In preparation for my position as an assistant in the marketing department of Otto Hofstetter AG, I completed a four-week general internship. Within one month I went through different departments to get a deeper insight into the family business and to broaden my knowledge about injection moulding tools.

When consumers’ fundamental needs are considered before the creative process begins, the end result generates interest through beauty, function and relevance. Knowing what makes consumers tick and how the industry is evolving can help you move the creation of your future business in the right direction. Let’s have a look at four trends that are playing a crucial role on the packaging design scene right now. Get ready for the integration of tactile elements, smartness that matters, the challenges posed by interruptions and much more.

HAWITA technoplant is one of the leading producers of plastic plant containers. The company in Vechta (Germany) develops and produces articles for professional and private gardeners and has been counting on moulds from Otto Hofstetter AG for the last 20 years. Factory Manager Jens Berkensträter explains the benefits of this choice and throws some light on the peculiarities of horticulture in the interview.

Caviar is highly valuable and sensitive, and its packaging is a very decisive factor in the quality of the luxury product. A long-established technique applied to PET bottles is now finding its way into the foodstuffs industry: the multi-layer container with barrier. It offers foodstuffs producers a cost-effective, flexible and safe alternative to the conventional tin.

Foodstuffs such as milk, for example, are very sensitive as regards their shelf life. Hereby the right packaging plays a decisive role. Multilayer packaging products based on the co-injection technology are clearly at an advantage. They are not only flexible, safe and economically efficient, but also unobjectionable from the point of view of the law on foodstuffs.

Reduction of the wall thickness is a constant topic with the pack-aging and PET preform industries. Less raw material means to both of them shorter cycle times, lower costs and less weight. No wonder airlines favour the highly developed thin-wall technology in the production of their packaging products.