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Beverage technology and packaging
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Thursday, 26 November, 2020, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
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Avneet Singh
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With evolving market manufacturing has emerged as one of the highest growing sectors in India. After the successful launch of ‘Make in India’ programme, our manufacturers have given a global recognition to the Indian economy. Also, India is expected to become the fifth largest manufacturing country in the world by the end of FY’20. However, due to Covid-19 outbreak, market’s momentum has slowed down in alcoholic beverage manufacturing process.
Packaging is one of the most important elements of product marketing. Great packaging can be the only reason a new buyer chooses your product among the rest. Packaging is as important as the product itself. The purpose is to stand out from the shelf or website, enhance sales, provide relevant information on the product and augment interest. Two thirds of people say that the packaging has an effect on their buying decisions. The demand for technology is increasing in the food and beverages sector due to digital opportunities. There is no doubt that in the past few years, the dynamics of the food and beverage sector have changed. They have become more customer-oriented, transparent, and increased the usage of technology. The food and beverages sector is evolving at a fast pace in regard to warehousing, customer demand, and technology.
Due to the fast-paced evolution, it is becoming difficult for the industry to keep up with the changes forget about tracking them. The technology is helping managers to improve quality control, increase the speed of staging or sorting of products and restock items efficiently. These tasks are dependent on the technology that has a huge impact on warehouse operations.
There are so many technologies that are rising in popularity such as warehouse management system and automatic guided vehicles. This is benefiting operations of the warehouse, picking accuracy and a decline in errors, create a working environment and increase the productivity of the food industry. Although many of these beverages, including beer, wine and tea, have been around for thousands of years, the industry has developed only over the past few centuries.
The beverage products industry, viewed as an aggregate group, is highly fragmented. This is evident by the number of manufacturers, methods of packaging, production processes and final products. The soft drink industry is the exception to the rule, as it is quite concentrated. Although the beverage industry is fragmented, ongoing consolidation since the 1970s is changing that.
Since the early 1900s beverage companies have evolved from regional firms that mainly produced goods for local markets, to today’s corporate giants that make products for international markets. This shift began when companies in this manufacturing sector adopted mass production techniques that let them expand. Also during this time period there were advances in product packaging and processes that greatly increased product shelf life. Air-tight containers for tea prevented absorption of moisture, which is the principle cause of loss of flavour. In addition, the advent of refrigeration equipment enabled lager beers to be brewed during the summer months.
There's a feeding frenzy underway in the global food and beverage market. Digitalisation, wellness and climate change are fueling new trends in food tech, and investors are hungry for more.
The technology has changed the beverage industry drastically. Smart Manufacturing has made the process more efficient. The Internet of things (IoT) or automation reduces production costs and increases efficiency because of robotics and smart technology. Smart technology also helps in packaging and helps keep a tab on the supply and maintain records of the same.
Smart packaging has been working wonders in the beverage industry. It is a way for the company to keep a tab on the products validity along their supply chain to avoid tampering of the packaging in any way before it reaches the consumer. Artificial intelligence and machine learning also helps immensely in cased of predictions in trends in the industry or to identify problems and its solutions that may arise in the future.
While making the packaging strategies, keep in mind these factors. Do not throw away your heritage and aim in order to modernise the look. The package should be a clear picture of your thoughts and ideology. The packaging should depend on how you define your product, not what others talk about it. Follow the trend; do not be left behind the race of following the trend. Employ the correct glassware. Take notes of the people recommendations.
Don’t Be Obvious Yes, it is important to be creative and stand out from competitors. But if your packaging is so different that you can’t even tell what kind of product it is, why would you buy it? You need to get consumers attention at first sight. Do not Go Crazy with Fonts and Graphics. Use a Functional Label Size, Your labels doesn’t have to cover the entire package to be good. You can design a small but functional label that works well for your product. This will not only work well for the looks of the package, but will also optimize labeling operations and costs. Avoid going so Small That You’ll Have to Leave Important Information out before ordering label printing, triple check that every piece of information is there. Don’t leave any essential content out just to fit a size or design. Remember that legal, nutritional, or health information must always be perfectly readable.
Keep Product Preservation in Mind. Make it look delicious. It’s easy to get so caught up in the design process and all the amazing things you want to say about your product that the actual visual gets lost in the shuffle. Remember that food shoppers eat with their eyes first. Before reading the label, the claims or even the product name – they’re looking for delicious first. It could be the photo, or the product itself (if the packaging allows), or even an illustration. But for the majority of shoppers, no number of claims can make up for a product that doesn’t look delicious. So make this a main focus of your package design and be sure to feature an image that showcases your product in its best (i.e. prepared) form.
Make sure not to violate FDA labeling guidelines. Always know your audience and what appeals to them. Try to not cover your package in claims. Use ‘green’ materials when you can. Environmentally friendly packaging is good for the earth – and for business. Keep in mind the shelf space your product will share. Only go to market after doing consumer research.
(The author is founder of Medusa Beverages, New Delhi)
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