What is the future of coding equipment for manufacturers?

  • By Peter Lister
  • April 22, 2016
  • Industry
  • General
  • Beverage
  • Food
  • Life Sciences
  • Industrial
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The survey

We designed a simple questionnaire and used it to conduct face-to-face interviews with Domino customers from a range of sectors, across Europe and beyond. Then we recorded our findings.

Below is a summary.

Growth in adoption of laser coding technologies

For the majority of manufacturers and packagers, the coding technology of choice for primary packaging is continuous inkjet. However our survey suggests the industry can expect global growth in the adoption of laser and thermal Inkjet technologies as we move towards 2020, with negative growth for continuous inkjet systems.

Laser coding systems offer several benefits to manufacturers. Flexibility chief among them. You can code human-readable text, graphics, variable and serialised data as well as 2D codes onto a variety of substrates - including cartons, glass, metal and paper. Think high-quality permanent marking with extreme precision and low maintenance.

6 reasons why thermal inkjet printing is perfect for food packaging

Significant growth in use of print and apply technology

Print and apply technology is already used extensively for secondary and tertiary packaging. Continued growth is expected in the run up to 2020. This trend is largely driven by the increased demand for serialisation, especially aggregation, as well as the need to apply clear, machine-readable codes at speed to trays, cases, shrink wrapped goods and pallets..

How to choose print and apply labelling technology

Increased use of 2D codes

Our customers said they planned to increase their use of 2D codes on both primary and secondary/tertiary packaging before 2020. It’s easy to understand why. Not only do 2D codes make it easier for manufacturers and retailers to track products through the supply chain, they give brand owners a new channel for interacting with the end-consumer. Anyone with a smartphone can scan a 2D code. That gives marketers a way to boost consumer engagement through competitions, discount vouchers and more - gathering valuable data on customer demographics in return.

The benefits and challenges of promotional codes in snack manufacturing INSERT LINK

Flexible control of coding systems

Walking up to a printer control panel to programme your next job is all well and good. But wouldn’t it be easier if you could programme your coding technology from location? Our survey suggests manufacturers want to move away from at-printer control modules and towards systems that can be controlled through mobile devices and web apps. User interfaces such as Domino’s QuickDesign will support the transition.

More independence, better supplier relationships

Our survey respondents want to rely less on offsite support. They want coding systems that they can install and maintain themselves, without the help of an external technician or engineer. User-friendly technology is the order of the day - such as our service-free continuous inkjet printers.

Are you ready for service-free inkjet printing?

However, less reliance on offsite support does not mean customers don’t value expert insight. Indeed our survey respondents want to build loyal relationships with a preferred supplier of coding technology. Manufacturers want to work with experts who understand their working world, adapting to the nuances of their business and recommending the best technology and installation for the project.

More monitoring of OEE

Productivity, efficiency and throughput on the production line are inextricably tied to bottom line. That’s why more and more manufacturers and packagers are monitoring overall equipment effectiveness (OEE). Tomorrow’s technology has to be accountable, it has to provide value and it has to enable demonstrable productivity gains to keep consumers happy.

Want to know more?

You can download a flipbook of our survey responses and get to grips with the data here. insert link here

Need more information?

Contact us about our innovative and award-winning printing and marking solutions. Get in touch

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