< Previous30 East Midlands Business Link www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk PRINT & PACKAGING SPOTLIGHT Print and packaging adapts to a new rulebook Brands and suppliers are rethinking materials, machinery and compliance as sustainability, speed and shelf impact become non- negotiable in modern production. www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk East Midlands Business Link 31 PRINT & PACKAGING SPOTLIGHT P ackaging used to be an afterthought. Now it sits at the centre of commercial decisions, shaped by what shoppers want, what retailers demand and what regulations insist on. That shift is reshaping supply chains across the region, creating new priorities for companies that produce, design and print. The biggest change is the materials themselves. Plastics are still everywhere, but the amount of energy going into finding replacements is accelerating. Boards made from recycled fibre, compostable films that can withstand a supermarket shelf, and coated papers that offer barrier protection without compromising recyclability are all pushing forward. These are no longer pilot projects. They are finding their way into standard product lines because buyers are pressing for them. Those buyers have learned that sustainability isn’t only a marketing angle. It feeds directly into purchasing decisions, and it has become a criteria on which major retailers now award contracts. Suppliers that cannot show measurable reductions in virgin plastic use are finding their options narrowing. In the background, the packaging supply chain has been forced to modernise faster than most had planned. Formats are changing as well. Traditional rigid boxes are being replaced where possible with pouches, resealable bags and lighter containers that use less material. It is not only a cost play, though the savings on freight are substantial. These formats also reduce carbon footprints, giving manufacturers a way to present a more complete sustainability story. Machinery upgrades are following the materials. The new lines that printers and packers are installing are built for shorter runs and fast changeovers. Digital and flexographic technologies make it possible to produce a small batch with the same clarity and finish that used to be reserved for long, uniform print jobs. That flexibility is proving valuable. Retailers want regional campaigns, one-off promotions and seasonal variations at short notice. Producers 32 Á32 East Midlands Business Link www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk PRINT & PACKAGING SPOTLIGHTwww.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk East Midlands Business Link 33 PRINT & PACKAGING SPOTLIGHT who can deliver that without carrying months of surplus stock are being rewarded with repeat business. Regulation is also dictating design. Labels have to do more: list ingredients and allergens in specific formats, track origin, satisfy multiple languages, and still leave space for the branding. That workload has led to a rise in automated checking systems on the line. It is not uncommon now to see high-speed cameras inspecting every pack, flagging incorrect or missing data before it leaves the plant. For any company that has dealt with a recall, this investment makes sense. Designers and engineers are being pushed to work differently. They are no longer separate steps in the process. Instead, packaging concepts are tested in digital 3D models, colour matched, rendered, and trialled with prototype runs. That can happen in a matter of days. When a design is approved, the file goes directly into production systems, shortening lead times and ensuring that what was approved on screen is what appears in stores. There is a commercial upside to this precision. It opens the door for more complex brand stories. Digital presses can produce variable designs, changing text or graphics from one pack to the next. Textures and surface finishes can be applied in short runs without expensive tooling. Even mass-market items now benefit from the sort of detail that used to be associated with premium ranges. Brands are taking advantage of these options. They are using QR codes and near field communication tags to link a product to recipes, promotions or sustainability credentials. They are experimenting with colour-shifting inks that signal tampering, or adding track- and-trace features that confirm authenticity. These are not experiments in a laboratory; they are showing up on packaging runs now, giving manufacturers a chance to extend their relationship with customers beyond the shelf. There is a workforce implication as well. Operators who can run these sophisticated machines are in short supply. Firms are investing in their own training, often in partnership with local colleges. Pre-press, quality assurance, digital graphics, and data handling skills are increasingly as important as traditional print knowledge. All of this has a cost. Recyclable materials can be more expensive. Advanced machinery requires capital investment and maintenance. But the calculation businesses are making is simple: modernisation pays back through reduced waste, faster delivery, and a stronger competitive position. Retailers are not just buying a box or a label; they are buying confidence that the packaging will perform, comply, and add value to the product. The conversation now happening in boardrooms treats packaging as a strategic tool. It is a way to stand out on crowded shelves, to tell a sustainability story that is credible, and to build operational resilience when legislation changes. In some cases, the design of a package determines whether a product can even enter a particular market, so the choice of materials, layout and print technology has become a front-line commercial decision.34 East Midlands Business Link www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk PUBLIC RELATIONS I had a chat with a radio producer recently that made me realise something rather embarrassing about our industry. Most people aren’t even bothering to send images with their press releases. Images. The most basic visual element you could possibly include. And they’re skipping it entirely. But that revelation was just the beginning. What this producer told me next completely changed how I think about press releases. The pile problem Here’s what actually happens when your press release lands on a journalist’s desk. It doesn’t get binned immediately. It just doesn’t make it to the top of the pile. Think about that for a moment. With journalists receiving over 100 pitches per week and responding to just 3%, your beautifully crafted press release is competing in a brutal attention economy. The radio producer put it perfectly: “It’s almost like a cheat code The iPhone solution Before you start worrying about studio costs and professional equipment, let me stop you right there. I tested this approach with a journalist using nothing more than my iPhone. We recorded it, exported the file, and that was it. You could add a £50 Lavalier mic from Amazon if you want to get fancy, but it’s not essential. What matters is taking the time to add real value and personality to what can be a fairly flat story. You’re bringing it to life with actual human emotion. The journalist’s reaction when we played it back? You could feel the effort, the energy, the emotion immediately. Making journalists’ lives easier Here’s the clever bit that most people miss. When radio producers get a story they like, they usually think: “I wonder if I could get them to comment live on the radio or do a recorded interview.” Most people run scared from that. From crickets to clicks: the multimedia press release advantage Greg Simpson, founder of Press For Attention PR, shares how the human voice can work wonders in gaining an advantage for your press releases. to get you to the top of the pile.” What’s the cheat code? Audio. Corporate speak vs real human voice Let me show you the difference with a real example. Traditional written quote: “We are delighted to be appointed as chief widget provider for Acme Limited. This is the culmination of a lot of hard work by the team.” Pretty soul-crushing, isn’t it? Now imagine hearing the same person actually say: “This is a big day for us. We’re incredibly excited. The entire team have been looking forward to this. It’s the culmination of a lot of hard work and it’s ultimately going to make a real difference to the business going forward.” You can hear the difference immediately. There’s tone. There’s personality. There’s what I call the “give a shit factor.” You can’t fake that in written text. www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk East Midlands Business Link 35 PUBLIC RELATIONS By including audio soundbites, you’re essentially creating that recorded interview yourself and giving it to the journalist to use if they wish. You’re solving their problem before they even know they have it. This approach works because multimedia press releases receive up to 77% more responses than text-only versions. The complete media toolkit Audio is just the beginning. The producer also mentioned supplementing releases with extra photos that can be stitched together with the audio overlay to create video content for social media. Think about it. You’re giving them more ammunition to create a better story, a more all-around experience. Instead of posting a link to bland copy with one image, they can create engaging video content that actually attracts and engages their audience. With audio accounting for nearly 20% of daily media consumption, you’re speaking their language. The relationship reality Now, a crucial caveat. You’re not sending audio files to every journalist who’s never heard of you. This approach is about building relationships with people who understand you and trust you. You’re making their job easier by giving them content they’d be delighted to have. It’s the difference between being helpful and being a nuisance. The ROI of extra effort I know what you’re thinking. “Christ, now I’ve got to record myself and find extra photos too?” Yes, it’s a bit of extra effort. But extra effort is what delivers results. If you’re looking at return on investment in PR, you sometimes have to make an investment rather than trying to do it as quick, dirty, and cheaply as possible. That approach gets you quick, dirty, cheap results. If any at all. You’re not being asked to record a perfect studio version. You’re not doing a piece to camera. You’re opening your phone and saying what you really feel about your latest story. The human voice, straight from the horse’s mouth, will always beat corporate speak. A former business journalist, Greg Simpson is the author of The Small Business Guide to PR and has been recognised as one of the UK’s top 5 PR consultants, having set up Press For Attention PR in 2008. He has worked for FTSE 100 firms, charities and start-ups and conducted press conferences with Sir Richard Branson and James Caan. His background ensures a deep understanding of every facet of a successful PR campaign – from a journalist’s, client’s, and consultant’s perspective. 36 East Midlands Business Link www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT Logistics firms are using advanced tracking, automation and cleaner fleets to deliver goods with precision, speed and resilience in an increasingly demanding market. S upply chains have become a core part of competitive advantage for businesses across the East Midlands. Once treated as a supporting function, the ability to deliver goods on time, in full, and at a predictable cost is now a central factor in how companies win and retain contracts. Retailers and manufacturers alike expect to see proof of traceability, flexibility in delivery schedules, and resilience against disruption. Those expectations are reshaping how haulage operators, warehouse managers and distribution specialists work, and how they invest. Technology is the common thread behind these changes. From the first point of production to the moment a product reaches the shelf, digital systems are being used to monitor where goods are and in what condition. GPS-linked telematics now come as standard in most fleets, Smart systems drive stronger supply chains Smart systems drive stronger supply chains www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk East Midlands Business Link 37 SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT feeding real-time data back to operations teams. That data enables planners to reroute trucks when traffic builds, give retailers precise delivery windows, and flag temperature fluctuations for sensitive loads. For warehouse operations, cloud-based platforms are replacing manual stock control. They provide instant visibility of inventory levels and automate reordering and fulfilment, which is particularly important as retailers demand shorter lead times. This transparency has moved from a competitive bonus to a basic expectation. The most advanced distribution firms now use blockchain- style systems to create tamper-proof records of a product’s journey. For sectors like food and drink, pharmaceuticals, and high-value manufacturing, this is proving decisive. Retailers can review a product’s entire history, which helps them with their own compliance requirements. It also means that when something goes wrong, the root cause can be identified in hours, rather than days. Traceability is only one part of the modern logistics equation. Flexibility has also risen up the agenda. Distribution used to rely on fixed schedules and long booking cycles. Those models are difficult to maintain in a period of 38 Á38 East Midlands Business Link www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk fluctuating consumer demand and short product lifecycles. Logistics firms have responded with systems that allow much more agile planning. Digital scheduling platforms can adjust capacity daily, while predictive analytics forecast likely peaks and troughs based on past patterns. The result is a supply chain that can cope with last-minute changes without adding significant cost. Warehouses themselves are changing. Automation is no longer limited to the largest depots. Forklifts and pallet trucks have evolved, with electric and hybrid models dominating new purchases. These machines are quieter, more energy-efficient, and equipped with collision-avoidance sensors that have reduced accidents. Lithium-ion batteries have replaced traditional lead-acid versions, delivering faster charging cycles and less downtime. Where once a single machine type had to do everything, many operators are now deploying a mix of specialist models designed for narrow aisles, heavy-duty loads or outdoor use, reducing bottlenecks in busy depots. The workforce inside these warehouses is also supported by technology. Wearable devices guide pickers to the correct location, confirm the item to be taken, and track productivity without the need for constant supervision. These innovations are not just about speed. They are also about accuracy, which in turn protects margins and ensures that retailers and their customers get exactly what they ordered. Mistakes at the warehouse stage can be costly, both in terms of returns and reputation. Transport efficiency remains a critical factor in profitability. Rising fuel costs and driver shortages have forced the sector to think more carefully about how fleets are managed. Investment in low- emission vehicles has accelerated, not www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk East Midlands Business Link 39 SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT only because of environmental regulations but because alternative fuels are beginning to make commercial sense in certain types of operation. Electric vans are now common for last-mile delivery in urban areas, while compressed natural gas and biofuels are being trialled for long-haul routes. These shifts, combined with data-led route optimisation, are reducing the overall cost per mile at a time when margins are tight. Collaboration between businesses has also strengthened. Shared distribution centres and pooled transport resources allow companies to reach customers without the burden of maintaining large fixed assets. This approach makes particular sense when delivery points overlap but volumes fluctuate. Technology has enabled these partnerships to be managed with a level of precision that was previously impractical, with live dashboards showing how costs and capacity are being shared. All of these developments rest on a simple commercial reality. Retailers and manufacturers are no longer willing to tolerate uncertainty in their supply chains. Late deliveries, damaged products or incomplete orders now carry consequences that go beyond a single transaction. They can affect long-term relationships and brand reputation. That is why so many logistics operators are treating investment in systems and skills as a non-negotiable requirement, rather than an optional extra. For companies providing haulage, warehousing and distribution services, the ability to guarantee that goods arrive in the right place, at the right time and at the right price depends on a balance of technology, equipment and expertise. It also depends on constant evaluation. Innovations that deliver an advantage today are quickly matched by competitors, making it important to identify what will matter next.Next >