DS Smith Further Invests in Digital Printing

DS Smith is currently installing the second HP T1100S machine at DS Smith in the Germany & Switzerland region, in partnership with HP.
 
For DS Smith, the issue of digital printing is of strategic significance in creating maximum value for its customers as well as enabling continued market growth in the future. Being a pilot customer of HP, DS Smith was the first enterprise from the packaging industry to produce digital corrugated board pre-print. From now on, middle and large runs can also be digitally produced in an economically reasonable way. This investment follows the installation of the first HP PageWide T1100S in the UK at DS Smith’s Featherstone site.
 
“The digital printing process requires no printing plates, meaning we are able to make last-minute changes and quickly react to current promotional campaigns and events,” said Stefan Kunzmann, sales and marketing director at DS Smith in the Germany & Switzerland region. “This can be of particular advantage when implementing marketing campaigns. A significantly shorter time to market is another crucial advantage of digital print for our customers.
 
“Displays that differ from region to region or are individualized for different distributors, are now easy to implement; so is personalized packaging,” he added. “Another important aspect for many of our customers is that of product safety. The new printing method enables us to implement track and trace technologies, i. e. traceability of products, as well as serialization and anti-counterfeiting technologies to ensure protection against product piracy. This is how we help our customers to boost their turnover and to minimize risks.”
 
“The HP PageWide T1100S Press enables DS Smith to address the broadest range of digitally pre-printed corrugated packaging applications, including the growing segment of food packaging,” Eric Wiesner, GM, HP PageWide Industrial Division, HP Inc. said. “Unlike some other digital printing alternatives, HP PageWide Water-Based Inks are free of UV-reactive chemistries. Therefore, these inks enable robust and trusted food-safe printing for both primary and secondary corrugated packaging.” 
 
DS Smith is investing approximately €15 million in the printing press. The official unveiling of the new digital corrugated board pre-print machine is scheduled for the second quarter of 2018.