David Savastano, Editor03.13.13
The market for advanced sensor technologies for food packaging is a robust one, as consumers and food companies alike see value in learning whether food remains fresh. These sensors are a natural fit for printing, as smart packaging utilizing color changing inks and pigments can show that the status of a product.
This is where Insignia Technologies comes in. Formed in August 2012 as the result of a merger between Dundee-based Insigniapack Ltd., who developed a range of intelligent inks, and Novas Technologies Ltd., a Strathclyde University spin-out company from the Intelligent Plastics proof-of-concept project, Insignia Technologies is making headway in this market.
By using color changing inks and pigments, Insignia Technologies sees excellent potential for packaging that shows consumers when the pack has been opened.
“The product vision for the company is to deliver a series of packaging solutions which enable customers across all of the market segments to meet the unquestionable demand for packaging which both informs consumers about the quality and freshness of products, but which also has wider applications in ensuring packaging integrity in goods packaged using Modified Atmosphere,” said Erik Smyth, Insignia Technologies’ founding director.
“In consumer goods this will primarily help remind shoppers when a pack was opened by providing a clear ‘consume within’ timer,” Smyth added.
Insignia Technologies’ intelligent plastics allow the company to make fully automated timers that can be set to time out within time frames ranging from a few minutes, up to several months. Its major products at the moment are the embedded timer, a stand-alone timer and deli timers, with a range of longer-term timers currently in the final stages of development.
An innovative label which is easily incorporated into a film lid, the embedded label is activated when the consumer opens the packet and triggers a timer to show a strong color change as the food within loses freshness. The embedded timer is the result of a series of technological innovations, leading to the creation of an intelligent label.
“By combining the work that was being done on intelligent inks and plastics, Insignia has developed the ability to extrude our pigments into a plastic film while retaining the color changing abilities,” Smyth said. “The intelligent film is converted into a label, which is embedded in the pack.”
Smyth noted that food packaging is the initial market that is being targeted, which is particularly topical at the moment given the concerns over consumer confidence, quality and food waste.
“The Insignia label allows consumers to better understand how long their food has been open and therefore how suitable it is to eat,” he added. “Other areas in which we believe the product will be successful include the cosmetic and pharmaceutical sectors when using products that have expiry dates of up to six months, as well as for food products that are stored at ambient temperature and have set consume within dates.”
Smyth said that the interest generated by the technology to date has been extremely encouraging.
“Insignia is in advanced discussions with several of the major UK supermarkets, and has developed relationships with supermarkets and branded food producers in the U.S. and Europe,” he added. “The recent launch of the embedded timer has helped to drive interest and led to substantial coverage in both the mainstream press and trade journals.”
Smyth said that the outlook for Insignia Technologies is excellent.
“Given the strong levels of interest that the company has generated globally to date, Insignia is confident that it can establish itself as the forerunner in the ‘consume within’ timers, offering a cost effective and easy to use solution,” Smyth concluded.
By using color changing inks and pigments, Insignia Technologies sees excellent potential for packaging that shows consumers when the pack has been opened.
“The product vision for the company is to deliver a series of packaging solutions which enable customers across all of the market segments to meet the unquestionable demand for packaging which both informs consumers about the quality and freshness of products, but which also has wider applications in ensuring packaging integrity in goods packaged using Modified Atmosphere,” said Erik Smyth, Insignia Technologies’ founding director.
“In consumer goods this will primarily help remind shoppers when a pack was opened by providing a clear ‘consume within’ timer,” Smyth added.
Insignia Technologies’ intelligent plastics allow the company to make fully automated timers that can be set to time out within time frames ranging from a few minutes, up to several months. Its major products at the moment are the embedded timer, a stand-alone timer and deli timers, with a range of longer-term timers currently in the final stages of development.
An innovative label which is easily incorporated into a film lid, the embedded label is activated when the consumer opens the packet and triggers a timer to show a strong color change as the food within loses freshness. The embedded timer is the result of a series of technological innovations, leading to the creation of an intelligent label.
“By combining the work that was being done on intelligent inks and plastics, Insignia has developed the ability to extrude our pigments into a plastic film while retaining the color changing abilities,” Smyth said. “The intelligent film is converted into a label, which is embedded in the pack.”
Smyth noted that food packaging is the initial market that is being targeted, which is particularly topical at the moment given the concerns over consumer confidence, quality and food waste.
“The Insignia label allows consumers to better understand how long their food has been open and therefore how suitable it is to eat,” he added. “Other areas in which we believe the product will be successful include the cosmetic and pharmaceutical sectors when using products that have expiry dates of up to six months, as well as for food products that are stored at ambient temperature and have set consume within dates.”
Smyth said that the interest generated by the technology to date has been extremely encouraging.
“Insignia is in advanced discussions with several of the major UK supermarkets, and has developed relationships with supermarkets and branded food producers in the U.S. and Europe,” he added. “The recent launch of the embedded timer has helped to drive interest and led to substantial coverage in both the mainstream press and trade journals.”
Smyth said that the outlook for Insignia Technologies is excellent.
“Given the strong levels of interest that the company has generated globally to date, Insignia is confident that it can establish itself as the forerunner in the ‘consume within’ timers, offering a cost effective and easy to use solution,” Smyth concluded.