Read the latest issue of the magazine dedicated to surface treatments and organic and inorganic finishes – Special edition dedicated to packaging!
What is the meaning of luxury, asked journalist Franca Sozzani in an editorial in Vogue magazine back in 2011? In short, Sozzani defined luxury as a concept much broader than the price of an object (or service) and not necessarily synonymous with wealth or, even less so, elegance. Luxury exists when something is beautifully made, when its key feature is quality, when it is the result of research and experimentation, of skill and ingenuity, of attention to detail and the absence of imperfections.
Does it make sense to combine the concept of luxury with finishing, which for a long time was considered the last of the industrial processes – the dirtiest, smelliest, and most impacting on the environment and health? Yes, it does. Finishing, decoration and surface treatment are the operations that give products an interface with the world and the environment but also with the sight and touch of consumers, that define their durability and resistance and that allow them to be personalised – this is the last frontier of luxury – with unique surfaces, colours and configurations to realise the desires of customers.
The innovation that has taken place in the surface treatment sector over the last fifty years, and has dramatically accelerated over the last fifteen, has been transforming these technologies into noble, advanced, hyper-technological and efficient processes with a smaller environmental footprint than many other stages of any production workflow. And this interpretation of finishing is not limited to so-called luxury products such as cars, for example. No: a luxury finish also makes a difference for an aluminium profile that will be inserted in a building, for an object that will decorate a house, for a small metal part that will complete a piece of furniture or for a dental implant that will heal a mouth.
Packaging of all types but, in particular, that intended for the cosmetics, perfumery and spirits industries is one of the products for which a luxurious finish makes a significant difference – because it is an experiential object: it tells a story, it can be touched and admired, it engages with human senses and elevates the buying and usage experience. Packaging finishing technologies are increasingly advanced and sophisticated both in terms of materials (pigments, varnishes, recyclable substrates, materials from the circular economy) and processes (metallisation, coating, decoration, hot stamping, screen printing).
That is why we have decided to dedicate a special section of ipcm® to packaging finishing and decoration on the occasion of our participation in Paris Packaging Week at the end of January and then, next spring, in Cosmopack and Packaging Première. At the Paris trade fair, we will also debut the new graphic design of ipcm®: fresher, more contemporary, more linear and with an even more prominent photographic component on its pages.
As you know, however, ipcm® never limits its content to a single topic but reflects the diversity of the surface treatment world by offering case studies, technical and analysis articles and breaking news on the advancement of technology and its application in many other sectors. Therefore, you can also read in this issue about:
- New colour trends for the coming years.
- Tools designed to help the industry reduce its carbon footprint by optimising costs and resources.
- Analyses on how to work smart in coating.
- Many success stories of the application of the latest surface preparation and finishing technologies.
Finally, we will also be present with a stand and this issue of ipcm® at the a European Coatings Show (Nuremberg, Germany), the world’s most important exhibition for the paint, coatings and chemicals industry.
READ THE MAGAZINE!