Are the print and packaging industries sitting on a ticking time bomb?
It’s widely accepted that these two industries are highly resilient. Put simply, they are part of the foundation of the global economy. Every industry in the world relies heavily on packaging, from everyday applications like food packaging to highly specialised technical applications for the healthcare sector. And all of these packs require increasingly complex printing and finishing techniques to meet various market demands.
Not only that, but both industries have benefitted hugely from advances in automation and production technology, turbocharging their capacity and innovation capabilities. From the outside, the outlook for print and packaging couldn’t be much healthier – but many inside the industry are now waking up to a serious problem. That problem is the skills gap being created as experienced professionals age out of the industry without being replaced by young talent. And it’s something that needs to be addressed sooner rather than later.
Papering over the cracks in packaging
An ageing workforce is not unique to the packaging industry, nor is it necessarily a problem on its own. As the average lifespan increases across the world, people tend to remain healthier for longer. Either by choice or necessity, this means many stay at work for longer, too. Problems occur when the members of this ageing workforce eventually do retire, taking their decades of skills and experience with them, without being replaced by younger talent.
In print and packaging, this pipeline of younger talent does not exist – at least, not at the scale that is required. Across manufacturing, the majority of the workforce is now over 40, and evidence in the UK shows that the ‘Great Retirement’ may be arriving sooner than we think. The number of older people out of a job and not looking for work is rising, with the number of workers aged between 55 and 64 falling by 1.2%. To put that into context, that is the biggest decrease among this age group to take place since the 1980s.
For future-focused industries like packaging, this is a massive challenge. At a time when consumer preferences and evolving sustainability regulations are driving change across the world, it’s never been more important to incorporate new perspectives and fresh ideas to develop innovations that deliver this change. The trillion-dollar packaging market is only growing as demand for packaging increases – so it’s crucial that the industry has the talent in place to deliver on that potential.
In short, older workers have papered over the cracks in the packaging and print industries by working for longer than they have in previous generations. Now they are now starting to retire in greater numbers, the skills gap is starting to widen as the companies struggle to replace them with new talent, and papering over the cracks is no longer sufficient.
Providing a pathway for tomorrow’s talent
The good news is that there is a growing awareness of this issue within the industry, which is driving a concerted attempt to address it on multiple fronts.
The explosion of AI and automation-powered solutions has arrived at the perfect time for packaging companies. These systems do not just improve throughput, but they can also streamline more complex print and packaging jobs into simple, automated workflows. This comes with several advantages – notably that it can reduce labour requirements. Now, what may have taken a team of people can be handled automatically, guiding print and packaging jobs from the design document to the press and through converting and palletisation without any direct human involvement whatsoever. While some expertise is still needed to provide oversight to these automated processes, the pressure to have a team full of experienced operators can be lessened with the right machinery and software solutions.
Providing advanced digital technology that creates intuitive, streamlined processes can also remove many barriers to entry that may prevent young professionals from advancing their careers. Packaging has long been a fairly insular industry that requires operators to undertake a great deal of complex, specialist training. Increased digitalisation could change this, as automation and AI can strip away much of this complexity resulting in a smoother learning curve for industry newcomers.
Enticing this young talent into the industry is also an area of focus for many stakeholders. While other manufacturing-focused industries have benefitted from academic courses and apprenticeships to guide young professionals through the early stages of their careers, print and packaging have not historically offered the same pathways.
This is changing as prominent print and packaging companies begin to partner with academia to provide dedicated courses for packaging. In the UK, Sheffield Hallam University has become the first university to offer degree-level courses specifically aimed at the packaging industry. This is already bearing fruit, providing young professionals with valuable work experience at companies like Parkside. And this approach is being successfully adopted in other countries, helping to secure a brighter future for packaging. In Germany, for example, the German Folding Carton Manufacturers’ Association (FFI) has partnered with packaging industry partners to develop training schemes specifically for people starting new careers in the postpress sector. There are now more routes than ever for tomorrow’s talent to get into the print and packaging industries – but this pipeline has to continue to grow.
As the industry faces this unprecedented challenge, it’s crucial for companies to become strong advocates of print and packaging. These industries can be exciting, dynamic, and bursting with innovations that can impact the lives of millions of consumers across the world – and it’s important to shout about that.
That’s where our team of packaging experts can help. At Think B2B, we’re a business made up of experienced print, packaging, and labelling professionals with over 70 years of combined experience between us, so we understand what makes your business – and your customers – tick. That’s why we’re passionate partners of Young People in Print, an organisation that provides guidance, education, and workshops to empower young professionals to take their first steps into the world of print.
We know the difference packaging can make, because we’ve lived it, so there’s no stronger advocate for your business or your industry.
Get in touch with us today at hello@thinkb2bmarketing.com to learn more about how we can support you with our 360-degree approach to marketing.
