Array Technologies has introduced RealSync, an integrated smart packaging production platform designed to simplify how manufacturers and packaging producers manage, print, verify, and deliver unique package-level data. The announcement was made at PACK EXPO International 2026, where the company is exhibiting at Booth W-39050.
RealSync enables manufacturers to print variable information directly onto packaging during production, providing an alternative to preprinted labels for a wide range of applications. By moving variable content into the production workflow, manufacturers can reduce label and packaging inventories, minimize waste, and simplify the management of changing SKUs and product information.
As demand for greater product identification, traceability, and packaging intelligence grows, manufacturers are managing increasingly complex data requirements. RealSync brings data management, industrial mono- or color-inkjet printing, machine vision verification, and smart packaging technologies together within one scalable production platform. The platform manages variable data, prints unique information directly onto packaging at production speed, verifies that the correct information is associated with each package, and delivers package-level data for reporting, traceability, and downstream use. It can operate with an on-premises server, giving manufacturers local control of production data without requiring cloud connectivity.
"RealSync is about making smart packaging practical on the production floor," said David Pirie, President of Array Technologies. "Rather than treating printing, data encoding, verification and connected packaging as separate processes, we've brought them together into one workflow that can be configured around the manufacturer's application."
RealSync supports a range of variable and connected packaging technologies, including barcodes, QR codes, SKUs, GTINs, lot numbers, production dates, RFID, Bluetooth Low Energy tag cloud-based asset tracking via Wiliot, Amazon Transparency codes, GS1 Digital Link, and other unique identifiers. Machine vision and RFID verification help confirm that the correct data are associated with each package and create production records for downstream reporting and traceability.
The platform can be configured for an individual production machine or scaled across larger operations, allowing manufacturers to start with current requirements and expand as these requirements evolve. RealSync supports applications across packaging, food and beverage, pharmaceutical, and other manufacturing environments in which accurate product data and package-level traceability are increasingly a requirement. The platform can help manufacturers prepare for evolving identification and data-sharing requirements, including GS1 Sunrise 2027 and the FDA Food Traceability Rule, while supporting workflows that use GS1 standards, such as GS1 Digital Link.
By connecting production data with the information printed, encoded, and verified on each package, RealSync provides a bridge between production-floor operations and broader product-data and traceability systems. Package-level data can be delivered to local, cloud, or enterprise systems for downstream use. At PACK EXPO International, Array Technologies will demonstrate the RealSync workflow and its ability to integrate data, printing, and verification in a production environment. Manufacturers can submit their own production data before the show, and Array will prepare a demonstration using their application. Free PACK EXPO registration is available using code 77F80.
The introduction of RealSync matters because manufacturers face mounting pressure to provide accurate, package-level traceability. Regulations such as the FDA Food Traceability Rule and industry initiatives like GS1 Sunrise 2027 are pushing companies to adopt more sophisticated data management and printing solutions. By integrating these functions into a single platform, Array Technologies aims to reduce complexity and cost, while helping manufacturers improve accuracy and prepare for future compliance requirements. This could have significant implications for the packaging, food and beverage, and pharmaceutical industries, where product identification and traceability are critical to safety, efficiency, and consumer trust.
