SUMMARY

Packaging converters face numerous challenges, including the need for faster production times, the ability to quickly change designs, saving time in the estimating process, getting quotes out faster. HiFlow Solutions’ ERP/MIS system offers capabilities like a robust template library, structural and graphic design tools, and a material visualization module, streamlining workflows.  

Packaging converters are facing a number of challenges. Clients want packaging faster. They want the ability to change designs quickly based on events, seasons, trends and other factors. They need to ensure they are complying with the increasing number of regulations facing their businesses. And underlying all of this are sustainability issues – as an example, both the European Union and U.S. states like California are passing laws and regulations to decrease packaging waste. 

A key element of addressing these challenges is working from a common database and design tool that enables dynamic creation of packaging designs. Within HiFlow Solutions’ MIS system, designed specifically to meet the needs of the packaging industry, are a number of capabilities that can ensure a streamlined workflow.  

These include: 

• A robust template library of pre-designed packaging templates based on FEFCO and ECMA parametric libraries, making it easier to finalize common packaging formats and styles. 

• Structural design tools for creating and modifying packaging structures. Users can quickly, accurately, and easily define dimensions, folds, creases, flaps, and other structural elements of packaging design. 

• Graphic design tools in cases where the converter is called on to provide design services, an increasingly common client request. This includes creating and customizing packaging graphics, including logos, branding elements, images or text. Users can apply color, texture, patterns and other visual elements to enhance the packaging design, adding their expertise to the mix to quickly meet brand requirements.  

• Tools make it easier to specify exact placement and orientation of packaging design elements to ensure they align with the structural design while meeting branding guidelines and regulatory requirements. 

• A material visualization module that can visualize the packaging design using different materials or textures, minimizing the need to construct physical samples. 

The other element important to meeting growing brand demands and increasing regulatory requirements is to achieve the most efficient imposition of designs possible. This helps save time, since manually creating imposition layouts requires significant expertise and labor. In addition, inefficient impositions also result in more packaging waste. In today’s digital workflow environment, an efficient imposition of a design or designs results in minimal waste throughout the process, including test samples, die cutting waste and more.  

To that end, HiFlow offers an imposition module that is specifically designed to handle the imposition process for packaging. It arranges and positions multiple images on a single sheet or substrate to optimize printing and production efficiency. The imposition module also incorporates ECMA and FEFCO libraries and provides: 

• The ability to define the arrangement and placement of pages or images on a substrate. With predefined imposition templates or layouts, users can specify the number of pages, their orientation, size, and any specific requirements or constraints. This includes the ability to specify bleed and trim settings within the imposition module. 

• Use of proven algorithms or optimization techniques to optimize the placement of images or pages on a sheet. This helps to minimize material waste, maximize printing efficiency, and reduce production costs. 

• To save time and reduce error, the system also provides visualization features to preview and simulate the imposed pages or images on a sheet. 

Combined, these modules reduce the time estimators spend calculating material requirements, enable them to prepare accurate quotes without involving the design/prepress departments, shortening the time to complete estimates. In a highly competitive environment, quite often the first producer to respond with an estimate is more likely to get the job. 

In addition to streamlining the estimating process, using the modules affects the workflow in other ways, taking some of the burden off prepress, tracking all activity for auditing and reporting purposes, and ensuring that customer service representatives have fast, accurate access to status for all jobs working their way through the plant in order to respond quickly to customer queries. 

HiFlow offers a desktop version for Windows that includes the Packaging Design and Packaging Imposition features in a handy app for estimators. The app, HiFlow IMP, is available at no charge, and can be downloaded HERE.  

                               (Link:  https://hiflowsolutions.com/free-imposition-application/)