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Packaging company Visy has partnered with Water.IO to bring smart packaging to Australia and New Zealand.

Under the partnership, Water.IO solutions will enable Visy to provide intelligent packaging options to brands and manufacturers in beverage, pharma, and food industries as well as other verticals across Australia and New Zealand.

Israel-based Water.IO uses a combination of sensors, algorithms, cloud servers and mobile apps to provide an IoT Platform for consumer packaged brands and pharmaceutical companies.

Its patented Smart Cap technology can convert any bottle into a smart bottle to provide consumers with important personal reminders and alerts, such as when it's time to take their medication or hydrate, or when the product is about to run out and needs to be re-ordered.

Through Water.IO, brands and manufacturers also have access to customer data, real-time analytics, and direct engagement opportunities.

Visy's insights and innovation general manager Richard Macchiesi the future of packaging will involve improved customer engagement, personalised products, data supplied to brand owners, and continued authenticity and integrity in food and pharma products.

Yoav Hoshen, co-founder and executive VP for Water.IO, said the companies would work together to set a new standard for packaging.

"As the Internet of Things raises consumers’ expectations for products that anticipate their every need, Water.IO is leading the charge on doing this for consumer goods," he said. 

"For the first time, brands can gain critical firsthand insights on how their customers use their products and who they are."

Food & Drink Business

Western Australian producer, Brownes Dairy, has been put up for sale according to the Australian Financial Review (AFR), as one of its biggest lenders, China Mengniu Dairy, calls in its $200 million loan. A reduced demand for milk in China and the current positioning of the global market could be driving the decision.

The Central Coast is about to receive a boost to its local food and beverage manufacturing industry, with construction starting on the $17.14 million Food Manufacturing Innovation Hub, funded by the federal government’s National Reconstruction Fund (NFR).

The Australian Industry Group (Ai Group) says Australia is at a “critical crossroads” when it comes to R&D and decades of rhetoric have not delivered material change.