CHICAGO — Technology is constantly evolving, with consumer expectations and compliance standards fluctuating in tandem. These changes are major industry disruptors and can be tricky for manufacturers to navigate in terms of product identification.
In the Emerging Brands Central area of Pack Expo 2024, Deepika Devarajan, VP of product management at Matthews Marking System, covered these key influences on product identification and outlined what opportunities lie ahead in this area.
Devarajan defined product identification as quite literally assigning a unique identifier to a product, which can range from a stamp to a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) chip.
“This ID that you put on a product can either have static data, like a UPC code, or dynamic data, like a lot or batch number,” she explained.
Identifying the right product identification marker varies from product to product, as it can have several use cases beyond how it sits on packaging, including helping companies stay organized and having greater capability for quality control, inventory management and optimized stock levels.
“There is much more to the mark than just building it,” Devarajan said. “It’s a full life cycle that follows the mark. This goes into how the product’s packaged and managed, and it ensures the authenticity of the product and how it could be recycled.”
When you have repetitive, transactional tasks, but there's this missing middle where humans can help machines become smarter and machines can give humans superpowers … that's where I see the land of opportunity for emerging brands.” — Deepika Devarajan | VP of product management |Matthews Marking System
Brands also need to consider and plan for Sunrise 2027, which marks the deadline for retailers to ensure their POS systems have scanners that can read traditional 1D barcodes as well as 2D barcodes by the close of 2027. The 2D codes offer additional information benefits for manufacturers and customers alike such as improved traceability and seamless processes.
AI and its robotics integration are among the latest technological developments manufacturers need to adapt into their businesses. Robotics are becoming more flexible and adaptable, which is a benefit to industries with high product variability. Improvements in sensor technology are also giving manufacturers the edge in dynamic environments. Lastly, the Internet of Things, more commonly known as IoT, offers additional information such as real-time data monitoring that can help optimize production lines.
Devarajan noted that adaptive processes, where humans and machines collaborate, is the path forward for established and emerging brands alike.
“There are some areas that are uniquely human, such as empathy or judgement, and then there are others that are uniquely suited for machines,” Devarajan said. “When you have repetitive, transactional tasks, but there’s this missing middle where humans can help machines become smarter and machines can give humans superpowers … that’s where I see the land of opportunity for emerging brands.”
Devarajan implored emerging brands that have the agility to integrate these technologies to do so to meet modern consumer needs. She also encouraged companies to view standards and regulations with an optimistic mindset to stand apart from competitors. To close her presentation, she emphasized that integrating AI and robotics into operations will help companies leapfrog their competitors by reimagining capabilities.
