Smart labels

When news arrived at L&L of a potential breakthrough in printed solar batteries (see L&L issue 2), it reminded us that game-changing innovation will increasingly come from outside the industry’s traditional circle of equipment and consumables suppliers. The challenge will be to integrate these advances into materials and systems which can be used by converters to develop value-added opportunities for brand managers.

For example, using printed solar batteries, we could offer ‘always on’ RFID labels capable of monitoring their environment in real time without requiring an RF power source. The latest generation of solar collectors does not require direct sunlight, so it is possible that placement of the product could be quite flexible – for example on a properly lit supermarket shelf.

This is just one area of outside development likely to impact our industry. We are starting to see the practical use of printed codes which are readable by ‘smart’ phones, using a dedicated downloadable app, or as with the Coors/SnapTag promotion – highlighted in L&L issue 1 – simply requiring a phone camera. After the image has been verified by a pattern-recognition server, the consumer can access promotions, competitions and the brand’s social network. 

Another interactive technology to watch is Near Field Communication (NFC). An NFC chip embedded in a label (much cheaper than an RFID chip) communicates wirelessly with a smart phone over distances of up to 4in, opening up a range of applications from purchasing the product, to displaying product information or pointing the user to on-line resources. In January, Apple announced it would integrate NFC into its iPhone and iPad products, so things are likely to move fast as brand managers look for ways to incorporate NFC functionality into their packaging. 

Rapid technological advances can also be expected from fields such as nano-coatings (applied via inkjet), substrates capable of displaying continuously variable data sets and printable embedded video.  

None of these developments represent a threat to the ‘traditional’ converting industry. On the contrary. The packaging will become the carrier for a new generation of value added opportunities.