| | NOVEMBER 20228INDUSTRY INSIGHTSDIGITALIZATION: TAKING FOOD PACKAGING TO THE NEXT LEVEL Digitalization is transforming almost every aspect of society and the packaging industry is no different. Digital trends are changing the dynamics in the packaging value chain. Brand owners now want the packaging to be interactive and to be used as a consumer engagement and data mining tool. In response, digitalization tools are evolving to be compatible with conventional packaging machinery and formats. A classic example of the same is the developments in digital printing, which started as a response to decreasing lot sizes per stock-keeping unit (SKU) but has been more successfully adopted as personalisation and variable data printing technology. Big brand owners are facing different challenges, each coming from the competition, ever-increasing consumer demands, and the entry of private labels, forcing them to rethink their value chains. This is leading to profound changes in the global packaging industry. The packaging industry is adopting various digital tools to meet the demands coming from brand owners, including digital printing options, various QR codes, smart packaging, and RFID integration, to name a few.The pace of digitalization in the packaging value chain is increasing rapidly and all the stakeholders in the value chain need to adapt to the changing times and demands, all the while keeping an eye out for additional opportunities for digitalization and growth.DIGITALIZATION AT THE HEART OF SUSTAINABILITY Digitalisation is offering many avenues of use in packaging and manufacturing. Not only does it enable new features in packaging, it's also at the heart of sustainability efforts that the industry is embarking on. Digitalization is now driving improvements in operational performance by way of connected `smart' machines (Industry 4.0), assisting in the design for circularity through smart packaging Ruturaj Kamthekar,Head of Innovation & TechnicalRuturaj, a seasoned professional with end-to-end knowledge of the Flexible Packaging Industry & Business, achieved growth through working in Technology, Operations Management, Product Development & Innovation functions in a career of two decades.
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