Developing New Product Packaging, Essay Example

There have been significant advances with regards to the inks and substrates which are used in packaging. In addition there have been strategic partnerships with the producers of the packaging equipment and the converters. The constant improvements in the aspects of digital printing, new categories of inks and substrates have facilitated the application of printing on metallic laminates and barriers which are moisturized. This has been achieved by the application of plastic co- extrusions whichhave facilitated the printing of a more diverse variety of flexible and rigid packaging in smaller more cost effective quantities.The perspectives of the EIRI Board (2007), Johansson et al. (2012), Kipphan (2001) and Keif & Goglio (2005) will be applied in the review of the research on cost avoidant printing for packages.

The manufacturers of finishing and digital printing technologies are enhancing her production of their equipment in the contexts of substrates, dependability, quality and velocity. These enhancements are improving the bottom line of digital printing in comparison to the analog printing. The packaging print service production companies have been applying digital printing systems which are particularly planned for the shorter printing run lengths with the amounts which are ten thousand pieces or less. In the presentation of the rapid and more cost effective shorter ruins, the packaging printing service providers have facilitated the application of regional or trial marketing, demographic and seasonal product packaging initiatives (EIRI Board 2007; Johansson et al., 2012).

Presently, the digital printing category has been able to achieve a limited penetration of the package printing market which has been assessed at over $300 billion. It is foreseen that during the next several years the digital printing market may evolve to decrease the costs of package printing. This attribute may cause the digital package printing evolution to where the digital printing becomes an integral component of the completely digital supply chain which is applied by a brand. The digital printing category in conjunction with the JIT (just in time) inventory techniques would be able to present manufacturers with additional cost accruals(Kipphan 2001, Johansson et al., 2012.

Motivations

The two primary factors which are encouraging shorter run durations in the digital printing of packages are the variable demands for the purchasers of packaging products. The increase in the packaging types and the packaging sizescauses a fragmentation of the digitally printed packaging market.  In addition, the purchasers of packaging products are implementing lean production processes. As the clients for the packaging products are migrating toward lean manufacturing procedures, the shorter durations of the digitally printed packaging provides cost administration and inventory support for the leaner production processes. Consequently, more digitally printed packages are being manufactured in smaller quantities which are in a closer proximity to the manufacturing location (Johansson et al., 2012). There has been an increasing tendency to the application of lean production in the development of the lean supply chain. This trend has had the influence of diminishing the inventory costs incurred in the storage of preprinted packaging and waste (Johansson et al., 2012; Kipphan, 2001).

Digital Printing Applications

The digital package printing processes presently apply the elevated value graphical color depictions of category one, two and three. The application of the fourth category of digital package graphic color printing is a market which is comparatively well developed market segment which is extensively applied for date coding and tracing. The application of digitalcolor printing in categories one,two and three is relatively novel. The application of digital package printing for categoriesone, two and three has been restricted to the application of publishing and in a less extent to packaging. This is attributed to the particularcoating and substraterequisites(Johansson et al., 2012).

The technological progress which has taken place in inkjetshas been intensified. The influences of direct digital inkjet printing for the more extensive term are anticipated to be significant (Kipphan, 2001; Keif & Goglio, 2005). Presently, the digital package printing applications are applied for the imprinting of publications with regards to the coding and marking aspects, the printing of rigid packages, the imprinting of flexible packages and the imprinting of labels (Johansson et al., 2012).

Stakeholders

The inclusion in the digital color package printing market needs communication with a few of the stakeholders. The printing service package providers evolve into becoming a comp0oonet of the organizations digital supply chain with regards to sending products to the marketplace. As a result of this intricate supply chain, there is a wide economic system which possesses a number of stakeholders who are involved in the digital packaging procedure. The actual plant production of the digitally printed packaging is performed by a packaging print service provider. The procedure of finishing and the post print operations are performed by the packaging converter (Johansson et al., 2012).

Gravure and Flexographic Printing Processes

The gravure printing process for the folding cartons is a high quality system of printing. The gravure system applies a cylinder that is engraved with an intaglio image some which is recessed. All of the elements which are to be printed are placed into the recesses of the cylinder. This incorporates thetype, line work and halftones. A conventional characteristic of grave printing is the serrating of the edges thatencompasses the type. . The paper is usually treated for gravure orienting. Gravure is cost avoidant when it is applied with repetitive work. Flexographic printing is used on surfaces which have a more porous quality (Kef& Goglio, 2005).

The most cost effective printing process is digital color printing for the packaging printing. This is the most cost avoidant method of printing. The application of digital packaging printing represents the application of anti-counterfeiting and tamper seals on the packaging. The enhanced monitoring of the packaging through the digital supply chain and the digital packaging printing products represent that increased application of sustainable substances and the diminished labor which results from waste avoidance. In addition, the digital printing of the packages represents a decrease in the cost per unit of the packaged printing when compared to gravure and flexographic prints (Johansson et al., 2012).

Conclusion

The best decision may be to apply the use of digital printing with regards to the packaging of the retail product which is to be produced. The digital packaging enables a greater flexibility with regards to the printing processes of the packaging and decreased cost. The digital printing methods for packaging have e experienced an improvement in the quality of the inks, colors and substrates which are applied. It may be cost avoidant to apply digital packaging printing for the initial shorter duration runs and to continue applying the digital printing methods as the length of the runs for the printing of the packaging become more expansive. This is due to the cost avoidant properties of the digital packaging printing. The digital packaging printing has the capacity of being applied with JIT (just in time) inventory techniques in order to reduce the need for inventory storage on the larger production runs.

References

EIRI Board(2007). Plastic compounding, master batches, pet and other plastic processing  industries. Delhi, India:  Engineers India Research Institute,

Johansson, K., Lundberg, P. & Ryberg, R. (2012). Guide to graphic print production. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Keif, M. G. & Goglio, T. (2005).Identifying high volume printing processes.Visual Communications Journal, Cal Poly State University.

Kipphan, A. (2001). Handbook of print media: Technologies and production methods. New York: Springer.