Awards for Gidue-Colpak combination

South Africa-based Colpak has won two prestigious ftaSA Flexo Print Excellence Awards for shrink sleeve labels printed on an in-line Gidue X-Combat press with eight UV flexo printing units. The company achieved a winning gold for its Nutrimax Ready 2 Drink Chocolate label and a bronze in the Special Mention in Flexible Packaging Web Width 400-700mm Process (UV Inks) for Nutrimax Ready 2 Drink Range label.

In addition, Colpak was winner of the Best on Show out of 346 flexographically printed entries submitted to the ftaSA Flexo Print Excellence Awards.

Colpak has already demonstrated its ability to produce high quality work on the Gidue press for the launch of Sensations of Fruit, a new fresh juice from Parmalat. The packaging quality got the thumbs up from the ftaSA Print Excellence Awards 2004 judging panel when Colpak won top honors in the Shrinkable Label category. The first prize was awarded to Colpak for the 1,5 liter Tropical juice sleeve. The judging panel took note of the superb half-tone print quality, dot clarity and color balance - all important factors that affect the overall excellent visual appearance of the pack.    

Commenting on the addition of an in-line, UV flexo press to its stable of central impression, wide web presses in 2004, CEO Bob Jones stated: ‘Colpak runs high quality, eight color halftone work on the Gidue press and chose the X-Combat because of the design of the Flower print head, the print quality demonstrated and servo driven motors. The quick changeovers and reduced make ready time means the press is ideal for our short run jobs. In addition the high print quality achieved on this press running UV flexo will eventually enable us to compete in markets that are traditionally gravure’.

A division of Columbit (Pty) Ltd, Colpak has been supplying the food and beverage market with casings and a wide range of flexible packaging products including laminates and pouches since 1968, and has become one of the leading manufacturers of decorative sleeves in South Africa. Key customers include Parmalat, Cadbury, Woolworths, Halewood and Diageo. Colpak currently exports a range of products to Ireland, France, Italy, Australia and New Zealand and holds EU certification 90/128/eec for food contact with plastics.

Gidue managing director Federico d’Annunzio stated: ‘This second year of success for Colpak with the X-Combat shows just how far UV flexo printing has come in the wider web, flexible packaging field. The properties of UV flexo inks include good solid lay-down and sharp dot reproduction providing print quality comparable to gravure or offset at speeds up to 1000 ft/min (300m/min). In-line printing eliminates the variables normally associated with flexographic printing and permits many decorative options and features to be incorporated in one pass through the press. Servo driven motors give the same level of registration as CI presses on both front and reverse printing of flexible packaging.’