Braille – a timeless classic
– Braille is added to the paperboard using the embossing process and must be a certain height before it is approved. The tricky thing is that it must be ensured that the Braille height is still acceptable after the final production stage. You need a good technique and a high-quality paperboard to pull this off.
Prescription medicines gain shelf appeal
– On over-the-counter (OTC) products you see a lot of bling like hot foil and bold colours. Prescription medicines that a pharmacist just takes from the carousel are, of course, duller, and more scientific looking. But in the States, some of them also do have more colourful packaging. We’re now seeing this American trend coming to the EU. When I started at August Faller five years ago, we mainly had four colour constructions. Now it’s six or more colours. Major pharmaceutical companies work worldwide and if they see something working in the States it often spreads.
The Internet of Things
– The Internet of Things is still in its early days, but we’ve already developed samples of smart packages that “think for themselves”. For example, a box that can tell the patient when to take the next pill, when a non-transparent bottle of liquid is running dry, or when it’s time to go out and buy new medicine.
QR codes
– We also work a lot with QR codes, which are helpful for the user’s guide – the package insert. Instead of reprinting the insert in new versions, pharma companies can update it digitally and make it available online for easy consumer access via a smartphone app. In the future, we may not even have an insert anymore. Instead, consumers will access the information online.
The future is personalised
From Braille to smart boxes that think by themselves. Innovative German brand August Faller is an expert on packaging for the pharma industry. Managing Director Christian Holmskov discusses the requirements that pharmaceutical companies have for their packaging – including the carton – both now and in the future.
Created 17 July, 2019.