PETpla.net Insider 04 / 2017

LABELLING PET planet Insider Vol. 18 No. 04/17 www.petpla.net 35 LABELLING 35 specifically in this context: “The industrial implemen- tation of a digital printing process with low migration and UV-curing inks, which provide a food-safe solu- tion for PET bottles, is very interesting in this area. Bottlers save material with the direct printing method and can flexibly implement a new look for a container at short notice.” A new trend: serialisation Another trend in the beverage industry supports labelling technology, i.e. serialisation. Strictly speak- ing, this is the transformation of an object into a byte stream. This term from computer science combines two requests from the industry: the customisation of products on one hand and the traceability of product paths on the other. “For example, labelling technology makes it possible with the application of a QR code on a container to individualise it and trace the product path via use of the code by a consumer,” Richter explained. The customer in turn has the option of checking the originality and authenticity of the prod- uct using a smartphone to scan the QR code. At the same time, his action is forwarded to the manufac- turer who can then enter into the desired interaction with the consumer. RFID technology, the “identification with the aid of electromagnetic waves”, has already been introduced in the beverage industry. It acts as authenticity pro- tection on one hand and anti-theft protection on the other. In a southern European country, for example, a well-known whisky distiller consistently employs RFID technology in its high-quality products. An RFID tran- sponder is hidden in the back label, which can trigger an alarm at an attempted theft, for example. “Using RFID technology is very easy with modern labelling technology. However, transponder costs remain an issue,” Richter added. Despite all the new developments, there is con- tinuity in the labelling segment: the good old paper label definitely still has a future. It can be processed at high speeds, looks good and will remain in the market for the foreseeable future. www.drinktec.com Labelling trends at drinktec 2017 Packaging and labelling technology will occupy considerable space at drinktec. Approx. 50% of exhibitors will be presenting packaging solutions. In addition, drinktec has created a dedicated area (hall A2) with the World of Labels specifically for manufacturers of labelling tech- nology and labels. The supporting programme is also addressing this issue. The top issues of the future in the packaging area are dealt with in the Innovation Flow Lounge and in the field of pack- aging technology at the drinktec forum. SDWHQWV UHVHDUFKHUV DQG WHFKQLFLDQV LQVWDOOHG SODQWV EUDQFKHV ZRUOGZLGH ,I ZH KDGQêW JRQH VR IDU ZH ZRXOGQêW EH VR QHDU <RXU IXWXUH VHHQ IURP QHDU