Smart Printables

Trend Overview

Impact:

Significant

Adoption:

< 5 Years

Focus Areas:

Physical & Digital Security Visibility & Resilience

Trend Clusters:

Internet of Things Packaging & Containers

Sectors:

The trend of Smart Printables refers to the next-generation of smart labels made of printed paper, plastic, or fabric and upgraded with special intelligent inlay technology. This technology digitally captures and communicates more information than is printed on the physical label and can be attached to any product, shipment, or asset.

As the next generation of smart labels, smart printables will be both smart and printable. The anticipated technologies to be integrated in these labels include printed batteries, ever-smaller microchips, and efficient communication capabilities with the outside world via Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) and cellular technology (LTE-M and NB-IOT low-power wide-area networks).

For example, special printing techniques will be used to layer battery components such as electrodes on a substrate in a precise pattern, allowing each printed battery device to be thin, flexible, and customizable in size and shape for various applications. With BLE and an LTE-M or NB-IOT wireless connectivity protocol, less power is needed to support data uploads from the device, further increasing the smart printable’s battery life.

This special intelligent inlay technology is likely to have significant impact on logistics and the supply chain. For example, it can help minimize manual touchpoints, enable end-to-end visibility, support proof of delivery, increase speed and throughput in distribution centers, and accelerate order picking in fulfillment centers.

Advances in this technology are still in the mid-future as the stability of printed batteries must improve before scaled deployment in logistics operations. Also, the challenge of global coverage is yet to be overcome before anticipated end-to-end use cases are achievable. As this technology is still in an early stage of development, commercial viability is uncertain until deployment price points can be defined.

Printable electronics and batteries enable next-generation labeling solution

Source: Khan, Yasser et al. (2019): A New Frontier of Printed Electronics: Flexible Hybrid Electronics

Relevance to the Future of Logistics

End-to-End Visibility & Efficiency

With rising demand for shipment visibility, live location tracking of goods can be achieved with smart printables. This capability is highly relevant to the customer experience and to logistics operations. It also equips manufacturers to track products (particularly high-value goods) from production through delivery to end users.

The startup Sensos, founded by Sony Semiconductors, offers a solution that enables customers, manufacturers, and logistics experts to know shipment location and condition (including temperature, humidity, and shock) in real time via an active cellular tracker. Coming in a thin sub-5mm form factor, its cellular label is an innovative step towards smart printables.

The software startup Tag-N-Trac has taken an alternative approach. With printable BLE-based labels, its solution uses the existing shipping label printing infrastructure, integrated with current operations via normal smartphones or plug-and-play gateways.

Smart printables have potential to enhance end-to-end supply chain visibility and increase speed and efficiency in logistics operations. As the process involves decentralized printing and placing labels on each shipment, scalability is relatively quick and easy, and there will be no need for a complex and costly scanning infrastructure in the supply chain.

Next use case

Combatting Counterfeits & Providing Proof of Delivery

In addition to location tracking and condition monitoring, there are also applications for smart printables to address a historically common challenge in the supply chain: counterfeit products. Particularly in the pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, and cosmetics sectors, counterfeit products pose a severe threat to corporate reputations and consumer health.

Covert features typically used to tackle counterfeiting are found in labels that use UV ink, taggant inks, and infrared ink (which is often used for pharmaceutical and nutraceutical shipments). These inks are only visible to or detected by more sophisticated hand-held readers.

Smart printables can also be used as a hidden measure, allowing manufacturers to monitor and ensure genuine goods do not fall out of the authorized supply chain. In addition, these devices can provide proof of shipment delivery and evidence of product use.

Tying each product’s unique identifier to blockchain technology can also achieve a new level of security.

Previous use case Next use case

Perishable Goods Quality Control

For groceries and nutraceuticals, there are increasing applications for smart printables which enable the supply chain to contribute to product freshness and quality. For example, color-changing technology can be used in labels to clearly highlight item condition – information that is useful to businesses and consumers. Similar applications can help assure cold-chain integrity.

Taking that a step further, new opportunities for smart printables can be envisioned. For example, they can be placed on prescription pill containers to track and monitor location and use – an innovation that may help improve patient care and outcomes.

Previous use case

Challenges

Technology stability has yet to be achieved for printable electronics and printed battery devices, and connectivity is not yet available everywhere.

Single-use labels that are powered by batteries represent electronic waste – a sustainability challenge for organizations; these devices must be disposed of in a green, safe manner.

Relatively high price points are stalling large-scale implementation; costs will likely reduce in later stages of this technology and when there are higher production volumes.

As smart printables enable data transfer, they also introduce the risk of data tampering; this can be mitigated by pairing certain applications with, for example, blockchain technology but may increase the cost and complexity of implementation.

Technology stability has yet to be achieved for printable electronics and printed battery devices, and connectivity is not yet available everywhere.

Single-use labels that are powered by batteries represent electronic waste – a sustainability challenge for organizations; these devices must be disposed of in a green, safe manner.

Relatively high price points are stalling large-scale implementation; costs will likely reduce in later stages of this technology and when there are higher production volumes.

Challenge 1 Challenge 2 Challenge 3 Challenge 4

Outlook

Today, smart printables usage is only economical for niche applications such as high-value shipments. The reality is that this special intelligent inlay technology is not yet mature enough nor are any current solutions globally scalable.

Here at DHL, we anticipate mass uptake will be aligned with improvements in printed battery technology, particularly more reliable battery life, reductions in unit printing prices, and further developments such as sensor technology covering all sides of a parcel or box to maximize security. And before widespread airfreight use, airlines will have to allow smart printables on cargo. We expect that, one day, smart printables will be deployed by the millions.

This trend should be ACTIVELY monitored,with developments and use cases on the horizon.