FEATURE Flexible Packaging The shift to offset printing
for a more efficient future David Muncaster, from Goss International, shares his thoughts on the evolvement of the flexible packaging sector towards greater efficiency
Goss International is a supplier of printing presses and finishing systems for packaging, direct mail and other printing
applications, boasting market-leading process knowledge, engineering expertise, and industrial manufacturing capabilities. Goss has its own purpose-built technology centre in Durham, New Hampshire, USA, which provides a hub to demonstrate its products’ capabilities as well as explore new opportunities in packaging print production. The centre allows the company to actively investigate new technological innovations and expand upon existing lines. This includes the two Sunday Vpak press series models – the Sunday Vpak 3000 and the 500. David Muncaster, director of business development for packaging at Goss International, speaks exclusively to Converter about Goss’s latest developments: “Towards the end of last year we
introduced Alwan’s Colour Expertise Technology as an addition to the Goss Sunday Vpak press series,” he says. “Alwan’s technology suite features an extended colour gamut, which adds two or three inks to conventional process inks, enabling exact brand colour reproduction without the need for spot inks. The update is expected to bring customers a 30 to 50 per cent cost reduction through a combination of eliminating ink changeovers and reducing ink inventories.”
What’s changed in the sector? “The fast decline in average run-lengths has forced converters to focus on reducing image and setup costs; this is making web offset a far more interesting option, with a focus on print quality, shorter run lengths and just in time/enough ordering. “Sunday Vpak systems, with offset as the
core technology, meet the needs of short, medium and long-run applications. With options for integrating flexo, gravure and digital stations into a Vpak system to form a hybrid production line, it delivers flexibility without compromise as printers benefit from a wide range of coating and finishing options. A single integrated system provides flexibility in terms of designs and effects, economics in terms of image costs (the big advantage of offset), and print quality in terms of both image detail and effects.” In the flexible packaging market there is
an ever-increasing focus on sustainability from all stakeholders, including brand owners, converters, consumers and NGO’s, explains Muncaster. With a closer focus on waste reduction and the amount of packaging materials used, there are more advancements in substrate and barrier technologies to protect and prolong product shelf life and the use of bio-based packaging materials. He also says that food safety/migration legislation is another increasingly important consideration, particularly with the sharp increase in
products that have migrated away from glass or tin packaging to flexible packaging with multi-layer laminates. The Goss technology centre is regularly used by third party suppliers to test a wide range of new substrates, inks and curing technologies. This creates a great opportunity for Goss to be at the forefront of innovations in the market, to gain important industry knowledge and to build new relationships.
What does the future hold? Muncaster expects the flexible packaging market to grow with particular development in pouch and retort packaging, and increased interest in bio-based flexible substrates to help companies meet sustainability targets and improve ‘green’ credentials. “Average run lengths will continue to
The Goss Packaging Technology Centre in Durham, USA 30
February 2016
drop as SKU’s rise and digital will continue to grow at a fast rate in terms of revenue but will remain a small percentage in terms of volume,” he says. “Hybrid systems, integrating flexo, gravure and digital will become more common as brand owners put ever-increasing demands on converters for quick responses to changes in the market. “In an ever-evolving market the ability to easily adapt printing systems to meet changing market requirements is critical. The Vpak range has been designed with this need for future-proofing in mind. Converters must predict whether international brands will continue to pursue competitive strategies in line with current trends.” Last summer, American Industrial Partners (AIP) bought Goss International, which is owned by parent company, Shanghai Electric Corporation (SEC). Muncaster says that with the support of AIP, Goss remains committed to its customers and to driving future product innovation. T: +1 603 749 6600
www.gossinternational.com
www.convertermag.co.uk
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