The success of short-run digital printing
Digital printing will continue to be used for food and beverage labels, with short-run printing proving to be the most popular. Increased automation of label production will increase efficiency, especially for large food and beverage companies. Simon Mitchell, head of the Label Special Interest Group at the British Printing Industries Federation (BPIF), said: "We are seeing real progress in automation in the labeling market and expect to see growing investment in technology."
In label post-press production, manual processes are costly and time-consuming. As a result, automation can increase yields and shorten lead times, and processors will reduce manufacturing costs. BPIF CEO Charles Jarrod agrees that digital printing is becoming an important production method, especially due to the ability to produce short orders and greatly reduce downtime between runs of different orders.
It also offers new and diverse options for secure printing, and its ability to personalize means that the number of different steps a label may need to go through can be reduced, as this can now be done as part of the printing process. Of course, digital printing complements existing printing methods, which are still very efficient and economical, especially with a slight increase in yield and scale.
There may be sustainability benefits (relative to existing methods) by reducing waste and reducing the number of different processes, but overall, modern, well-invested production facilities are often very efficient and already very sustainable.
Advantages and disadvantages of digital printing
In fact, one UK packaging expert stressed that digital printing is only a method suitable for short-run specific designs and personalised packaging, such as Ferrero Nutella's recent promotion, in which jars are printed with pictures of Belgian tourist towns. We can see its value in terms of specials and possible digital deposit return systems, but don't see it changing standard food and beverage packaging such as cans or cereal packaging, especially when traditional printing techniques are cheaper.
Dominica Keckbraid, director of GlobalData, a global packaging services company, said that despite the decline in costs, digital printing is still a relatively expensive form of printing compared to traditional analog methods such as offset, gravure and flexo, while For high-volume printing, these methods are often much faster. In terms of volume, its share of the global packaging printing market is still low (less than 5%), but in terms of value, it has reached 18% -20% of the total and remains the fastest growing industry.
In fact, almost all major international packaged goods brand owners - such as Pepsi, Unilever, and Coca-Cola - now use digital for packaging promotions and greater consumer engagement and engagement, as higher sales justify additional or higher investment costs. Digital printing is also particularly useful for designs that make the final product seen as more personal or artisan in areas such as craft beer and cider.
At the same time, digital printing companies such as HP and Epson, which account for more than 60% of the digital label printing market share, are unsurprisingly full of praise for digital printing and believe that companies are abandoning plate-based analog printing.
"Using HP's digital printing technology, processors can print only what they need, when they need it, reducing inventory, obsolescence and waste," said Eli Mahal, head of labeling and printing marketing at HP Indigo. "With HP Indigo's PrintOS Suite and workflow partners, processors can automate dozens of printing jobs a day through end-to-end (E2E), integrating business and production management tools."
"On-demand inkjet color label printing is now the most sustainable and operationally efficient option," noted Gareth Arconley, head of product marketing, business systems and manufacturing solutions at Epson Europe. "It eliminates the traditional problems of thermal overprinting with no more delays, interruptions, waste or inconvenience." The company says its micro-piezoelectric inkjet technology adapts to demand fluctuations and rapid turnaround, as well as reducing ink and water waste by eliminating the need to clean plates and limiting the amount of space needed to work during storage.
02 Save energy, materials and inks
Mr. Arconley cites research by Smithers detailing how on-demand inkjet labels can save significant amounts of energy, materials and ink. For example, if Europe were to make such a shift: "28.70 million kilowatt-hours of energy could be saved each year, the equivalent of lighting 95,960 homes and reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 6.70 million tons."
Sylvia Lovres, senior manager of public affairs at FoodDrinkEurope, the European food industry association, said the epidemic also highlighted the opportunities for digital printing: "In 2020 and 2021, food and beverage companies experienced supply chain disruptions due to the procurement of sunflower oil, which led to the sudden need to shift supplies and adjust consumer information accordingly. As we reiterated in our joint stakeholder letter to the European Union Commission, this reinforces the right time for us to open up our digital labelling solutions."
The document, sent on March 27, 2023, states: "Digital solutions for labelling help reduce packaging waste and provide consumers with more detailed and customized information, reduce production costs and incentivize innovation."
Digital printing is also making waves outside Europe. In the US, Rob Myerson, president of Label Traxx, the label company, adds: "Online ordering is often a key element of successful digital innovation. It's not just the digitisation of print, we see successful companies undertaking digital transformation from start to finish of the value stream, and digital print production surrounded by analog workflows is a limiting way of thinking."