With the opening of the STUDIOa product development room at its headquarters in Hard (Austria), the Alpla Group aims to speed up the market launch of new plastic packaging solutions. Customers are involved in the entire development process on site, from the initial design draft to the prototype to the finished packaging.
3D printing, virtual and augmented reality, real-time cost control and optimum technical service: with the STUDIOa design centre, packaging specialist Alpla wants to take product development to a new level.
„The STUDIOa stands for everything we believe in - great design, technical excellence and speed to market. This one-stop shop is the ideal space to work with our customers to develop innovative, safe and sustainable packaging solutions for the future.“
Philipp Lehner, CEO Alpla
With the STUDIOa to a Close integration of technology, product development and sales.
„If we develop directly with the customer in the same room and the decision-makers are also present, we shorten the development time, bring products to market faster and thus ensure a head start.“
Norman Häusler, Director Corporate Product Development
At STUDIOa, interdisciplinary teams of experts Alpla The company works together with customer delegations on new packaging in several design sessions and workshops. In addition to design experts, technical specialists from production, toolmaking and process technology also contribute their expertise. „The In this way, the feasibility and recyclability of designs are tested, optimised or adapted at an early stage of the project. This saves time and money,“ emphasises Häusler.
The room offers even more: a 3D printer delivers samples directly after design customisation, Virtual reality glasses provide an initial product preview and augmented reality (AR) is used to simulate the placement of the packaging on the shelf.
Alpla promotes with seven technical centres worldwide regional product development for local customers. The new STUDIOa design centre in Hard follows on from the concept successfully applied at the Atlanta (USA) site since 2015. A customer-focused development centre was also opened in Toluca, Mexico, in mid-2021. Another STUDIOa is currently being built in Shanghai.
Source: Alpla Group
