How best to decorate a container?

22 September 2014



The ‘battle of decoration technologies’ was the focus for an expert panel of suppliers who came together at the annual congress of the label industry’s international association, FINAT, to debate the challenges and opportunities


Representatives from key aspects of today's industry supply chain formed the discussion panel. They were Stefan Richter, Krones, Geert-Jan Kolkhuis Tanke, Avery Dennison, and Raul Matos, founder of Karlville Development. The moderator was Marc Büttgenbach, Bizerba's worldwide sales director for labels and consumables.

"Why would a brand-owner choose any particular labelling technology for a product?" Büttgenbach asked. For shrink sleeves, Matos said it is the "ability to label different shapes and sizes of container. The choice driver for self-adhesive labels, said Kolkhuis Tanke, would be "the huge selection of materials and products available to meet every price requirement - and changing with innovation, as with other technologies".

In fact, the panel agreed, we are living in a multi-technology society where the materials employed will work with both conventional and digital presses. "Krones today makes multi-technology labelling machines," said Richter. "While wet-glue labelling is declining, it is still only possible to achieve the 'no-label look' with self-adhesives." Indeed, the demands of a label are ever-changing - not just in response to brand-owners' marketing and promotional needs, but - particularly today - in response to legislative requirements for expanded label content.

The need for greater label space, and bigger labels, is certainly challenging brand-owners and the label supply chain. In this respect, Avery Dennison's Kolkhuis Tanke drew attention to the value of leaflet labels, which have been a successful feature of self-adhesive labelling - particularly in the field of pharmaceuticals - for many years now.

Expanded label content is also a topic of focus for the production characteristics of shrink sleeve labels, according to Karlville's Matos. "QR codes, for example, need to be placed on an area of low shrink," he said, underlining the need to involve the whole supply chain, from the designer onwards, in creating a successful shrink sleeve.

Barcodes and other 'smart' printed data also have a role to play in product authentication and track-and-trace activities - which are only one part of the opportunities to create layered overt - visible and covert - invisible security elements in and on a self-adhesive label, as Kolkhuis Tanke pointed out. RFID labels are, of course, a good example of the successful application of this principle although, as Matos added, they are today primarily "interesting as a security device for high-priced products".

Discussion moved on to linerless labelling, a 'coming technology' which is already achieving a strong presence on supermarket food prepacks - and to another developing pathway for label converters - printing flexible packaging. Matos observed: "Our industry currently only has a tiny percentage of this market, but we could have much more". He reminded the audience that two different, but complementary, businesses exist within the broad packaging arena - primary and secondary packaging - both of which could, today, be addressed by label producers. He added, however: "This requires a mindshift: we need to embrace flexible packaging as a closely related brother industry".

He drew attention to a good example of a practical enabler in this respect - the latest HP Indigo digital press for both paper and film webs up to 750mm wide, which is capable of printing flexible packaging.

The moderator directed the conversation to a major focus for FINAT members: the issue of 'price versus sustainability'. The true definition of 'sustainability' needs to be established, said Kolkhuis Tanke, because "it is also about efficiency on the production line, and TCO - total cost of ownership - can it bring savings?"

Matos expanded the discussion to include shrink sleeves, which, he said, are in some 'green' communities not considered a sustainable solution. "But new technology does now allow sleeve separation in PET recycling." He believes 'shrink sleeves will continue to grow as packaging continues to change: refills, pouches with closures will create the tipping point."

"Sustainability is also about the trend to thinner materials," Richter pointed out, highlighting a key factor for Krones. They, however, "require more skill at the application point, and underline the need for quality labelling materials - even though thinner materials are driven by price".

Two pathways to product decoration were identified as threats to the label industry. "With all our currently-available technologies," said Richter, "we still can't decorate a three-dimensional surface." 3D printing's challenges are partnered as a threat by direct-to-container print, which do away with the need for an additional label substrate, as shrink sleeve expert Matos pointed out.

Currently, Krones is experiencing increasing evidence that brand-owners are choosing a 'mix' of labelling technologies, Richter said. "In fact," Büttgenbach added, "labelling and packaging are merging together, more and more. What, then, is the likely scenario for five to 10years' time?'

For Kolkhuis Tanke and Avery Dennison, it will mean "more self-adhesive products, greater efficiency, high speed label application, and much more in the way of 'smart' labels". For Karlville, Matos expects the medium term will see full automation in the application of shrink sleeves as the market matures, plus a larger share in flexible packaging - particularly pouches. Whatever the case, the label application machinery has a key enabling role to play, said Krones' Stefan Richter. "There will be a highly-flexible 'open system' of application - but material suppliers need to involve the application industry earlier in their developments to facilitate change at our end."

www.finat.com



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