FEATURE Packagingy
Macfarlane Packaging invests £200,000 in its innovation lab
The investment will help the company create authentic, innovative and effective packaging solutions for customers to reduce their total cost of packaging as well as their environmental impact
T
he UK’s largest distributor of protective packaging materials, Macfarlane Packaging, is investing £200,000 in new
technology for its Innovation Lab. The investment will help the company create authentic, innovative and effective packaging solutions for customers to reduce their total cost of packaging and environmental impact. “Technology changes rapidly and this investment in the latest equipment allows us to ensure that customers can maximise their time with us and arrive at their packaging solution even faster,” said Donna Lynch, Sales and Marketing Director at Macfarlane Packaging. The enhanced Macfarlane Packaging Innovation Lab now includes an LED UV digital fl atbed printer for developing fully- formed printed samples, printing directly onto a range of packaging materials to enable customers to decide on new packaging solutions on the day, and materials testing equipment to enable design prototypes to perform a range of compression and crush tests to validate performance to industry standards. These innovations add to the Innovation Lab’s existing capabilities including on-site design, Hololens mixed reality technology, artworking with on-site digital printing, CAD table for creating samples, packaging automation equipment, infi ll delivery systems, customised pack bench designs, and more.
The Innovation Lab, was launched
in March 2016 in Milton Keynes, to bring together latest packaging design technology and expertise under one roof. “Since we launched the Innovation Lab four years ago, we have helped many customers to fully understand the total cost of their packaging by providing one environment to interact with packaging and explore its impact on their operations using our Significant Six methodology,” said Lynch. Recently, the 2,100 square foot site has been adapted to comply with social distancing restrictions, enabling customers to visit the facility safely. For the first time, customers can now
34 July/August 2020 | Automation
automationmagazine.co.uk
experience a virtual tour of the Innovation Lab through a brand new facility available on the Macfarlane Packaging website. “The Innovation Lab is a fully immersive experience and, with social distancing measures in place, gives our customers the opportunity to safely step away from their usual environment to focus on reducing operational costs and enhance their customer experience with the least environmental impact. Continual investment in the latest technology ensures we are equipped to fast-track all stages of the process from design and development to prototyping, testing and validation,” added Richard
Above and below: Macfarlane Packaging’s iLab
Garratt, Technical Design Manager at the Innovation Lab.
Customers who use the Innovation Lab include Sainsbury’s Argos, Halfords and Hobbycraft who have worked with Macfarlane’s experts to find creative packaging results that optimise cost, packaging material use and environmental impact.
CONTACT:
Macfarlane Packaging Web:
www.macfarlanepackaging.com
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