Austin, Texas-based ePac Flexible Packaging has launched ePacConnect. This solution leverages the power of digital printing to create serialized, trackable packaging and new ways for brands to engage consumers, gain market insights and protect their brand.
ePac will offer all its customers an entry-level, no-cost solution, ideal for small and medium-sized brands, as well as a fee-based solution for customers with broader requirements. ePacConnect will be piloted in Q4 2020 in the U.S. and Europe, with a full roll-out to all ePac locations planned in early 2021.
All customer orders received by ePac will include smart, serialized secure QR codes on every package or the brand can opt-out and no codes will be printed. By serializing each package, it is automatically digitally enabled, given a unique digital identity and can be “activated” at any time to give brands flexibility for how and when the codes are used.
ePac will offer two solutions under ePacConnect. One is ePacConnect Lite, a no-cost solution ideal for small to medium-sized brands that want to enter into connected packaging, but until now have had difficulty doing so due to cost. ePacConnect Premium will provide a broader set of fee-based capabilities offered by ePac’s solution partners. These solutions will address applications for consumer engagement, brand and product authentication, anti-counterfeiting, track and trace, and reports that provide new market insight to its customers.
To make ePacConnect viable at mass scale on billions of products, ePac will partner with leading connected packaging software suppliers.
According to Carl Joachim, ePac CMO, “We have been working with software providers that focus on connected packaging over the past several months in both the U.S. and the UK. These companies provide the necessary secure QR codes and back-end data capture and management needed for a complete solution and can support us globally”.
Jack Knott, ePac CEO, added: “By harnessing the power of digital printing, brands of all sizes can now leverage the power of connected packaging and enhance the marketing value of every packaged product they sell. ePacConnect will also play a role in our sustainability efforts to educate consumers and provide transparency into the recycling process.”
ePac’s founders began with a mission to provide locally-based consumer packaged goods companies the ability to compete with large brands with great packaging. ePac’s customers are predominantly locally-based small and medium-sized CPGs, many of whom are focused on creating natural and innovative products for consumers. Since opening its first manufacturing facility in 2016, ePac’s mission has been clear – to help small brands obtain big brand presence, give back to the communities it serves and contribute to the creation of a more sustainable, circular economy.
