IOT in the Packaging Industry : Prospective and Targets

A symbol of growing interconnectivity and easy yet safe access to data, IoT is changing every industry for the better as discussed in the previous blog ( IoT part 1). In the packaging industry specifically, IOT helps increase consumer awareness and can also help in data logging and automation of processes.

In this blog, we will go over a few instances of how we can expect to see IoT make significant differences in the operational structure of the packaging industry in the future.

SMART MANUFACTURING

Just like smart homes where IoT is used to control lights, temperature, manage security and run different applications, smart manufacturing could possibly include automatic data logging, document generating, troubleshooting, breach alerts, and the likes.

These functions could highly improve the productivity of workers as they can focus on less tedious tasks that require higher intellectual engagement.

SMART PACKAGING

From the consumer or retailer’s point of view, IoT can be used in many different areas of the consumer experience and overall enhance their interaction with the product.

A few of these areas include:

Tamper proofing: Certain sensors allow consumers to scan the product’s packaging and ensure that it is properly sealed.

An example would be SICK’s Glare Sensor. Glare detects glossy materials in pharmaceuticals packaging and helps deter product tampering and reduce counterfeits. The Glare is being used by Bosch Packaging Technology in its CPS serialization solution to detect machine-applied transparent tamper-evident safety labels.

Anti-Counterfeiting: Microchips can be embedded in the products and their packaging which can be scanned to verify their authenticity. This technology is not very futuristic and is already in use with a lot of products, especially in the pharmaceutical industry.

IoT has many other uses such as temperature sensors, reordering systems, real-time consumer interaction, integrity verification, etc. which are currently being studied and slowly implemented.

Await our next blog for an extensive list of smart packaging currently in use.