Pemara puts in 2nd HP Indigo digital label press
Short-run digital label printing is proving to be a viable option at one of Australia’s largest manufacturers.
Eighteen months after having installed its first HP Indigo Press ws2000, veteran Melbourne-based label manufacturer Pemara has installed a faster machine, the HP Indigo Press ws4000 to run along-side the original.
The installation represent a watershed for the label industry in the region, bringing the total number of HP Indigo labels presses to four – three in Melbourne (the other one is at Toyo) and one at Specifix in Auckland. The ws 4000 is a much faster production machine than the others and is likely to have a major impact on label production.
Pemara began specializing in label manufacturing and printing in 2001 after 35 years in packaging and label production. Today Pemara specializes in high quality, innovative labels for multinational customers in the pharmaceutical, promotional, security, wine and personal care sectors.
Kerry Avery, director of technology and development at Pemara said, "The quality of the HP Indigo press is absolutely superb - often above the quality of conventional. Now that we have seen the best, we had to go one better and invest in the ws4000, which is even faster.
"We have been driven to a digital process by major corporations who all wanted shorter runs and faster turnaround times. Digital printing has enabled us to print frequent, shorter runs which are more cost-effective and allow our clients to print every month as required," he said.
Colour and substrate flexibility is critical according to Kerry Avery. With the HP Indigo Press ws4000, Pemara can set up a six-colour print job in less than 15 minutes with PANTONE colours being matched online using the HP IndiChrome process. "People want colours matched exactly," said Avery.
The Australian wine market is another market that Pemara has been able to service with its digital presses. "The wine industry is a special business, requiring specific materials and diverse substrates," he said. "Our HP Indigo presses enable small to medium sized winemakers to reach their customers with high quality labels that can be instantly and cost-effectively adjusted to overseas sales and requirements."
The adoption of digital printing has also helped Pemara lower its business costs. Buying raw materials at the best market prices and shortening production runs has lowered stock inventory, enabling the presses to be run at more productive levels. "We can only save in one place - overhead. Digital will drive us to that," said Avery.