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What is changing in the packaging industry right now? We asked Kris Hanchette, Vladimir Dimitrov, Matheus Pires and Christian Theiss to share what they are hearing directly from packaging and display companies across different markets.  Although customer needs vary by region, several priorities come up repeatedly: faster workflows, greater flexibility, tighter cost control and technology that can demonstrate clear business value.  Speed is becoming a competitive advantage  One message comes through particularly clearly: customers want everything faster.  Vladimir Dimitrov, Sales Manager for EMEA at EngView, brings 18 years of experience in the print and packaging industry. He sees this pressure particularly clearly in the design department, where packaging companies are looking for ways to reduce design time, work more efficiently with problematic customer files and reuse existing designs instead of starting from scratch.  Finding skilled packaging designers is another challenge. At the same time, many companies still rely heavily on Adobe Illustrator or older CAD systems, making compatibility with established workflows an important consideration when introducing new tools.  Christian Theiss, Managing Director of EngView Systems GmbH, sees the same pressure from another perspective. Customers in the DACH region are operating in challenging market conditions, while their own customers continue to expect increasingly fast turnaround.  As Christian puts it, “Their customers want everything done by yesterday.”  Speed is therefore becoming important throughout the entire workflow, from receiving a request and preparing the structural design to production and delivery. And that demand for faster turnaround is closely connected to another shift: the growing need for shorter production runs.  Short runs and just-in-time packaging are growing  Kris Hanchette, President of EngView North America, has nearly 40 years of professional experience in the industry. He points to short-run and just-in-time packaging and displays as one of the strongest developments he is seeing.  Customers increasingly need packaging for smaller product batches, special campaigns, trade shows and individual retail projects. POP displays and trade-show booth designs are also generating growing interest.  For packaging companies, this creates a different kind of production challenge. They need to handle a wider variety of jobs without allowing setup and design time to make smaller projects unprofitable.  For design teams, the ability to quickly import a design, clean up customer files, modify existing structures and prepare them for production is therefore becoming increasingly valuable.  Smaller production runs are also closely connected to another customer expectation: greater customization.  Customers want more customized solutions  Customization is taking different forms depending on the market.  With more than 15 years of experience in the packaging industry, Matheus Pires, CEO of EngView Latin America, sees a growing focus on high-quality, personalized service as an important way for companies to differentiate themselves from competitors.  In the display market, he is also seeing interest in origami-style displays and demand for a broader library of ready-to-customize display projects.  Christian sees a similar development in the DACH region, where customized production and lower quantities are becoming increasingly important.  Together, these observations point to flexibility as an increasingly important competitive advantage. Packaging companies need to respond to unusual requests, smaller quantities and more personalized projects without adding unnecessary time to design and production.  But greater flexibility also has to make economic sense. That brings another major concern into the conversation: cost.  Technology has to fit the way people work  Introducing new technology is not always simply a management decision.  Experienced packaging designers often have workflows they have used for many years. Even when management recognizes the benefits of specialized packaging CAD software, designers may prefer to continue working with familiar tools such as Adobe Illustrator.  Vladimir has seen this directly in customer conversations. In one recent case, a company recognized the potential benefits of dedicated packaging CAD, but its designers preferred their existing Illustrator workflow. In another, a new packaging business saw the value of specialized software but remained cautious about the initial investment and chose a monthly payment option instead.  These examples show why training, ease of adoption and clear productivity gains are becoming almost as important as the technology itself.  When a new tool fits naturally into the workflow, however, the impact can be immediate — particularly when it helps companies communicate ideas and get customer approval faster.  Every investment has to prove its value  The economic environment is having a strong influence on purchasing decisions.  Matheus Pires points to high taxes, low margins and strong competition, particularly from larger companies that can purchase raw materials in greater quantities and therefore offer more competitive prices.  Christian sees similar pressure in the DACH market, where high energy costs are adding to the challenge.  As a result, companies are looking more carefully at how new technology can improve productivity and reduce costs.  Vladimir notes that customers are increasingly focused on measurable return on investment while also becoming more price-sensitive. Showing an impressive feature is therefore only part of the conversation.  Customers want to understand how much time a solution can save, how easily it can fit into their existing workflow and what measurable value it can bring to the business.  This focus on ROI also influences another important factor: how easily new technology can actually be adopted by the people using it every day.  Digital proofing can shorten the approval process  Kris shared a recent example involving a customer with a unique display request.  After meeting with the customer at 10:00 a.m., an augmented reality proof of the proposed design was ready by 12:30 p.m.  Instead of waiting for a physical prototype, the customer could quickly see the concept, understand how it would look in its intended environment and provide feedback.  For customized displays, short-run packaging and other projects where turnaround time matters, tools such as 3D visualization and augmented reality can reduce the time between the initial idea and customer approval.  This is a good example of where technology delivers practical value: not simply by adding another feature to the design process, but by making an existing workflow faster and easier.  What are packaging companies prioritizing?  Looking across the experiences of Kris, Vladimir, Matheus and Christian, there is no single technology or development shaping every packaging business in the same way.  Instead, several connected priorities are influencing customer decisions:  Faster design and production workflows  Short-run and just-in-time packaging  More customized packaging and displays  Automation with clear practical benefits  Better control of production and operating costs  Technology with measurable ROI  Faster digital visualization and customer approvals  The common direction is clear: packaging companies need to become faster and more flexible without increasing costs unnecessarily.  As customers expect quicker turnaround, greater customization and competitive pricing, companies that can simplify their workflows and respond efficiently to new requirements will be in a stronger position to compete.       

Packaging manufacturers across Germany, Austria and Switzerland will have the opportunity to explore how parametric design and production optimization can help reduce waste, shorten packaging development processes and improve manufacturing efficiency during an upcoming EngView webinar on September 30 at 10:00 am CEST.  The session, titled “From Design to Production – Intelligent Packaging Development for Maximum Efficiency,” will focus on practical ways packaging teams can move faster from structural concept to production-ready design.  The webinar is designed specifically for packaging professionals in the DACH region and will be delivered entirely in German.  Register here via Teams.  Packaging Development Under Growing Pressure  Packaging producers are increasingly expected to deliver shorter lead times, greater flexibility and more sustainable production.  For design and production teams, this often means creating more packaging projects in less time while keeping errors, material waste and production delays under control.  The webinar will look at how modern packaging design tools can support this process by automating repetitive work, standardizing recurring projects and giving teams better visibility before a design reaches production.  Participants will see practical examples and live demonstrations covering topics such as:  Speeding up packaging design by automating repetitive tasks  Creating correct structures with parametric components  Finding design problems earlier with 3D checks  Using less material through better design and production planning  Making teamwork easier for customers, designers and production teams  From Parametric Design to 3D Verification  One of the main topics will be the role of parametric packaging design.  Instead of rebuilding a similar box or display for every new project, designers can work with adaptable structures whose dimensions and parameters can be changed while maintaining the underlying construction logic. For companies handling frequent size variations or repeat jobs, this can reduce manual work and help create more consistent workflows.  The webinar will also explore how 3D verification can help packaging teams identify problems before production begins.  A structural file may appear correct in 2D but still create issues when folded or assembled. Reviewing the package as a virtual 3D model can help teams spot potential problems earlier, reducing the risk of unnecessary prototypes, corrections and production rework.  Material efficiency will be another part of the discussion. When the same optimization is repeated across many jobs, even relatively small reductions in board usage can contribute to lower production costs and less waste.  Improving the Design-to-Production Workflow  Efficiency also depends on communication.  Packaging projects often involve several parties, including customers, structural designers, graphic designers, and production teams. Changes can move back and forth multiple times before a design is approved.  A more connected digital workflow can make it easier to review designs, confirm changes and identify potential issues before manufacturing begins.  Practical Experience Behind the Webinar  The webinar will be presented by Christian Theiss, who has more than four years of experience supporting packaging companies with specialized software solutions.  His work focuses on understanding customer challenges and helping businesses optimize their workflows. His expertise includes packaging design, training and customer support, giving the webinar a practical perspective based on real packaging projects.  As packaging manufacturers continue looking for ways to improve speed, sustainability and production efficiency, the question is becoming less about individual design tools and more about how the entire workflow can be improved before production starts.  Register here via Teams.