Siegwerk and Prismade Labs collaborate for interactive packaging

The project has utilized special technology developed by Prismade Labs that enables smartphones to interact with printed electronic structures. After placing the packaging onto a smartphone screen, the user is able to enable interaction on the smartphone by swiping their finger over the packaging.

For the past few months, a joint project team consisting of technical, sales and conception experts from both partners has been working on the development of customized color options to establish the 'Prismade process' for interactive folding box applications. In this context, Siegwerk is developing special printing inks that are compatible with standard ink systems for folding box applications and ensure that the Prismade technology works as well.

Dr Karin Weigelt, managing director at Prismade Labs, said: ‘With Siegwerk as a development partner at our side, we can successfully scale our technology, secure the functionality of our process with ink systems developed specifically for us and strengthen our application potential.’

Christoph Barniske, head of digital business at Siegwerk, added: ‘The possibility of communication between the product and the consumer is certain to have an impact on the future of the packaging sector due to the increasingly digital world in which we live.

‘Smart packaging or the “Internet of Packaging”, which uses integrated digital tags to interact with the consumer, are just two examples of new packaging concepts of the future.’

The first prototypes of the interactive folding box applications will soon be presented across Europe. For this purpose, the partners developed a demonstration model together with Hamburg packaging expert Uwe Melichar from the brand agency Factor, packaging design agency Brösske, Meyer & Ruf, and packaging manufacturer Edelmann Group.

Barniske continued: ‘Through our collaboration with Prismade, we have the opportunity to actively participate in the development of digital applications in the packaging sector. Their process consists of a successful combination of product authenticity and interactivity.’

Prismade Labs is a start-up and FutureLab of the edding Group that was founded in 2016 to develop technologies for brand authentication and document security.

The partnership between the two companies is the result of Siegwerk's 2017 start-up program, through which the ink manufacturer is explicitly looking for technologies and innovations that can further advance the development of ‘ground-breaking’ packaging concepts.

Both companies plan to further their collaboration in the future and use the technology for other packaging applications. Strategic collaboration with relevant start-ups is identified as ‘essential’ for Siegwerk to gain important insights into new ideas and advancements that could lead to innovative ink developments and dovetail with upcoming trends in the ink and packaging industry.