After supporting the work undertaken by FEFCO (the European Federation of Corrugated Board Manufacturers) in the development of its new design style standards, Esko has also become the first to bring to market the new standards as parametric tools in its structural design software.

With corrugated converters worldwide adapting to changing market drivers and the boom in e-commerce, many pain points experienced by today’s converters are addressed in the 12th edition of the globally recognized FEFCO Code, 'Design styles library for corrugated board products'.

“This latest edition introduced a further one hundred new codes to the guidebook,” explained Jan De Roeck, Director of Industry Relations & Strategic Marketing with Esko, the global provider of integrated software and hardware solutions that accelerate the go-to-market process of packaged goods. “Having worked with FEFCO for many years, we were proud to again help with the development of these new standards.”

The internationally applied system for corrugated packaging design, the FEFCO Code contains the designs of the most common box types with a code number assigned to each, making it an indispensable tool for the corrugated packaging industry. Originally developed in the 1960s to replace long and complicated verbal descriptions for packaging construction, the distinct codes and designs serve to create a common base for communication, both internally and with customers all over the world.

The latest, 12th version of the FEFCO Code reflects the developments in the corrugated industry, new technologies, market changes and more than a hundred new designs - including a new series specifically related to retail and e-commerce.

“Rebuildable designs are hugely important when designing packaging,” said Jan. “Smart, parametric standards help to save design time and reduce errors. Esko ArtiosCAD has an intelligent, resizable design library of the US, ECMA, FEFCO and display standards that make design decisions for the user, and a powerful rebuild design feature that allows designs to be parametrically rebuilt with new geometric values. It made sense that the software’s 3D design capability was used to develop and ensure the accuracy of the new FEFCO designs.”

The inclusion of parametric standards in the ArtiosCAD library is a huge differentiating factor that has helped make it the world’s most popular structural design software.

“With continued developments in the sector, particularly in the field of e-commerce and the use of materials with high recycled content, the ability to design accurately, flexibly, and innovatively, as having the flexibility to rebuild whenever needed due to the high pace of production today - is increasingly important,” said Jan De Roeck. “The FEFCO codes are used by thousands of businesses all around the world, and we are honored to be involved in the development of this 12th edition.

“We’re also delighted to be the first software company to implement these standards as parametric tools into our structural design software and are equally proud that our ArtiosCAD solution is helping ensure customers worldwide are able to make best use of the standards.”

Julian Pachniewski, the Chair of the FEFCO Code working group commented: “The update of the FEFCO Code was needed to reflect the latest design developments, technological improvements and customer demands. The corrugated industry has once again proven its resilience and agility to adapt to market changes and lead through innovation.”

He concluded: “FEFCO would like to thank all companies and design experts who supported the update of the FFECO Code, including Esko, to a successful completion and publication. It is encouraging to see the speedy start of the implementation and use of the new design styles in software solutions.”

An interactive document with an overview page for each series highlighting the new codes, the FEFCO code is adopted by the International Corrugated Case Association (ICCA). The Code can be downloaded for free from FEFCO. For more on the complete range of integrated Esko solutions, visit www.esko.com.