Global Packaging Alliance holds Annual Meeting in Germany

Increasingly shorter product cycles and reaction times are creating more challenges for globally harmonized packaging management. Members of the Global Packaging Alliance® (GPA) addressed this and other issues during their annual meeting held in Hanover, Germany and hosted by rlc | packaging. Representatives from the global consortium of independent, medium-sized packaging manufacturers convened from all over the world to discuss viable solutions to current packaging requirements.

“Swiftness is becoming increasingly important in our industry. Worldwide rollouts of new products need to be faster, secure, and standardized. Globally harmonized packaging management is the key,” explained Hans-Christian Bestehorn, GPA spokesman and CEO of the rlc | packaging group. “The goal is to supply packaging that reliably meets high-quality standards, offers unique added value, and is produced in accordance with the strictest safety regulations.”

With the rlc | packaging group leading the way, GPA member companies are prepared to face the challenges. Alliance members communicate in depth about the demands on global and individual market levels. In line with the “Rethink Global Packaging” theme, the packaging manufacturers discussed ways of making global packaging management even more efficient for their customers.

In addition to sharing know-how among GPA members, there was a focus on organizing secure data transfers within a centralized system. Achieving globally consistent packaging design is also supported by expertise from brandpack. Initially developed by rlc, the concept of a packaging design agency working in close cooperation with production operations and the industry is now implemented by several GPA member companies. At the meeting, rlc also demonstrated how key aspects of its lean philosophy can be used as a viable approach to implementing efficient, harmonized processes on a global level.

The packaging experts also discussed PAS Media, an artwork lifecycle management system. This software can be used to efficiently and securely manage the entire workflow in a global packaging project. Each process participant has direct access to key data at all times and can always see who completed which step, and when. Thanks to automated sub-processes combined with seamless documentation of all changes, PAS Media maximizes security throughout the artwork process. GMP-validated since 2006, the software is also suitable for projects in the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries.

“Our customers not only profit from globally coordinated standards,” says Bestehorn. “Collaboration and in-depth knowledge sharing within our network enables us to continually optimize our processes and develop our expertise for our customers. We are always prepared to quickly react on a global scale without sacrificing product quality.”