Booming Packaging Sector Driving Coding and Marking System Demand in Germany
Coding and marking systems provide product-related information on the packaging, such as manufacturing and expiry dates, price, batch number, and other related information, to customers. Coding and labeling enable the identification and tracking of ingredients through multiple stages of the manufacturing process. These systems are being increasingly adopted in the pharmaceutical industry in Germany owing to the surging awareness among manufacturers on the advantages of citing the drug information on the package and owing to the increasing penetration of blister packaging in this sector.
Furthermore, the booming automobile production and sale will fuel the adoption of such systems in Germany. The International Organization of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers (OICA) estimates that 227,082 commercial vehicles and 3,515,372 cars were manufactured in Germany in 2020. As the country is home to automobile giants such as Daimler AG and Audi AG, it uses a considerable number of such systems. Automotive original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) are increasingly using scannable invisible anti-counterfeit printing inks and barcodes to ensure identification and offer protection against counterfeits.
At present, end-use industries, such as electrical and electronics, food and beverages, cosmetics and personal care, automotive and aerospace, healthcare, chemical, textiles, and packaged consumer goods, are shifting from conventional printing to digital printing. The shift toward digital printing solutions, such as continuous inkjet, can be attributed to their ability to print high volumes of characters with a limited quantity of ink. Additionally, the lesser time consumed and lower inventory waste generated by digital printing solutions will augment their usage in Germany.
Nowadays, companies such as Danaher Corporation, REA Elektronik GmbH, KBA-Metronic GmbH, and Domino Printing Sciences plc are offering continuous inkjet printers, thermal inkjet printers, laser coding and marking systems, drop on demand systems, thermal transfer overprinting systems, print and apply labelers, valve jet printers, and hot-melt inkjet printers to meet the needs of end-use industries. In the coming years, laser coding and marking systems will be deployed at the highest rate as they can print text, serial numbers, graphics, and 2D codes on different packaging cartons, plastics, metals, and flexible packaging materials.
Thus, the expanding pharmaceutical industry, burgeoning demand for packaged food items and beverages, and escalating automobile production will propel the adoption of coding and marking systems in Germany.