.
Developers such as HP with its HP Indigo 35K, and its Pagewide C500, and EFI with Nozomi
are already in the market. Heidelberg though has just pulled its Primefire 106, the world’s first B1 digital press. Benny Landa is hoping
his nanographic technology will be ready for general sale by drupa, with the B1 S10 single sided carton press set to be the first available, a version of which will be marketed by Komori as its Impremia S40.
Among other major players Screen is also developing a digital carton press with BHS, to produce a 2.8m wide printer; Memjet-powered New Solutions will also have digital carton printing systems at drupa. Big hitters KBA
and Durst have launched a new joint venture company which will develop the VariJet 106, a hybrid packaging press which will combine KBA offset technology with Durst inkjet to produce a single production system which can print, foil and cut all in one pass.
Developers need to convince printers that spending millions of dollars on an inkjet press is the way to go – and better than using a far cheaper wide format flatbed for very short run or sample packaging – but they are investing big money in R&D with these machines, so they must be convinced.
functional and barrier coatings compromise the recyclability of
the carton stock. Market demand
for such coatings in all paperboard packaging exceeded 3 million tonnes in 2018, with western markets accounting for half the total volume. Many cartonboard producers are developing or have developed specific cartonboard grades with barrier coatings to target this potential.
To boost sustainability there is
an ongoing trend to change from solvent-based to water-based coatings to reduce the emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Simultaneously, use of biopolymer will erode the petroleum-based polymer coatings market, but there is still significant commercialisation work to bring these to a mass market. Elsewhere wax coatings are giving way to hydrogenated tallow diglyceride, which is commercially available.
More generally, improved coating technologies are providing greater efficiencies and cost-effectiveness in coating processes and also reducing overall material consumption.
3. Premium solutions
There is already increased demand for high-quality cartonboard grades used in packaging top-end lines of confectionery, premium spirits, and cosmetics.
A key requirement is to have grades that are optimised for the necessary decorative techniques employed for these products.
These include superior printing technologies, often gravure; and specialised finishing techniques, such as embossing, and adding holographic films.
Contrasting the trend for more recycled content, premium cartonboards are generally made from virgin fibres to further enhance both the performance and aesthetics of the board – such as brightness and tactile feeling.
Recent product launches in this field include:
• MetsäBoard Prime FBB
• WestRock Crescendo C1S/C2S
• BillerudKorsnäs White
• Stora Enso Performa Brilliance
4. More scope for
lightweighting
Lighter-weight boards are a simple solution to reduce costs and have
a positive environmental ripple effect down the supply chain, from production to transportation and, ultimately, waste management. Down-gauging needs to be balanced against the board’s performance, but incremental improvements are being made that do not compromise aesthetics, product protection, or cost.
Lightweighting is, of course, also governed by the laws of physics and there will clearly be a point at which no additional refinements are possible, but that point has yet to be reached, so there is more to come.
Hence, this trend is expected to continue over the short term, with some impact of course on total board production volumes, measured in tonnes.
In contrast in the current market, these lighter weight products can carry a slight price premium, thus retaining market value for the industry.
Left
Growth potential: There are compelling reasons
why carton printing will continue to grow in the years to come
5. E-commerce
Cartonboard – mainly micro-flute formats – are already widely used in the booming e-commerce segment. The growth of e-commerce is now leading to the investment in stronger designs and board grades optimised to give the extra protection needed by the increased handling involved in its distribution network.
New business models in e-commerce are opening the potential for specific cartonboard designs. These include:
• Meal kit formats
• Subscription commerce (subcom) • Consumer electronics sellers, and
smartphone manufacturers in particular.
The market potential of each of these
trends is explored in the Future of Folding Cartons to 2024. This strategic insight is combined with a comprehensive market dataset – with over 280 data tables
and figures – to provide granularity on future market growth. 21
Print21 MAY/JUNE 2020 25