Fine wine labels

12 August 2008



Leading Portuguese label converter satisfies quality and service demands. Ann Hirst-Smith reports


Vox Artes Gráficas is one of Portugal’s leading label converters. In the label industry, it is a relatively large company, with around 118 employees currently housed in a 7000 m2 facility in Vila Nova de Gaia, near Oporto. What distinguishes Vox, however, is its focus in labels for wines and, of course, port – a market where quality and service are key factors, and print runs usually small. Vox meets these criteria with a series of innovative, ‘best practice’ solutions that demonstrate how focusing on one particular market niche, and doing it well, can represent a highly successful business model in today’s packaging industry.

Established by Manuel Ribeiro in 1975, Vox remains a family business but its modus operandi is to embrace the very latest technological developments to enable it to meet its customers’ exacting requirements. Ambitious designs for such leading names as Dow’s and Graham’s port can arrive at the Vox in-house studio in the morning, and be translated into high quality labels by the end of the day. There are few large bottling plants in Portugal and time slots are limited, so quick turnaround on label orders is critical, especially for ‘limited edition’ vintages and other premium brands.

Keep it in-house

In fact, the sheer scope of the company’s enterprise is demonstrated by the fact that it turns out an average of 85 jobs per day. Managing director, Paulo Gonçalves, and his team achieve this feat thanks to the company’s commitment to keeping everything in-house. Nearly the entire production process, from prepress and CTP work, through plate and screen making, embossing dies, printing, cutting, finishing, checking, and shipping, is carried out on the premises. The only process not carried out on-site is the manufacture of magnetic label cutting dies – a task strictly regulated by Portuguese environmental legislation as it involves large quantities of ferric acid.

Invest in hardware

Key to the company’s ability to turn out quality labels fast, are its three HP Indigo WS4050 digital reel-to-reel colour presses (one of which will shortly be updated to the specification for the new WS4500), and its bank of nine Gallus reel-to-reel combination label presses, plus flatbed screen, sheet-fed offset and Heidelberg platens. Vox is able to offer reel-to-reel UV flexo, letterpress, litho, screen, embossing and foil stamping, as well as digital offset.

The company’s specialisation in wine labelling makes Fasson wine labelstocks particularly attractive for high-value bottle labels. For maximum flexibility, Vox has installed a specially developed primer coating unit to allow use of the special Fasson wine labelstocks on the HP Indigo machines. The company is also well-versed in adding product authentication devices to clients’ labels, such as latent images created with ‘invisible’ ink.

Computer-controlled process

Vox achieves its remarkable order turnaround through computer controlled production planning, process control and a series of specialist teams dedicated to problem solving in particular areas of production. Because of the intense rhythm of production, Paulo Gonçalves has installed a full track and trace RFID system which records not only the progress of every single order, but also the whereabouts of each employee. Response has to be instantaneous if production schedules are to be met.

However, despite this level of automation, Paulo Gonçalves prefers every job to be rigorously checked manually for visual defects before packing and dispatch. Printed self-adhesive label reels leave the factory in specially designed boxes, which cradle the reel and restrict its movement.

The business approach is cradle-to-grave, so all ‘out of specification’ printed labels, makeready and label matrix waste are separated and sent for recycling while all liquid wastes are processed in the in-house recycling plant.

Quality is the key

Paulo Gonçalves says: “We supply to 90 per cent of Portugal’s port industry. The growers come to us because they know they can rely on our quality and service. With such high-value products as vintage ports, the label is not particularly cost-sensitive but it must reflect the quality of the bottle’s contents.”

The Fasson partnership

Vox keeps an inventory of everything from paper and film self-adhesive labelstocks, inks, to stamping foils in a variety of qualities, to meet its customers’ needs instantly. Much of the company’s output is in the form of self-adhesive labels – a medium well-suited to a combination of print processes and high-quality graphic imaging.

Vox uses a wide range of Fasson products, such as the clear-on-clear Fasson film laminates selected for Gazela Vinho Verde labels; Fasson Digital Print Media that is said to provide optimal printability by digital offset; and the special range of dedicated Fasson wine labelling materials, which come in myriad of qualities and surface finishes for applications both traditional and modern.

The relationship between Vox and its prime self-adhesive labelstock supplier, Avery Dennison, goes back to the company’s origins. According to Miguel Garcia, sales manager for Avery Dennison Roll Materials in Spain and Portugal: “Our relationship with Vox was very positive right from the start. The Fasson philosophy is a perfect fit for Vox’s needs: quality products, fast service, and a strong focus on innovation. Vox is certainly a vibrant example of a company, which has successfully embraced a market niche, understood its imperatives, and created a way of consistently delivering solutions."



Contacts

Vox Artes Gráficas
Tel: +351 227 151 700



Vox Artes Graficas Vox Artes Graficas
Labels produced at Vox Labels produced at Vox
Vox shop floor Vox shop floor


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