Despite numerous challenges in the global economy, Brotech is optimistic about the prospects for the plastics and packaging printing industries in 2026. The sector is experiencing a significant transformation, moving from traditional production methods to a more efficient, digital, intelligent, sustainable, and customer-centric service ecosystem.

Four key collaborative drivers of industry growth

Nicole Wang, Executive General Manager of Brotech Digital Graphics Co., Ltd., asserts that the robust development of the plastics and packaging printing industries is driven by four critical collaborative factors:

• Transformation of traditional enterprises through digitalization

• Regulation-driven upgrades in sustainable design

• Widespread adoption of automated intelligent production

• Growing market demand for short runs, customization, and agility

She notes that digital printing has evolved from a "new technology" to a mainstream choice, experiencing rapid growth in packaging, labels, and variable data printing. Artificial intelligence (AI) has been seamlessly integrated into core workflows to optimize scheduling, color management, and pre-inspection, greatly enhancing efficiency and accuracy.

Furthermore, sustainability and circular design have become industry standards, solidifying the packaging printing and labeling sectors as key areas for growth.

Nicole Wang, Executive General Manager, Brotech Digital Graphics Co., Ltd.

Two major technological trends and business strategy

As a leader in the industry, Brotech is acutely aware of two major technological trends. First, AI empowerment has emerged as a significant breakthrough. The company is the first globally to integrate AI, total quality management, and comprehensive color management into flexographic printing machines. This innovation enables these machines to self-learn, summarize, and optimize, transforming them into intelligent processing systems capable of providing parameter settings and recommendations.

Second, Brotech is dedicated to advancing digital printing by offering digital processing and efficiency-enhancing equipment that complements renowned digital brands, effectively meeting the diverse needs of customers in packaging and label production.

In the next two to three years, Brotech will continue to prioritize AI technology, promoting its integration into more devices, establishing a digital library for equipment operations, and collaborating with upstream and downstream partners to deliver customers a comprehensive "digital" solution.

Debut system creates tangible benefits for customers

At this year's CHINAPLAS, Brotech debuts the iDM800 digital printing system, featuring integrated flexographic units, which becomes the centerpiece of the company's booth. This system leverages digital technology to enhance efficiency while harnessing the strengths of flexographic printing, offering an integrated solution for high-end packaging and labels. It emphasizes visual innovation, functional integration, and flexible production.

The plate-free printing capability allows for rapid production of effects like metallic colors and spot gloss coatings. Its multi-tasking functionality enables one-stop processing from printing to special effects and supports simultaneous printing of variable data such as QR codes and Braille. This facilitates the efficient delivery of small orders, effectively bridging the gap between high-end packaging quality and operational efficiency.

Nicole Wang highlights that this product perfectly aligns with three core industry trends: functional integration, sustainability, and flexible production. The integrated features help expand compliant orders, while the eco-friendly design meets regulatory requirements and supports green subsidies. The flexible production approach ensures profitability for even small orders, effectively translating industry trends into tangible, measurable benefits for customers.

Booth: 2.2F106