With its sizeable investment – in excess of $5m – in the new Impression single pass, large format digital printer supplied by Spanish company Barberan, Abbe Corrugated and its NSW partner Austcor is set to change the face of retail packaging and displays in Australia.
PKN asked MD Anthony O’Sullivan how this will change the game for corrugated conversion.
(Anthony O’Sullivan, above)
PKN: What made Abbe choose this particular printer?
O'Sullivan: We identified that single pass technology was the future.
We then conducted two lengthy world tours to assess the current leading technologies. What we found is that Impression isn’t just a step forward, it’s a leap forward.
It's a world-leading printer in terms of size, quality and speed in this sector. And it's certainly the fastest of its kind in Australia.
Barberan have been supplying to the timber industry since 2007 and were well advanced with regards digital printing and the reliability and consistency of the machine.
PKN: What opportunities does this investment open up?
O'Sullivan: For retail brands particularly, the opportunities are enormous.
Impression is going to have a huge impact in a retail environment.
With the supermarkets move to more shelf-ready packaging, brands that adopt this printing method will have a standalone marketing tool capable of stopping consumers in their tracks.
PKN: What do you see as the key challenge/ barrier to uptake by customers in the FMCG space?
O'Sullivan: The challenge will be to use the full potential of the technology.
This will allow our customers to improve their offering with minimal set up costs but allow customisation of their products.
The marketing potential and the customisation abilities are really the key to its success.
Abbe’s challenge will be to establish our credentials in this space – in packaging as well as display formats.
Once customers see the results from this machine we hope that there will not be any barriers.
PKN: Is this going to be more expensive than traditional offset?
O'Sullivan: Digital has some benefits over offset and vice versa. The opportunity will need to be assessed on a case by case basis.
The quality of digital print has improved enormously in recent times but Impression is in a league of its own.
We’re at a point where digital can compete cost effectively with offset without compromising results.
Being digital, there’s no plates or set up – art files are downloaded directly to the printer – which provides enormous flexibility and speed to market.
This means that customers can react quickly to trend changes in the market, run a short-term promotion, customise a design or produce a greater variety of designs.
Offshore printing may be slightly cheaper but you need to allow 6-8 weeks and sometimes when it arrives it’s not 100 per cent accurate. With Impression here in Australia customers have peace of mind.
PKN: What ink technology are you using to optimise results?
O'Sullivan: Abbe is using Toyo ink for its excellent lithographic properties, optimal UV curing speed and high colour strength.
This combination of ink technology and UV curing is producing images that we’ve never seen before on corrugated packaging – they have real ‘pop’ and deliver the ‘wow’ factor
PKN: How is this technology different to other technology on the market?
O'Sullivan: The corrugated market has traditionally provided flexographic printing as a default.
For better quality print the market has been able to provide Pre-Print (for large volume), Litho-Laminated Print, and in more recent times, High Quality Flexographic print.
This printing technology is able to provide a high quality finished product for small- to medium-run lengths at significantly lower cost with minimal establishment costs.
It will enable a significant number of people to use a higher quality product for much lower volumes.
Digital also allows customisation, such as region-specific, language versioning for export markets, seasonal-specific information and event/promotional capabilities e.g. major sporting events, Father's /Mother's Day, Christmas, Easter etc.
This allows marketing people the opportunity to create ongoing messaging and /or cross-selling opportunities with minimal printing set-up costs and low volumes.
PKN: What agreement has been struck with Barberan regarding exclusive rights to this technology in this market?
O'Sullivan: We have worked very closely with Barberan to develop this machine in line with both Abbe’s and our customer’s needs.
Considerable effort has been made by both parties to establish this format so that there is adequate allowance to protect both parties interests.
PKN: Which facility houses the new printer?
O'Sullivan: We have installed this printer at our 32,000 m2 Coolaroo site in Melbourne and it is now in commercial production. Our sister company, Austcor will also be actively selling these products into the NSW market.
PKN: How does Abbe see this investment changing its position in the Australian packaging market?
O'Sullivan: This investment demonstrates Abbe’s philosophy of diversifying and supporting our existing customer base by investing in technology to support the growth and development opportunities for their products.
Abbe has also identified the need for a high quality print offering, and this investment has enabled us to fill that gap.
We currently provide the highest level of service and the best lead-times in the market and now hope to bring this into the High Quality Print space.
This investment further demonstrates our commitment to our customers and the industry as a whole as a company prepared to invest in innovation.
