Electronic Smart Packaging

The World's Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) market was worth $3 Trillion last year, growing by 1 to 5% each year. The global packaging market will grow to approxamately $500 Billion in 2008.

 

North America consumes 33% of this packaging, followed by Western Europe (25%) then ROW. There has been customer consolidation over the past two decades; of 16,000 U.S. food makers, just 20 (including Unilever, Coca-Cola and Nestle) now account for 55% of checkout sales. At the same time, markets are maturing, with volume growth of major US packaged-food companies declining from 2.5% to 1% since 1994. (Source: Morgan Stanley).

As a result of this, retailers are looking for new brand enhancements and value added features for consumers to ensure their competitive edge in the market, which can be provided through ultra low cost printed electronic circuits.

 

Further, ultra low cost electronic circuits could address safety challenges in the packaging markets, such as illnesses because food has gone off but the consumer did not know, chemical detectors on post and so on. Pritned electronics are well suited to such applications because the circuits coudl eventually be printed at the same stage as the graphics on the packaging are printed. These applications are assessed below:

 

Advantages

Challenges

 

Advantages

Challenges

 

The following list prioritises the applications likely to adopt smart packaging first.

 

1 = Healthcare (Pharmaceutical)

1 = Amusement

 

2 = FMCG

2 = Foods/retail

 

3 = Postal

3 = Transport

3 = Warehousing

3 = Military

 

For more information, read the Electronic Smart Packaging report by IDTechEx.