The biggest print business in the Northern Territory, Colemans Printing, has ordered a HP Indigo 6K Digital Press, to be supplied by Currie Group, as a platform to enter the labels market.
Colemans, which has the only A1 commercial offset press in the Territory, and also has a wide format division, will set up a dedicated label operation, and hiring five or six extra staff, with managing director Tony Coleman saying, “the time is right” to print labels.
Coleman said, “We have been studying the labels market in the Territory for some time. The growing number of food and beverage producers is one factor that has given us confidence to move ahead. We have done a lot of analysis.”
The new labels operation will commence in February, when the HP Indigo 6K is installed in Darwin. Coleman said, “There are options on the market to print, but for us the quality and productivity of print from the HP Indigo, allied with the experience of HP and Currie Group in labels, were the deciding factors.
“We entered the wide format market a while ago, but that requires a relatively lower level of investment. There is a lot more to labels, which is why we appreciate being able to leverage the knowledge and market experience of Currie Group and HP.”
The new HP Indigo 6K digital label solution will come with custom finishing capabilities, and will also provide traceability, security, and anti-counterfeiting options.
Mark Daws, director Labels & Packaging ANZ, Currie Group said, “The sustainable print from the HP Indigo, and the level of options for security print for labels, are all important factors in the labels market.”
The project is a collaboration between Colemans Printing, Currie Group and Charles Darwin University, and it is the latest project to be supported by the Advanced Manufacturing Ecosystem Fund (AMEF).
The AMEF is administered by the Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre, as part of an $8.75m partnership with the Northern Territory government over five years. The AMEF has contributed some $492,000 to the project, saying the technology will enable Colemans to support industry needs, including the transition to National Packaging Sustainability Targets, which states that 100 per cent of packaging must be reusable, recyclable, or compostable by 2025.
It will also reduce the need for businesses to outsource similar capabilities from interstate, with Colemans able to supply important sectors including shipping, oil and gas, mining, health, agriculture, and food and beverage.
Colemans Printing marks the seventh project across the Territory to be awarded co-investment through the AMEF.
Colemans has 36 staff at its Darwin facility, and another seven in Alice Springs. The family-owned operation will celebrate 70 years in business next year.
