Pretty as a picture

Even though the flexographic industry can be easily traced to 1890, it is proudly forward-thinking. With a number of recent investment and developments, flexo is playing an important role in the converting supply chain. Emma-Jane Batey spoke to industry drivers to learn more.

As a flexible form of printing that can be used for almost any substrate, flexography is a widely-used and highly customisable technique that has developed rapidly over the past two decades especially. The introduction of digital flexo has also made a big impact, with the possibility of smaller runs making high quality printing accessible.

The European Flexographic Industry Association (EFIA) is the flexographic industry's trade association. Based in the UK, it represents the entire flexo supply chain from designers to printers to retailers. With its mission to 'communicate and celebrate the advancement of the flexographic process and to collectively add value through training, education and knowledge', it seems that being part of the EFIA is a positive step.

Established in 1972, EFIA is led by a group of volunteers that includes some of the print and packaging industry's leading names. Offering various networking opportunities as well as industry support, lobbying stakeholder groups and technical support such as white papers and press releases, the association is proud to 'lead from the front' when it comes to delivering new and exciting programmes for the entire flexo printed packaging industry.

EFIA members include SunChemical, SmurfittKappa, AsdaWalmart and DSSmith. Long-established printing ink manufacturer hubergroup is also a member and, as it celebrated 250 years in business in 2015, it is a great illustration of a successful marriage of traditional and modern.

Acknowledged as one of the world's leading printing ink manufacturers, hubergroup is famous in the commercial print, newsprint and offset packaging market through supplying inks and coatings to flexo and gravure printers. Celebrating its 250th anniversary has been a great opportunity for the company to shout about its impressive achievements across the converting industry. Managing director of hubergroup UK David Ward said, "We are so proud to be one of the small handful of companies who reach this milestone anniversary and we congratulate the hubergroup founding family on such an amazing achievement."

Fresh approach

With over 3500 employees worldwide and a production capacity of over 340,000 tonnes of product each year, hubergroup is driven by the promise of 'providing today's printer with tomorrow's solutions' and, as such, is committed to continual development and innovation. Its latest investment has seen a multi-million pound boost of new technology across its European sites, with the group now predicting a 20% annual growth in its flexographic business following the upgraded technology production equipment and site development. Mr Ward continued, "We have over 30 years' experience in the UK for supplying over 30% of the offset packaging market. Thanks to our recent investment in solvent-based products from Gecko, we feel we can bring a fresh approach into the flexible packaging market. We have spent the last 18 months investing in a new site, laboratories and building a sales and technical team to support and promote the Gecko range."

hubergroup Italia has already posting great success through offering the Gecko system of solvent-based liquid inks for flexographic and gravure printing packaging, with a 30% increase in sales to the flexographic sector and a continued focus on expanding its rotogravure market.

Wiltshire-based corrugated packaging manufacturer GWP Packaging has also recently invested in its production facilities with a clear eye on expanding its flexographic offer. Spending £1million on new die cutting and pallet strapping equipment has doubled its printing and die cutting capability, with the company choosing a Lattitude P1630 machine. This innovative rotary die cutter has a four-colour flexographic print capability and it 'enables the designer and manufacturer of specialist protective packaging products to print high quality graphics and decorative detail in house, thus allowing for improved management of quality and lead times.'

Always innovating

Proudly describing themselves as 'innovators in protective packaging', GWP Packaging investment reflects this. The Lattitude P1630 machine's ceramic rollers deliver a finer resolution and density of print, with sheets transferred through the machine using a vacuum feed system that stops the print tracking that can occur with traditional roller systems. GWP Packaging's chief executive David Pedley noted, "The strong growth that we've seen over the last few years has led to an increase in both the demand and the range of services our customers want. This significant investment will enable us to maintain our fast turnaround times and renowned reliability as we grow. Being able to offer four colour high quality printing in-house, and the ability to handle larger sheet sizes, will enable us to offer our customers a wider range of services and will open up new markets for us."

GWP Packaging is also keen to highlight its commitment to communication, which, it believes, is key to developing and delivering customer-focused flexographic solutions. Providing information on its investments, latest products and ongoing developments through various digital and social media channels, the company notes that 'always striving to be more than just another packaging company' means that it works hard to create additional value through packaging engineering, cost reduction strategies and bespoke solutions.

For FFP Packaging Solutions, a Northampton-based food packaging manufacturer that specialises in innovative printed oven-able film and laminates, recent investment is also bringing positive results. The company has recently added a second Miraflex AM flexo press to its roster as part of an investment programme of over £2million. Delivered and commission in December 2015, the Miraflex AM from Windmöller and Hölscher was chosen again as it had 'proven that it is the top quality design and technology and it allows for economical production across a range of print run lengths and material specifications'.

Already well-known for its pre-made flexible packaging solutions using flexographic printing including Asda's Butcher's Selection Simply Roast in the Bag and Young's Seafood Limited Gastro range, FFP's striking packaging uses a reverse printed PET/CPP laminate using the latest generation Miraflex AM machine with the film then converted to a K-seal pouch before being filled.

Dream quality

Paul Hesketh, FFP's print development manager, explained, "We are achieving quality that we could only dream of in the past. In addition, we have reduced costs and turnaround time, both critical elements of success in today's fast-paced world. Our customers generally want packaging that will really stand out on the shelf, with high quality reproduction of photographic images, which require us to print very fine tonal transitions with no hard edges."

With FFP Packaging Solutions winning the Gold Award (first prize) in the Best Print Flexible Packaging Wide Web Category at the Flexotech Awards in October 2015, its flexo-printed packaging for Thornton's Triple Layer Toffee Cakes have certainly made an impact. Regarded as one of the most prestigious awards in the industry and now in its 17th year, the Flexotech Awards were held at the Hilton Metropole, with judge's comments including 'So good was the quality of the illustration that the judges were tempted to eat the packaging!'

In addition to the two W&H Miraflex machines, FFP's facilities include an Asahi AWP 4835 plate processor and Asahi AWP DEF washable plates, which operate with its three modern 8-colour flexo presses, five lamination machines and all manner of finishing equipment. Mr Hesketh added, "We have over half a century of experience and we are certainly experts in high quality printed and plain packaging. We proudly work in partnership with some of the UK's leading retailers and brand owners and we consistently create and deliver the packaging behind many of the most successful product launches in recent times. We have a strong presence across the food industry and we understand the pressure and obstacles when launching new products - that's why we've carefully built up our equipment and facilities to ensure that we can guarantee responsiveness, flexibility and excellent customer support."

As ever more demanding quality controls are placed on flexographic printing and brand owners appreciate the photo-quality of printed images on their packaging, it would seem that the capabilities and possibilities of the flexo industry show no sign of stopping.