Ish Rungta: Digital printing should compete with the cost-efficiency of conventional printing

The packaging industry urgently needs new approaches. One suggestion you have about what is needed next?
I agree that the packaging industry needs new approaches. For example, more options for digital printing. This should be on a larger scale that's cheaper than the existing prices. The aim is to compete with more traditional and conventional methods of printing which are better for volume.

Is there a limit to the technological “fixes”. Should machine manufacturers have a broader approach?
About technological fixes, I feel there is obviously no limit to technological fixes. You know, in the 1900s we thought we understood all the physics in the world. Now it turns out, there was an entire realm of quantum physics which is undiscovered and we're not even halfway there. I feel science and technology have an unlimited scope of growth. Machine manufacturers should have a broader approach. They must utilise this by tying up with top schools and colleges for research opportunities and develop better technology for fixes, etc.

A packaging launch which made you go wow!
A packaging launch which made me go wow was the recent paper launch by ITC of vanishing paper for biodegradable waterproof cups that vanish into compost in three weeks.

One packaging-print blunder you spotted in 2019?
One blunder I spotted was the Samsung M20 phones which were packed in boxes that are absolutely unoptimised. The thing is, they are packed in an uncoated paper box that tears while opening the box.

A software trick or a tech app everyone in our industry should know about
A software trick I know is from Photoshop and Coreldraw. Both are extremely easy to use, yet, a lot of top people in the industry can't crop an image on their own.

A packaging factory you visited which blew your brain! Why so?
A packaging factory I visited was the Hutamaki PPL Khopoli plant. I think everyone has to visit it in order to comprehend the absolute magnificence of the place. Every single thing is state of the art and it's like a trip into tech heaven.

One book about print or packaging that you have read which is a must read according to you
A book about print or packaging, The Wiley Encyclopedia of Packaging Technology, Third Edition