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20 C O M P A N Y N E W S
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C O M P A N Y N E W S 21
The complete package
It has been under
development for a while,
but Ultimate Digital and
Kalas Packaging are now
ready to announce that they
have teamed up to offer a new
solution to brand owners.
Linking their expertise and
printing capabilities in digital
flexible packaging and folding
cartons, the unique service
is enabled by Ultimate’s
Smartflow software, which
delivers an end-to-end digital
workflow for packaging. Adding
labels to the offering, Amberley
Adhesive Labels has now also
joined the cooperation, which thus encompasses the full range of HP
Indigo technology.
‘We’re finding that brands are increasingly demanding complete
campaigns not just digital print from us,’ explained Chris Tonge,
executive director at Ultimate Group, which has just installed its second
HP 20000 digital press. He said, ‘With Kalas on board with their new
30000 and Amberley and its HP
Indigo label presses, we can
deliver all the packaging across
the product range. We will all be
using Smartflow, so when we go in
to look at a campaign, we will go
in together and offer that complete
solution. And we can manage the whole process.’
Expressing his surprise that nobody else has thought to set up a
similar venture, Mr Tonge continued, ‘This relationship is very exciting,
because we’re not just putting products together, we’re thinking about
big campaigns and I strongly believe that personalisation is just the start
of it. Making the pack king, making it the centre of the whole campaign,
that’s where the big excitement really is!’
Managing the global process
The recent personalised
KitKat web-to-print
campaign, which Ultimate
carried out for Nestlé, is
a great example of how a
printing company can be a
complete solutions provider,
cutting out several links in
the supply chain to offer
full project management
to the brand. This saw the
company take control of the
whole process from building
the portal and taking the
data from the website where
customers uploaded their photos and messages, creating the artwork
and printing the chocolate wrappers, to fulfilment with each personalised
chocolate bar packed and delivered in cartons directly from Ultimate.
Smartflow is a cloud-based technology that streamlines workflow in
digital production and enables brands to interact with their customers
by fully utilising the variable data opportunities that digital print brings
to packaging production. If customers
require, Ultimate can also create campaign
websites and will handle all the artwork,
including supplying 3D visualisations,
which can be sent as print-ready files
to anywhere in the world. For the KitKat
campaign, the software not only handled all
the data, but also provided complete supply chain control and traceability
as well as individual product and detailed report analysis; all invaluable
information for brands.
The campaign also marked a step change in the supply chain
management. Mr Evans noted, ‘Because big brands produce in such
high volume, although they theoretically have the capabilities to do the
packing themselves, digital is just too small an element for them to
logistically be able to deliver.’ ‘That is the bit that has really surprised me,’
said Mr Tonge. ‘I never imagined that we would get into fulfilment, but I
think we will do it more and more, because that is what the brands want;
they want that complete solution and it is really exciting for us.’
When two becomes three
Label printing company Amberley Adhesive Labels, which is based in
Blandford Forum in Dorset, is also very much part of the cooperation.
The company is an innovator in self-adhesive labels and supplies to big
brands, such as Coca-Cola, Neal’s Yard Remedies,
Farrow & Ball and Fortnum & Mason, as well as smaller
artisan brands and craft gin distilleries. It installed its
first HP Indigo press back in 2003.
‘As one of the very early adopters of digital print
production, Amberley is delighted to be working
alongside Ultimate and Kalas as the label partner in this
exciting new venture,’ commented managing director
Trevor Smith. ‘Having worked on digital packaging
campaigns, such as Share a Coke and IrnBru’s Your
Clan, we have seen the value that packaging can bring
to a marketing or sales campaign.’ He continued, ‘With
these three market-leading, experienced companies
working closely together, we will be able to cover
virtually any digital packaging campaign requirement
and ensure seamless integration across the various
formats.
It really is a great opportunity for brands to leverage their marketing
spend to a new level.’
‘Amberley is a very forward-thinking company,’ commented Mr Tonge.
‘They supply labels to a whole range of brands that would very much
like to buy what Kalas and Ultimate can offer as well.’ Mr Evans added,
‘And they are different brands to the ones we normally deal with, so we
complement each other really well. The great thing about us all using the
HP format is that the files are exactly the same, so there is no issue with
consistency across the different types of packaging.’ •
Proving that there is so much more to digital than just producing short runs, three visionary printing companies have formed a new partnership that works closely with brands to make them ‘smarter’. Neel Madsen was keen to hear more.
‘’
Making the pack king, making it the centre of the whole campaign, that’s where the big excitement really is!
Chris Tonge, Ultimate Group
Matt Evans, sales director at Kalas Packaging (L) and Chris Tonge, executive director, Ultimate Group
Digital print and Smartflow technology were the two vital components behind the successful KitKat campaign
Developing a niche When Kalas Packaging decided to invest in the UK’s first HP Indigo
30000, the founders Jonathan Padley and Matt Evans looked to
Ultimate Packaging for guidance on how to develop a new market.
The Lincolnshire-based company is a specialist in horticultural
labels supplying the likes of Morrison’s and Asda, but wanted to
branch out into digital folding cartons.
While the two founders had plenty of experience in carton printing
from having worked in that sector for many years, understanding
the true value of digital print was a completely new challenge. ‘We
had been looking at digital for a couple of years, but it wasn’t until
HP added lightfast inks some 18 months ago that we felt the 30000
would really offer us what we wanted,’ said Mr Evans, sales director.
He continued, ‘Although we know the carton market well, we are
entering a whole new world of opportunities with this press and
developing a niche market that didn’t exist before.’
‘Kalas is where Ultimate was six years ago,’ said Chris Tonge. ‘We
also had to develop a brand new business when we first installed the
WS6600. To me, joining a 20000 with a 30000 is a perfect scenario,
because nearly every brand is buying both flexibles and cartons.
We’re five years further down the line and have already opened up a
lot of these brands.’
Stretching over four units in the Haven Business Park on the
outskirts of Boston, the company has extended out to accommodate
the new investment. The press runs inline with a Tresu iCoat 30000,
which has a corona unit, UV and aqueous varnish capabilities, and
a special system supporting high viscosity inks. In another first,
a world first, Kalas also opted for the HP synthetics kit to further
broaden the applications on the 30000. This allows printing of a
wide range of synthetic materials and also adds corona refreshment
treatment to the configuration. Finishing is done on a Bobst 76 die-
cutter, while a new Duran Machinery Omega Allpro 70 folder-gluer,
capable of handling a sheet size of 720mm, has been supplied by
Friedheim International.
Mr Evans concluded, ‘When talking about digital most people
only think about being able to run tiny numbers, not about what
you can do that is actually different and exciting. We are offering
something different, so watch this space!’