Esko and TraceGains cut packaging updates

Esko and TraceGains have demonstrated a connected Source-to-Shelf workflow that took a product from concept change to finished, shelf-ready packaging in 48 hours, presenting the proof of concept at the Esko World event in New Orleans through a project called The Big Easy.

The project involved adding a new ingredient to a fictional food product, redesigning its packaging, updating the label and nutritional information and delivering finished pouches to event attendees within two days. The companies said the initiative showed how connecting product development, compliance, packaging and production processes can eliminate fragmented workflows that slow brands’ responses to reformulation, regulatory or market changes.

The demonstration is particularly relevant ahead of the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation, which will require many manufacturers to review packaging formats, materials, labeling requirements and sustainability claims. The companies said PPWR compliance may trigger broader reformulation and packaging update projects across multiple markets simultaneously.

'For food and beverage manufacturers, reformulation and packaging change have become strategic necessities,' said Paul Bradley, senior director of product marketing at TraceGains. 'These projects can often become trapped in fragmented workflows, with teams working across disconnected systems and datasets.'

'Every packaging update depends on accurate product information, approved specifications and trusted data,' noted Jan De Roeck, marketing director at Esko. 'The real value of Source-to-Shelf comes when product data, packaging content and production workflows operate as one ecosystem, enabling brands to execute change at a speed that simply wasn't possible before.'