Have a Look into Our Crystal Ball [2023 Forecasting]

MANUFACTURING

Labor Issues Create Uphill Battle
Nearly a quarter of the manufacturing workforce is age 55 or older and, according to a report from the Manufacturing Institute, “due to the technical nature of manufacturing production work, the manufacturing sector suffers acutely from labor shortages.” Today’s workforce is going to age out without tomorrow’s experienced replacements.

Product as a Service Has Its Day
Product as a Service represents a shift from selling equipment as a capital expenditure to an ongoing expense model, meaning rather than process a series of one-time transactions, manufacturers of automated solutions now enjoy recurring revenue. 

The Next Generation of Predictive Maintenance Is Here
Recent advancements in AI, machine learning, and natural language processing (NLP) have made it possible for manufacturers to extract unstructured data from Word docs, Excel files, PDFs, and other documents and convert it into a usable format for predictive engines. These engines will allow manufacturers to identify potential failures before they result in expensive downtime situations.

Manufacturers Make the Most of Supply Chain Challenges
With rising inflation (and corresponding freight costs), driver and labor shortages, logistics issues stemming from factory shutdowns, geopolitical conflicts in major sourcing regions, and climate change creating new weather patterns that threaten viable shipments, the current outlook is less than encouraging. But if there’s one thing we’ve seen from manufacturers, it’s that they’re determined to make the best out of a bad situation — starting with insourcing.

Boom Industries in 2023

• Consumer
• Automotive
• Energy, Resources & Industrials
• Industrial Products & Construction
• Energy & Chemicals
• Government & Public Services
• Defense, Security & Justice
• Life Sciences & Health Care

AUTOMATION

Improving the customer experience
Today, businesses can’t survive unless they deliver high levels of customer experience. In 2023, companies will become increasingly responsible for customer experience as automation streamlines processes. Workflow processes, online learning academies, and tools such as chatbots can improve levels of efficiency in one of the most vital areas of any business.

Achieving sustainability
Creating a more sustainable world via achievable goals is part of the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) strategy of almost every business. Automation is a great way to not only focus on sustainability but improve efficiency.

Considering the impact on staff
Automation is focused on freeing an organization’s teams from time-consuming tasks and removing broken processes. As businesses discover processes that need improvement, the well-being and value of employees must also be considered. The best solutions will be those that can make the roles of employees more focused, valuable, and feature fewer repetitive tasks.

Top 5 Automation Trends for 2023

• Artificial Intelligence
• Collaborative Robots
• Robotic Process Automation
• Autonomous Mobile Robots
• Predictive Maintenance

PACKAGING

Packaging interior printed with product description

This fresh take on product descriptions—by incorporating it onto the interior surfaces of the packaging—utilizes all facets of the material and reduces wastefulness as all product-related information is already a part of the packaging design.

Increase in E-commerce
Global online sales are expected to be over $5.5 trillion in 2023. This will have a profound impact on packaging demand, especially in the corrugated industry as it represents 80% of demand in e-commerce. The increasingly complex logistics chain for direct-to-consumer delivery – e-commerce packages are expected to be handled up to 20 times or more during standard distribution – means there is new demand for cost-effective secondary corrugated board packaging.  

Fit-to-product
Born out of e-commerce has been the advent of fit-to-product (FtP) or box-on-demand systems, driven in particular by the needs of dedicated e-commerce sellers such as Amazon and Staples. This technology enables the production of customized secondary packaging based on the exact size of the product being packed, including irregular shapes. For the end-user this eliminates the need for large inventories of standard-sized boxes which often require copious amounts of filler material.

Digital printing advancements
As the digital print market matures, the corrugated sector, while still in its infancy, has developed a growing appetite for adoption of the process, and systems are now being developed to address the demands of the high-volume liner and post-print markets.

The flexibility of run-lengths, savings in set-up costs, the ability to personalize either relating to brands, regions, stores or individuals, and the level of quality now available through the latest technologies all combine to create a ‘perfect storm’ of growth opportunities for converters and printers.

Packaging Trends for 2023

• Return-Ready Boxes
• Hand-Wrapped Exteriors
• Minimalist Sustainable
• Typography and Graphic Mix

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