Earlier this week, we hosted our first joint workshop on Intelligent Packaging with our IntelliPACK partner, PAC, Packaging Consortium, at the Mississauga headquarters of one of our founding Members, Xerox Research Centre of Canada.
The event drew over 60 key industry players, including major packaging companies such as NetPack, Jones Packaging and Atlantic Packaging, and global consumer brand-owners Molson Coors, Boehringer Ingelheim and Absolut Vodka.
The workshop was a fantastic opportunity to network and unearth new business opportunities.
Attendees were treated to a frank and insightful discussion on the potential for printable, organic and flexible electronics (PE) to create a new generation of interactive and intelligent packaging:
- Dr.Harry Zervos, Principal Analyst at IDTechEx, discussed the integration challenges and bottlenecks that must be overcome.
- Thomas Ducellier, Executive Director of the NRC’s flagship PE program, talked about what is doable today with the current state of the technology.
- Islem Yezza, Sales and Marketing Director at Netpak, explored the role of interactive packaging to build consumer engagement.
- Jennifer Murtell, Co-Founder of the NAVY Agency, and Andrew Frost, Innovation Manager at Molson Coors, discussed how to instigate meaningful innovation and how marketing, design and technical experts must work together from the get go to create compelling new products that will drive brand equity and revenue.
CPEIA President and CEO Mark Majewski moderated. Attendees were also polled on a number of topics via an electronic voting platform.
The speakers’ presentations will soon be available to our Members online in the CPEIA Knowledge Base. In November, we will publish a paper summarizing the key themes of the workshop and the voting results, for the benefit of CPEIA and PAC Members.