Leading packaging companies in the cloud computing theme  

The future of the packaging industry will be shaped by a range of disruptive themes, with cloud one of the themes that will have a significant impact on packaging companies. 

Cloud computing is an essential technology for packaging companies. Firstly, increasingly digitalised packaging organisations rely on IT resources in more and more areas of their operations, from traditional software systems such as enterprise resource planning (ERP) and customer relationship management (CRM) to cutting-edge engineering apps such as digital twins. Cloud computing can provide these IT resources far more efficiently and scalably than traditional IT stacks. Secondly, as packaging companies change over time (i.e., through acquisition and internal changes), legacy IT systems can grow obsolete and even clash with each other. Cloud solutions can upgrade and standardise a packaging company’s IT to prevent these things from happening.  

However, not all companies are equal when it comes to their capabilities and investments in the key themes that matter most to their industry. Understanding how companies are positioned and ranked in the most important themes can be a key leading indicator of their future earnings potential and relative competitive position.  

According to GlobalData’s report Cloud Computing in Packaging, leading adopters of cloud include Tetra Laval, Avery Dennison, Amcor, Ardagh, DS Smith, Owens-Illinois, UPM-Kymmene, Westrock and Stora Enso.

Avery Dennison 

Avery Dennison is a leading adopter of cloud computing in the packaging industry. Avery Dennison posted 88% more cloud-related jobs in 2022 than in 2021 and 247% more than in 2020. Avery Dennison has also published patents pertaining to a cloud-based system for identifying counterfeit packaged goods. In recent years, Avery Dennison has focused on combining digital labeling with cloud-based data management to develop its supply chain management services.  

In 2020, Avery Dennison and EVERYTHNG, an IoT smart products platform, partnered with The R Collective, a sustainable apparel manufacturer, to track products’ journeys throughout The R Collective’s supply chain via attached smart labels developed by Avery Dennison.  

In 2021, Avery Dennison launched atma.io, a cloud-based supply chain management platform. It uses digital labels such as QR codes to assign unique digital identities to products and track, store, and manage all data associated with said product’s journey from the production line to the consumer.

Stora Enso 

Stora Enso is integrating cloud computing into various areas of its business. Having explored the potential applications of technologies such as drones in forestry management since 2019, the company is beginning to use cloud databases to collate related data such as drone and satellite imagery to improve management of forestry assets.  

Stora Enso is also using the cloud to simplify interactions with customers. For instance, in 2021, Stora Enso migrated its soft proofing offering to the cloud to ensure that customers could remotely assess the quality of packaging material before production. Furthermore, the company is a long-term client of Nordcloud, a provider of application development, cloud implementation, training, and managed services, and has commissioned Nordcloud’s expertise in several cloud-related initiatives. For instance, Nordcloud helped Stora Enso develop a cloud-based design system that offered a set catalogue of tools and user interface components to standardise client-facing user interfaces across different departments.

Tetra Laval 

Tetra Laval has invested heavily in cloud computing. The company’s packaging business Tetra Pak relies on the cloud for its digitalisation and automation initiatives. In 2021 Tetra Pak implemented Oracle’s Transportation Management (OTM) to improve the efficiency of its logistics operations. OTM can automate workloads such as freight sourcing, optimise delivery routes, and provide improved visibility over a company’s entire supply chain. 

Sidel, Tetra Laval’s packaging machinery business, launched EVO-ON in 2022. This software suite uses cloud and AI to analyze packaging line equipment data for predictive maintenance and to identify inefficiencies. Tetra Laval is hiring more cloud specialists to ensure the smooth operation of its cloud offerings and investments. In 2022, Tetra Laval posted 26% more cloud-related jobs than in 2021. The company has also published several cloud-related patents, including an invention for storing food safety data in cloud-based hash trees. 

To further understand the key themes and technologies disrupting the packaging industry, access GlobalData’s latest thematic research report on Cloud Computing in Packaging. The packaging companies featured in our thematic scorecard are listed below.