By Melissa Donovan
Part 1 of 3
Product packaging continues to be of great importance when it comes to attracting the consumer. Now more than ever, that first glance of an item on a shelf is the way to make a sale. Manufacturers and converters in the packaging space continue to discover digital printing and all of its benefits.
Of specific interest is those businesses printing onto corrugated board. Technology—from the printheads to the media handling and inks used—have recently advanced to make short runs, prototypes, and customization cost-effective options when it comes to digital printing.
The Full Ecosystem
Corrugated Synergies International (CSI) is a trade supplier that recognized the power of digital early on. The original business began in 1982 with the first dedicated North American sheet feeder, TennCorr, in Toronto, Canada. Today CSI houses 12 sheet feeders, three full-line box plants, and 17 corrugators, with main headquarters in Renton, WA.
Part of its family of businesses includes its subsidiary, Visual Impact Preprint (VIP). It supports Southwestern U.S. and Mexico packaging converters by supplying digitally printed sheets. Either its box plants convert on existing converting equipment or if it is a smaller production run or prototype it is converted on the company’s digital router.
VIP, located in Santa Teresa, NM, installed an EFI Nozomi C18000 digital press in June 2018 and began printing operations the first week of July. The purchase included the full ecosystem of EFI technologies for corrugated packaging, featuring the EFI Corrugated Packaging Suite manufacturing execution system (MES) for business ERP and production management integrated with an EFI Fiery NZ-1000 digital front end. Also added to the 142,000 square foot facility—a Zünd D3 XL-3200 dual beam router/cutter equipped with a feeder and stacker.
Digital in a Decade
The process to incorporate a corrugated digital printer into CSI’s production facilities took over a decade. Jeffrey Dumbach, VP of manufacturing and print, CSI, says Print ‘05 in Chicago, IL was when company executives first really considered the technology. “We were doing a lot of mockups and laminating digital plots to corrugated than cutting them out on a CAD table. But, at the time the resolution and color gamut weren’t acceptable for the markets we were in,” he admits.
Fast forward to 2012, where technology at drupa looked to be on par with what CSI needed to meet and exceed quality expectations. “It was time for us to get involved and get an understanding of what it was going to take to get digital print into the corrugated industry,” shares Dumbach.
Meeting with multiple resources and learning about the digital print process made him realize that the press was only a small piece of the overall puzzle. “It’s about the data. Not only how are you going to process all the art files the press can consume, but sales, customer service, and communication with customers—all through to the message that packaging is delivering to the consumer,” he explains.
Four years later, before drupa 2016, CSI began collaborating with EFI on its Nozomi press. Not only was the print quality to CSI’s standards, but EFI’s understanding of the importance of an integrated system—ink, RIP, press, and management—was very attractive to the trade supplier.
Dumbach and colleagues visited the EFI Nozomi manufacturing facility in Spain prior to the purchase. “It was then we clearly understood this was not a new architecture, but a proven design from the tile industry. We visited a couple of ceramic tile facilities where the EFI Cretaprint machines are inline on a tile manufacturing line. In this process they cannot have the press go down for any reason and this was key in our decision process,” he shares.
Advantages of the EFI Nozomi
Specific features on the press that made CSI go with the 71-inch wide EFI Nozomi C18000 in particular include its modular design. This is not only in regards to additional capabilities, but process control—as advanced technologies from other industries move into corrugated the press will be poised for integration. Two other attractive features of the LED inkjet device are the inspection system and the ability to print white ink on kraft paper.
To reiterate the importance of the full ecosystem, Dumbach explains that the EFI Corrugated Packaging Suite MES workflow is key for CSI’s business because it facilitates plant-wide management and integration of digital production for a full, end-to-end business and production framework that handles the company’s digital, analog flexographic, single-face lithographic lamination, and lithographic label operations.
“We are excited to have the first ‘all-in’ move to digital in corrugated with both the new press and the full production workflow from EFI for corrugated printing. The EFI Corrugated Packaging Suite is a real advantage because it is fluent in everything we do as a company, so it can change how we manage production as our product mix shifts from analog to digital,” he admits.
While at press time the printer wasn’t fully installed, Dumbach and the rest of CSI team are ready for its capabilities to answer market demand. “Digital printing will fill that needed void. Reduction of tooling costs, versioning, short run, messaging change per different store requirements—regionalization and personalization, and waste reduction in all its forms through the supply chain,” explains Dumbach.
The next part in this trio of articles focuses on Foremost Graphics of MI and is acquisition of an offset KBA Rapida 106, which complements its digital printing workflow specifically in the folding carton segment.
Click here to read part two of this exclusive online series, Aspiring Expansion.
Jul2018, Industrial Print Magazine