Page 54 - Print21 Nov-Dec 2019

Packaging
The value of digital packaging is set to soar over the next five years, by a whopping 13.1 per cent CAGR, according
to print research agency Smithers Pira, which says there are nine kety trends impacting the market.
Double-digit growth to push Ddigital printing for packaging
igital packaging is a hot growing part of the print market topic in the print industry, as corrugated, cartons, flexibles with new technology and rigid plastics follow the more opening up multiple established digital label sector. opportunities as brands Smithers Pira says that the global
seek to use packaging to engage with value of digital packaging will rise
opening up totally new opportunities. Technology developments have
allowed converters to install digital print equipment that delivers high-quality output, suitable for particular applications, cost- effectively and at high productivity.
Digital print gives converters greater agility to meet the ever more demanding schedules and version differentiations of brands and retailers. The capability for total variability allows brands to boost brand performance by doing new things, offering higher levels of engagement and new customer experiences.
Smithers Pira has a new full report available, The Future of Digital Print for Packaging to 2024 which provides in-depth analysis on the key trends affecting the market, which it says can be summarised in the nine main categories below. 21
consumers. The LIVE New Frontiers in Packaging Print event that was held Sydney in August showed print business owners where opportunities are emerging and how to meet them.
The digital print market has already more than doubled over the past five years in value and print volume, making digital packaging the most dynamic and fastest-
Above
Pouches: one of the myriad digital package printing opportunities
to US$31.6bn by 2024, up from the $18.9bn it will achieve this year, and even then it will still only account for 6.4 per cent of printed packaging.
The agency says that increasingly, digital print is being used to print labels, corrugated, cartons, flexibles, rigid plastic and metal packaging. It is taking share from analogue print – litho, flexo and gravure – and is
Nine key trends impacting the growth in digital packaging says Smithers Pira
• Economic short runs – Brands do not want to tie up capital in stocks that may not be used as they bring new product launches and new brands to market, which means more short runs. Digital’s ability to produce short runs economically has changed the label sector and is affecting packaging.
• Engagement – Brands are using digital print to create personalised labels and packs, or versions to appeal to sections of the market. Brands do this to increase their market share in a specific campaign, while generating positive consumer reaction and approval.
• Legislation – Increasing legislation pressures on content and identification are driving the information content on many packs and labels. In many regions there are strict rules on the information that has to be on a pack, generally that label and packaging must accurately representing the contents.
• Security and brand protection – The capability of printing personalised information on a pack or label also provides new security capabilities, with validation that an identifier is genuine through a database look-up.
• Design for digitally printed packaging – Currently, the packaging creation supply chain is complex, regardless of the graphic content. Most is carried out by specialists, agencies and converters who have the structural and technical expertise, and have the relationship with brands and retailers.
• Supply chain benefits – Packaging supply chains have developed over many years, with the great majority
of packaging and labels produced
by specialist converters who deliver labels, cartons, corrugated boxes, metal containers, rigid plastics and closures, and flexibles as reels and in final form to fillers and packers.
• Digital printing technology complementing analogue – As the number of digital presses installed
at converting operations has grown, users report that digital capability can directly boost the performance of analogue printing equipment.
• Sustainability – Saving resources
and acting in an environmentally sustainable manner is no longer merely a trend, but is a prerequisite for future development. The circular economy
is becoming mainstream, with supply chains under examination to reduce resource consumption.
• Barriers to digital adoption – There are many reasons why digital labels and packaging are not used. For some jobs the costs are too high, there may be problems with design and prepress, colours may not match, inks may not be compatible with substrates, and there may be drying problems.
54 Print21 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2019