The market share of digital printing in the packaging sector is growing rapidly

In the entire digital label and packaging market, the digital printing market for corrugated paper, as a part of rapid growth, is itself one of the most active areas in the packaging and printing industry. Because the corrugated box market has a lot of unutilized potential, this means that many packaging box and printing companies are considering entering the market, and many suppliers of machinery and software are willing to provide them with more powerful equipment and technology.

"Digitalization represents an important long-term strategic direction for the corrugated carton industry, because it is more and more in line with current and future customer needs," said Philip Easton, Domino's Digital Printing Solutions Director. "The market share occupied by digital printing is rapidly increasing. Growth, but its growth rate will depend on the applicability of the ink to market demand. Therefore, in terms of overall market volume, it may be small, and in terms of overall sales value, we predict that it will be important and may reach It’s about 20%."

Sharon Chessler, marketing manager of HP's PageWideIndustrial corrugated box division, is also optimistic about this market. “On the one hand, digital printing strongly supports production optimization. On the other hand, digital printing is also a key driver for creating supply chain benefits. The packaging field is indeed a growing field of inkjet. Therefore, the market has a strong interest in HP PageWide corrugated paper digital printing presses. The interest and demand of the company continue to grow. This is definitely a powerful weapon for producing corrugated boxes at a lower cost."

Koenig & Bauer and Dusit Managing Director Robert Stabler added, “Digital printing is becoming more and more important to the corrugated packaging market, and its market share has been rising. In the end, what drives growth is Changes in consumer buying habits."

Maximilian Mark, BHS's digital printing product manager, is obviously more cautious, at least in the current situation. "The current share of digital printing is almost negligible because it accounts for a very low proportion of total printing volume. However, as the availability of high-capacity printing presses continues to increase, and brand owners promote the use of digital printing packaging. Digital printing technology will become more and more important."

In fact, when Mr. Mark set his sights on the future, he almost became enthusiastic. "Compared with other traditional corrugated paper printing methods, the compound annual growth rate of corrugated paper digital printing in 2020-2025 is 20%. This figure shows that the growth rate of digital printing in the corrugated paper packaging field is much higher than other packaging fields. From In the long run, we believe that digital printing will completely replace traditional printing, especially for new carton factories."

BHS's RSR printing solution is specially designed for its vision of "2025 Carton Factory", which is "completely different" from any other digital printing solution on the market. Its RSR (real-time roll-to-sheet) system provides a working width of 2.8m and a maximum speed of 300m/min. It was developed in cooperation with Screen GPIJC on its core inkjet technology based on Dimatix samba printheads.

EFI is another manufacturer of digital printing equipment that has high hopes. Reinhild Westmeyer, its marketing director, explained: “Digital printing technology is already very disruptive, but frankly speaking, it has only just begun and it will take several years to develop in the future. Now, digital and other Printing technology coexists, but over time we expect it to become more dominant."

Advantages: less fixed costs and less pre-press work to ensure printing quality

Ms. Westmeyer naturally attributed this potential to the advantages of digital printing technology itself. "Compared with traditional printing methods, the fixed costs are much less and the pre-press work is also less. It also guarantees high printing quality. Having said that, we believe that we consider the overall workflow to make full use of digital printing solutions to It’s important. Although we have a very efficient printing system, we need to ensure that jobs are fed into the machine at a considerable speed in order to realize the full potential of the machine."

EFI product marketing manager James Nelson explained, “EFI has always focused on developing a total ecosystem that connects all aspects of the factory through a seamless solution. Digital printing machines can print multiple jobs per hour, but many companies face The challenge of efficiently handling these jobs. Order creation, scheduling, planning, transportation, etc. are all important steps in processing jobs, which is why a strategic approach to workflow is adopted through the ecosystem to truly drive the adoption of digital printing to Higher level and level."

EFI provides Nozomi C18000, which is a 1.8-meter-wide printing press that can print at a speed of 75 meters per minute. Currently, more than 30 units have been installed worldwide. Nozomi C18000 and Nozomi C18000 Plus are printed at 360dpi, have four gray levels, and use CMYK, orange, and purple.

Of course, digital printing technology has many other advantages. Mr. Easton said that it is very suitable for multiple versions of short and medium version operations, and will not cause downtime due to production changes. The operation is simple, and does not require the skills of a flexo operator, nor does it require plate making, installation, plate change, and storage of flexographic plates.

There are fewer settings and less preparation, which means less downtime and less waste. The low cost per operation enables the carton factory to optimize the production of different equipment, and the ability to print on demand can reduce the inventory of finished products, which means that only less storage space is required and waste caused by outdated packaging can be reduced. There are even opportunities to bring more benefits, such as the use of variable data printing to achieve personalization and traceability.

In terms of technology, Domino provides a single-channel X630i digital inkjet printer. Designed for daily corrugated box production. Based on Domino’s sixth-generation inkjet platform with nearly 1,000 installations, the X630i can print at a speed of up to 75 meters per minute, 600x600dpi, and a maximum printing area of ​​3000x 1345 mm.

As far as Mr. Stubler is concerned, he believes that digital technology can respond well to the market trends sweeping the industry. "One of the positive effects of the new crown epidemic is that it has accelerated the process of digital transformation of packaging and printing. We are seeing an acceleration in the shift to shorter run lengths and unpredictable demand. The channel mix is ​​changing, and retail through channels is changing. Brand promotion is more important than ever. Of course, online orders are constantly increasing, and different packaging is usually required."

To meet these challenges, processors need more flexible and automated systems to process more small orders with faster factory cycle times. In addition, there are opportunities to develop new business models that allow brands to take advantage of the flexibility provided by high-speed digital printing.

Ms. Chessler agreed. "The corrugated packaging industry has not only shown growth, but also demonstrated strong economic flexibility during the epidemic, especially inkjet printing of corrugated paper. E-commerce is the driving force for growth, but so is the exploration of sustainable packaging. We PageWide’s customers have fully seen the market’s growing demand for e-commerce projects, and using the advantages of HP’s true water-based inks, they can provide truly sustainable packaging solutions for their brands."

HP offers the PageWide series of printers, including the PageWide C500 75m/min based on HP thermal inkjet technology, and the PageWide T1190, which is a six-color inkjet pre-printing device with a 2.8m web width. There is also a 1066mm PageWide T 470S, which is also a digital pre-printing solution suitable for large-scale pre-printing of corrugated paper.

Mr. Mark emphasized many of the same advantages. "It is worth mentioning the time to market and the cost-effectiveness of short-run printing. Digital printing is also beneficial to different carton designs. Due to the cost structure of traditional printing, block colors are now dominant, but digital printing has cleared this obstacle In addition. Digital can generate realistic graphics, opening up new possibilities for brand owners. The last big advantage of digital printing is that digitally printed corrugated packaging can now play both the role of transport packaging and primary packaging."

When talking about the trend of driving the transition to digitalization, Mr. Mark mentioned factors such as short version assignments, variable data, reduction of waste, and e-commerce outbreaks. He also elaborated on a series of other trends that the industry should pay attention to, "What brands want, what they are willing to pay, and what they can actually produce. There is always a difference between the two. Digital printing technology is shrinking this. Gaps, especially in terms of personalization, sustainability and personalized experience. Government regulations on carbon footprint, waste stream, and tracking from cradle to grave cannot be ignored."

The epidemic has led to an increase in the demand for corrugated boxes

Of course, it is inaccurate to review the development of corrugated packaging without judging the impact of the new crown epidemic on the market. As Ms. Chester explained, corrugated packaging has the opportunity to shine as other printing markets are gradually being eliminated.

Mr. Easton added, “The epidemic has led to an increase in the demand for corrugated packaging from all walks of life. Many processors focus on providing what they can provide instead of looking for new investment opportunities. However, with the development of the e-commerce market , People are increasingly aware that digital printing can provide customers with something different in this market. We think this trend is returning because the trend of more customized products and the need to reduce inventory drive shorter-run jobs growth of."

Stubler pointed out, “Before the COVID-19 pandemic, we were already living in a world with low predictability, obvious trends in short-run operations, and high color requirements, which opened the door to more digital production. Main factors Including continued brand proliferation, more sales channels, and less predictability, especially in a world where online sales have grown substantially. Processors fully recognize that they need to be more agile than ever before and use support for mass customization Technology. The latest generation of single-pass printers suitable for the corrugated packaging market (such as our DeltaSPC 130 and CorruJET170) combined with the right workflow solutions can enable processors to efficiently and cost-effectively print a large number of short runs. Here Under this model, leading companies will invest more to meet changing market demands and position themselves as supply chain and brand partners."

Finally, Mr. Rosenberg emphasized the way the new crown epidemic affects the e-commerce market. “The new crown epidemic has indeed had an impact on the corrugated carton market. The new crown epidemic has accelerated the prosperity of the e-commerce market, which has created a demand for printed corrugated boxes during rapid launch. Suppliers urgently need to shorten delivery times and simplify the supply chain. . Digital printing has become a more ideal choice for door-to-door processing."

Experts’ advice

Finally, when it comes to providing some advice to customers who are new to corrugated packaging, Mr. Stubler thinks. “It’s never been more important to build close relationships with brand partners, understand the challenges they encounter, and stand out in sales and packaging to become their trusted supply chain partner. Such rapid changes are certainly disturbing. But with the pressure of the entire value chain, this is a real opportunity for processors to accept new realities and develop new business models to prepare for the future. In short, invest in systems and processes And personnel to obtain maximum flexibility and agility, reduce touch points in the factory that require manual intervention, and be able to fully meet the market’s demand for short-run operations without affecting core efficiency."

In terms of technology, König & Bauer and Dusit provide CorruJET170 and DeltaSPC 130. The former is based on Koenig & Bauer's RotaJET, with a maximum production speed of 5500sph, and can process corrugated cardboard with a thickness of 8mm at 1200 x 600dpi. DeltaSPC can be configured with up to six colors, and can print sizes from 500x600mm to 1300x2100mm and a maximum thickness of 12mm.

Hewlett-Packard’s Ms. Chessler added, “It’s important to remember that corrugated packaging is divided into yellow board shipping cartons, high-definition e-commerce or subscription cartons, and then to the corrugated display rack. The high-definition corrugated packaging market hides greater profit potential. The shipping carton with lower printing resolution is more like a commodity. When printers decide to enter the corrugated packaging industry, they need to clearly understand their competitive areas, which will affect the entire business plan, including the equipment they need Type. In practice, corrugated packaging is a very good medium, with almost unlimited possibilities in structure and design. However, the processing of corrugated cardboard requires very professional skills and knowledge, because they are susceptible to temperature and humidity The impact of changes will make it more difficult to handle boards on printing equipment. When choosing a corrugated digital printer, you need to consider the printer’s ability to handle warped cardboard and uneven cardboard stacks."

Finally, EFI’s point of view focuses on acquiring knowledge. As Ms. Westmeyer explained, “I will ask customers to look at the many opportunities in digital printing technology. I suggest looking for the best successful cases of digital printing technology and how to Use digital printing for your own business. I also advocate considering your target customers and matching these new opportunities and applications with the target groups so that you can expand your business."