In Part 1 of this series, I looked at some of the of the projected pre-COVID-19 growth of the corrugated market as well as some of the technical challenges involved in the production of digital corrugated. Since that last article, the Smithers Digital Print for Packaging event occurred and Dr. Sean Smyth presented some new, more granular growth figures for digital-printed packaging, and the consumer purchasing behavior changes driven by COVID-19 haven’t really changed the growth trajectory in the short term. Although, taking into account the 2020 dip associated with the supply chain realignment at the beginning of the pandemic, the growth projections from the pre-COVID forecast for digital print for packaging are just slightly below the initial 2019 forecast in the short term.

Updated Digital Print for Packaging Data

You may notice in the chart that by 2023 it is forecast that the growth rate starts to increase. Some of this can be attributed to FMCG (Fast Moving Consumer Goods) manufacturers catching up with the demand shifts and some due to the availability of digital production capacity. However, brands are beginning to realign to address the consumer behavior shifts, and digital press manufacturers are preparing new and updated equipment to increase capacity. A great example is the new EFI Nozomi C18000 PLUS, which reflects an increase in productivity and wider range of substrate support.