EFI Highlights Corrugated Success at SuperCorrExpo

Electronics For Imaging (EFI) highlighted its award-winning portfolio of hardware and software solutions for corrugators and box plants in its first-ever exhibit at SuperCorrExpo 2016. Show attendees saw the new EFI Corrugated Packaging Suite,­ the first digital corrugated software offering covering the end-to-end business and manufacturing workflow needs of sheet feeders, sheet plants and full converting box plants. EFI also exhibited the EFI VUTEk HS125 Pro high-speed, industrial inkjet press, as well as showing an overview and samples of next-generation, high-end, ultra-high-speed corrugated board digital print produced on the new EFI Nozomi C18000 single-pass LED inkjet press.

Award-Winning, Integrated, End-to-End Board Production Solutions

The suite offers the full range of business management technologies, including customer relationship management, business intelligence reporting, and more. Plus, corrugated board companies looking to take advantage of inventory and roll stock management, shipment tracking, order promising and the customization benefits that digital print offers can establish turnkey, integrated digital production workflows by connecting the Corrugated Packaging Suite to a next-generation EFI Fiery digital front end (DFE) that in turn drives the Nozomi C18000 press, a breakthrough digital production technology that will be commercially available in 2017.

Both the Corrugated Packaging Suite and the Nozomi C18000 digital press have received recent recognition, winning one of the country's top print industry technology honors, the Must See 'Ems Award, earlier this year.

"When EFI first unveiled the Corrugated Packaging Suite and the Nozomi C18000 press at drupa 2016, both products received very positive reviews from our customers and the industry," said Frank Mallozzi, senior VP, worldwide sales and marketing, EFI. "We are excited to pfresent these innovations in our first exhibit at SuperCorr, where we can share the many advantages that next-generation production workflow and digital printing technologies will bring customers seeking greater profitability and flexibility in their operations."

Redefining Business and Production Efficiency With True MES Innovation

The Corrugated Packaging Suite, with an advanced EFI Manufacturing Execution System (MES) at its core, gives corrugated production businesses the ability to reduce waste, increase productivity and efficiently manage their entire supply chain in complex production environments.

The new suite combines the many advancements available with EFI CTI corrugated production management technologies and the company's industry-leading expertise in print workflow software development. The one vendor, one system suite solves the real business needs of corrugated companies: cost reduction, throughput optimization and increased profitability.

The advanced workflow suite software offering is a scalable, functional platform with integrated dashboards to provide real time status on all areas of the corrugated packaging business. A complete offering of integrated components helps corrugated board producers direct all key processes and procedures, including:

• Manufacturing and supply chain management
• Customer relationship management (CRM)
• RFQ processing
• Estimating
• Order submission
• Corrugated trimming and scheduling and converter scheduling
• Purchasing and invoicing
• Production planning
• Order promising
• Shipment planning
• Roll-stock management
• Direct-machine interface shop floor data collection
• Mobile-accessible business intelligence

For businesses looking to modernize, streamline and grow, the software marks a turning point in efficient management. Users benefit with a system that goes beyond other workflow offerings — a complete suite that can adapt as their needs change.

A Gateway to Digital Corrugated and a Breakthrough High-Volume Press

The VUTEk HS125 Pro high-speed press is an ideal gateway to an all-digital corrugated board printing process. The 3.2-meter, hybrid roll/flatbed inkjet product is ideal for prototyping and lower-volume corrugated board packaging production, producing up to 125 boards per hour with true grayscale imaging using extended gamut inks that enable users to reproduce challenging color matches. Full and three-quarter automation for loading and unloading, along with integrated material edge guides on the press, help ensure maximum productivity at press-rated speeds.

The new EFI Nozomi C18000 single-pass, LED inkjet corrugated board press opens the door for analog-to-digital conversion in the corrugated board printing space. Offering high productivity and an excellent return on investment for short- and medium-run production, the press prints up to 77,758 sq. ft./hr., and can print on boards up to 71x118˝. Users can gain superior versatility thanks to a double-lane printing feature that enables full utilization of the press's speed and width and increases throughput up to 6,600 24x24˝ boards per hour.

The press's LED imaging capabilities provide brilliant, accurate color imaging on just about any corrugated board substrate, including traditional Kemi, mottle white, bleached and kraft materials. Plus, the press can print on everything from 14-point cardstock to a full range of corrugated flutes ­ A, B, C, D, E, F, G, N, O, AB, AC, BC, EB, EF, and triple wall at full-rated speeds.

The press can be configured to print in up to seven colors, including white, and provides high-quality output with resolutions up to 360x720 dpi with four-level grayscale imaging. An in-line primer will give customers control over dot gain and ink absorption on different types of corrugated top sheets. A 100% in-line image quality inspection and print optimization system automatically corrects prints for nozzle failure and ensures alignment for the highest possible imaging quality.

Plus, the Nozomi C18000 press's inks meet the leading recyclability and repulpability certification standard, so packaging produced with the press can be fully recycled.

The new, scalable EFI Fiery XB bladed-architecture, high-performance DFE for the Nozomi press will provide fast, efficient job processing to eliminate downtime spent waiting for jobs. The Fiery DFE integrates with the both the Corrugated Packaging Suite and Esko workflows for streamlined management, including dynamic scheduling, shop-floor data collection and more.

Source: EFI.