Another exciting one day intensive hands-on training course being run by Design Cognition in October.

Injection moulding is used in many areas of packaging component manufacturing and in all sectors including cosmetics, food, healthcare, and toiletries. So this course is applicable to ALL.

It will provide delegates with a basic grounding in the processing of thermoplastics and elastomers by injection moulding methods including multi-shot moulding.

In addition the course will look at the key components that make up the injection moulding tool, including various gate designs and hot runner configurations.

To gain the best possible experience, you will get to see moulding machines in action and handle the tooling moulds themselves.

So whether you know nothing, have a basic understanding or are familiar with this area, this course will provide you with useful knowledge and insights from some of the leading tooling experts in the UK who have worked in the industry for over 40 years.

For more information – Follow this link to our Training Page to download a PDF flyer

The first of our new series of packaging training courses has arrived……….

Barcoding, traditionally a means of stock control, is evolving and increasingly being used in more imaginative ways in areas of packaging such as marketing, anti-counterfeiting and mass-serialisation!

To help keep you up-to-date with these innovations, Design Cognition are proud to announce that we have now partnered with the world leading barcode verification solution provider Axicon to bring you this interactive workshop

This one day course will provide a really practical hands-on view of a wide range of barcodes and their packaging applications. It will include demonstrations of the verification equipment in use and your chance to use it yourselves.

We will cover EAN, 2D Data matrix, QR codes, Aztec codes and others.

So whether you just need to understand the basics, or are looking for other insights into this exciting and evolving area of packaging technology and ideas on how you can use them in the wider business context, this course is for you!

For more information – Follow this link to our Training Page to download a PDF flyer

Brand Protection & Authentication

Dear All,
Research has shown that there are now some 250 plus suppliers of security components and brand protection solutions active in the global marketplace. New technologies are being developed all the time.

So how best to navigate the complex terrain of security technologies and solutions in order to reach optimal and cost effective brand protection solutions tailored for specific product categories and different market conditions?

As a Brand Owner please join us on 23rd September for our INTERACTIVE WORKSHOP to take a detailed benchmark analysis across the spectrum of security technologies being used today, with specific reference to integration and aggregation of solutions by packaging and label converters and security printers.

Reference will also be made to emerging new technologies that show promise for brand protection, together with related smart phone enabled mobile concepts and social networking.

REGISTER YOUR INTEREST HERE QUOTING PROMO CODE: VDG01 TO GAIN A SPECIAL WORKSHOP DISCOUNT

Attendance at the above workshop will then entitle you to FREE ADMISSION on the afternoon of 23rd and all day on 24th September to the subsequent CONFERENCE that will cover:

• Materials science & security – From optical systems to nano taggants and forensic marker solutions
• Interactivity and the Internet – Combining digital protection with on-product / on-packaging coding and serialisation: from security with smart phones merging digital protection and coding to analytics & user metrics
• Integrator / Aggregator functions – A central role can be provided by packaging converters, label converters and security printers
• Digital protection and coding – From inventory control to product authentication with RFID / NFC and printed 2D codes
• Encouraging consumer interactivity through the Internet – Product authentication utilising smart phones or tablets

In particular the conference will help to find answers to key questions such as:

• What applications are other early adopters pursuing and why?
• What technologies can I adopt now & what are the resource and cost implications for me?
• Which technologies can be used alone or in combination to address my applications and how?
• What are the realistic time scales and when will it begin to affect my company?
• What commercialisation activities or development projects are worth engaging in now?

To bring you this event, Design Cognition has teamed-up with brand protection specialists Vandagraf International.

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE EVENT BY CLICKING HERE

The Vandagraf International 2014 Workshop and Conference is organised by Vandagraf International in association with:

• Product and Image Security Foundation
• Design Cognition
• Tarsus International
• World Customs Organisation
• Securing Industry
• The Packaging Society

The Workshop, which is conceived specially for BRAND OWNERS, takes place in the morning of the first day (23rd) and is followed in the afternoon and all through the second day (24th) by the main Conference, WHICH IS OPEN TO ALL.

Both events take place in central London at the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining’s modern yet historic conference venue.

Speakers have been carefully selected to cover as many aspects of brand protection as can be squeezed in to one and half days of this intensive event. They include:

• Solution providers – both offline (packaging related) and online (Internet related)
• Integrators / aggregators – packaging / label converters and security printers.

REGISTER YOUR INTEREST HERE QUOTING PROMO CODE: VDG01 TO GAIN A SPECIAL WORKSHOP DISCOUNT

If YOU or any of your friends or colleagues would like to find out more, please ask them to send an email to Chris Penfold via:  enquiries@designcognition.com and we will keep you updated as information becomes available.

Or give us a call on +44 (0) 115 8461914

Many thanks and we look forward to seeing you there.

Chris Penfold

CEO,
Design Cognition

If this event is not quite right for you, we are always willing and able to run bespoke workshops at your premises anywhere in the world. Let us know if you’d like us to put together a unique itinerary for you.

Or if you’d like to find out more about us and how else we could help you, check out Design Cognition
or the following links:

JOIN THE CLUB – What’s in it for YOU?

Dear All,
Rapid innovation is happening that will enable products & everyday things of all types to ‘interact’ in some way remotely with people or other products.  New devices and processes ranging from: smartphones and their ‘apps’ through 3D printing & nanotechnology to low cost Printed and Plastic Electronics (PPE), are becoming available that can:     Create new visual effects: including static or moving and scrollable images
    Produce a sound
    Contain embedded data: for instant information; for validating the identity or location of a product or person;
    Enable interfaces that can respond to touch, gestures or motion
    Sense & report on an environment, temperature or condition
    Release a chemical substance in a controlled way
    Gather energy from the ‘air’ ….and much more

Smart ‘things’ will form extended data communications networks and lead to the much-vaunted longer term vision of every product having its own unique IP address and being accessed by other intelligent devices anywhere.  This is part of what has been dubbed the ‘Internet of Things’ (IOT).

A new generation of devices and communication protocols that sit alongside RFID is emerging; e.g. Near Field Communication (NFC), Ultra Wide Band (UWB), ZigBee, RuBee etc.  These promise to deliver real time information on location.

So what are YOU doing about it?

If you have enjoyed the recent Pack To The Future (#PTTF) events with presentations on topics such as  ‘Printed Electronics in Packaging’ and the affiliated IPI events such as ‘Game Changing Developments for Brands and Packaging based on Smart Phones’, we have something very special FOR YOU that I’m sure will be very appealing.

Design Cognition is proud to announce an exciting new partnership with Interactive Product Solutions, and the forming of an Interactive Packaging Club dedicated to this area. In particular the club will help Members to find answers to key questions such as:
•    What applications are other early adopters pursuing and why?
•    What technologies can I adopt now & what are the resource and cost implications for me?
•    Which technologies can be used alone or in combination to address my applications and how?
•    What are the realistic time scales and when will it begin to affect my company?
•    What commercialisation activities or development projects are worth engaging in now?

GET YOUR FREE PROSPECTUS BY CLICKING HERE

So how will we do this?
Club details:
Together we are planning to run a series of special events:
1. A series of Webinars sessions which will will involve presentations by leading technology suppliers from around the world, followed by a discussion of the commercial implications of the developments presented.  A great way for our international clients to participate…..Webinars will cover specific topics or themes as follows:
-    Flexible Displays (battery & non-battery powered)
-    Sensors (biological & non-biological)
-    Controlled Release Devices
-    Brand Protection, Anti-Counterfeiting & Traceability Devices
-    Physical/Digital (phygital) Experiences, including Augmented Reality
-    Consumer Engagement
-    Packs as active tokens in game play
-    Indicative packaging

2. Regular full-day facilitated Working Group Sessions that will provide the opportunity for Interactive Packaging Club Members to develop an in-depth understanding and debate emerging technologies and identify new applications and commercial opportunities.
3. On-Line Interactive Packaging Resource Centre
Via the restricted ‘members-only’ web site, Interactive Packaging Club Members have access to a comprehensive and authoritative dossier of information relating to Interactive Packaging.

GET YOUR FREE PROSPECTUS BY CLICKING HERE

Payment will be via a one-off annual membership fee – see prospectus for provisional details.

If YOU or any of your friends or colleagues would like to find out more, please ask them to send an email to Chris Penfold via:  club@designcognition.com and we will keep you updated as information becomes available over the next few weeks.

Many thanks and we look forward to working with you

Chris Penfold

CEO,
Design Cognition

If this event is not quite right for you, we are always willing and able to run bespoke workshops at your premises anywhere in the world. Let us know if you’d like us to put together a unique itinerary for you.

To find out more email club@designcognition.com
Give us a call on +44 (0) 115 8461914

The Iron Society Product Range

In the latest of our Creative Spotlight series here is a recent brand design that stood out for us. “The Iron Society, is a private men’s barbershop focusing on the clean classic yet modern look of today’s well groomed man, with very few things as important as craftsmanship” according to founder Chris DeSanty. These classic men’s grooming products are designed to have a rugged feel yet everything still has a modern touch for that man looking to be well groomed…and we think they look great…so check out further information and pictures HERE.

Latest Mintel report confirms the rise in private label toiletries brands.

A rise in the status of private label brands, ‘fitter’ products with fewer ingredients, and colour coding for convenience are set to be important product trends for 2010.

via Fitter products with fewer ingredients set to be big in 2010, Mintel.

I was amazed to hear that the ‘Max Factor‘ brand has been ‘pulled’ from the US market by Proctor & Gamble. How can that be for such a prominent brand? Are US females cutting back and going around without their ’slap’ on? or is it just that the market is so competitive in the US?….at least the brand is still available in other markets! However, there are some encouraging  ‘green shoot’ signs showing in the US (moreso than the UK in many respects) – so let’s hope that the trend continues and migrtaes across the ‘pond’! Chris

Via www.cosmeticsdesign.com 19 Nov 2009

An upturn in the US consumer products industry is likely to benefit the personal care sector as 2009 draws to an end, indicating a much stronger year ahead. Latest US GDP figures show a growth rate of 3.5 percent for the third quarter, a figure that is likely to translate into the creation of more jobs and ultimately improved consumer confidence.

The year 2009 has been make or break for many players in the industry, spelling the end of the road in the US for players such as Crabtree & Evelyn and brands such as Max Factor and Prescriptives (owned by Estee Lauder) .

However, Kline & Company industry analyst Carrie Mellage, believes that the worst could now be over for the personal care industry and that looking ahead some of the key growth areas for potential are about to get even more interesting.

You can read the full article here: Personal care market set for strong recovery in 2010.

By Katie Bird , www.cosmeticsdesign-europe.com, 02-Sep-2009

French companies have a lot to offer the US in terms of green packaging, according to French business development agency Ubifrance.

In partnership with the Packaging Machinery Manufacturers Institute (PMMI), the agency is organizing a Franco-US symposium on sustainable packaging in New York on December 14.

‘How to Go Green in Packaging’ is a one day event and will include general information about sustainability during packaging manufacture as well as a number of industry specific workshops looking at cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and food.

Read the full article at: Green packaging event hopes to promote US-Franco trade links.

Essential oils should be labelled with usage warnings, says trade association

Labeling on undiluted essential oils should include warnings regarding proper usage, according to American Herbal Products Association AHPA.

AHPA’s Board of Trustees has adopted a trade requirement in an attempt to support the safe use and proper indentification of topically applied undiluted essential oils.

via www.cosmeticsdesign.com staff reporter 11th Aug 2009

Read more here Essential oils should be labelled with usage warnings, says trade association.

#retailers#ethical#cosmetics#toiletries

By Guy Montague-Jones, 22-Jun-2009

Boots has been accused of “turning its back on workers” after the health and beauty retailer pulled out of the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI).

The ETI aims to improve conditions and rights for workers and has built up a membership that includes 56 firms with a joint turnover of more than £100bn. NGOs and trade unions are also members and their job is to scrutinize company claims and ensure that they honour their ethical commitments.

read more »