Got it covered

14 October 2016



Got it covered


Got it covered

The coating and laminating subsector of the flexible packaging industry regularly brings innovative solutions to converters, their customers and the end user. A practical way to both protect products and add value to packaging, coating and laminating bring appealing finishes without necessarily adding a huge cost. Emma-Jane Batey finds out more....

As Europe's leading designer and manufacturer of laminators, Leicestershire-based Vivid Laminating Technologies is active in developing and creating fresh laminating solutions for its customers across the print industry. Marketing manager David Smith spoke to Converting Today to explain how the company's latest products are helping to maintain its reputation for delivering award-winning laminating systems. Mr Smith said: “We have been supplying laminating systems and consumables to the print industry since 1987 and we currently export to over 50 countries. We are dedicated to serving the print and packaging sectors through creating, manufacturing and maintaining cost-effective and high performance laminators. We have a range of laminators that have been created to meet the demands of our customers; for the past three decades we've been leading the world of lamination with the most innovative demands in the market by listening to our customers' requirements.”

 

Vivid's latest product is its Easymount AirFoil system, which features independent pneumatic rollers that allow it to foil and add spot UV-style effects to wide format prints, foam boards, glass and MDF. Mr Smith explained, “Our new Easymount AirFoil was recently awarded Top Product for 2016 by readers of Wide-Format & Signage magazine. Launched at this year's Drupa show, this innovative system allows us to open up new markets for wide format printers thanks to the metallised effects possible. These can be overprinted onto UV or solvent-based prints. Customers working in the point-of-sale, packaging and decorative markets will benefit by saving money every time they create a large format product.”

 

The Easymount AirFoil system joins Vivid's portfolio, which includes its Boss Premium Foil range. These products allow metallised effects to be added to packaging and printing as the foiling and over-printable coloured foils work by combining the Matrix and a digital printer. Mr Smith added, “The Matrix is our famous award-winning laminator system, the most cost-effective digital laminator on the market and a valuable must-have system for the modern-day digital printer. Our Boss Premium Foil range means that detailed, quality foiling prints can be created in-house, without expensive set-up charges and traditional block foiling, which represents a fraction of the cost compared to outsourcing. The Matrix can foil with or without lamination, has a fast set-up and is a low-cost solution to create extra special finishes.”

 

Vivid's participation at a number of industry trade exhibitions highlights its focus on reaching new customers and sharing its latest developments. Vivid was present at the Packaging Innovations & Luxury Packaging London 2016 event for 'branded, inspirational and luxury packaging' and the company will also take stands at a number of global events.

 

 Laminate and protect

A brand-owner that could certainly be defined as branded and inspirational is Little Dish. Celebrating its ten-year anniversary in 2016, London-based children’s and toddlers’ food brand Little Dish proudly creates 'proper food' for little people and its latest product has captured the capabilities of coating and laminating to deliver the 'next generation of healthy food for toddlers' as it raises the bar in the kids' chilled meals category. Little Dish launched its healthy chilled meals for kids in September, and, thanks to packaging design agency Pearlfisher, its use of coating and laminating makes the product easy and reliable for parents and delicious and healthy for kids.

 

Dean Brown, Little Dish managing director, explained: “It's been ten years since Little Dish toddler meals first hit shop shelves and so much has changed since then. We thought it was time we went back to the drawing board and imagined what the future of healthy, convenient food for toddlers could be like. We have created a range of nutritionally-superior toddler meals that are delicious, fresh and convenient alternatives to the long-life trays and pouches available in the baby aisle.”

 

The brand new Little Dish ‘pots and pies’ come in colourful little dishes that look like home cookware so busy parents can feel proud bringing their meals to the family table. They feature colourful wrap-around sleeves that carry important nutritional information as well as the coveted 'Mumsnet Rated' badge and the Little Dish 'Zoo Crew' characters. Mike Beauchamp, 3D design director at Pearlfisher continued, “We used form, colour and material finish to herald the new Little Dish brand experience. The 'pots and pies’ dishes are a first of their kind, with bespoke shape, colour, surfacing and embossed detailing on unique handles to communicate the brand's premium quality and drive ultimate differentiation on shelf.”

 

Hillary Graves, founder of Little Dish, praised Pearlfisher for the redesign. She said, “What Pearlfisher has done is category-defining. They have brilliantly captured the spirit of the Little Dish brand, celebrated our nutritional credentials and repositioned our meals to parents looking for healthy and convenient meals for their little ones.”

 

 Put your coat on

Sleeving solutions manufacturer PDC Europe, based in Montdidier, near Paris, is also the proud owner of a reputation for innovative machines that add value to customers' packaging of all shapes and sizes. Delivering high-quality, solutions-focused sleeving solutions since 1984, family-owned PDC Europe develops and manufactures versatile sleeving systems that can apply laminated, enhanced or super stretch sleeves to a vast range containers.

 

PDC Europe's latest product is its R400 shrink sleeve machine, which has been perfectly adapted to meet the high speed demands of industries including beverage, brewing and dairy. President of PDC Europe Derek Vandevoorde said, “Among shrink sleeve applications, the R400 today is the machine of reference. Efficient, simple to use and totally reliable, the R400 offers an extremely short ROI thanks to its low maintenance requirements and ability to use low-gauge material. Its impressive sustainability credentials have also been acknowledged with a 'Best Energy Efficiency' award. With its unique, patented cutting system, the R400 easily copes with long cut lengths and thick gauge sleeves.”

 

Waste not...

The importance of sustainability when it comes to coating and laminating is shared by Cycle4Green. A passionate advocate of environmentally-responsible solutions for the global packaging industry, Finland-based Cycle4Green offers a recycling solution for release paper liners, with its collection service available directly to label converting companies, label end-users and various selected partners in the waste management business. A welcome growth in understanding of the importance of recycling laminated products has seen Cycle4Green further develop its 'closed loop recycling' across Europe. Managing director Petri Tani tells Converting Today: “Liner recycling is still a hugely important issue as it is still largely landfilled – over 50% of release liner waste goes to landfill. Cycle4Green helps customers create greener packaging at no extra cost to them and certainly no cost to the environment. Coated and laminated liners can very often be recycled – which is far better for the environment than incineration – and it can also be a valuable addition to the brand representation in terms of presentation. There is no reason not to make your coated or laminated liners as environmentally sustainable as possible – while still delivering excellent performance to the customer.”



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