Masterpress expands production capacity

European converter Masterpress has expanded production capacities in response to actual and anticipated growth in customer demand, especially in France, the DACH, and Benelux region. By adding approximately 16 million square meters of capacity a year, two new sleeve printing machines will expand the company’s production in Białystok, Poland, by nearly 40 percent.  

Masterpress’ investment and growth strategy focusing on new markets also includes the addition of Erwann Paugam, an experienced sales executive in the shrink sleeve industry, as sales director.  

Jeroen de Haan, general manager of Masterpress, said: ‘At Masterpress, we strive to be a manufacturer that can be relied upon, that is constantly improving and that actively responds to the individual needs of each customer. For the last 27 years, and since the early beginnings of the company, we have endeavored to partner closely with our customers, seeking to provide tailored, creative and functional printed decorative packaging solutions that help their products stand out from the crowd.’

The two new 12-station and 14-station hybrid printing machines can handle a variety of materials and varnishes within a single printing cycle, enabling UV flexo printing, embossed and Braille printing as well as web perforation. Furthermore, the new machines increase Masterpress’ capability to offer environmentally friendly sleeve printing incorporating features such as energy efficient UV LED drying and the future-proof ability to print on films as thin as 12 microns. 

‘Today, by investing in our capacity and our people, and expanding in these markets, we are focused on achieving our long-term vision of organic growth. We want to achieve this by delivering creative, reliable and functional decorative printed packaging solutions, improving our products, processes, and offering additional value to our customers in Europe. Looking forward, our long-term, ambitious vision is to establish and expand our physical presence in European markets. The shrink sleeve market is expected to grow by 5-7 percent annually, and our goal is to double the company’s revenue within the next 5 to 10 years,’ said de Haan. 

Erwann Paugam, sales director Masterpress, added: ‘I’m thrilled to join Masterpress in this exciting moment and together embark on the journey to strengthen the company’s footprint in Europe. Bringing over a decade of experience in the shrink sleeve business, I hope to help Masterpress leverage their market leading technology and expertise to put their stamp on European packaging solutions. The top-end machine park, together with R&D capabilities, extend Masterpress’ proficiency to operate with agility and flexibility, reliably and on-time, accommodating the diverse needs of our European customers.’ 

By combining different printing technologies through hybrid printing, Masterpress can achieve desired print quality and label appearance serving diverse industries including wine and spirits, beverages, home and personal care, dairy, sports nutrition, and tea products.  

Masterpress’ inventive and ‘designed-for-recycling' packaging products have been widely recognized by the industry across Europe. The most recent accolades include two AWA Alexander Watson Associates Sleeve Label Awards. Masterpress’ Tine 300g dairy cup sleeve produced for Tine SA won in the Environmental Winner category, and Żubrówka Black Limited-Edition packaging created for CEDC International was recognized as the Best of Show packaging.