Carton, Board & Paper
Why folding cartons are stealing the spotlight
By Lachlan Buirds, managing director at Edale A
t Labelexpo Europe, folding cartons didn’t just appear, they challenged assumptions. A show traditionally defi ned by labels became a platform for a diff erent
conversation about how cartons should be produced in a market defi ned by shorter runs, rising complexity and increasing pressure on effi ciency.
That shift matters. Because it signals that the long- standing dominance of off set litho in folding cartons is no longer unquestioned.
A GROWING MARKET, UNDER PRESSURE TO CHANGE
The folding carton market is expanding rapidly, forecast to grow from $185bn in 2025 to $297bn by 2034 at a CAGR of 5.47 per cent. This growth is being driven by sustainability trends, the increasing adoption of fi bre-based packaging and continued demand across FMCG, healthcare and e-commerce. However, while demand is rising, the way cartons are produced is coming under pressure. Traditional litho workfl ows where print is followed by offl ine embellishment and die-cutting were built for long, predictable runs. Today’s production environment looks very diff erent. SKU counts are higher, production cycles are shorter, changeovers are more frequent, and the expectation for speed and fl exibility continues to increase.
The result is a growing mismatch between what the market demands and how cartons are traditionally produced.
WHY CARTONS APPEARED AT A LABEL SHOW The prominence of carton solutions at Labelexpo, now known as Loupe, was no coincidence as it refl ects a broader shift in how production is being approached.
Label converters already operate in environments shaped by fast turnaround expectations, high job variation, effi cient changeovers and increasingly, inline processing. These are not emerging pressures for them; they are established ways of working. Those same pressures are now defi ning the future of carton production. As a result, the conversation has moved on. It is no longer about whether fl exo can deliver the required quality for cartons. It can. The more pressing question is whether traditional carton workfl ows can continue to compete in an environment that demands greater speed, fl exibility and effi ciency.
FROM MULTI-STAGE PRODUCTION TO SINGLE-PASS LOGIC
What stood out at Labelexpo was not just the presence of carton presses, but the production philosophy behind them. Inline fl exo is shifting cartons away from a fragmented, multi-stage process towards a single-pass model. Rather than separating printing, embellishment and die-cutting across multiple steps, these processes are combined into one continuous workfl ow. The eff ect is structural. Work-in- progress is reduced, handling is minimised, lead times are shortened and output becomes more predictable.
This is not a marginal gain. It represents a fundamental shift in how cartons are produced, particularly in short- to medium-run work, where the ineffi ciencies of traditional workfl ows are most exposed.
THE COMMERCIAL REALITY IS THAT EFFICIENCY WINS
For converters considering the move from litho to inline fl exo, the decision is increasingly commercial rather than technical. Faster makeready and changeovers reduce downtime. Consolidating processes lowers labour dependency. Waste is reduced, material utilisation improves, and more jobs can be processed within the same production window.
These gains are most relevant in the segments seeing the strongest growth - shorter runs, greater complexity and higher job variation. What was once seen as a compromise is now becoming a competitive advantage.
A PRACTICAL ROUTE FORWARD The CartonLine FL6p has been developed around this shift in production logic. As a reel-to-blank, single-pass system, it brings together multi-colour fl exo printing, inline embellishment such as foil and screen, and fl atbed die-cutting, stripping and blanking into one controlled process. It is not intended to replace litho across all applications. Instead, it provides a commercially viable route for converters to transition specifi c job types, particularly short- and medium-run cartons, away from multi-stage workfl ows. In doing so, it simplifi es production, improves responsiveness and creates a diff erent basis for competition.
A CHANGING COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE The implications are not just technological, they are competitive. As production models evolve, the distinction between labels and cartons is beginning to blur. Label converters, already structured around speed and flexibility, are increasingly well positioned to enter carton production. At the same time, traditional carton converters are being pushed to reassess workflows built for a different set of conditions.
Competition is no longer defi ned purely by print technology, but by how effi ciently production is organised and executed.
MORE THAN A TREND
The presence of cartons at Labelexpo was not a one-off moment. It was a signal. A signal that folding carton production is moving beyond legacy assumptions and towards models built around effi ciency, fl exibility and control. In that context, inline fl exo is no longer an alternative. It is becoming the credible, and increasingly compelling way forward.
www.convertermag.com
May/June 2026
37
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