Comco wins Russian Packaging Print Award for Alaska

Leading Russian print for packaging Group, Alaska-Poligrafoformlenie, has won the main award in the all-Russia contest for printed packaging. The ‘Grand Star of Russia’ was won with an entry in the ‘Packaging for Foodstuff’ category. It was presented at the recently held Rosupak 2006 exhibition for international manufacturers of technology, equipment, and materials in the packaging market, and the winning entry was produced on Alaska’s new 16” Comco ProGlide flexo line.

Accepting the prestigious award on behalf of the St Petersburg based company, Alaska’s general manager Michael Belousov said: ‘The winning product is typical of the work we are producing on the Comco. It moves us into a new era of eye-catching packaging that enhances on-shelf appeal and strongly promotes any brand, giving it a premium quality image.’

Rosupak 2006 was the perfect showcase for the best in Russian packaging, and the winners of each category in the ‘Packaging – Grand Star of Russia’ competition have redefined the standards by which all Russian domestic packaging should be judged. They now move forward to present their work and samples for the most prestigious world contest ‘Packaging – World Star’.

Alaska’s award winning design is a composite twin skin container which, by retaining an air gap between the board and plastic layers, allows hot foodstuffs to be kept at a constant temperature of 50C without any discoloration to the packaging or degradation of the product. Various production techniques are available in combination to enhance the appearance, including: UV inks and varnishes, including matt, mother-of-pearl, and fragrances, as well as foil and blind embossing, holograms, and reverse side printing.

As one of the production divisions of Russia’s largest print holding, Alaska-Poligrafoformlenie is part of a major international undertaking. A member of the Global Packaging Alliance since 2003, parent company Poligrafoformlenie, has earned a reputation for quality in the folding carton and flexible packaging markets.

Predominantly a sheet fed offset house, with a high grade plant list that includes KBA, Heidelberg, MAN-Roland, Bobst and Jagenberg equipment, it lists international names such as Nestl, Kraft Foods, Wrigley, BAT, and Heineken among its client portfolio.

In addition to the Comco ProGlide, Alaska has a Mark Andy LP3000 flexo line for its self-adhesive label work. Installed in 2004, the Mark Andy is a 430mm (17”) wide press, with six print stations, hot air and UV combination drying, with special features for tea tag production. It will shortly be joined by a second Mark Andy LP3000.

Picture: Alaska’s general manager, Michael Belousov, proudly displays his company’s ‘Grand Star of Russia’ award for a new design of packaging for foodstuff produced on Alaska’s Comco ProGlide MSP