2021 Executive Forecast:

On 2020 overall/challenges

Total U.S. Packaging:
$177 Billion

Source: U.S. Census Bureau 2016 ASM Census and FPA estimates for 2019 total revenue. Courtesy of FPA

U.S. Packaging Industry

2020 has been an unprecedented year for us all. HP Indigo has focused its efforts on managing the wellbeing of our partners, customers and their families with urgency and a deep sense of care. On reflection, despite initial uncertainty, it has been brilliant to see how the industrial businesses have adapted and evolved to bring a sense of hope and positivity to the industry.

For Indigo customers, this year has been one of challenges but also one of very concrete opportunities. The innovation that defines them enabled them to quickly respond to the changes in the market — for example, ensuring robust supply chains, and also meeting the surge in demand for labels and packaging in diverse sectors such as healthcare, food, home improvement and more.

Our flexibles division had a very good year across all of our key metrics. The team managed the challenges and opportunities related to COVID while at the same time keeping focused on our customers, driving process and productivity. Building a robust contingency planning competency was an area that we invested significantly in the past few years. We saw the benefit of this hard work during the sudden changes that the industry experienced in 2020.

We’re still reviewing the year, but an early assessment is that the strength of our network and footprint, the power of our partnerships and our clear commitment to collaboration as a value — both internally and with our customers — have resulted in wins for customers and our business. Our business continuity plans served us well through the onset of the pandemic. Our colleagues take great pride in supporting our customers’ ongoing ability to deliver the products that consumers need most during difficult times. As we look forward, our expectation is that we will continue to review conditions and adapt as we have for the last eight months.

Despite the challenges that COVID-19 has presented in 2020, Sun Chemical made sure its contingency plans were in place and ready to be executed upon as needed. With numerous manufacturing sites around the world, Sun Chemical maintained flexibility with manufactured volumes in order to meet customer demands and our procurement team has done an outstanding job to ensure we did not experience inventory issues. The largest operational challenges have been to keep pace with evolving regional regulations and developing effective screening and disinfection protocols to maintain the safety of our employees.

We are living days that will shape the way to conduct business in the future. There will be a “before 2020” and an “after 2020” when referring to the way an industry works. In this global disaster we had the chance to operate within an industry that is essential to everybody’s lives and wellbeing. Almost all of the players within our industry have been rated an “essential businesses.” So were we. Speed in reaction time and the adaptation to the situation was essential. Industry 4.0, IOT and a digital mindset were also part of the solution. To deliver products and services was the challenge, and we have been able to perform by combining all of the above. Those few within the value chain that have been able to shape their business quickly and efficiently have in fact limited the consequences to the very minimum. This applies to all members of the value chain: brand owners, retail traders, industries, converters, suppliers. Nordmeccanica is closing 2020 sharp on the year forecast that was issued over one year ago and well before the pandemic. In the machinery business, the ability to stand was connected with the ability to deliver products and to set them up and running. We were installing major machines at customer locations, with no physical presence but by remote supervision, as early as April 2020. By mid-July, the time lost in production during the total lockdown was completely recovered, and customer confidence in assigning new orders was rewarded by our proven ability to perform. Over 220 machines have been installed globally in 2020. We have orders that brings us well into the third quarter of next year. This last fact is essential for OEM’s financial health, especially during this financial crisis. We have to thank our customers, our perseverance in properly serving them, our total digital machine set up and the chance to work within an industry that serves primary needs. We were ready to handle the situation with a “disaster” sort of plan at the time when nobody knew what could have been the evolution of the situation. In early March, as soon as we were mandatorily forced to stay home, we were brainstorming and evaluating moves based on alternative scenarios. We went well into the alphabet and way beyond “plan B.” Eventually it was easier than we feared as the reality was shaping up. Using to the full extent the advanced technology we have been implementing in our products allowed us to set up the action protocols that resulted in our ability to successfully comply with all our duties.

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On 2020 overall/challenges

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Cover and feature illustrations by FORGEM / iStock via Getty Images Plus and Antikwar / iStock via Getty Images Plus