FLEXO: Clearly, packaging has cemented its prominent place in the print industry. How significant of a force is packaging today? How does drupa rate its growth prospects? What does it see as pressing challenges and top priorities for action?
GELDERMANN: Packaging production symmetry and growth potential are exponential. The subject is a topic of everybody’s conversation. Flexography, too—As goes packaging, so goes flexo. Factors that influence growth include increasing and shifting populations, single households, growing middle classes and emerging markets. The outlook is very positive.
Every segment—food, non-food, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals—is reporting positive symmetry and building up flexo. That’s true for corrugated boxes, folding cartons, labeling, flexible packaging, security printing and more.
In Asia, anti-counterfeiting activity is unbelievable. Faked products will have to be identified much more intensively; looking at printing options such as trust codes, invisible inks, bar codes and printed electronics to enable the fight against fraudulent merchandise.
Statistics rank faked shoes as the No. 1 product impacted, followed by clothing, leather products and electronics. Interestingly, everything related to security printing—inks, text, bar codes, printed electronics—is hot. The mission: “Avoid imitation goods.” As a result, enabled consumers can put a smartphone on a box and verify authenticity.
FLEXO: There has been a great deal of talk about “disruptive technologies,” with digital print being the most-often mentioned. How will disruptive technologies and their impact on packaging be addressed at drupa 2020?
GELDERMANN: Digital printing and packaging stands out as one of the highly significant growing sectors. HP, Bobst, Comexi, Uteco and Koenig & Bauer, just to mention a few, are all looking at personalized goods and the positive effect that inkjet will have on packaging through intensive embellishment on decoration.
Rapid change awaits. It’s right on the horizon. Highlights on what’s likely to occur will be brought out at drupa 2020. Discussion will be quite extensive. Innovative products, set for introduction, will speak volumes as to what is occurring on this front.
Hybridization and combination print have a role, deserve consideration and might prove to be among essential tools in coming years. Lines are blurring between the different print processes and effective co-mingling is paying dividends to those who deploy the strategy.
FLEXO: Four years ago, drupa identified print as one of the major pioneers of Industry 4.0. Obviously, that is still the case. Can you comment on the roll-out and acceptance of Industry 4.0, its impact on package print, where we are and where we are likely going? How will drupa 2020 address this phenomenon? How will you define, support and encourage “smart production” in the packaging sector?
GELDERMANN: We are addressing it in a very inspiring conference program designed to provide knowledge transfer. All the buzz surrounding Industry 4.0 has inspired exhibitors to showcase the digitalization of print efficiency. Automation and inline production entails generation of millions of pieces of data daily by machines. Since no human brain can handle the volume, AI comes into play. How we analyze, integrate and interpret it dictates utilizing smart and intelligent algorithms to formulate responses to requirements of our customers.
AI is a big, big challenge—near and long term—for our industry and others. Significant response is required. Ongoing digitalization and communication between machines will only become more and more commonplace. As it does, benefits will increase.
FLEXO: Automation and efficiency are touching all facets of print production today. We live in a world of augmented and virtual reality. Can you comment on how those trends are driving business and their likely further impact on package print production?
GELDERMANN: Augmented and virtual reality is where a lot is happening. Food packaging that utilizes bar codes, plus printed electronics that lead into digital channels through cross-media applications and other forms of communication, let a consumer move from an analog experience into the digital world to get deeper insights into the product.
Options and opportunities to enrich the customer experience and the convergence of digital and analog channels and communications must be explored. Digital twins or virtual reality presses, if you will, are making the impossible possible. They are connecting the world—printers can receive training and instruction from partners that are literally continents away.
Developments to be highlighted at drupa will see a complete digital twin, produced by machine, enable a press operator to connect and produce virtual reality work on the digital twin. It will let the operator solve problems, perform maintenance and complete essential tasks in real time. It’s quite impressive. Donning special equipment, the operator enters into full production via digital solutions. It fosters assimilation between customer and supplier. That’s something we all can appreciate.
FLEXO: Similarly, globalization is widely accepted as fact. How are a global economy and the critical demands associated with it—from e-commerce to brand engagement, to convenience lifestyles and 24-hour connectivity—shaping the future of package print and converting? How will drupa 2020 encapsulate this trend?
GELDERMANN: We have to observe global trends and very clearly challenge ourselves to cope with them. E-commerce, brand demands, sustainable production—P&G, Nestlé and others ask more intensively that print service providers (PSPs) take care of the circular economy. They expect consumers to interact with the packaging and the product it contains.
We have to make sure that PSPs and suppliers are aware of one fact—24-hour connectivity is here to stay! Global players need to work responsibly and effectively across all time zones, embrace environmental endeavors, stay connected and unveil new innovations that embrace economies after economies.
Package printing and converting is under pressure to produce more inline and reconstitute delivery windows to be quicker, better, cheaper and ever-responsive to emerging demands. Streamlining operations is both a priority and an overarching logistical challenge of the times. We will trim waste, speed delivery, embrace automated workflows and look to AI to carry us forward. Like drupa, printers and converters have committed to standing ready, willing and able to “Embrace the Future.”
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