Whether globalization is in or out of fashion – and debate is rife on the subject at the moment – most of us consumers are eager to reap all the advantages of globalization without letting go of our need for products that are specifically relevant to us.

We want all the advantages of a global supply chain that makes it irrelevant whether we live in a city or in the country, in any part of the globe, in terms of availability of specific brands, delivery times, prices or quality.

We want products that suit our age, gender and lifestyle. And we want to choose our preferred way of shopping, be it online, in-store or in-app.

On the other hand, there is a growing push to “buy local”, encouraging local manufacturers, strengthening the local economy and promoting sustainability by reducing the carbon footprint of transportation.

However, when it comes to packaging local products, boutique confectioners, cosmetics manufacturers and even electronics suppliers, frequently come face to face with the MOQ (Minimum Order Quantity) orders demanded by conventional packaging converters.

This despite the fact that “Shorter runs, that are more customized, are increasingly what brands are looking for in their packaging. Sound familiar? Direct mail, transpromo and other types of printing have all experienced this shift, so it was only a matter of time until print buyers and designers turned their eye toward the packaging of the products themselves, instead of just the marketing campaigns around them”. Printing Impressions.

The solution lies in digital printing and finishing – the ability to produce all the collateral, packaging, in-store displays in small numbers, without a long lead time for ordering, and segmented according to the targeted customers.

According to Silvano Gauch, President of LxBxH, Switzerland “We have discovered that once our customers learn that there is no die cost involved, their true packaging requirements surface. Instead of ordering a “one-size fits all” packaging for different sized products, which they did in the past to avoid paying for several dies, they can now order three different package sizes to best fit their products, at no extra cost. This is a real game changer in the industry”.
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