Page 12 - Packaging News Jan-Feb 2020
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INDUSTRY INSIGHT
www.packagingnews.com.au
January-February 2020
to develop and launch product to market within short timeframes. Companies will have months, not years, to respond to market trends.” – Andrew Steele
Resource woes: “In Australia, the twin macro challenges of water scar- city and rising electricity costs will continue to be a threat for the manu- facturing industry throughout the 2020s.” – Mark Dingley
Making connections: “A challenge will be deciding if, as a manufacturer, there is a more direct path to the end consumer, and if pursuing this is worthwhile. Also, establishing a connection for your product to the consumer both in the physical and online world. This is where stan- dards such as Digital Link will come to the fore.” – Andrew Steele
Ingredient sourcing: “The cost and availability of input ingredients and sustainability will become the price of entry in all choices made, from
ingredient selection and sourcing to manufacturing, supply chains, and getting it into the hands of consum- ers.” – Angeline Achariya
New generations: “Manufacturing automation will continue to grow in scale and popularity; however, knowledge and skills will be lost among generational change. The generational skills gap will become more apparent in the second half of the 2020s unless we can find ways to attract Gen Z to the industry fast.” – Mark Dingley
TOP OPPORTUNITIES FOR MANUFACTURERS IN THE 2020s What doors will open in the new de- cade? What should manufacturers and suppliers leverage for new growth?
Tap into growth of middle-class income earners: “In India, China, and Indo- nesia, the growth of the middle class presents huge opportunities for Aus- tralia. How are we targeting these
ABOVE: Manufacturing automation will continue to grow in scale and popularity in the 2020s.
consumers? Every machine exists for the sole purpose of producing something that will be used by the consumer. So, if consumers have more disposable income than ever before, we should be looking to them and understanding their needs.” – Pierre Pienaar
“The growing middle classes of SE Asia and their shift to a more west- ern diet will provide abundant opportunities for Australian manu- facturers.” – Mark Dingley
Personalisation: “There’s growing consumer demand for anything and everything when they want it, wher- ever they are. This move towards personalisation will become one of the key differentiators. Another challenge and opportunity is the move from offline to online, and the need to create more experiences for consumers with blurring lines.” – Angeline Achariya
Use technology to build a workforce with skills for the future: “We believe that increasing the connection your oper- ational workforce has with the per- formance of your assets, machines, and business in general is key.
“It often strikes me how different- ly companies approach performance monitoring, career expectations, and growth and learning of their ‘white collar’ employees versus their ‘blue collar’ employees. We believe in the next 10 years, operational experts will be in high demand – a sought- after vocation – and their impact on the business will be recognised and rewarded.” – James Magee
PRIORITIES FOR MANUFACTURERS AND SUPPLIERS IN THE NEXT
10 YEARS
With all these changes, what should manufacturers and suppliers put at the top of their list to set themselves up for success?
A global growth strategy: “Develop plans and access investment (ideally with government assistance) to expand outside of local markets. Maximise e-commerce trade plat- forms for growth and exploration of product development through en- hanced direct consumer feedback. And access and use data to drive bet-
Our collective focus needs to be educating people – especially younger generations – around the impact of plastics on the environment and dramatically changing our culture around waste and recycling.”
– Pierre Pienaar, WPO


































































































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