Those with responsibility for packaging can ill afford to rest on their laurels. They must be ever-vigilant students of packaging trends and developments. Leaders must create an environment where packaging becomes a core business capability. Integrating digital tools allows them to mature and thereby execute processes more efficiently.
We have defined five levels of digital maturity. They are Reactive, Organized, Digitized, Connected, and Intelligent. This model helps leaders better understand the prevailing mentalities and behaviors in their packaging processes at each level of digital maturity.
The Levels Defined
Reactive
The reactive level of maturity is easily recognized by manual, offline activities, and crisis management behaviors. A small, local brand with few SKUs may be able to efficiently brief design partners, review and approve artwork, and make decisions quickly because they have a manageable centralized team. This is effective and agile until complexity increases and there are no solid processes in place to manage the workload. When the number of SKUs multiplies, distribution expands overseas, or the team separates into remote or regional teams, this model proves to be reactive instead of proactive and, ultimately, unsustainable. Obviously, this condition can impact larger companies with more brands and SKUs as well.
Organized
A brand reaches the second level of maturity when it becomes more intentional about developing packaging as a core capability. Most brand owners operate at this level. But here they begin to assign more importance to the packaging function but still less than what they assign to functions such as their website, social media, and advertising, etc.
Teams at this level are more likely to focus on quality and process in their packaging. They may add internal assistance or seek external expertise by adding agency relationships or contractors. The added collaboration can multiply the cost of getting packaging work done, which eventually becomes difficult to maintain. Also, the additional bulk of quality reviews can add weeks to packaging project timelines.
Digitized
At some point, even the best efforts to approach packaging from a manual perspective are not good enough. Those involved with the process will clamor for a transition to the conveniences of digitization. Improvements in visibility and accountability are achieved. Communication internally and externally is simplified and enhanced, and the likelihood of errors is diminished. Costs are reduced as a result. Digitization is the quintessential example of working smarter not harder.
Connected
Once a company gets a taste of digitization, employees want to seek out even more opportunities to enhance connectivity, data, speed, and efficiencies. Here, brand organizations integrate packaging software with other internal systems such as digital asset management (DAM), product information management (PIM), e-commerce, content management, and more. By connecting the process, leaders drive down the need for rework and enjoy the time and cost efficiencies as a result.
Intelligent
This level reflects the total of all prior enhancements and the comprehensive benefits available to not only the brand but others as well. This includes customers, suppliers, and internal users. The expanded reach of core packaging systems with augmented or artificial intelligence enables leaders to measure not only the productivity of their teams but the performance of the value chain participants too.
What’s Next?
Accelerating the digitization of all aspects of business is a crucial key to success. Companies that quickly learn to digitize their packaging stream see major benefits to operational process. The Digital Maturity Model for Brand Packaging provides a conceptual roadmap for digital change within the organization. The future is full of more and more advanced autonomous capabilities.
To better understand where your organization aligns with this maturity model or how to digitize your packaging functions, download the e-book.
