Lean manufacturing has always been considered the most effective way to reduce costs and increase profit on a long-term basis. Given the current economic climate, these principles are gaining even more impetus as both converters and suppliers are aiming to keep costs at bay while maintaining the highest print quality.
For decades, many Swiss companies have enjoyed a reputation for precision and efficiency and are now setting an example for lean manufacturing processes. This issue of Converting Today looks at some examples of Swiss ingenuity.
Swiss headquartered narrow web press manufacturer Gallus advocates flexo printing as the best way to meet the demands of efficient package production. Technical advances in flexo now allow printers to meet the highest quality requirements while taking advantage of short change-over times (Page 22).
Another example of the country’s talent for precision can be seen at Switzerland’s second biggest pharmaceutical packaging producer – K+D. We look at how an embossing technology is helping this Swiss converter to meet the EU legislation for pharmaceutical packaging that requires product names, formulation and strength to be displayed in Braille by October 2010 (Page 23).
This issue of Converting Today also looks at the latest developments in RFID technology for the packaging industry. Ever so often we come across innovations and new technologies that give the impression that they will change the way we work but then fail to confirm their promise.
RFID is one such technology that has sadly not lived up to the great expectations. While high prices for tags and privacy issues have for years kept some investors at bay, others have always argued a strong case for its use and success. We discuss some of the processes that are being used to integrate RFID tags in packaging and how converters can overcome the challenges associated with this technology.
We also look at how the latest technical developments are helping brand owners tackle counterfeiting. Some of the most interesting advances include the use of invisible markers or taggants on packaging to identify the product as the real thing. We have highlighted some of these (Page 18).
Sonali Advani
Group Editor
Sonali Advani
