FOCUS EPAC FLEXIBLE PACKAGING
Global packaging company, ePac Flex Its first manufacturing facility is due to open its doors in Melbourne in the fourth quarter of this year
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lobal digital printing for flexible packaging company ePac Flexible Packaging has launched in Australia, with its first manufacturing facility due to open its doors in Melbourne in the fourth quarter of this year. The new manufacturing facility will be located eight kilometres from the Melbourne CBD, at the new Newlands Road food manufacturing hub in Coburg, bringing its digital printing technology to the local scene. ePac is based entirely on digital printing technology from HP, namely the Indigo 20000, which is available from Currie Group. The company said this technology platform enables it to provide fast times to market – between five to 15 business days, economical short and medium run length jobs, customisation, and the ability to order to demand to avoid costly inventory and obsolescence. ePac was established in the US in 2016 to provide locally-based consumer packaged goods companies the ability to compete with large brands with great packaging, give back to the communities it serves, and contribute to the creation of a more sustainable, circular economy. Since the opening of the company’s first manufacturing facility in 2016, ePac’s mission has mainly been to help small brands obtain big brand presence and grow. After its expansion of sites in the US and North America, it commenced on its European expansion in 2018. Now, it includes multiple facilities in the UK and one in France. It has also recently seen further expansion in North America as well as Indonesia, South Korea and Ghana. Its head office is in the US. Currently, ePac has 20 manufacturing sites globally and an annual turnover of US$200 million. The business serves local brands of all sizes, with a particular focus on small and medium sized businesses producing snacks, confections, coffee, natural and organic foods, pet food, and nutritional supplements. 10 ProPack.pro October 2021
1. ePac will soon establish itself in Australia to provide locally-based consumer packaged goods companies the ability to compete with large brands with great packaging
ePac Flexible Packaging Australia managing director Jason Brown said, “ePac helps local brands grow into major contributors within the community, with a unique offering for brands to rapidly go to market with great packaging. Opening our first facility at Newlands Road is an exciting milestone for ePac Australia, and we’ve already had a great response from the community. “This facility will have cutting-edge digital printing assets installed, such as the HP Indigo 25000, coupled with market-leading conventional finishing equipment in the form of solvent lamination, pouch makers, value inserters and slitters. “This production platform will allow ePac Australia to deliver the highest quality digital packaging in the industry. Our sales and marketing teams will be looking to engage with the Australian pet food, and food and beverage sector to effectively communicate the value we can bring to help them grow their brand in the market. “We will also be looking to engage in our local community to give something back through our ‘ePac cares’ initiatives. This is a core initiative of ePac globally, to partner with the local community and ensure that we fulfill our role on a community engagement and support level.”
Why launch in Australia?
Brown said the business launched in Australia as it noticed an increasing number of small and medium sized brands looking to build their business in the country.
“In recent years, technology has become more widely accessible and social media has created a platform for entrepreneurial minds and the rise of small business. Our global brand has contributed to many small business success stories across our established markets in the US, Canada, Europe, Asia and Africa, off the back of this growth,” he said. “In Australia specifically, there’s an increasing number of small and medium sized brands across numerous categories, including the explosive growth in coffee, natural foods and petfood. We strive to serve these markets. This traction is also especially true of fast-growing food categories like vegan or Keto brands. “With the explosion in entrepreneurial companies launching new products comes a market that demands a professional look. However, some are tipped to take it to that next level but can’t source locally produced packaging from the bigger packaging companies as their volume is too small. “These are the type of customers that we aim to reach in Australia and will serve well – those who require small and nimble print runs or those who may want to iterate and trial new products to market before making large investments in particular, print executions.” A few trends have also driven ePac’s launch into Australia. Brown said Australians have been moving towards the concept of ‘buy local’ for a number of years, but the choice to support small business has only gained traction recently, namely off the back of the summer bushfires and COVID-19. www.propack.pro