Modelling is common, but not democratised
In many industries, exploration of development approaches for a new product starts with creating a model. A mathematical model represents a physical solution that is imported into a simulation environment. From here, a multitude of test cases can be executed, allowing the design team to develop their understanding of the new product. Often, real-world data collected from measurements made on previous products can be used to improve the model. The obvious advantage is saving both time and money, as there is no need to build any physical prototypes until a handful of the most promising approaches have been determined.
However, access to simulation capability is not democratised. Aerospace is an example of a well-served industry. In fact, you can even fly an Airbus A320 from the comfort of your living room on your games console. But if you want to simulate a cardboard box, well, you’re out of luck. It turns out that such humble packaging is fiendishly difficult, if not impossible, to model.
Why is packaging so hard to develop?
Businesses such as AptarGroup, Inc are not ignoring the advances made using simulation tools in other industries. In fact, they’ve spent a significant amount of time and made considerable investments in modelling. Like everyone else, they are looking to optimise their design process and shorten their development cycles to remain innovative and nimble. However, the results have only led to disappointment. While significant progress has been made over the years, the resultant models haven’t delivered enough benefits to design teams.
Furthermore, like in every market, startups are chomping at the bit to get a piece of the around $900 billion worldwide packaging business pie. And, as we have seen, David sometimes wins against Goliath, despite the industry contacts, development team competency, and financial clout of big businesses.
Thankfully, this risk reduces as manufacturers discover the power of self-learning models using Monolith. Not only can businesses such as AptarGroup predict the improvements and failure modes of packaging designs, but they can also place that capability directly into the hands of their customers.
Today’s packaging development process
Packaging isn’t just a solution for storing a product. It often is the product, required to exude a brand’s values, underscore a lifestyle, and stand out again the competition. At the same time, it has to be functional. If, while unscrewing a bottle of water, the container collapses under your grip, spilling water all over your clothes, you’re unlikely to purchase it again. Or, if you knock it gently while reaching across a table, you’ll be unimpressed if the falling bottle gives your smartphone an unintended bath.
Design teams often require around two years to bring a new package to market, starting with assessing market demand, working through design concepts, and then testing the most promising designs. In fact, it turns out that the testing process is the key to developing self-learning models.
