• About us
  • Contact us
Facebook Linkedin
ppm logo 250 2
  • Home
  • News
    • Acquisitions & evolutions
    • Efficiencies
    • Sustainability
    • Digital
  • Back Issues
    • Magazines
  • Directory
  • Special Projects
  • Media Kit
  • Events
  • Associations & Partners
Menu
  • Home
  • News
    • Acquisitions & evolutions
    • Efficiencies
    • Sustainability
    • Digital
  • Back Issues
    • Magazines
  • Directory
  • Special Projects
  • Media Kit
  • Events
  • Associations & Partners
20241212 Kyocera Banner1 1130x154

Punting the power of personalisation

https://www.packagingmag.co.za/wp-content/uploads/Site/

21 August 2019
in Digital
0 0
0
Punting the power of personalisation

After 28 years, the Midcomp Group continues to deliver on its brand promise of acting as a ‘catalyst for growth’ by supplying industry-leading digital printing and finishing equipment, and educating customers about the benefits of digital branding and personalisation.

In the view of Sean Greer, Midcomp Group’s marketing director, South Africa is lagging about three years behind the digital printing curve when compared to developed markets. Since 2014, Midcomp has invested heavily in educating brand owners and corrugated/folding carton converters about the possibilities of digital personalisation campaigns, highlighting ways to achieve improved returns on investments by adding value to their products at the same time getting converters accustomed to the production agility required to meet demands for shorter run lengths.

‘The ability to take a packaging design, tweak it, digitally print 50 different variations and test the concept in the market in a short turnaround time is very different from the lengthy and expensive traditional market trial strategy, which requires some 5 000 flexo-printed sheets for economies of scale,’ Sean explains.

‘These educational programmes and project partnerships have been vital steps in transitioning local converters to the complementary use of digital and conventional print – depending on brand owner turnaround time and run lengths requirements.’

As previously reported, Midcomp’s leading example of exploiting the power of digital branding in the fresh produce sector was producing the world’s first digitallyprinted pallet branding in partnership with Mpact Corrugated and ZZ2 tomatoes (PPM June 2016).

‘To create a canvas on the side of each 1.8m x 1.2m pallet load of boxes, we used HP SmartStream Designer, a plugin for Adobe Illustrator or Indesign, which generates millions of unique variations and underpins some of the most effective mass customisation marketing campaigns,’ Sean explains.

This canvas was made up of 156 boxes, with each box forming one part of the variable data image; and was printed on an HP Page Wide XL8000 press with a maximum throughput of 1 079m²/hour. Additionally, thanks to the HP SmartStream software’s ultrafast processor and native PDF management, it starts printing in half the time of equivalent software programs. This, in turn, reduces job preparation and finishing costs by up to 50%.

To make this pallet branding concept commercially viable it can be adapted to digitally print an E-flute sheet (2.5 wide by an infinite length) on the HP Latex R2000 press to fit each pallet so that from one metre away it resembles individually-printed cartons, including the necessary outlines and barcodes. This option allows the packhouse to pack, palletise and secure the standard carton load as usual and secure the branding sheet on one side of the pallet with netting so that ventilation holes remain unaffected.

Special occasion gift packs

A more recent collaboration that showcased the versatility and flexibility achievable by the latest digital printing hardware and software technologies was the production of 400 limited-edition Redrock Brewery craft beer gift packs, produced on Midcomp and Kemtek’s joint Propak Africa stand (PPM April 2019).

Each unique beer label, created by Banie Stafford Graphic Design and Zippy Labels, was printed on the HP Indigo 6900 digital press using Mosaic SmartStream software. Each pair of Bad Moon and Rusty Trigger brews was then packed in a folding carton printed on Midcomp’s HP Latex R2000 flatbed printer and precision cut on a Zünd G3 L-2500.

According to Sean, this flatbed printer was the ideal choice for the 400 gift packs because, in addition to ticking all the food-grade ink boxes, its highly-flexible water-based latex inks stretch and don’t crack when creased and folded.

Furthermore, the printer’s productivity rates are enhanced by a high-accuracy belt-driven system for continuous loading workflow, along with automatic maintenance, smart vacuum and assisted loading. Additionally, proactive alerts and preventive services mean more uptime with less intervention.

Boosting cutting efficiencies

From a digital cutting perspective, the biggest efficiency gains during the job came from the Zünd Cut Center software that facilitated every aspect of the production workflow – from file import and production planning, to cutting data optimisation, cutting system management, and remote production monitoring. ‘The software makes the digital cutter more intuitive so that it quickly learns what to do. In this case, we used a robotic arm to position and orientate the board and after confirming these for the first four copies, the system automatically repeated the action,’ Sean explains.

Other beneficial features of the software package are highlighted by Sean as the intelligent materials database, tool usage monitoring, job identification and email notifications.

Based on the cutter configuration and available tools, the software suggests ideal tooling for the job. In addition, it monitors processing distances of each blade in use and compares these with job data. To prevent production interruptions, the system suggests a blade replacement before processing begins.

The software assists operators by simplifying job identification and retrieval. It applies QR codes to each substrate, then automatically retrieves cutting data and begins job processing.

Operators can also specify the processes that trigger email notifications to alert them to any necessary actions – for instance, when a job is completed or experiences unexpected interruptions.

Post Views: 80
Previous Post

Stop using your digital press as a colour proofer

Next Post

Screen develops blue ink for Truepress Jet L350uv+

Related Posts

01 SACMI ED
Digital

Digital, customised, sustainable: the future of cap manufacturing

29 November 2023
Comexi 1
Digital

Comexi goes digital

17 November 2022
22 086 GSW GRAPHIC
Digital

GSW drives digital growth across 27 markets

10 August 2022
Next Post
Punting the power of personalisation

Screen develops blue ink for Truepress Jet L350uv+

To advertise here contact Samantha Moore on 073 195 1313 / Samantha@packagingmag.co.za

Recent Posts

PPM May 2025 FINAL.pdf

May 2025 Magazine

6 June 2025
HESTICO Picture1

Hestico: efficiency in action

12 May 2025
01 PPAfrica25 Wrapetfill ED

Wrapetfill: showcase of value and vibrancy

12 May 2025
20241212 Kyocera Banner1 1130x154
Subscriptions

Kgaogelo Khumalo

  • +27 (0)10 594 0342 kgaogelo@packagingmag.co.za
Contact us

Susi Moore

  • +27 (0)10 594 0342 susi@packagingmag.co.za

Glywnnis Wells

    +27 (0)21 762 8825 glywnnis@packagingmag.co.za
Useful links
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Contact us
Find us
top
  • Home
  • About us
  • Back Issues
  • Directory
  • Special Projects
  • Media Kit
  • Events
  • Associations & Partners
  • Privacy Policy
  • POPIA/PAIA & Privacy
Menu
  • Home
  • About us
  • Back Issues
  • Directory
  • Special Projects
  • Media Kit
  • Events
  • Associations & Partners
  • Privacy Policy
  • POPIA/PAIA & Privacy

Copyright © 2024 Packaging and Print Media

No Result
View All Result
  • 404 Error, content does not exist anymore
  • About us
  • April 2010 – Online Magazine
  • April 2011 – Online Magazine
  • April 2012 – Online Magazine
  • April 2013 – Online Magazine
  • April 2014 – Online Magazine
  • April 2015 – Online Magazine
  • April 2016 – Online Magazine
  • April 2017 – Online Magazine
  • April 2018 – Online Magazine
  • April 2019 – B – Online Magazine
  • April 2019 – Online Magazine
  • Articles
  • Associations & Partners
  • August 2009 – Online Magazine
  • August 2010 – Online Magazine
  • August 2011 – Online Magazine
  • August 2012 – Online Magazine
  • August 2013 – Online Magazine
  • August 2014 – Online Magazine
  • August 2015 – Online Magazine
  • August 2016 – Online Magazine
  • August 2017 – Online Magazine
  • August 2018 – Online Magazine
  • Back Issues
  • Contact us
  • December 2010 – Online Magazine
  • December 2011 – Online Magazine
  • December 2012 – Online Magazine
  • December 2013 – Online Magazine
  • December 2014 – Online Magazine
  • December 2015 – Online Magazine
  • December 2016 – Online Magazine
  • Directory
  • Directory (Old)
  • Directory PPD
  • Event Calendar
  • Events
  • FAQ
  • February 2009 – Online Magazine
  • February 2010 – Online Magazine
  • February 2011 – Online Magazine
  • February 2012 – Online Magazine
  • February 2013 – Online Magazine
  • February 2014 – Online Magazine
  • February 2015 – Online Magazine
  • February 2016 – Online Magazine
  • February 2017 – Online Magazine
  • February 2018 – Online Magazine
  • February 2019 – Online Magazine
  • Festive 2018 – Online Magazine
  • Gallery
  • Home
  • Home-Bak
  • January 2010 – Online Magazine
  • January 2011 – Online Magazine
  • January 2012 – Online Magazine
  • January 2013 – Online Magazine
  • January 2014 – Online Magazine
  • January 2015 – Online Magazine
  • January 2016 – Online Magazine
  • January 2017 – Online Magazine
  • January 2018 – Online Magazine
  • January 2019 – Online Magazine
  • July 2009 – Online Magazine
  • July 2010 – Online Magazine
  • July 2011- Online Magazine
  • July 2012 – Online Magazine
  • July 2013 – Online Magazine
  • July 2014 – Online Magazine
  • July 2015 – Online Magazine
  • July 2016 – Online Magazine
  • July 2017 – Online Magazine
  • July 2018 – Online Magazine
  • June 2009 – Online Magazine
  • June 2010 – Online Magazine
  • June 2011 – Online Magazine
  • June 2012 – Online Magazine
  • June 2013 – Online Magazine
  • June 2014 – Online Magazine
  • June 2015 – Online Magazine
  • June 2016 – Online Magazine
  • June 2017 – Online Magazine
  • June 2018 – Online Magazine
  • June 2019 – Online Magazine
  • Login Customizer
  • March 2009 – Online Magazine
  • March 2010 – Online Magazine
  • March 2011 – Online Magazine
  • March 2012 – Online Magazine
  • March 2013 – Online Magazine
  • March 2014 – Online Magazine
  • March 2015 – Online Magazine
  • March 2016 – Online Magazine
  • March 2017 – Online Magazine
  • March 2018 – Online Magazine
  • March 2019 – Online Magazine
  • May 2009 – Online Magazine
  • May 2010 – Online Magazine
  • May 2011 – Online Magazine
  • May 2012 – Online Magazine
  • May 2013 – Online Magazine
  • May 2014 – Online Magazine
  • May 2015 – Online Magazine
  • May 2016 – Online Magazine
  • May 2017 – Online Magazine
  • May 2018 – Online Magazine
  • May 2019 – Online Magazine
  • Media Kit
  • News Categories
  • November 2009 – Online Magazine
  • November 2010 – Online Magazine
  • November 2011 – Online Magazine
  • November 2012 – Online Magazine
  • November 2013 – Online Magazine
  • November 2014 – Online Magazine
  • November 2015 – Online Magazine
  • November 2016 – Online Magazine
  • November 2017 – Online Magazine
  • October 2009 – Online Magazine
  • October 2010 – Online Magazine
  • October 2011 – Online Magazine
  • October 2012 – Online Magazine
  • October 2013 – Online Magazine
  • October 2014 – Online Magazine
  • October 2015 – Online Magazine
  • October 2016 – Online Magazine
  • October 2017 – Online Magazine
  • October 2018 – Online Magazine
  • PDF Text
  • POPIA/PAIA & Privacy
  • PPD Directory
  • Sample Page
  • September 2009 – Online Magazine
  • September 2010 – Online Magazine
  • September 2011 – Online Magazine
  • September 2012 – Online Magazine
  • September 2013 – Online Magazine
  • September 2014 – Online Magazine
  • September 2015 – Online Magazine
  • September 2016 – Online Magazine
  • September 2017 – Online Magazine
  • September 2018 – Online Magazine
  • Special Projects
  • Special Projects OLD
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Test
  • Test – June 2019 Magazine
  • Testimonials
  • testing
  • TopPages
  • WPMS HTML Sitemap

© 2025 JNews - Premium WordPress news & magazine theme by Jegtheme.

X