At the end of the year, the Dresden Packaging Conference once again offers a dialogue platform for managers, decision-makers from industry, business and science as well as students. On day two, there were not only success stories for networking from recent years, but also a mix of presentations from large companies in the industry and inspiring start-ups.
Until the coffee break, the presentations focused in particular on fibre-based packaging and how artificial intelligence (AI) can be used here and create added value. Dennis Feldhaar, Business Partner Manager for Digital Transformation at the Saueressig Group, presented a solution for packaging printing. With AI, the company can synchronise its own database for a new print job and search for Search for existing, suitable orders and print samples. In the long term, the database could be expanded to include customer data, if desired, and thus find more results in the search.
AI is the focus of the Schumacher Packaging GmbH. Jochen Drösel spoke about the use of artificial intelligence in transport and e-commerce packaging and how something can be done here for the sustainability of packaging. This could be achieved, for example, by Right-sizing of packaging with the help of AI. Less empty packaging and customised packaging. Time and again, it has been shown that this is also what consumers want. The Group works in partnership with the Swedish software provider Skrym together. Weight, volume and empty spaces should be reduced.
The first start-up in the second part of the event also followed on from this. After the coffee break, three female founders presented their start-ups and solutions. It started with Katharina Kreutzer, co-founder and CPO of boomerang. The company offers reusable packaging solutions for e-commerce. In addition to mailing bags in various sizes, a new addition to the range is the shipping box, which will also be available in 2023. German Packaging Award of the German Packaging Institute received.
The second presentation also focussed on the topic of reusable packaging, but for the food and retail sectors. Tatiana Tsarkova is the co-founder of the start-up CU Mehrweg, which has developed a system for Reusable containers in front of dry products in supermarkets, for example has developed. Disposable packaging can be replaced by reusable solutions and a deposit system. The empty containers are then returned to the cycle via the deposit machine. The first test phase started in the Freiburg area in October 2023.
The third in the group was Vivian Loftin, co-founder of Recyda. The company's web-based application helps companies to keep an eye on the recyclability of their packaging. Especially on the international market with different laws and regulations in different countries it can be a challenge to find your way around and develop suitable packaging. Recyda collects information on recycling in different countries and brings it together in one tool.
The presentations were followed by a lively discussion with the audience. At the final spurt of the Dresden Packaging Conference, the three speakers once again brought energy and inspiration to the hall in the Dreikönigskirche in Dresden. Arne Schultchen, the last speaker at the event, was also enthusiastic about the founders. The industry needs such ideas and committed, young talent for the future, he said. The future and tomorrow's developments. The founder and creative lead of design for human nature concluded the event with a presentation on Packaging design that is very close to the user and the user, and who always made the audience laugh. Schultchen brought along the Nivea for Men packaging, Hansaplast and a reusable fish crate for Deutsche See as examples of packaging that triggers a feeling - he even had the latter physically with him in Dresden. How can packaging fulfil sustainability aspects, trigger a feeling in the user and optimally package products? This was one of the topics of the presentation.
And so the 33rd Dresden Packaging Conference passed with many insights into different areas of the packaging industry. Opportunities for greater sustainability were highlighted and the event was used to exchange ideas.
