NCI Packaging is set to introduce Digital Metal Decoration technology to Australia and New Zealand, marking a major leap forward in agility, design flexibility, and sustainability for metal packaging beyond the beverage segment. Lindy Hughson spoke with CEO Frauke Tyrrell about the company’s innovation journey.
Innovation in metal decoration has long been part of NCI Packaging’s DNA. Since the company first introduced metal printing to Australia in the 1950s, it has continued to invest in new technologies – from UV curing to computer-to-plate workflows and automated quality control. The installation of Digital Metal Decoration (DMD) at NCI’s Sydney Centre of Decoration Excellence represents the next step in that legacy.
“This investment fits naturally into our long-term decoration strategy,” Tyrrell says. “Offset printing will remain vital for longer runs, but digital allows us to offer the flexibility and agility the market now demands. It’s the perfect complement.”
The new DMD press, installed in October, enables direct digital printing onto metal without the need for plates. It combines high-resolution imagery, vibrant colour reproduction, and varied surface finishes with the ability to produce shorter runs economically – opening new possibilities for brand owners across both industrial and food packaging segments.
A breakthrough decade
NCI has been exploring digital options for over ten years. Tyrrell recalls seeing early prototypes in 2018, but the quality then “wasn’t there”. The breakthrough came when an Italian partner – a fellow member of the International Packaging Association (IPA) – worked with the machine manufacturer to refine the system.
“The machine was originally developed by a company with experience printing digitally on ceramic tiles, which share similar substrate characteristics with metal,” she explains. “After years of development, the quality now competes directly with offset. That was the moment we knew the time was right.”
For NCI, the decision reflects both technological readiness and a strategic response to regional market needs. “Australia and New Zealand are smaller markets with smaller SKU counts. The ability to print cost-effectively at low volumes is a game-changer,” she says.
Flexibility for brand owners
Customer reaction, Tyrrell says, has been “one of excitement – especially from marketing teams”. The technology enables brands to trial new designs, launch limited editions, or run seasonal promotions without the cost or delay of traditional plate-based processes.
“It opens a whole new range of opportunities,” she says. “For our existing major customers, it means greater operational efficiency – lower minimum order quantities, faster changeovers, reduced slow-moving stock. And for smaller or challenger brands, it’s a chance to enter the market with premium printed metal packaging that was previously out of reach.”
Tyrrell adds that NCI already offers mixed-layout offset runs to handle small batches, but DMD takes that flexibility to another level. “It’s truly disruptive. We don’t yet know all the opportunities it will create, but the response has been overwhelmingly positive.”
Partnering on design
NCI’s in-house creative design team in Sydney will play a key role in helping customers harness the new technology. Many marketing departments, Tyrrell notes, are unfamiliar with the nuances of metal as a printing substrate.
“Metal behaves very differently to paper or film,” she explains. “We work directly with brand teams to translate their concepts into designs that use the unique effects achievable on metal – matte or gloss finishes, surface textures, special coatings. The digital press will expand that creative toolkit even further.”
For NCI, this design collaboration underscores its role not just as a manufacturer but as a strategic partner. “We want to help customers explore new avenues and achieve premiumisation that elevates their brand presence on shelf,” she says.
Regional growth
The DMD installation will anchor NCI’s Sydney site as the company’s hub for decoration excellence across Australia and New Zealand. Offset printing continues at both Sydney and Auckland, with the latter focused on food can decoration. Tyrrell sees further opportunity to extend DMD capability over time.
“At this stage we’re concentrating on Sydney, but nothing is off the table,” she says. “We’ll see how the market responds and where it makes sense to expand.”
Beyond Australia and New Zealand, NCI’s footprint includes operations in Fiji and Papua New Guinea, Tyrrell sees scope to bring DMD into these markets as part of a broader growth strategy. “We’re exploring opportunities in food and industrial packaging across the Pacific. Having this new decoration technology will strengthen our ability to add value in those regions.”
Supporting strong sustainability goals
NCI’s investment aligns with its “Acting Now” sustainability initiative, which has already delivered a 20 per cent reduction in CO2 emissions through solar power and energy-efficient equipment. DMD will build on that progress.
“Digital decoration eliminates the need for printing plates and reduces energy use and chemical wash-ups,” Tyrrell says. “Shorter changeovers means less waste, and that all contributes to energy reduction and resource efficiency.”
She adds that sustainability has become a critical expectation from customers. “All our major brand partners are tracking their Scope 3 emissions, so they want to know what their suppliers are doing. DMD strengthens that story – it supports our customers’ sustainability goals as well as our own.”
As a packaging format, metal also holds strong sustainability credentials. “Metal is infinitely recyclable without losing its structural properties,” she notes. “It’s one of the oldest and most reliable packaging materials, helping reduce food waste through long shelf life and tamper resistance. It truly is a forever material.”
Leadership vision
For Tyrrell, the DMD project reflects her broader vision for NCI’s growth and customer engagement. “It’s about deepening relationships with our customers, opening new markets, and having new conversations,” she says. “It gives us a new story to tell and strengthens our position as a leader in packaging innovation.”
That leadership extends beyond the company. As president of the International Packaging Association, Tyrrell is working with peers globally to raise awareness of metal packaging’s sustainability potential.
“We’ll be partnering with IPA at Interpack next year, showcasing the recyclability and circularity of metal packaging,” she says. “It’s a chance to advocate more strongly for the category and highlight the innovation happening worldwide. Metal packaging deserves a louder voice.
NCI is also engaged locally through our role on the Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation’s Metal Steering Committee. “Education is key,” she says. “Brand owners and consumers don’t always appreciate how sustainable metal truly is. We need to communicate and lobby this topic more effectively.”
Looking ahead
With installation underway, NCI is preparing to showcase its first digitally decorated cans in 2025. Tyrrell describes the atmosphere within the company as “genuinely energised”.
“The team is excited – once people see those first cans rolling off the line, the possibilities will be clear,” she says. “It’s going to transform how brand owners think about metal packaging – from a static, high-volume medium to one that’s dynamic, creative, and agile.”
For NCI, it’s another milestone in an over 70-year journey of innovation. For the wider market, it signals a new chapter in metal decoration – one that combines design freedom, operational efficiency, and sustainability in a single, home-grown solution.
This article was first published in the November–December 2025 print issue of PKN Packaging News, p28
