RAM Labels adds hot foil embossing unit

RAM Labels has installed a Pantec RHINO flatbed hot foil embossing unit and achieved ISO 9001 certification, strengthening its finishing capabilities for the South African wine and spirits label market.

The Cape-based converter, founded in 2016, has worked exclusively with Rotocon since its inception and sourced the Pantec Rhino through the company, which serves as Pantec's sub-Saharan Africa representative. The unit, used globally in sectors including banking and tobacco for its precision and security features, makes RAM Labels among the first South African companies to offer this level of finishing capability domestically.

'Our industry has long been shaped by technological limitations,' said Thomas Veenstra, owner of RAM Labels. 'Designers and brand owners lowered expectations to match what was locally possible. We saw that gap early and decided to aim higher. Now, we can confidently show marketing, design and sales teams what can be done right here.'

The investment targets a growing premiumization trend in the South African wine sector, where hot foil embossing, intricate textures and precise detailing are increasingly used to signal quality and authenticity on shelf. The technology also addresses rising counterfeiting concerns in premium wine, with complex foiling and embossing providing security features that are difficult to replicate.

Rotocon provides around-the-clock technical support for the equipment, a factor Veenstra describes as central to RAM Labels' service model for wine producers working within tight bottling windows.

'If we have a crisis, Rotocon reacts immediately,' noted Veenstra. 'That responsiveness keeps our machines running and downtime to an absolute minimum, benefitting our clients directly.'