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A report about global supply chains took insights from across the packaging, labelling, and supply chain industries, gathering information from 55 countries
Some 90% of industry professionals believe that there is an increased need for connection and collaboration across the global supply chain, according to a new report released by labelling and artwork management company Loftware.
The global survey, titled ‘2025 Top 5 Trends in Labeling and Packaging Artwork’, draws from insights across the packaging, labelling, and supply chain industries, gathering information from 400 industry professionals in 55 countries.
According to the report, 84% of companies believe it would be beneficial to join an ecosystem where supply chain partners can share access and data.
Cloud-based ecosystems, a model where third-party vendors host servers, storage, and other infrastructure components, are offered as a solution. Loftware offer a range of what it labels as ‘future proof’ cloud-based online services.
Nearly three-quarters (74%) of respondents to the survey agreed that online cloud services offer a more flexible and agile framework for streamlining labelling access for trading partners. Participants generally agreed that joining a cloud-based system with shared data can improve efficiency, ensure compliance, and reduce overall costs.
Loftware highlights that continued struggles with streamlining the receipt of inbound goods are resulting in mislabelling and hundreds of millions of pounds in fines. Its research illustrates the scale of this issue; according to the company, 70% of US companies worth $1.0bn or more have been forced to relabel inbound goods.
In the UK, new packaging Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) laws are being phased in for the UK, coming into force in 2025. The EPR laws will hold businesses accountable for the full lifecycle of the packaging materials they use. Any business that uses, generates, or imports packaging materials will be required to cover the costs of sorting and recycling the packaging waste.
With the EPR laws in mind, maintaining the efficiency and accuracy of the supply chain will be seen as a key factor in avoiding unforeseen costs caused by misplaced or mislabelled items.
Josh Roffman, executive vice president of marketing at Loftware, comments: “Today’s supply chains are more global and complex, while expectations from business and consumers have increased.
“This has led to greater need for connection and collaboration as companies embrace digital transformation to streamline interactions and ensure compliance with suppliers, customers, and their own facilities across the enterprise.”
The report comes at a time where automation and cloud-based services are being promoted as a key innovation factor in both packaging and printing.
The UK government recently expanded its ‘Made Smarter’ initiative, pledging £16m to help businesses invest in technology, with a key focus being cloud-based services.
Duo UK, a manufacturer of packaging products, and James Labels & Supplies, a manufacturer of self-adhesive labels and swing tickets, both secured a Made Smarter grant. Duo UK used the initiative to invest in a cloud-based software solution which captures shop floor data from machinery via sensors and displays the data in real-time on a web app.
It was also recently announced that print, mail, and document management company, FDM Document Solutions (FDM), has been appointed by the UK government as a preferred supplier of cloud software to the public sector, as part of the government’s G-Cloud 14 framework.
FDM’s sales and marketing director, Ian Forster, says: “This announcement is further recognition of our ability and commitment to delivering the latest and most innovative digital services to our public sector customers.”
Cloud-based data is also seen as key to innovation within print. Recently, print production company Four Pees introduced Atomyx, a cloud-based print production management platform with the idea of ‘connected automation’ in the print industry.
According to Four Pees founder, Tom Peire: “Its goal is simple – to allow information to circulate and to eliminate the need for re-entry of data from one system to another, thus making the production process more transparent and efficient.”
Loftware, which has offices in the US, UK, Germany, Slovenia, China, and Singapore, offers an end-to-end cloud-based labelling platform, designed to help businesses manage labelling across the supply chain. The full report is available on Loftware’s website.
