www.dlpmag.com

20 C O M P A N Y N E W S

www.dlpmag.com

C O M P A N Y N E W S 21

The complete package

It has been under

development for a while,

but Ultimate Digital and

Kalas Packaging are now

ready to announce that they

have teamed up to offer a new

solution to brand owners.

Linking their expertise and

printing capabilities in digital

flexible packaging and folding

cartons, the unique service

is enabled by Ultimate’s

Smartflow software, which

delivers an end-to-end digital

workflow for packaging. Adding

labels to the offering, Amberley

Adhesive Labels has now also

joined the cooperation, which thus encompasses the full range of HP

Indigo technology.

‘We’re finding that brands are increasingly demanding complete

campaigns not just digital print from us,’ explained Chris Tonge,

executive director at Ultimate Group, which has just installed its second

HP 20000 digital press. He said, ‘With Kalas on board with their new

30000 and Amberley and its HP

Indigo label presses, we can

deliver all the packaging across

the product range. We will all be

using Smartflow, so when we go in

to look at a campaign, we will go

in together and offer that complete

solution. And we can manage the whole process.’

Expressing his surprise that nobody else has thought to set up a

similar venture, Mr Tonge continued, ‘This relationship is very exciting,

because we’re not just putting products together, we’re thinking about

big campaigns and I strongly believe that personalisation is just the start

of it. Making the pack king, making it the centre of the whole campaign,

that’s where the big excitement really is!’

Managing the global process

The recent personalised

KitKat web-to-print

campaign, which Ultimate

carried out for Nestlé, is

a great example of how a

printing company can be a

complete solutions provider,

cutting out several links in

the supply chain to offer

full project management

to the brand. This saw the

company take control of the

whole process from building

the portal and taking the

data from the website where

customers uploaded their photos and messages, creating the artwork

and printing the chocolate wrappers, to fulfilment with each personalised

chocolate bar packed and delivered in cartons directly from Ultimate.

Smartflow is a cloud-based technology that streamlines workflow in

digital production and enables brands to interact with their customers

by fully utilising the variable data opportunities that digital print brings

to packaging production. If customers

require, Ultimate can also create campaign

websites and will handle all the artwork,

including supplying 3D visualisations,

which can be sent as print-ready files

to anywhere in the world. For the KitKat

campaign, the software not only handled all

the data, but also provided complete supply chain control and traceability

as well as individual product and detailed report analysis; all invaluable

information for brands.

The campaign also marked a step change in the supply chain

management. Mr Evans noted, ‘Because big brands produce in such

high volume, although they theoretically have the capabilities to do the

packing themselves, digital is just too small an element for them to

logistically be able to deliver.’ ‘That is the bit that has really surprised me,’

said Mr Tonge. ‘I never imagined that we would get into fulfilment, but I

think we will do it more and more, because that is what the brands want;

they want that complete solution and it is really exciting for us.’

When two becomes three

Label printing company Amberley Adhesive Labels, which is based in

Blandford Forum in Dorset, is also very much part of the cooperation.

The company is an innovator in self-adhesive labels and supplies to big

brands, such as Coca-Cola, Neal’s Yard Remedies,

Farrow & Ball and Fortnum & Mason, as well as smaller

artisan brands and craft gin distilleries. It installed its

first HP Indigo press back in 2003.

‘As one of the very early adopters of digital print

production, Amberley is delighted to be working

alongside Ultimate and Kalas as the label partner in this

exciting new venture,’ commented managing director

Trevor Smith. ‘Having worked on digital packaging

campaigns, such as Share a Coke and IrnBru’s Your

Clan, we have seen the value that packaging can bring

to a marketing or sales campaign.’ He continued, ‘With

these three market-leading, experienced companies

working closely together, we will be able to cover

virtually any digital packaging campaign requirement

and ensure seamless integration across the various

formats.

It really is a great opportunity for brands to leverage their marketing

spend to a new level.’

‘Amberley is a very forward-thinking company,’ commented Mr Tonge.

‘They supply labels to a whole range of brands that would very much

like to buy what Kalas and Ultimate can offer as well.’ Mr Evans added,

‘And they are different brands to the ones we normally deal with, so we

complement each other really well. The great thing about us all using the

HP format is that the files are exactly the same, so there is no issue with

consistency across the different types of packaging.’ •

Proving that there is so much more to digital than just producing short runs, three visionary printing companies have formed a new partnership that works closely with brands to make them ‘smarter’. Neel Madsen was keen to hear more.

‘’

Making the pack king, making it the centre of the whole campaign, that’s where the big excitement really is!

Chris Tonge, Ultimate Group

Matt Evans, sales director at Kalas Packaging (L) and Chris Tonge, executive director, Ultimate Group

Digital print and Smartflow technology were the two vital components behind the successful KitKat campaign

Developing a niche When Kalas Packaging decided to invest in the UK’s first HP Indigo

30000, the founders Jonathan Padley and Matt Evans looked to

Ultimate Packaging for guidance on how to develop a new market.

The Lincolnshire-based company is a specialist in horticultural

labels supplying the likes of Morrison’s and Asda, but wanted to

branch out into digital folding cartons.

While the two founders had plenty of experience in carton printing

from having worked in that sector for many years, understanding

the true value of digital print was a completely new challenge. ‘We

had been looking at digital for a couple of years, but it wasn’t until

HP added lightfast inks some 18 months ago that we felt the 30000

would really offer us what we wanted,’ said Mr Evans, sales director.

He continued, ‘Although we know the carton market well, we are

entering a whole new world of opportunities with this press and

developing a niche market that didn’t exist before.’

‘Kalas is where Ultimate was six years ago,’ said Chris Tonge. ‘We

also had to develop a brand new business when we first installed the

WS6600. To me, joining a 20000 with a 30000 is a perfect scenario,

because nearly every brand is buying both flexibles and cartons.

We’re five years further down the line and have already opened up a

lot of these brands.’

Stretching over four units in the Haven Business Park on the

outskirts of Boston, the company has extended out to accommodate

the new investment. The press runs inline with a Tresu iCoat 30000,

which has a corona unit, UV and aqueous varnish capabilities, and

a special system supporting high viscosity inks. In another first,

a world first, Kalas also opted for the HP synthetics kit to further

broaden the applications on the 30000. This allows printing of a

wide range of synthetic materials and also adds corona refreshment

treatment to the configuration. Finishing is done on a Bobst 76 die-

cutter, while a new Duran Machinery Omega Allpro 70 folder-gluer,

capable of handling a sheet size of 720mm, has been supplied by

Friedheim International.

Mr Evans concluded, ‘When talking about digital most people

only think about being able to run tiny numbers, not about what

you can do that is actually different and exciting. We are offering

something different, so watch this space!’