In the world of packaging print, the digital transformation is game-changing, and optimism around digital’s growth is high. PKN spoke to Jon Field at Kissel + Wolf about the company's strategy to capitalise on the single-pass corrugated board packaging market.
Dan Schulman, PayPal’s president and CEO, is often cited for his comment on the effects of digital technology and its transformation the world over in just a matter of years: “We went from the Flintstones to the Jetsons in nine months.”
This rings true in packaging print too, where digital advances are rapidly creating increased scope for creativity, productivity and sustainability.
“Digital technology’s primary aim should be about creating and maximising value for your customers,” says Jon Field, Kissel + Wolf sales and business development director – digital. “It’s also about simultaneously being able to address new business verticals, increasing your productivity and today, more than ever, doing so in a sustainable and environmentally friendly way while creating a strategic competitive advantage over your competition,” Field says.
“Many people in the packaging industry wouldn’t know just how well Kissel + Wolf is positioned to capitalise on the single-pass corrugated board packaging market,” he says. “With a wealth of experience and having not long ago celebrated our 125th year anniversary since inception, we have a mature yet innovative approach to doing business across the printing and packaging industries the world over.
“Constant innovation, a strong service and support ethic and a customer centric focus to everything we do, has enabled us to emerge as one of the pre-eminent suppliers of market-leading equipment, consumables and services to the printing and packaging industries and we will continue to push the boundaries. That is why we place such an emphasis on the digital vertical within Kissel + Wolf and we are tremendously optimistic about the future and its ability to contribute strongly to the group.”
Field goes on to say the data surrounding the growth in the value and size of the markets that the company’s digital products portfolio caters for, supports Kissel + Wolf’s optimism.
“As evidence we experienced impressive growth in our digital business throughout 2020, namely from our direct to garment (DTG) Kornit digital printing solutions with multiple installations across multiple states, despite the downturn in the economy due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Now with the value of digital packaging set to soar over the next five years by a whopping 13.1 per cent CAGR and the value of the world inkjet market set to rise by 9.4 per cent, further analysis and segmentation of our own digital portfolio points towards the future growth of the digital packaging market being as strong as the DTG market, if not stronger. In particular, we see growth in high-speed industrial ink jet digital printing solutions for corrugated board markets.”
Field said as the worldwide print market transforms, shifts in buyer demands, namely short-run customised and personalised products with higher quality, align with the capabilities of inkjet.
“We have no doubt that in five years’ time inkjet will grow by deepening its penetration into existing markets, and by offering our customers new and emerging market opportunities,” he said.
“For manufacturers of corrugated board and packaging it will enable you to provide your customers with greater levels of service and efficiency through our digital ink jet technology by getting products to market faster and with more flexibility around SKUs. Additionally, our corrugated digital print solutions cater for shorter print runs, while offering customisation and personalisation of printed products, which enables brands to align their packaged products with their target markets,” Field says.
A version of this article was first published in the January-February print issue of PKN Packaging News.
