News

EskoArtwork, the packaging design software specialist, will release a test version of its supply chain online interface program, Shapes, in the first quarter of 2009.

Shapes will securely access manufacturers' databases to enable firms to take informed decisions about a pack's suitability early in the design stage.

"It will provide firms with consistency of information, but also flexibility when it comes to choosing suppliers," said Frank Adegeest, director of Esko's packaging design software group.

Adegeest recognised that for the system to work it required firms to make their data available, but maintained that converters could use it to show the capabilities of their products to a large audience.

One of the potential features could be to enable firms to see the environmental impact of the products they use early on in the design stage, or access nutritional data for dynamic content labelling of food packs.

Martin Coulthard, Esko's director of innovation, said that Esko's role was not to provide or control the data but to "put in place an infrastructure to enable it to be accessed in an organised way".

"If you look at environmental impact, we don't have expertise in this area, but we recognise the value to our customers of having well structured information about it," he said.

Esko is also currently looking at technology to create 3D digital imaging for products that don't have a uniform shape, such as food, so that it's Visualiser programme is able to wrap a pack around as it can for solid items such as toys.