Digital Metal Packaging: From Dream to Reality

——The Necessity, Overall Thinking and Technical Means of Digitizing Metal Packaging

As an important component of China's Packaging industry, the output value of metal packaging accounts for approximately 10% of the total output value of China's packaging industry, and it mainly provides packaging services for food, beverage, and cosmetics industries. However, with the popularization and development of the mobile Internet, the metal packaging industry has been increasingly impacted. Traditional metal packaging information output stays on the plane of visual transmission, and the lack of the latest digital applications is far from meeting the current changes in consumer attitudes and the increase in demand for packaging.
The necessity of digitization of metal packaging The emergence of fake, stocked goods and commodity safety issues from the pollution of Sanlu milk powder 8 years ago to cosmetics such as L'Oréal and Safe Herbs has frequently been accused of containing harmful substances, food, cosmetics and other counterfeit phenomena. 1) and commodity security issues (see Figure 2).
The new "Food and Drug Safety Law" clearly stipulates that the State establishes a system for tracing the entire safety of foods and drugs, and food and drug manufacturers and operators shall, in accordance with the provisions of this Law, establish a food and drug safety traceability system to ensure that food and medicine are traceable; and The phenomenon of counterfeit goods and stock picking is becoming increasingly serious. The anti-counterfeit traceability and anti-counterfeiting of the entire product life cycle is an inevitable demand for more and more metal packaging companies (not limited to the food and pharmaceutical industries).

The sense of consumer experience and brand propaganda brought about by packaging is not enough. From the function of metal packaging, it is mainly reflected in two aspects: one is the natural function, that is, the protection of the product; the other is the social function, that is, the product Information transfer role. The information transmission function of traditional metal packaging stays on the plane, the amount of information carried is limited and fixed, and the consumer's sense of experience with the goods, as well as the product marketing and brand promotion achieved through packaging, are insufficient. We know that traditional marketing and brand promotion methods focus on advertising, telephone, television, etc. This requires companies to invest huge amounts of money. With the rapid development and increasing popularity of the Internet and mobile terminal devices, packaging should play a more significant role in enhancing consumer experience, mobile marketing, and brand promotion.
The overall idea of ​​digitalization of metal packaging is based on two-dimensional code, AR augmented reality (image recognition), RFID electronic tags, etc., as the data entry on product packaging, through the access to raw materials, production, warehousing, logistics, sales, and consumption of products. The collection of information, the construction of a smart IoT data platform (see Figure 3), through the cloud computing, mobile Internet and other technologies to achieve product anti-counterfeiting, traceability, mobile marketing, brand promotion and other functions, so that consumers use products more secure and assured Enhance the sense of consumer experience and enhance corporate branding efforts.
In other words, through the use of technologies such as QR codes, AR, RFID, mobile internet, cloud computing, big data, etc., each metal package is transformed into a self-media, and its information transfer function is enhanced. On the other hand, product anti-counterfeiting and traceability are realized. Functions, on the other hand, realize product mobile marketing and brand promotion functions.

The two-dimensional code of metal packaging technology and the digitalization of metal packaging in the “Twelfth Five-Year Plan of Development of the Internet of Things” proposed a two-dimensional code as a core application of the Internet of Things. As a key application technology for the Internet of Things and e-commerce, two-dimensional code technology is the best means of realization in the development of the Internet of Things. With the advantages of low cost, ease of coding and code scanning, strong anti-jamming ability of data read, large amount of stored information, and high confidentiality, the two-dimensional code ushered in the best development opportunity in history, and it has become convenient for mobile Internet and O2O. And the key entrance.
The two-dimensional code is used as an information carrier and data entry, and its storage and encryption characteristics are used to complete the pairing and sharing of basic data such as ERP systems, procurement systems, production systems, and warehousing systems of metal packaging and customer companies. The company collects information on raw materials acquisition, production, warehousing, logistics, sales, and consumption, and builds a smart cloud cloud platform based on the "one-for-one code" security, traceability, and mobile marketing. Rely on scanning and wireless communication and positioning technology of intelligent mobile terminal devices to realize anti-counterfeit verification, traceability, and inventory monitoring for the entire product lifecycle, strengthen product management of enterprises, combat counterfeiting and inferiority, maintain market order, and enhance corporate Brand.
On the basis of product management, the establishment of digital interoperability between consumers, businesses, and products online and offline, on the one hand to help enterprises establish consumer identification tag ID system, digital consumers, allowing enterprises to more easily identify; On the one hand, based on consumer online and offline interaction behavior data, help companies establish an Internet-based customer relationship management (SCRM) system, accumulate consumer management big data, more easily insight, analyze consumer preferences, provide consumers with more accurate Personalized service experience. In order to help companies establish O2O data capabilities, such as the use of mobile Internet, cloud computing, big data and other technology applications, such as Coca-Cola "a can of a yard" (Figure 4).

Figure 4 Coca-Cola "a can of a yard"

AR augmented reality technology (image recognition) and metal packaging Digital AR augmented reality technology is a new technology that integrates "real-world information" and "virtual world" information "seamlessly". It is a matter of time in the real world. Hard to experience physical information (video, audio, images, 3D models, flash animation, etc.), through computer science and technology, analog simulation and then superimposed, the virtual information is applied to the real world, is perceived by human senses, so as to achieve Beyond the real sensory experience. The real environment and virtual objects are superimposed on the same scene or space at the same time. AR augmented reality technology is closely related to technologies such as image recognition, 3D modeling, real-time tracking and registration, and scene fusion.
In the metal packaging graphic design process, a certain graphic part is selected as an AR image recognition area. Through the development of a special AR identification software, scanning the AR identification area on the metal package, you can feel the sensory enjoyment brought by AR technology. Taking Coca-Cola metal cans as an example, we can select “COCACOLA” area as an AR identification area. Scan the area through the Coca-Cola-specific AR APP to experience promotional videos, 3D virtual models or animations related to Coca-Cola products. Information information (see Figure 5).
In short, applying AR augmented reality technology to the field of metal packaging will revolutionize the creative design of metal packaging, break through the flat printing and packaging framework, and connect to cloud databases to provide diversification (video, audio, 3D models, or flash animation, etc.) Interesting, real-time updates, targeted mass information information, enhanced consumer-product interactions, increased consumer perception of products and desires to purchase, and greatly promoted product marketing and brand promotion.
RFID RFID tag and metal packaging digitization RFID RFID tag (Figure 6) is a new wireless RFID technology that uses the electromagnetic inductive coupling of wireless frequency components in the spectrum to exchange data. Metal packaging companies can establish RFID anti-counterfeiting traceability system platform, which consists of RFID electronic tags, data acquisition systems, readers (front-end processing systems) and database software platforms (back-end processing systems) to achieve anti-counterfeiting traceability. The RFID product anti-counterfeit traceability system platform is characterized by innovation, data security, quick verification, and easy use. It utilizes the fact that the globally unique code (RFID) of a radio frequency tag cannot be copied, and associates the information of the UID with the product to generate a database. Consumers can use the information themselves. Bring NFC-enabled mobile phones to verify product information anytime, anywhere. The RFID product anti-counterfeiting traceability system platform not only has anti-counterfeiting functions, but also can be managed out of warehouses to effectively prevent counterfeit goods and counterfeit goods and protect consumer rights and interests.

Figure 6 RFID tag

The application of RFID tags to metal packaging has several advantages.
First, the product's traceability and identification functions. The RFID electronic tag has a unique code, which is equivalent to issuing an ID card for each product. Since it carries electronic information, the data content can be protected by a password so that the content cannot be easily forged or altered, compared with other tags. More security products with security features. And because of its uniqueness, imitation is difficult. Therefore, the use of RFID tags can really help brand owners achieve the purpose of anti-counterfeiting and anti-counterfeit goods.
Second, penetrating and non-barrier reading. RFID tags can penetrate non-metallic or non-transparent materials such as paper, wood, and plastic, and can be embedded inside the metal package to track the flow of the product and prevent vandalism and disassembly.
Third, data read and write functions. Without contact, the information can be directly read or written to the RFID tag within a certain distance, and the written content can be changed many times. Therefore, to a great extent, it can reduce the use of cost and improve efficiency.
Fourth, miniaturization and diversification. RFID tags are not limited by size and shape in reading, and do not need to match the fixed size and print quality of metal substrates for read accuracy. In addition, RFID tags have evolved toward miniaturization and diversification to accommodate different types of metal packaging products, such as Coca Cola metal cans with embedded RFID tags (Figure 7).

Concluding remarks The digitalization of metal Packaging Can first realize the integration of the entire product chain of the product, make the product traceable and ensure the safety of the product; secondly, it can enhance the interaction and experience between consumers and products and enterprises; finally, Can help companies improve O2O data capabilities and brand marketing capabilities. "Everything that can be digitized will eventually be digitized." With the continuous development of the Internet of Things and the increasing popularity of mobile terminal devices, metal packaging is bound to embark on the road to digitalization.