With consumers expecting more from brands today, packaging is tasked with not just protecting the integrity of beverages. Although this still is the ultimate goal, brand owners are turning to original equipment suppliers to support the demands of today’s shoppers.

“Packaging trends in the beverage industry — like sustainable materials, unique shapes, and smaller sizes — are driving the demand for flexible, high-resolution coding and marking equipment,” says Giles Shepherd, strategic account manager at Videojet, Wood Dale, Ill. “Manufacturers now require solutions that can handle a variety of materials, faster production lines, frequent product changes, and complex branding and regulatory demands. With new fillers operating at speeds of 80,000 to 120,000 cans per hour, coding equipment must keep up with these higher production rates.”

For coding and marking equipment, Russell Wiseman, head of global beverage solutions at Domino Printing Sciences, explains that the industry is influenced by the same trends as the other markets.

“Firstly, sustainability has become a fundamental requirement in modern manufacturing, including the beverage industry,” he says. “Customers expect their suppliers and partners to take proactive measures to reduce their environmental impact. This encompasses minimizing waste, transitioning to recyclable or compostable packaging, and innovating coding technologies that support these materials without sacrificing performance.”

In line with sustainability efforts, Wiseman also highlights interest in solutions that enhance energy efficiency, reduce emissions, eliminate harmful chemicals as well as logistic factors such as reducing mileage, optimizing routes, and lowering the overall carbon footprint ― all of which Domino works with its partners on to support.

“Sustainability has become a fundamental requirement for Domino’s manufacturing customers and is always a key consideration within any Domino solution,” he says. “We collaborate directly with our customers to meet their sustainability expectations through tailored, sustainable, and integrated solutions designed to address their specific needs.”

Videojet’s Shepherd also pinpoints the influence sustainability has on the development of new age equipment.

“Sustainability is driving significant innovation in coding and marking technologies,” he explains. “Manufacturers are seeking equipment that minimizes waste, consumes less energy, and works effectively on sustainable packaging materials like recyclable and biodegradable substrates.

“For example, new UV laser technology makes the Videojet 7920 laser capable of delivering precise, high-quality marks on certain mono-material films designed for easy recyclability,” Shepherd continues. “With ink-based coding solutions, there is an increasing focus on developing inks that do not impede the recycling process, supporting packaging circularity.”

Need for speed

Although sustainability is having a growing impact on coding and marking solutions, the ever-growing SKU lineups have placed greater needs on packaging equipment.

“As automation accelerates and production speeds increase, coding and marking systems are under pressure to deliver flawless performance at high throughput while maintaining code quality and minimizing downtime,” Shepherd says. “To meet these demands, smarter, self-monitoring systems with real-time diagnostics and predictive maintenance capabilities are becoming essential. These advanced solutions integrate seamlessly with automated production lines, enabling rapid changeovers, consistent output, and real-time quality control.”

Domino’s Wiseman notes that automating coding processes has always been a key objective for the company and its models.

“Domino Automation and Designer are our software tools for centralized label management and automated deployment,” he says. “These solutions help reduce downtime, eliminate human error, and simplify complex tasks. As a result, manufacturers experience faster changeovers, consistent print quality, and less waste on the production line. Designed to adapt to our customers’ needs, these intelligent tools provide manufacturers with the confidence to meet today’s demands and the flexibility to tackle tomorrow’s challenges with ease.

“Production-scale operations have always been in high demand from our customers, and we have consistently met their needs,” Wiseman continues. “Our lasers can code more than 100,000 cans or bottles per hour, which translates to 27.7 products per second.”

All connected

Connectivity is another aspect impacting coding and marking equipment.

“As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes more integrated into manufacturing, end-to-end connectivity is crucial,” Domino’s Wiseman says. “Devices and systems across the production floor must communicate seamlessly to enable real-time data collection, diagnostics, and automation. For instance, printers are now expected to be remotely monitored, integrated into manufacturing execution systems (MES) or enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, capable of verifying codes, predicting maintenance needs, and ensuring print quality ― all without human intervention.”

Videojet’s Shepherd also notes the impact that AI could have on coding and marking equipment.

“AI has the potential to play a transformative role in the future of coding and marking equipment,” he says. “AI will help to improve efficiency, ensure accurate coding and marking across diverse packaging types, and support brands in meeting regulatory and consumer demands with greater flexibility and responsiveness.”

Although AI has positioned itself in being a future solution for coding and marking solutions, experts note that it’s not without its challenges.

“Many beverage facilities still rely on legacy systems that lack the connectivity and data infrastructure needed to support modern AI solutions,” Domino’s Wiseman says. “Retrofitting or replacing these systems can be both costly and time-consuming. Data security is another growing concern; as more devices become connected and more sensitive information is gathered, it is critical to ensure secure transmission and storage.

“Moreover, energy efficiency remains a paradox in AI deployment,” he continues. “While AI helps decrease the overall energy footprint of a plant, the servers, sensors, and cooling systems required to operate AI models can be energy intensive. This raises questions about the net sustainability gains, particularly as companies strive toward carbon-neutral goals.”

Designed for the future

With all these factors affecting coding and marking solutions, suppliers are developing equipment that can support manufacturers’ goals.

“Domino’s focus in the beverage sector is on creating integrated solutions specifically designed for brewers and beverage producers, helping them address a myriad of challenges and opportunities, such as implementing AI, optimizing and scaling up production, and ensuring they can meet their sustainability goals,” Wiseman says. “We have recently launched BECCS (beverage empty can coding system) that codes cans before they are filled. An innovative vacuum-based handling system suspends cans for precise, vibration-free coding, eliminating the need for can twisters or additional guides. This ensures consistent code quality while simplifying changeovers and protecting can integrity, even at speeds exceeding 100,000 cans per hour.

“But the benefits go beyond speed,” he continues. “By discarding only empty cans when errors occur, the system significantly reduces waste and cost. Integrated with a real-time vision and rejection system, it can stop the system after five errors, preventing full-can handling and saving valuable labor while minimizing disruptions. The result is a smarter, more sustainable operation that enhances efficiency, streamlines production, and safeguards profitability ― an ideal solution for modern beverage lines.”

Videojet’s Shepherd anticipates that track and trace capabilities as well as laser coding for sustainability and permanence will become a bigger part of the coding market.

“Manufacturers are increasingly adopting track-and-trace solutions to help improve supply chain visibility and reduce losses during recall events,” he says. “Faster lasers with new wavelengths and sources can now mark a wider range of packaging materials directly, creating permanent, high-quality codes that enhance traceability.

“… Laser systems are gaining popularity for their ability to produce durable, permanent codes without using consumables like inks or solvents,” Shepherd continues. “This makes them an ideal choice for many recyclable and biodegradable packaging types and for supporting various sustainability efforts.”

Inkjet systems also are integrating sustainability attributes to their future technology.

“New inkjet printer technologies include features like ink recycling to help reduce waste, lower operating costs, and support performance,” Shepherd says.

Future efforts to support sustainability goals could also have an impact on the labeling market.

“We are collaborating with large brands to explore methods for removing labels from bottles by coding all necessary information directly onto the bottle surface using laser technology,” Domino’s Wiseman says. “We are also exploring late-stage customization through digital printing, which includes printing QR codes that link to relevant information, for example, on the bottle cap.”