A packaging trade show held in Chicago earlier this winter provided an insight into the kind of packaging trends we can expect to see in the coming year.
According to a report compiled by organizers of the PACK EXPO International and Pharma EXPO 2014 — which was held at Chicago’s McCormick Place convention facility in November — there are eight general trends to watch for 2015:
- Flexible Packaging — The use of flexible packaging, such as standup pouches, ultrasonic sealing or more functional films and packaging formats — will continue in 2015 after showing a 3.8% growth rate last year. Companies spent $28 billion on these products to make packaging that was more functional, economical, ecological, and in some cases, antibacterial.
- Sustainable Materials and Equipment — Sustainability includes such strategies as source reduction, recycled and renewable content, and energy savings. The report cited such developments as plant-based plastics and non-traditional fiber-based concepts like FibreForm paper, which is made of 100% fiber but can thermo-formed into practically any shape.
- Flexibility and Overall Equipment Effectivness (OEE) — Shorter runs, operator turnover and the need to control costs will result in packaging machines and production lines that use higher levels of modularity, automation and networkability to simplify operations. Operators will seek ways to minimize downtime and maximize the performance they get out of their existing equipment.
- Adaptable Robotics — In the coming year, robotics will continue to move from end of line pick-and-place operations to inline functionality, the report concluded. It cited one aseptic robotic system built by DENSO Robotics that features an outer coating and sealed joints that can be sterilized using hydrogen peroxide or ultraviolet light.
- Easy-Open and -Close Packaging — There’s a growing demand for multifunctional closures, so portability and single-serve packaging will continue to be introduced. One example is a beverage can developed by Herrmann Ultrasonics that features a polypropylene “slider” tab that is ultrasonically welded to the aluminum can end and can withstand pressures of up to 100 PSI before opening and more than 50 PSI when resealed.
- Retail-Ready Packaging — Another trend to watch out for is packaging that can double as a point-of-purchase display. These already are popular among big box and club/warehouse retailers — such as Sam’s Club, Costco and Aldi’s supermarkets — and are expected to migrate to other types of retail operations this year.
- Serialization — In the pharmaceuticals industry, anti-counterfeiting and compliance with new legislation will drive new track-and-trace innovations. This will include such things as laser coders that can apply high-quality serialization alphanumerics and barcodes by marking the substrate directly or removing a layer of ink to expose contrasting material.
- Advancements in Child-Proofing — Packages are becoming more flexible and less rigid. So packaging companies will develop new types of concepts for making containers child-resistant and elder-friendly. New kinds of child resistant packaging are needed because of the increase in products containing imidazolines — a family of drugs that are vasorestrictors used for treating nasal congestion — as well as legalization of marijuana in some states, poisoning incidents related to detergent “pods”, and young children gaining access to medication.