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Rapid growth of digital printing market share in corrugated packaging: In the overall digital label and packaging market, the digital printing market for corrugated paper, as part of the rapid growth, itself is one of the most active areas of the packaging printing industry. Because the corrugated box market has a lot of untapped potential, this means that many packaging 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 box industry, as it increasingly meets the needs of current and future customers," said Philip Easton, director of digital printing solutions at Domino's. "Digital printing is gaining market share rapidly. growth, but how much it will grow will depend on the suitability of the ink to market demand. So in terms of overall market volume, it may be small, and in terms of overall sales value, we predict it will be significant, possibly reaching about 20%.”

Sharon Chesler, 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, and on the other hand, digital printing is also a key driver for creating supply chain benefits. The packaging segment is indeed a growing inkjet segment, and therefore, the market for HP PageWide digital corrugated presses The growing interest and demand is definitely a powerful weapon in producing corrugated boxes at a lower cost.”

Robert Sabler, Managing Director of Koenig & Bauer & Durst, added, “Digital printing is increasingly important to the corrugated packaging market and its market share has been rising. Ultimately, what is driving growth is Changes in consumer buying habits.”

Maximilian Mark, product manager for digital printing at BHS, is clearly more cautious, at least under the current circumstances. “The share of digital printing is now almost negligible as it is a low percentage of the total print volume. However, with the increasing availability of high-capacity printing presses and the possibility of brand owners pushing to take advantage of digitally printed packaging sex, digital printing technology will become more and more important.”

In fact, when Mr. Mark turned his eyes to the future, he almost became ebullient. “Compared to other traditional corrugated printing methods, digital printing of corrugated paper will grow at a compound annual growth rate of 20% in 2020-2025, which shows that the growth rate of digital printing in corrugated packaging is much higher than other packaging fields. From In the long run, we believe digital printing will completely replace traditional printing, especially for new carton factories."

BHS' RSR printing solution was designed for its vision of "Carton Factory 2025" which is "completely different" from any other digital printing solution on the market. Its RSR (Reel to Sheet in Real Time) system offers a working width of 2.8m and a maximum speed of 300m/min. It was developed in partnership with Screen GPIJC on its core inkjet technology based on Dimatix Samba printheads.

EFI is another digital printing equipment manufacturer with high hopes. Reinhilde Westmeier, its marketing director, explained: "Digital printing technology is already very disruptive, but frankly, it is just the beginning, and it will take years to develop. Now, digital and other Printing technologies coexist, but over time we expect it to become more dominant."

Advantages: less fixed costs and prepress work, guaranteed print quality

Ms. Westmeier naturally attributes this potential to the advantages of digital printing technology itself. “It has much less fixed costs and less prepress work than traditional printing methods. It also guarantees high print quality. Having said that, we think considering the overall workflow to get the most out of a digital printing solution up to It's critical. Even though we have a very efficient printing system, we need to make sure the job is fed into the machine at a decent speed to get the full potential of the machine."

EFI Product Marketing Manager James Nelson elaborates, “EFI has been focused on developing an overall ecosystem that connects all aspects of the factory with seamless solutions. Digital presses are capable of printing multiple jobs per hour, but many businesses face The challenge of efficiently handling these jobs. Creating orders, scheduling, scheduling, shipping, etc. are all important steps in processing jobs, which is why a strategic approach to workflow through the ecosystem is really driving the adoption of digital printing to Higher levels and levels."

EFI offers the NozomiC18000, a 1.8m wide press capable of printing at 75m/min, with more than 30 currently installed worldwide. The Nozomi C18000 and Nozomi C18000 Plus are printed at 360dpi with four grayscale levels and use CMYK, orange and purple.

Of course, digital printing technology has many other advantages. Mr Easton said it was ideal for jobs with multiple builds of short to medium runs without downtime due to production changes. Simple to operate, no flexo operator skills are required, and there is no need to make plates, set up, change plates and store flexo plates.

Less setup and less preparation means less downtime and less waste. The lower cost per job enables carton mills to optimize production across different equipment, and the ability to print on demand reduces inventory of finished goods, meaning less storage space is required and less waste due to obsolete packaging. There are even opportunities for further benefits, such as personalization and traceability through the use of variable data printing.

On the technical side, Domino offers the single-pass X630i digital inkjet press. Designed for everyday corrugated box production. Based on Domino's sixth-generation inkjet platform with nearly 1,000 installations, the X630i can print at speeds of up to 75m/min, 600x600dpi and a maximum print area of 3000x 1345mm.
For his part, Mr. Stabler believes that digital technology is well positioned to respond to the market trends sweeping the industry. “One of the positive effects of COVID-19 is that it has accelerated the digital transformation of packaging and printing. We are seeing an accelerated shift to shorter run lengths and unpredictable demand. The mix of channels is changing, retail by channel Branding is more important than ever, and of course online ordering is increasing, often requiring different packaging.”

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 offered by high-speed digital printing.

Ms. Chesler agreed. “The corrugated packaging industry has not only shown growth, but also demonstrated tremendous economic resilience during the pandemic, especially inkjet printing of corrugated paper. E-commerce is a driver of growth, but so is the exploration of sustainable packaging. We of PageWide customers are seeing the growing demand for e-commerce projects, and taking advantage of HP's true water-based inks, they can offer their brands a truly sustainable packaging solution."

HP offers the PageWide line of presses, including the 75m/min PageWide C500 based on HP thermal inkjet technology, and the PageWide T1190, a six-color inkjet preprinting device with a 2.8m web width. There is also the 1066mm PageWide T 470S, which is also a digital pre-printing solution for large-scale pre-printing for 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 also benefits different carton designs, where block colour now dominates due to the cost structure of traditional printing, but digital printing removes this barrier Plus. Digital can generate lifelike graphics, opening up new possibilities for brand owners. The last big advantage of digital printing is that digitally printed corrugated packaging can now play the role of both shipping and primary packaging.”

Talking about the trends driving the shift to digital, Mr Mark cited short-run jobs, variable data, waste reduction and the explosion of e-commerce among other factors. He also elaborated on a range of other trends the industry should be aware of, "There's always a difference between what brands want, what they're willing to pay, and what can actually be produced. Digital printing technology is narrowing this Gaps, especially when it comes to personalization, sustainability and personalized experiences. Government regulations on carbon footprints, waste streams, cradle-to-grave tracking can’t be ignored either.”

Demand for corrugated boxes grows due to epidemic

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 an opportunity to shine while other printing markets are being phased out.

Mr Easton added, “The pandemic has led to an increase in demand for corrugated packaging from all walks of life, with many processors focusing on delivering what they can, rather than finding new investment opportunities. However, with the development of the e-commerce market , there is a growing awareness that digital printing can offer customers something different in this market. We think this trend is returning as the trend towards more custom products and the need to reduce inventory drive shorter run jobs growth of."

Stabler noted, “Before Covid-19, we were already living in a world of less predictability, trending short-run jobs, and higher color requirements, which opened the door to more digital production. Major factors Including continued brand proliferation, more sales channels and less predictability, especially in a world where online sales have grown significantly. Processors fully recognize the need to be more agile than ever and use mass customization-enabled Technology. The latest generation of single-pass presses for the corrugated packaging market, such as our DeltaSPC 130 and CorruJET170, combined with the right workflow solutions, allow converters to print high-volume, short-run jobs efficiently and cost-effectively. 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 highlighted the ways in which the Covid-19 pandemic is affecting the e-commerce market. “The Covid-19 pandemic has really had an impact on the corrugated box market. The Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated the boom in the e-commerce market, which has created demand for printed corrugated boxes at a time-to-market. Suppliers urgently need to shorten lead times and simplify supply chains. .Digital printing becomes a more ideal choice for home processing.”

Expert advice

Finally, when it comes to advice for customers new to corrugated packaging, Mr. Stabler thinks. “It has never been more important to develop close relationships with brand partners, understand the challenges they face, and differentiate themselves as their trusted supply chain partner in merchandising and packaging. Such rapid change is certainly disturbing, But with pressure across the value chain, this is a real opportunity for processors to embrace new realities and develop new business models to prepare for the future. In short, invest in systems, processes and personnel for maximum flexibility and agility, reducing touchpoints in the factory that require manual intervention, and being able to fully meet market demands for short-run jobs without compromising core efficiency.”

On the technical side, Koenig & Bauer & Durst offers the CorruJET170 and DeltaSPC 130. The former is based on Koenig & Bauer's RotaJET, which has a maximum production speed of 5500sph and can process corrugated board up to 8mm thick at 1200 x 600dpi. DeltaSPC can be configured in up to six colors and can be printed in sizes from 500x600mm to 1300x2100mm and up to 12mm thick.

HP's Ms. Chesler added, "It's important to remember that corrugated packaging is divided into yellowboard shipping boxes, high-definition e-commerce or subscription boxes, and then corrugated display racks. The high-definition corrugated packaging market hides greater profit potential, And shipping boxes that print at lower resolutions are more of a commodity. When printers decide to enter the corrugated packaging industry, they need to have a clear understanding of where they are competing, which will impact the entire business plan, including the equipment they need Type. In practice, corrugated packaging is an excellent medium, with almost limitless possibilities in both construction and design. However, the handling of corrugated cardboard requires very specialized skills and knowledge, as they are susceptible to temperature and humidity The impact of changes, which can make it more difficult to handle the board on the printing equipment. When choosing a corrugated digital press, the ability of the press to handle warped board and uneven board stacks needs to be considered.”

In the end, EFI's point of view focuses on acquiring knowledge, as Ms. Westmeier explained, "I would ask clients to look at the vast opportunities that exist in digital printing, and I recommend looking for the best success stories in digital printing, and how Use digital printing for your own business. I also advocate thinking about your target customers and matching these new opportunities and applications with target groups so you can expand your business.”