HP Makes a Splash at Pack Expo With Indigo 20000 Installs and Flexible Packaging Innovations

During Pack Expo, HP announced new worldwide customer installations of the HP Indigo 20000 digital press, including in the United States at ColorMasters and Bemis Co. The press boasts an installed base that has more than doubled since drupa 2016 and now stretches across six continents, demonstrating HP’s pivotal role in driving global digital adoption with leading labels and packaging converters.

HP also announced commercial availability of innovative packaging solutions unveiled at drupa 2016, HP Indigo Pack Ready Coating and the HP Bulk Solvent Ink System.

Helping flexible packaging converters address high-performance packaging applications, such as retort pouches, Pack Ready Coating is the first commercially-available solution from the HP Indigo Pack Ready ecosystem.

Additionally, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) can now leverage the HP Bulk Solvent Ink System to develop printers for the coding and marking sector, with the new system offering superior print quality, low cost per copy and minimal user intervention in high-volume production environments.

"Steady demand for customized, short-run packaging is driving a paradigm shift in the packaging industry, and converters are seeking solutions to maintain profitability in the face of change," Alon Bar-Shany, GM, Indigo division, HP, said. "Leading converters worldwide are turning to HP’s proven digital labels and packaging printing portfolio, including the HP Indigo 20000 and end-to-end solutions like Pack Ready Coating and the HP Bulk Solvent Ink System, to not only adapt, but thrive in today’s packaging market."

Leading Converters Worldwide Choose the HP Indigo 20000

Alabama-based ColorMasters, an innovative flexible packaging converter serving the consumer packaged goods (CPG) market for 30 years, recently installed an HP Indigo 20000 digital press. The company is using the press to provide high-quality, high-performance packaging to food and beverage brands, with a focus on meeting the demanding delivery requirements of today’s retail environments.

"ColorMasters' clients now require customized, smaller-quantity packaging with faster speed-to-market, which is challenging to deliver efficiently and cost-effectively with our legacy equipment,” Mark Pfeiffer, sales director, ColorMasters, said. "The HP Indigo 20000 digital press offers increased ease of use with ‘art file-to-print’ capabilities and will allow us to improve margins with reduced waste and makeready, while opening up new high-value application opportunities."

Bemis Co., one of the world’s leading suppliers of packaging for food, consumer and industrial products, has installed an HP Indigo 20000 digital press in order to support the evolving needs of its customers and drive continued innovation with digital print capabilities.

“Evolving market conditions for shorter, customized runs and faster turnaround times compelled us to consider new technology that better addresses these needs," Ben Sturgill, VP of marketing for Bemis Co., said. "Digital printing provides cost-effective short run print capabilities, accelerates speed to market, provides customization opportunities, reduces cost across the customer supply chain and has image resolution that is superior to flexographic printing. We believe that digital printing has application opportunities across all the food, beverage and consumer markets we serve today, and HP has served as an invaluable advisor to help us integrate digital printing into production and establish our brand as a digital packaging pioneer."

Designed for mainstream flexible packaging production, the HP Indigo 20000 digital press offers improved economics with advanced color-matching capabilities across jobs, presses and sites, optimized production with multi-lane ganging, as well as expanded substrate compatibility. These features, in addition to advanced versioning capabilities, are enabling leading packaging printers and converters, like Bemis, to profitably address trending marketing demands for perfect color-matching, customization and localization, as well as faster time-to-market.

"We are constantly receiving high praise from converters and brands alike on the real impact of HP Indigo digital printing technology for packaging, whether customers are taking their first digital leap, or are growing their digital portfolio to expand their competitive edge," David Leshem, head of global strategic accounts, HP Indigo Division, said. "We are proud to help global leaders like Bemis Co. establish their digital footprint and are excited about the immense opportunity in an industry that is on the cusp of real digital transformation."

Other recent HP Indigo 20000 customer installations include:

• Japan-based Seikou, one of the largest flexible packaging converters in the region, installed its third HP Indigo 20000. The company is leveraging the press to continue addressing demands for high print quality, competitive pricing, short-runs and fast turnarounds, as well as to expand capabilities and capacity to tackle new market opportunities.
• China-based Green Love, a prominent candy manufacturer, installed the country’s first HP Indigo 20000 digital press, bringing previously outsourced customized candy packaging production in-house. The company is also looking to use the benefits of digital technology to evolve candy packaging into an advertising opportunity, which represents enormous market potential with its customer base.
• Mexico-based Nanogruppe, an international leader in flexible packaging for the food and medical industries, acquired an HP Indigo 20000 to address a range of challenges, including the ability to quickly test and launch new products, reduce substrate inventory, as well as enhance versioning capabilities such as localization. The company also has its sights set on business expansion into North and South America.
• South Africa-based REN-FORM, a 25 year old commercial print house, acquired the first HP Indigo 20000 in Sub Sahara Africa for its REN-FLEX flexible packaging division to expand its offering for specialized labels including in-mold labels, personalized branding and flexible packaging.

These customers, among others, are leveraging the HP Indigo 20000 digital press to produce a wider variety of labels and packaging applications while also shifting production timelines from weeks to days with just-in-time delivery in the exact quantities needed. The press also enables an expanded color gamut, automated color matching, as well as One Shot Technology for consistent, high-quality results.

Packaging Solutions Unveiled at drupa 2016 now Commercially Available

HP is announcing commercial availability of HP Indigo Pack Ready Coating, the first commercially available solution from the HP Indigo Pack Ready ecosystem, which enables HP Indigo printed and laminated material to support high-performance flexible packaging applications such as retort pouches. Retort pouches, used to package heat-treated food, are the fastest-growing application in flexible packaging industry, and are now addressable with digital printing technology for the first time with Pack Ready Coating.

"We began evaluating HP Indigo Pack Ready Coating several months ago, and were most interested in how the new technology could help us deliver more innovative high-performance applications as well as reduce time-to-market for our customers," Othmar Wohlhauser, chief technology officer, Wipf AG, said. "Our customers are already impressed with the performance of the digitally-printed retort pouches, and we truly believe that the new Pack Ready Coating technology — in combination with our existing HP Indigo 20000 — is a true game-changer for the industry."

Also now commercially available, the new HP Bulk Solvent Ink System leverages reliable HP Thermal Inkjet 2.5 Printhead Technology for high-volume industrial coding and marking applications for packaging, providing clear, legible small-character printing. The HP Bulk Solvent Ink System features a new easy-to-use print cartridge and a 400-ml ink cartridge for a maintenance-free, high-uptime production environment with lower total cost of ownership.

The modular system, proven components, reference documentation and engineering support, enable HP OEM customers to develop printers for the coding and marking sector with increased design flexibility, shorter time to market and a lower investment. HP collaborated with Inc.jet and HSA Systems to develop the new HP Bulk Solvent Ink System.

Source: HP.