The new facility will facilitate a quick and seamless end-to-end process from design to market launch
Smurfit Kappa opens Design2Market Factory. (Credit: Smurfit Kappa)
Paper-based packaging solutions provider Smurfit Kappa has completed a significant investment in its new Design2Market Factory that will facilitate a quick and seamless development process from packaging design to market launch.
The investment, which includes a digital printer and die-cutter, offers quick prototyping for pilot production, packaging performance analysis and field lab facilities all at the same location.
Smurfit Kappa stated that the Design2Market factory can serve the packaging industry’s two key trends – sustainability and e-commerce.
The company said that its expertise will be combined with customer data and advanced machinery to gain a competitive advantage in the market.
Furthermore, a multidisciplinary team of designers, engineers and marketers will support the collaborative design process with customers to prepare customised prototypes from the initial design brief.
The production run will provide the flexibility to quickly test, refine and adapt the packaging innovations on a smaller scale, avoiding the risk before market launch, said the company.
Smurfit Kappa innovation and development vice president Arco Berkenbosch said: “The Design2Market Factory provides our customers with the fastest way to launch their new packaging solutions and has revolutionised the development process.
“It’s set up to provide them with a tangible prototype that can be tested with consumers and subsequently refined and honed before moving to large-scale production.
“We bring all the relevant stakeholders together on the design journey from inception through to production and, if appropriate, certification, enabling customers to use robust data and insights to get their products on to platforms such as Amazon and Alibaba.”
The first Design2Factory, based in the Netherlands, has been operational since January.
In January this year, Smurfit Kappa launched a new Twin Kraft Grease Guard MB12 packaging solution for fast food.