A flick through the pages of our latest print issue will quickly reveal that this is the year when scoring at least a few ‘A’s on the report card will be important.
Let’s start with Automation.
Unless you’re following the rather alarming ‘Alternative Facts’ trend (not an ‘A’ we espouse), there’s no denying that automation in processing and packaging plants is on a rapid ascent, and that robots and cobots are making their mechanical mark.
A new study commissioned by Universal Robots (see page 7) has revealed that 75% of Australian manufacturers will be looking to invest in automation in the future – 57% of those via robotics and 36% via materials handling automation.
Australian manufacturers surveyed said they want to automate processes in order to improve business efficiency, reduce production time, improve quality, reduce staff costs, and free up staff to work on value-add tasks. In short, automating processes is considered essential to competing on both a regional and international level.
Automation solutions, robotics and cobots (and of course the closely linked Industry 4.0 we wrote about last month) will have a strong showing at another influential ‘A’ for the year, our industry’s trade show Auspack taking place in Sydney in March, as you’ll read in our 28-page preview starting on page 32.
Adding a new dimension to Auspack, and to brand packaging this year, is the next ‘A’ – Augmented Reality (AR) – offering an immersive user experience through the integration of digital information with the user’s environment, in real time.
AR is being hailed as one of the most exciting technologies to emerge in the intelligent packaging space, opening a world of possibilities to brand owners seeking to drive interaction with their products through the appendage consumers are most dexterous at using – the ubiquitous smartphone.
For brand designers and marketers, AR is a gateway to a new dimension in on-pack communication. It opens a world of content and rich experiential possibilities for consumers, because the information is no longer limited to what can be printed in the limited real-estate on the label or pack.
In the realm of on-pack intelligence that can be smartphone activated, another ‘A’ on the list is Authentication. Brand protection and product traceability technology (see page 12) applied in code form or as invisible tracers (see page 24) will continue to find wider application as demand grows to prove supply chain integrity and hence food safety, product provenance and brand authenticity.
On the subject of provenance, Australian-Made is high on the A- list too, having increasing sway and influence on customers and consumers in local and export markets.
Space is tight but I'll squeeze in one last A, and that’s for Adaptation. We’re living and working in a time of unprecedented technological change.
Adapting to change, and adopting new technology without fear, will go a long way towards scoring those straight ‘A’s this year.
