When CMO Council asked packaging professionals how long it takes to make a packaging change, they reported that changes take an average of about 198 days. Marketing leaders think it takes 90 days or less, but consumers don’t understand why packaging changes and other physical media can’t be made in one day. WebCenter 18 helps its users to get much closer to that one-day ideal.

Esko's WebCenter helps brand owners manage packaging pre-production specifications and project life cycles, enabling them to engage with the consumer by giving them more control and visibility over the entire packaging design project. The review and approval process with WebCenter has been improved, enabling more visibility into project status and reviewer input. With WebCenter 18, brand owners now understand the root causes of any bottlenecks, as it now captures the reasons for rejection and the number of approval iterations, allowing for ongoing process improvement. It can also automatically involve the right stakeholder after a rejection, speeding up the revision process.

What’s more, reviewers can now review the product exactly as it would be on the shelf. This improves the accuracy of the review feedback and so further reduces approval times and number of iterations. The 3D packaging models can then also be used to clearly communicate internally, but also to populate and market with retailers and consumers online.

The new WebCenter gives converters an edge by including exactly those new features that give them valuable insights into their processes. Capturing data around the number of approval iterations and the reasons for rejections are only two examples of how WebCenter 18 uncovers bottlenecks and root causes of delays in the process. These insights provide a basis for continuous improvement of the processes to further speed up turnaround times.

WebCenter 18 also comes with a social media-like instant messaging function, which can be utilised inside the context of a specific project. All communication is therefore stored inside the project for full traceability and transparency. This further streamlines communication between stakeholders and results in a greater reduction of errors and increased efficiency.

WebCenter 18 has been made available from 17 April 2018. Every new system will have the new version installed upon release. Existing customers will be updated following customers' request. This to ensure they can prepare for internal training and rollout.