Predicting the Next 70 Years of Packaging

In case you haven’t heard, this month Ernest Packaging Solutions turns 70! That’s right, what began in the humble confines of a garage in Los Angeles has grown into one of the most innovative package design companies around.

A lot has changed in the packaging world in the last 70 years. That is why we brought together packaging experts from Ernest Packaging Solutions to discuss what we expect to see in the next 70 years. Some may sound fantastical, but that’s what people said about hoverboards! Here’s some futuristic ideas to chew on:

1) Smaller is Better

Tim Wilson – President of Ernest Packaging Solutions

My prediction is that nanotechnology will be embedded into packaging.  We will be able to suspend the item in a shock free environment and transport it to your house. Beam me up, Scotty!

Mike Martinez – Director of Design Solutions

“Our customers are looking for more efficient packaging and by that, they usually mean something smaller. With advances in 3D modeling technology, we will be able to maximize the space we use in ways we can’t even imagine now.”

2) Changes in Packaging Sustainability

Sean Hunter – Senior Design Specialist for Shrink Film, Stretch Film

“We will also see plant-based resins come into use in the next 70 years which will reduce the amount of oil we use to create these materials. 70 years ago people saying we would used plants to package things would have been laughed out of the building. Now, I think it will happen sooner rather than later.”

3) Drones and Automation for All Things Packaging

Larry French – Senior Design Specialist for Cold Chain

“How’s this for a prediction? There will be no supermarkets. Smart packaging and household appliances will signal the market warehouse directly when goods need to be replaced, and the goods will be delivered by drones. There will even be a minimum no-fly zone as the FAA will have gotten involved in all the drone collision issues.  I also think that all houses will be required to have ‘drone waiters’ like dumbwaiters except these will be on the rooftops. The drones will deposit your delivery onto the drone waiter which then takes the package down into the house where your robot butler will put the goods away.”

Terry Scott – Senior Design Specialist with Safety and Facility Supply

“Everything from inventory to cleaning to floors in the warehouses will be done by robots and drones. Can you even imagine how much time and labor that will save?”

4) Missions to Mars?

Mike Martinez – Director of Design Solutions

We haven’t even talked about shipping products to the Moon or Mars. Now, if I don’t have to worry about gravity pulling that path down to the ground that will change the game.I think we might need some changes in our interior and the amount of air cell that we need to use to make UPS Mars and FedEx Moon happy.

____

And that, dear Buzz Blog readers, is why our people make Ernest Packaging Solutions an industry leader in innovation. To make it 70 years in the industry, you have to do a few things right.  Our commitment to moving packaging forward has served us well since 1946, and we’re excited about the next 70 years. Come what may, Ernest Packaging Solutions will be here to take on any challenge. Perhaps it will be a home operating system to monitor all levels of comfort that automatically reorders, received and refills. Or, if The Terminator destroys everything, we’ll be prepared to beam away.

Contact us today to learn more about our unique approach to custom package design.