Episode 310 - Printing on the Round: Alexander Hinterkopf on How Digital Inkjet is Redefining Cylindrical Packaging
In this episode of the FuturePrint Podcast, we speak with Alexander Hinterkopf, Managing Director of Hinterkopf, one of the world’s leading suppliers of printing and forming technologies for cylindrical packaging.
Founded in 1962 and based near Stuttgart, Hinterkopf has built its reputation at the intersection of printing and container manufacturing - supplying systems for aluminium tubes, plastic squeeze tubes, and monoblock aerosol containers used across pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, food, and consumer goods.
In the conversation, Hinterkopf explains how a period of disruption following the 2008 financial crisis became the catalyst for the company’s move into digital inkjet. What began as an attempt to replace analogue offset printing evolved into something more powerful: digital post-decoration - printing finished containers on demand, at the very end of the manufacturing process.
We explore why printing on the round is technically challenging, how Hinterkopf solved registration and precision issues, and why variable data and late-stage customisation are inherent strengths of digital inkjet in cylindrical packaging.
The discussion also looks at who is driving adoption. Rather than large incumbents, early growth has come from entrepreneurial service providers and startups, particularly in the US, offering brands speed, flexibility, and short-run capability that traditional workflows cannot match.
Sustainability is another key theme - not as marketing rhetoric, but as manufacturing efficiency. Reduced waste, elimination of labels, and support for monomaterial packaging all position digital post-decoration as a practical response to regulatory and environmental pressures.
Finally, Hinterkopf shares his view on where the market is heading, and why digital inkjet is becoming a permanent, complementary force in industrial packaging.
Alexander Hinterkopf will be speaking at FuturePrint Industrial Print, 21-22 January in Munich.
FuturePrint Events:
FuturePrint TECH: Industrial Print: 21-22 January '26, Munich, Germany