Pack a punch
Over the last two years, the packaging industry has boomed as the pandemic saw a move to e-commerce buying habits as well as a rise in demand for personalised and gift products.
As a result, the doors opened to many more opportunities for industries such as print to meet this demand. The year 2021 was described by Forbes at “the year of packaging” for this very reason, however, concerns have been raised over the impact of non-recyclable packaging products on the environment.
That being said, there is an ever-increasing amount of investment in research and development of sustainable packaging solutions as demand from consumers for green products grows.
In this feature, we speak to a number of company’s offering packaging solutions about how this market can be fruitful, the latest trends we are seeing, and some of the environmental considerations that printers may need to take to remain competitive.
A complete system
One company that has a line-up of kit and software perfectly positioned for the production of packaging is Vivid Laminating Technologies.
In the company’s fleet is a range of Veloblade digital die-cutting systems for print and signage applications, the Magnum range of automated cut, crease, perf and fold systems, and the Matrix laminating systems including the new Matrix Metallic digital foiling and laminating system. The company has also recently launched its ZipCore packaging software which can be directly used with the Veloblade range.
Vivid offers a range of software which go hand in hand to produce luxury packaging products
Lewis Evans of Vivid, explains: “Starting off before you get to the Veloblade is our ZipCore Software which has absolutely flown since we launched it last month. Users setting packaging products up, be it big or small can set things up on the ZipCore Software and see the design in a 3D view. We’ve got 1000’s of nets already on there covering pretty much every application. You can design your own and send it straight to the Veloblade and the Veloblade range will completely automate, digitally die-cut, and crease and tape two hours at a time with no operator, software driven.
“Then we move onto the Veloblade Nexus which is one of our best-selling products at the moment. This kit will cut up to 25mm thickness of metal-based substrates, Foamex, Box Board, packaging you name it, it can either cut it or route it.”
Evans explains how the company’s finishing kit and digital die-cutting kit complement each other well for the luxury packaging market. He says: “Our Matrix Metallic which is our newest Matrix with a digital foiling system can foil onto different substrates including uncoated non-laminated boards which is good for the environment. This can then be finished on the Veloblade and turned into a luxury box. The Veloblade can also cut soft fabrics for the inside of the box to create that luxury feel.
Using the Matrix from Vivid, users can produce special effects with foil and spot UV
“The Matrix and the Veloblade really go hand in hand as you can produce special effects with foil and spot UV and laminating on the Matrix, and then finish it as an end product on the Veloblade. A lot of people buy the two together.”
Moving onto the newly launched ZipCore software and Evans explains that its ability to produce unique bespoke products easily and quickly saves users time and money. “The days have gone where you just have to have a generic box with minimum order quantities outsourced,” Evans says, adding: “With ZipCore and the Veloblade you can create so many different fancy and eye-catching boxes with personalised shapes, designs, and lid closes on them and finish it on the Veloblade with no set up.
“For designers and clients you can produce one box really quickly, very easily, in house. You can also screen share with the ZipCore and show them what it’s going to look like via a rotating 3D image. You can then make adjustments on the spot with a click of a mouse. You can even drop logos straight onto any box design.”
This ability to see the design clearly before production is something, Evans says, that will enable packaging producers to limit their waste and environmental footprint. This is because it reduces the need for prototypes and wastage of sheets, inks and foils and laminates.
Another product the company has recently launched which enables users to add value to their packaging and keep more work in-house is the VeloTaper. Compatible with tape up to 28mm in width, the VeloTaper enables users to create packaging on the ZipCore software, straight onto the Veloblade, and then tape the edges shut in one pass without the need to outsource or manually apply tape which can be time consuming.
No compromise
Another company that produces kit for the finishing and packaging sectors is Intelligent Finishing Systems (IFS). The company is a supplier of finishing equipment from manufacturers such as Horizon, Foliant, Perfecta Cutting Systems, Tecnau, and Petratto.
Jason Seaber, IFS technical sales director explains that today’s printing, converting and finishing companies are producing more diverse applications with a particular emphasis on attractive and unique packaging.
To meet this demand, Petratto has designed the Petratto Metro Folder Gluer which has been made for special converting and printed jobs including presentation folders and envelopes to multimedia packaging.
“Petratto’s economic Mini Metro features are similar to those of the Metro which has been designed to process all standard commercial and packaging converting jobs,” Seaber explains, adding: “To satisfy digital printing needs the emphasis was placed on easy and fast size changeovers.”
In terms of some of the key trends and demands IFS has seen, Seaber says the growth in labels, packaging and converting is continuing. As a result, the company is seeing die-cutting and creasing solutions for offset and digital becoming increasingly popular and Seaber says Horizon in particular understands this.
“That is why it has developed the 6,000 cycles per hour Horizon RD-4055DMC Rotary Die Cutter with dual magnetic cylinder. It is a popular solution for offset and digital print applications and features fast and simple job changeovers and job makereadies.
“In addition to high quality die-cutting up to 500 microns thick, the Horizon RD-4055DMC can also crease, kiss-cut, emboss and perforate with high accuracy. A ‘Repeat Register’ function enables smaller flexible dies to be used for smaller products to help reduce the die cost. Image tracking is also present to automatically track the image area on digitally printed jobs to provide high quality registration to the printed image.”
Also available from Horizon is the standard RD-4055 model with a single magnetic cylinder suitable for die-cutting and kiss-cutting and, with an optional lower die kit, is also suitable for creasing on one side. The Horizon RD-3346 rotary die cutter is a smaller and lower price point option for die-cutting, kiss-cutting and perforating up to SRA3 size sheets.
AA Labels recently invested £500,000 in cartonboard packaging services including the UK’s first SCS Automaberg DCH200 die-cutter and a Petratto Metro folder gluer from IFS.
Umer Anwar, operations and IT manager of AA Labels, with the SCS Automaberg DCH200 die cutter
Also with help from IFS, AA Labels also installed a Foliant Mercury 530 NG 4x4 double-sided laminator and a Veloblade Volta digital cutting table.
Ian Axelson, director of AA Labels says: “We didn’t want to compromise on cutting and creasing and folding and gluing. The SCS Automaberg DCH 200 is a well engineered machine. It has the fastest changeover time for dies that we could find.
“That was important for operators having to manage many small quantities. They need to be able to complete a lot in a shift. This is also the reason operational ease was essential. We could see that a great deal of thought had gone into the system’s production process. It takes a lot of work to simplify something like that well. We were really impressed.”
Space for growth
On the packaging solutions end of the scale, Vista has been offering paper bags, labels, swing tags, and stickers and labels for packaging for several years. Last year, the company launched a series of boxes and pouches, making the design of these products easy with a 3D design experience. Using this, customers can upload a full design from an offline tool such as Illustrator or design the boxes within Vista’s Studio and experience a 3D representation of the product before it is produced.
Emily Shirley, general manager of Vista UK and Ireland explains that as the pandemic accelerated the use of packaging products, customers were often using labels on blank boxes. Shirley says this was due to customised boxes not being easily available in the low minimum order quantities that were needed for small businesses, people just starting out, or for ‘side hustles’ – many of which were founded during the pandemic.
“That is changing now and this is opening up the use case for packaging across the industry,” Shirley explains, adding: “The growth of home delivery and takeaway food during the pandemic has also fuelled a growth of food safe packaging products which are leading to restaurants, bakeries and small volume food product producers looking for innovative packaging solutions as well as driving innovation in clever use of packaging products.
Packaging needs to be unique and original to stand out from other competitors in crowded store displays
“Underlying all of this is the consumer expectation of exciting out of the box experiences, which I expect will fuel the growth of both standard customised packaging solutions as well as the more niche segment of custom-made packaging solutions.”
The consumer expectation of exciting out of the box experiences, which I
expect will fuel the growth of both standard customised packaging
solutions as well as the more niche segment of custom-made packaging
solutions”
With the growth in demand and a need for customised and bespoke packaging to help budding businesses stand out in crowded markets, Shirley says there is huge growth opportunity for the print industry and lots of space for broad innovation.
“There will be space for growth in both the larger mainstream products as well as great opportunities for niche producers to offer innovative solutions that meet the demand that is now growing, driven by consumer expectation as well as legal change,” says Shirley.
“When this is added to the growing capabilities of digital toner and inkjet presses and the opening up of lower minimum order quantities, the segment becomes even more interesting.”
Foil the competition
In keeping with the theme of packaging trends and premium print and packaging company Herbert Walker has offered some insights on the role foil has in the market. With a need for packaging to be eye-catching and stand out on the shelf when sat next to competitors, companies need to be inventive and creative with how they design the packaging that is going to essentially sell their products.
Mike Lammas of Herbert Walkers has outlined how different approaches to foiling can be used to deliver impact. He says: “While some supermarket own brands have moved away from foiling as part of an overall cost-saving exercise, premium brands still value it as a means of differentiation. Put simply, foil still packs a punch and makes luxury items stand out on shelf. The consumer has never had so many options to choose from, so the products set to win are those that catch their eye.”
As Lammas mentioned, some brands have moved away from special effects such as foil in a bid to save costs, but he explains that there are some cost-effective options but the cheapest doesn’t necessarily always equal the best quality. “The cheapest option is flat foil. But, as there’s no relief to it, it doesn’t make as much of an impact as fluted or raised foil, which creates more effective results and don’t actually cost more in the long run.
“The only difference is tooling: a flat foil die is cheaper than a fluted die but, in terms of production, the premium option isn’t pricier. Sometimes new clients are surprised by this, having previously worked with suppliers that don’t have the same in-house capabilities.
“Our advice is that, without having to pay much more, you can achieve an incredibly striking effect by opting for fluted foil.”
Another piece of advice offered by Lammas is to remove the middleman and work directly with the tooling manufacturers. Herbert Walkers produces its own dies rather than outsourcing to a die manufacturer which benefits clients as they can liaise directly with Herbert to really get across the outcome they want.
“When you’re working with a designer, they always have an image in their head of what they want the finished carton to look like. Being able to execute that and replicate it exactly comes down to communication. By cutting out an external die manufacturer, there’s one less person in that chain of communication.”
Lammas explains that the same principle applies to foiling as many packaging manufacturers don’t foil in house. “We print, foil, and emboss, die-cut and glue all under one roof, which allows us to be agile. Not only does it help with communication; it also saves on time.
“So, for example, we can start foiling a job as it’s still printing, and we can be die-cutting as it’s still foiling. From a sustainability standpoint, this also means the end product will have travelled fewer miles to reach the client than it would have done otherwise.”
The big green debate
There has long been a debate around the sustainability of packaging with big brands and supermarkets making moves to remove unnecessary plastic from their products.
Last month, the Plastic Packaging Tax came into effect which affects UK manufacturers of plastic packaging, importers of plastic packaging, business customers of manufacturers and importers of plastic packaging, and consumers who purchase plastic packaging (including items in plastic packaging) in the UK. There is an exemption for manufacturers and importers of less than ten tonnes of plastic packaging a year.
The tax applies to plastic packaging that is manufactured in or imported into the UK that does not contain at least 30% recycled plastic.
The idea behind the tax is to motivate the economy to move to sustainable solutions such as recycled plastic as well as reduce the amount of plastic in packaging. The hope is that this will then increase the levels of recycling and collection of plastic waste and remove it from landfill.
O Factoid: The UK plastic packaging tax came into effect on April 1st 2022 O
Another huge area of packaging is paperboard and corrugated packaging which sustainability initiative Two Sides describes as “the natural choice”.
In a report recently published by Two Sides, the not-for-profit organisation says that paper-based packaging is often the preferred sustainable packaging choice for consumers. It is also beneficial in terms of its recycling rates with the company finding that over 94% of corrugated cardboard boxes are recycled, compared to only 14% of US plastic packaging. Corrugated box fibers are recycled seven to ten times to make new boxes.
Despite some concerns over the durability of paper-based packaging compared to plastic alternatives, businesses are starting to find suitable solutions. One example is Morrisons recently switching its own brand milk packaging from plastic to carbon neutral cartons.
Saving an initial 100 tonnes of plastic a year, the new Tetra Pak cartons are made from plant-based FSC certified paperboard and have also been applied to the company’s own brand fresh juice which will help to remove a further 678 tonnes of plastic each year.
Commenting on the environmental considerations print businesses need to take when producing packaging, Shirley says: “First of all, packaging needs to be made available in clearly recycled or raw stocks as well as innovative eco-friendly materials since there is growing demand from consumers for sustainable packaging.
“Beyond that, the demand also leads to greater scrutiny of the processes and materials used in packaging production since companies buying these products with their brand on them can’t risk their brands using packaging that might open them up to criticism.”
Shirley adds: “The regulations that are banning single use plastic packaging are also driving a shift to innovative recyclable packaging which is reinvigorating the market and is creating even more demand for consciously environmentally friendly packaging.”
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