BW Papersystems, HP Join Forces On High Speed Digital Corrugated Packaging Solution In HP and BW Papersystems are combining their respective proficiencies in digital printing and analog printing and converting to drive cost out of the process of making graphic corrugated packaging. They are propos- ing a near-line solution that integrates an HP PageWide C500 single pass digital press with a BW Papersystems rotary diecutter. The line will enable corrugated packaging providers to deliver high-speed digital capabilities, ideal for displays, personalization, e-commerce, and the shortest runs with the lowest converting costs, according to Ted Samotis, Director of Go-To- Market for HP PageWide Industrial Corrugated.
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“Our intent is to deliver on a lowcost value stream that can compete effectively in markets such as litho lam, litho label and smaller quantity postprint,” he says. Examples of suitable applications include pizza boxes, beer cases and pet food trays, all of which represent lucrative markets for corrugated converters but require several processes to manufacture. For instance, pet food trays often consist of three or four different sizes for several hundred SKUs of product. In the traditional model, labels are printed on an offset press and then laminated and diecut. “With these market verticals there is a misalignment in the market need and the manufacturing and the supply chain to deliver that market need effectively,” he says. “Our job is to develop solutions that can meet the market and do it in a way that moves closer to make to order.” The current supply chain trends of make to order, closer to point of use and more distributed manufacturing are closely aligned with the value of digital printing, according to Samotis. “The number of brands converting to a digital supply chain is growing, and the capacity is increasing in the corrugated industry, but more work is necessary to drive down the con- verter’s cost to make a box,” he says. It is estimated that less than five percent of corrugated plants have dig- ital printing capabilities. “In other printing markets inkjet has been around a long time but it has failed to capture a significant share of the volume in corrugated because it’s too expensive versus the analog alternative,” he says. “The difference between commercial printing and graphic corru- gated packaging is that once an item is manufactured in a digital supply chain, it rarely goes back to an analog supply chain.” Samotis acknowledges that the cost of ink has been a barrier to adop- tion. Comparatively, the inks are more expensive than flexo or offset. How- ever, he points out that with digital printing’s ability to batch print and man- age the information flow it can be a catalyst to drive down converting costs in other areas of the value chain. Board converters might naturally question the efficiencies of coupling two machines together where a rotary diecutter becomes subordinate to a digital printer. Samotis says it is not about optimizing one routing step. It’s about optimizing a value stream and maximizing contribution dollars per hour.
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November 23, 2020
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