Astron Packaging installs HP Indigo WS6600

Astron Packaging started off manufacturing corrugated boxes in 2002, with the introduction of digital printing capabilities into its operations in 2010 with an HP Indigo WS4500 enabling the company to take on short-run work and introduce high-value applications such as variable data printing to its labels and packaging operations.

Today, the company primarily caters to the printing and packaging needs of the pharmaceutical sector and has dedicated digital printing and finishing lines for converting labels and folding cartons.

In the face of rapidly growing customer demand for high-value printing applications, Astron Packaging decided that they needed a second digital press to boost printing capacity and better optimize existing resources.

The installation of the HP Indigo WS6600 digital press will provide Astron Packaging with increased production efficiency, advanced automation, higher uptime and serviceability for high-quality and medium volume labels and folding carton production. Together with the HP SmartStream IN100 Labels and Packaging server version 4 powered by Esko, Astron Packaging expects to increase its productivity three-fold.

Niraj Darji, senior vice-president at Astron Packaging, said: ‘We are very happy with the installation of the new HP Indigo WS6600 digital press. Thanks to the immense flexibility in speed, size and printing substrates that will be at our disposal we will be able to offer better turnaround times, reduce waste and deliver cost effective customer solutions.

‘We will also have state of the art color management capability which will help us run simple automated jobs and save on time. All this will help increase and enhance our production capabilities.’

A Appadurai, country manager for Indigo and inkjet press equipment at HP India, said: ‘Today, Astron Packaging enjoys a large pharmaceutical customer base, which it has painstakingly built over the years as a result of the high-value labels and packaging printing capabilities it is able to provide. The new feature rich HP Indigo WS6600 Digital Press, will help it drive further efficiencies and build new business.’