Today, packaging of products across sectors accounts for a global industry valued at more than $400 billion dollars, according to reports by Ernst & Young and the World Packaging Organization. Members of the packaging value chain consist of raw material suppliers, converters, consumer packaged goods (CPG), retailers and food service. While packaging has come a long way since its conception, the traditional packaging development process has rarely included packaging in the up-front assessment. Current efforts are more innovative in nature. The optimized package development process includes consideration of packaging issues up front in the development process.

Too often, CPG companies ignore the natural balance and interplay between innovation, productivity, and cutting costs. The result is that they focus solely on innovation and growth, productivity, or on cutting costs. A strong approach to creating a balance among innovation, productivity and cutting costs can be found in applying technology to packaging development. The use of tools such as finite-element analysis (FEA) software allows packaging designers and engineers to efficiently study complex packaging structure and to optimize cost and performance.

For example, using FEA, packaging designers can evaluate container performance under mechanical stress, thermal fatigue and in multilayer packaging. They can also analyze the structural performance of new materials, and engineers can use this technology to design thinner, stronger packages. What’s more, they can introduce innovation into the process by evaluating new packaging shapes for consumer appeal and brand image.

The application of technology to packaging is a new experience for most CPG companies. Yet, it is a strategic option worth considering. It can save millions of dollars by replacing trial-and-error packaging design with rational math/science-based FEA. The up-front use of FEA can also optimize new product/package design, allowing companies to capitalize on both innovation and cost savings.