Flint Group confirms success of AquaCode in Europe

‘We recognize that through new brand owner designs, changes to consumer behavior, and the push to improve the sustainability credentials of the packaging market, continued development is critical to support our customers’ ambitions and product strategies,’ commented Paul Winstanley, senior director of technology and innovation for Flint Group Paper and Board Europe. ‘This is why we are so pleased to confirm the success of our AquaCode range of products for a wide range of water-based packaging applications.’

According to Winstanley, customers are finding value beyond product quality and are experiencing improvements in their operational efficiencies resulting in significant cost savings. For example, customers have confirmed that switching to our AquaCode product range has resulted in print quality improvements, reduced waste, and improved running speeds.

DS Smith, one of the leading packaging specialists with more than 200 manufacturing sites, conducted a diligent pilot program with six production plants, carrying out an array of lab and full-scale trials with Flint Group support. 

Robert Olsson, print performance development manager for the packaging division at DS Smith Packaging, commented: ‘We have found several technical benefits and commercial advantages using the AquaCode range. First, the inks have great resolubility. When we have a sudden stop on the press, we have less waste on restarting, which is always important in saving time and cost. These inks are much more stable on the press, which boosts our operational efficiency and quality performance. In addition, the possibility of higher pigment density is useful when we need to achieve an extra boost in printing. In these cases, the strength of the ink is a real advantage for us.

‘We use a range of flexographic plates across our sites, and we’ve also identified that the inks benefit us in plate cleaning; cleaning down more quickly, again saving us time and boosting efficiency.’

‘We are happy to have a customer testimonial from DS Smith and grateful for their input,’ added Winstanley. ‘We look forward to sharing other customer stories detailing success and encouraging paper-based packaging converters to discover AquaCode.’

The AquaCode product line comprises three different series of inks – HexaCode, OctaCode, TerraCode; plus a full line of additives, metallics, and specialty inks under the TriaCode brand, and water-based coatings under the DecaCode brand. Each ink system is designed to address the specific needs of the paper and board printer.