Agfa hosts brand owner event

More than 40 executives that joined the Packaging and Converting Executives Forum (PACE) last week visited Agfa Graphics' Digital Packaging and POP Innovation Center in Gent, Belgium, to see demonstrations of digital printing and the high-quality packaging applications with Agfa Graphics’ Dotrix industrial UV inkjet digital press.

Neil Falconer, print strategy consultant with Pira, told the brand managers who attended the event at Agfa Graphics that digital packaging is growing at an annual rate of 18-27 percent across various industry segments, including cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and food and beverage packaging. Among the different packaging media, including corrugated, flexo and folding cartons, Falconer said there is expected to be double-digit growth in the next five years.

‘There are a number of benefits to digital packaging. It helps avoid high set-up costs of flexo, offset and gravure and creates a reduction in capital equipment costs. Digital packaging systems help reduce cost, waste and inventory in the supply chain, offer popular digital security features and coding, and open up new niche markets,’ Falconer said. ‘The packaging market as a whole is growing steadily. When looking at digital solutions, I expect to see growth in toner based solutions but the major growth will be in inkjet based systems as inkjet becomes the dominant process during the next decade.’

‘Having the capability to offer mass customized packaging, with text and images, gives brand managers a powerful tool for attracting new customers with their packaging. Agfa’s Dotrix Modular digital printing press offers many other advantages over traditional flexo printing techniques. Most notably, it is faster, offers greater color reproduction, and gives brand owners the ability to be more flexible (variable and even personalized printing) with their promotions and adapt to changes more quickly,’ said Jan de Vooght, sales and marketing manager for Dotrix at Agfa Graphics. ‘Now is the time to print what will be sold, hence reducing stock and waste.’

For the executives at the event, the presentation by Agfa and Pira was an opportunity for them to share perspectives on the practical applications of digital.

‘It was inspiring to see how two presentations can be so different and glue perfectly together: one about where the printing market is going – so clear and to the point – and one about the Dotrix technology without being a sales pitch. The real time demo-proof on the vast advantages of this technology was enlightening and makes you think on several applications for our business,’ said Chris Gevers, executive manager, global packaging development at Estée Lauder Companies.

‘We don't buy from Agfa. We buy from their customers. But this visit is so educational to us. It allows us brand print buyers to make the connection between what we want and what they – our print suppliers – can deliver. We could see how technology can offer real answers to the pressure on cost, on inventory and on sustainability. I see in digital printing a real strategic fit for personalization and our short run demands,’ said Phil Spruce, global SSD, category packaging buyer at Danone.

The printing width of 25.6 inches (650mm) on the versatile Dotrix can print on a wide variety of substrates, ranging from flexible foils such as HDPE, PET, PVC self-adhesives, board up to 24 point, banner stock and more. Its modular construction allows companies to add traditional flexo stations to the roll-to-roll configuration, serving as coating and varnishing alleys without compromising on speed. In-line slitting, die-cutting and sheeting modules can also be integrated to fit the needs of any operation. Dotrix uses 4 or 6 colors of UV curable inks, offering a color gamut that covers 90 percent of the Pantones.

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