Gain competitive advantage with small, incremental tech investments P. 6
Irfan Rajabali, director, business development, E.B. Box Company P. 10
Packaging trends 2021
How is the industry evolving this year P. 13
New products
Products and solutions from Roland DGA, Toshiba, Accraply and Scodix P.15
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Gain competitive advantage with small, incremental tech investments
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Irfan Rajabali, director, business development, E.B. Box Company
How the industry is going to evolve this year
3 Brown Machine Group acquires GN Thermoforming Equipment, Pregis is building a new facility, V-Shapes partners with TrojanLabel, TC Transcontinental Packaging win a Flexible Packaging Achievement Award and more
15 Products and solutions from Roland DGA, Toshiba, Accraply and Scodix
Ellis Packaging, SooPak.com and Lorpon Labels
The Brown Machine Group acquires GN Thermoforming Equipment. Based in Chester, Nova Scotia, GN Thermoforming Equipment is a designer and manufacturer of thermoforming equipment, primarily for the food packaging industry. GN is a leader in contact heat thermoformers and a growing provider of innovative form cut stack thermoforming machines.
The GN acquisition expands BMG’s thermoforming product offering and provides greater access to global customers in the food packaging industry.
Protective packaging manufacturer Pregis is building a new 300,000-sf manufacturing facility in Bethel, Pennsylvania. The plant will be producing lightweight, recyclable all-paper cushioned mailers to
addition to the centrally-located facility in Elk Grove Village, Illinois. The company also has plans to expand with two additional sites in order to serve strategic geographic markets during 2021.
support demand in the Northeastern area of North America. The facility will house multiple production lines, and is scheduled to be operational in May. The new capacity is in
V-Shapes has partnered with TrojanLabel, an AstroNova Company, to integrate the TrojanLabel T2 high-volume digital inkjet press into their V-Shapes PRIME packaging machine. This fully integrated in-line printing solution delivers 1600 dpi printing.
The TrojanLabel T2 uses food-safe, waterbased inks. When printing on the SIHL ARTYSIO flexible top layer
of sachets, the inks dry immediately, so there’s no slowdown in the up to 2100 per hour sachets that the PRIME press can deliver.
TC Transcontinental wins a Flexible Packaging Achievement Award for its coffee pod lidding.
TC Transcontinental Packaging has won the Gold Award for Sustainability in the 2021 Flexible Packaging Achievement Awards Competition for the Maxwell House Canada 100 per cent compostable coffee pod lidding and mother bag films.
The films are Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI)-certified industrial compostable, which leaves zero waste, provides an environmentally friendly solution to the popular single-serve pod.
The packaging features a
circular design with renewable inputs into the materials and a no-separation pod design that ensures easy disposal via waste collection programs.
Global packaging company TricorBraun acquires Quebec-based RODA Packaging, further expanding its presence in Eastern Canada.
Serving customers for nearly 40 years, RODA is a rigid packaging distributor specializing in the chemicals, sealants and adhesives markets. As part of the RODA acquisition, TricorBraun will also acquire Rada Industries.
V-Shapes has integrated TrojanLabel T2 digital inkjet press into thier PRIME packaging machine.
Pregis’ new facility will produce all-paper cushioned mailers.
– Special promotion on G3/S3 digital cutting systems – Package deals tailored to graphics & packaging applications – Completely modular, versatile, upgradable Contact us for details and virtual demonstrations anytime.
Ellis Packaging, Pickering, Ont., has installed a new, custom-made 12-station press from CPS Canadian Primoflex Systems. Ellis Packaging went with this press to increase its capacity for “beautifully embellished cartons with consistent colour quality.” The new press has an extensive inline inspection system that guarantees cartons are perfect and consistent. It can run up to 10 colours, and can add decorative features such as cold foil and holographic effects. “The addition of this machine has enabled us to keep up with a greater demand of consumer products,” said Cathie Ellis, president of Ellis Packaging.
SooPak.com, a fast-run offset packaging specialist, and its sister company Beneco Custom Packaging, have installed a new Heidelberg Promatrix 106 CSB die-cutter with blanking at its Toronto, Ont., facility, with the goal of boosting its post-press output and capacity. The Promatrix 106 CSB was selected for its ability to balance the firm’s workload and provide flexibility. The new machinery allow the companies to do all their die-cutting and packaging jobs quickly and efficiently, for both short and long runs.
Lorpon Labels, a Toronto-based converter, has installed a new HP Indigo 6900 Digital Press. The converter currently also operates an HP Indigo WS6800 and flexo presses. Lorpon Labels supplies to the wine and spirits, beverage, beer, food and cosmetics industries. The HP Indigo 6900 supports the HP Production Pro for Labels and Packaging print server for high productivity, variable data processing and colour matching. The digital front end offers up to five times faster RIP power for faster turnaround. The HP Indigo 6900 is able to print on textured wine papers and special substrates.
Left to right: Carol Jiang, president of Beneco Packaging| SooPak.com; and Daniel Highway; technical service manager of Masterwork USA.
Rewiring Canada’s packaging industry
Small, incremental investments can make all the difference
By Mark Howard
With the Canadian packaging industry estimated to grow to approximately USD 31 billion by 2025, the sector has a huge impact on Canada’s economic future. With new competitors emerging and turning to advanced technologies to gain a competitive edge, small, incremental investments can make all the difference in the country’s packaging industrial landscape.
Recent developments in technology have made digitalization in plants more affordable, user-friendly and robust than ever before. This has made it easier and cheaper for businesses of all sizes to invest in technology. What’s
more, research from the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) shows the productivity gains brought
Machine vision technology automates critical quality checks and ensures discrepancies are caught in time.
by these investments will create such an advantage that businesses will find it increasingly difficult to compete if they are not using this technology.
But what if you can’t afford it? Many small and medium-sized manufacturing businesses think investing in automated machinery means overhauling their entire systems—a costly and lengthy investment. However, that’s not necessarily the case. Investing in automated machinery can be applied to any aspect of the packaging process, large or small, and could still make a significant change to the productivity of the facility.
Consider this as an example. By investing in smart manufacturing initiatives, such as predictive maintenance, facility managers can reap the rewards of improved asset uptime. This is possible by making the most of maintenance scheduling, adding integrated shop floor planning to improve asset usage and product throughput and scheduling that com-
An intelligent box-opening device can eliminate injury risk and also help increase throughput.
bined enterprise data with information from horizontal value chain partners about inventory levels, customer demands and more.
In a fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) distribution facility, the site may have separate packaging areas for both incoming and outgoing foods.
Incoming goods must be opened and unpacked before any of the materials can be sorted for distribution. For line workers, this runs the risk of severe hand strains and the potential of knife-related injuries, if box cutting is manual. However, an intelligent box-opening device—an encased ro-
bot that can automatically cut boxes and is also a small investment—can eliminate any potential risk of injury to humans, as well as having the ability to increase throughput.
On the other end of the FMCG process, automation could be used to accomplish end-of-line tasks.
An automated guided vehicle (AGV) can be employed to transport materials or accomplish specific tasks spanning the length of the shop floor.
In the warehouse, the automated guided vehicles can interface with racking, perform block stacks and pick and drop from conveyors and stands.
AGVs are programmed with safety in mind, and, as such, are fitted with cameras, lasers and other sensors that allow them to safely operate around personnel and structures. The increase in safety can also reduce costs and operational downtime.
Another example is flexographic printing, a popular method for printing large orders of custom labels at rapid speeds. By transferring ink onto the paper or film material using flexible printing plates, this method can increase print speeds with just a small investment. Traditionally, a worker uses a microscope to check the labels for any discrepancies while they are being printed.
Considering the high print speeds, the human eye is far less likely than machine vision technology to spot issues. Put simply, humans make mistakes. Machines don’t.
By investing in smart manufacturing initiatives, such as predictive maintenance, facility managers can reap the rewards of improved asset uptime.
Integrated inspection systems or cameras with machine vision technology can also be used. By automating critical quality checks, these devices improve the speed at which detailed, quality decisions can be made. Considering any influencing factors, including plates and rollers, a line-camera-based HD analysis of the printed image will provide an exact proof, as well as consistently checking and verifying the quality while printing. Quality parameters, such as solids density, colour location and dot gain can be automatically monitored and represented in
a graph to recognize trends. This means any deviations from the set point or target value can be quickly corrected, thus reducing the waste.
A concern in today’s factories is limited space availability. While AGV is a fantastic step into automation, some factory floors do not have the space to implement this safely or efficiently. With the footprint of factory machines shrinking to make more efficient use of expensive production real estate, new smaller automation components are being designed. Another option is remote vision sensors. This technology can be used for packaging facilities that do not have the space to invest in the bigger styles of automation machinery. Traditionally, sensors are connected to their vision
processor. However, remote sensors can be placed separately in the inspection area to conserve space. The components in these remote sensors have improved exponentially since their inception. For example, if the remote sensor is placed far from the target to be inspected, then the resolution of the sensor also increases to correctly image the targets.
Clearly, there’s no need to overhaul entire facilities. Just investing in one of these technologies can reap significant productivity rewards.
Digital transformation provides Canadian companies with their best chance to stay competitive in the years to come. The bottom line? Investment isn’t optional. Whether it be a fullly automated system or incremental investments, the packaging industry will be transformed.
Mark Howard is the U.S. country manager at EU Automation, an industrial parts supplier.
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Irfan Rajabali / Director, Business Development / E.B. Box Company
Irfan Rajabali joined E.B. Box Company 13 years ago. As director of business development, Irfan heads up the sales and strategy departments to manage client relationships, as well as lead the sales teams, managing them to help them grow their base, and work on new product innovation for the 48-year-old company.
What attracted you to the print industry?
IR: It was one of the industries that I saw growth as we start to look down the retail store shelf. In our business, a lot of the up-and-coming companies are really focused on branding, Instagram appeal and retail store shelf appeal. You could see that this was going to be a bigger part of the retail experience.
How do you think the printing industry can attract more of the next generation?
IR: It’s probably the single biggest challenge that we face. I think there’s a lot of other industries that are maybe a little more, on the face of it, appealing. As kids in this day and age are starting to leave university, they’re trying to get into some of these other industries, be it tech, banking or telco, but we have a hard time finding people who want to really focus on print and graphics management.
Unfortunately, with the school programs, it’s harder to attract people because it’s somewhat more of a trade school program than a trad-
itional university route, and a lot of people who take the post-secondary route don’t necessarily come to a print shop as their first choice of work after. It’s not a traditionally appealing industry that people are targeting to join as they pursue higher education.
At some point, there’s going to have to be some collaboration with post-secondary programs and regional job boards and organizations that supply labour to really outline the fact that in a growing industry, like we have today, the actual wage rates inside the industry are very competitive with what people can make in a different sector.
I don’t think that’s communicated well by our industry.
What are some strategies for a company to win more sales?
IR: What we are seeing in the market is a lot of pressure on lead times. You’re starting to see the traditional folding carton shops, where lead times might
be six to eight weeks, and traditional commercial print shops, [where] turnaround might be five to seven days, converge. Their business models are very different, but they’re starting to put a lot of downward pressure on lead times. It’s been a big focus of ours that we start to invest in the technology, people and processes required for us to bring our own lead times down.
There is a lot of pressure on lead times. Our focus is investing in the technology, people and processes required for us to bring our own lead times down.
by COVID-19 has been in the food space.
What is one project you are particularly proud of working on?
What are some of the biggest opportunities you see in the industry?
IR: I think one of the biggest ones that may have been somewhat accelerated
E.B. Box is about 80 per cent committed to food, so we’ve seen a lot of great opportunities because everybody needs to eat. People are accessing meals through the grocery channels, or through takeout food from restaurants, and that’s really driven up the requirements for packaging. If you look at the space that exists right now, especially in the world that we’re in, food and pharmaceutical are the two fastest-growing segments of the folding carton packaging space.
IR: One of the things we’ve been working on as the world moves towards more eco-friendly packaging is replacing plastic coatings in boxes with an environmentally-friendly waterbased solution.
We came up with a coating that we successfully pitched to a national grocery chain, allowing them to switch out all of their plastic packaging with paperboard boxes with an environmentally-friendly coating.
We believe that you can get a box in a lot of places, but for us, we view ourselves as a partner to [our clients’] business, and being able to be flexible and meet the ever-changing needs in the food space has been the recipe for our success. Irfan’s responses were edited for length. For more Q&A Spotlight interviews, please visit www. printaction.com/profiles.
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Packaging Trends 2021
How is the industry evolving this year
By PrintAction Staff
ASmithers market report estimates the global packaging industry will be worth $1.05 trillion by 2024. Due to the pandemic, e-commerce has advanced at a rate of four to six years ahead of prediction, according to Forbes. Consumers have changed their purchasing behaviours, and packaging has to evolve to meet the new needs.
E-commerce-ready packaging entails secondary packaging capable of withstanding the conditions encountered in shipping a product directly to the consumer. However, packaging is much more than a protective wrapper. It’s the overall appearance, feel, and the first impression it creates.
In a free, downloadable e-book on 2021 Packaging Trends, experts from Esko and X-Rite Pantone discuss this year’s packaging trends. The e-book explores wide-ranging topics, from responding to the surge in e-commerce to utilizing colour trends to best effect and the need for connective technologies. We’ll briefly explore the topics.
The goal is to create simple, easy-toopen packaging. In 2021, consumers can expect to be greeted with more transparent packaging, allowing a fuller view of the product’s shape, size, colour, texture etc. Packaging art and illustration will be fresher and more creative. Illustrations will be largely two-dimensional for ease of design and cost efficiency. Designs will be
patterns and bold colours. Small, patterned designs will offset packaging size limitations.
Tech-integrated packaging
The surge in e-commerce has ensured technology will be integrated into consumers’ shopping habits. Tech-integrated packaging enables consumers to find helpful information associated with the product they received, includ-
ing warranty and registration information. Modern technology, such as augmented reality and QR codes, provides a level of engagement never before seen in packaging.
Automated packshots
3D tools can be used to create the structure, label and artwork for packaging in minutes. These automated packshots allow brands to send the
The spike in e-commerce highlights the critical role packaging plays in brand awareness.
Packaging is expected to be more transparent in 2021, allowing a fuller view of the product’s shape, size, colour and texture.
packaging files to supply-chain partners for production while creating packshots in seconds using the production files. This creates a digital twin of the product before the physical packaging has been produced.
Colours
For some industries, such as beauty, the packaging colour is expected to shift from sharper contrasting hues (e.g. black and white) to warm and
neutral tones.
The use of solid colours will also trend in 2021. Additionally, colour blocking, which is the use of blocks or panels of colour, is expected to play a significant role in the visual experience and appeal to customers.
Digitizing the colour process
Leveraging technology is the key to digitizing and streamlining the colour management process. It may seem antithetical to refer to colour in mathematical terms, but today’s technology permits greater certainty.
Connective technology
It’s important to provide all of the product information on the physical package as well as through online product imagery and descriptions because
that’s where most of the shopping is taking place. To do this properly, digital tools need to integrate across internal departments and external partners to present products seamlessly across multiple channels.
It is important to consider a brand platform that includes workflow (people and process), DAM (assets), PIM (specific product data) and CMS (other content and marketing materials).
With this type of approach, the physical package, label and artwork and branding and marketing are all connected and aligned. Another benefit to an integrated platform is that it is easier for the company to respond to market trends.
This e-book makes it clear that the importance of packaging goes far beyond protecting a product. It’s paramount
to remember that consumers engage with the packaging before they get to the product.
Tech-integrated packaging enables consumers to find helpful information associated with the product they received, including warranty and registration information.
Tech-integrated packaging with QR codes, for example, enables a high level of consumer engagement.
Roland VersaUV LEC2-330
Roland DGA Corporation has launched its new VersaUV LEC2-330 next-generation UV printer/cutter designed for label and packaging production. The 30-inch LEC2-330 features advanced print head technology for precision dot placement and control, as well as new larger, more powerful LED lamps for higher print quality, improved colour saturation and faster ink curing. The LEC2-330 can include an optional TB-30 Tension Bar to enable direct printing on thin film. There is also an optional ET-30 Extension Table that allows for printing on a variety of paper stocks.
Toshiba Tec BV400D thermal barcode printer
Toshiba Tec has launched its new BV400D thermal barcode printer series that features technology previously reserved for mid-range or industrial printers only, such as smart LCD and print speeds of up to 7 inches per second.
The BV400D series integrates into a variety of IT environments through its multiple connection options. The printers are MFi certified and work with iOS devices.
The new operating system in the BV400D series enables the printers to be entirely controlled from handheld devices that run Toshiba apps. Toshiba supports a variety of SDKs to develop unique workflow applications on various systems. Additional functions, including the simple receipt mode, enable automatic saving of paper when using continuous material.
Accraply Sirius MK6 pressure-sensitive labeller
Accraply has unveiled the Sirius MK6, a heavy-duty, modular labeller designed for high-speed applications. The device offers repeatable, tool-free changeovers, which saves time and reduces waste.
The Sirius MK6 includes Accraply’s SmartLink HMI, thus providing easy access to efficiency reporting, preventative maintenance alerts and self-diagnosing software. The smart HMI allows measurement of overall equipment, giving operators the means to easily identify and order parts.
Scodix PolySense 550
Scodix has launched PolySense 550, a new polymer for digital enhancement for the food packaging industry. The polymer is compatible with the entire Scodix Ultra portfolio of machines.
Scodix PolySense 550
food packaging compliance refers to indirect contact for low migration. Scodix applications that can use Scodix PolySense 550 include Scodix Sense, Scodix Foil, Scodix VDE, Scodix Cast&Cure and Scodix Glitter. It can be used in conjunction with substrates such as offset, HP Indigo ElectroInk and Lamination.
The VersaUS LEC2-330 features advanced print head technology.
Toshiba Tec has launched its new BV400D thermal barcode printer.
Scodix PolySense 550 is complaint with all food packaging regulations.
The Sirius MK6 is a heavy duty, modular labeller.
M o re p ro fi t f ro m your cur rent fl ex o p ress ?
We kn ow i t ’s ha rd to believe . It really is as amazing as it sounds. The Illumina UV-LED retrofit curing system from Fujifilm expands production capabilities while reducing energy costs up to 94% – all on your existing flexo press. With the rapidly growing number of installations, the system has increased running speeds up to 70%. And, when
