An increasing number of SKUs, changing packaging formats and sizes, and a growing interest in personalization are driving a constant need for faster production. Labeling equipment is one area that has felt the pressure from these trends, and the industry continues to innovate to provide beverage manufacturers with the fastest, most flexible machinery, experts say.
The old saying goes that a picture is worth 1,000 words. For beverage-makers, the design of their packages far exceeds that word count as it serves as the first in-person connection to consumers — both new and old.
After being carefully set in a line, when a single domino is knocked over into the next, the entire line will fall. Similar to the cascading effect of falling dominos, changes within the front-end of beverage operations often will cascade through the manufacturing facility all the way to the end-of-line operations, even to case packing and wrapping.
Food and beverage markets comprise majority of demand
March 8, 2016
According to Cleveland-based The Freedonia Group, demand for pouches in the United States will grow 4.4 percent a year through 2020 to $10.1 billion,primarily driven by the introduction of pouch packaging into new markets and the integration of high-value features, such as re-sealable closures and spouts, in more mature markets.
Thirty-eight percent of consumers prefer aluminum cans when tailgating versus 26 percent who prefer plastic bottles. Thirty-six percent of consumers prefer cans at barbecues or picnics, compared with 30 percent who prefer plastic bottles.
If the beverage industry were a baseball team, there would be a lot of different players, from water to wine, spirits to soda and the juices, coffee and teas in between.
Packaging can be an important, yet difficult decision for beverage-makers. In this month’s category focus article about kids drinks, Sarah Theodore, global drinks analyst for Mintel Food & Drink, Chicago, notes that the kids market has been a little bit slow to embrace packaging innovation, but is starting to pick up steam. However, resealable pouch packages, the benefits of which include on-the-go convenience, have begun to catch on in the category, she says.