Page 110 - Packaging News Magazine Nov-Dec2020

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PACK PRINTING AND DECORATION www.packagingnews.com.au | November–December 2020
Labelmakers invests in a growth trajectory
Labelmakers has become the largest label converter in Australasia in the time since it was founded in 1987. That kind of growth does not happen by waiting around or playing catch-up. Now the company has demonstrated once again that it has no intention of sitting on its laurels with the installation of its first HP Indigo 20000 digital press.
ADAM Bamford was appointed man- aging director of Labelmakers Group in March this year. He joined the family owned business after a career at Rothschild & Co, one of the world’s largest indepen- dent financial advisory firms. He
spent his first few years understand- ing every facet of the business and the label industry and is a passionate advocate for sustainability, having driven immense focus in this area across the group.
Last year, Labelmakers appointed the group’s first dedicated environ- ment and sustainability manager, Damian Smyth, to work collabora- tively with customers, suppliers, research institutions, and industry groups to drive forward the vast array of projects across the business.
“The environment and sustainabil- ity committee at Labelmakers Group is charting the course for a greener future and the road map focuses on six key pillars, with landfill minimi- sation a core component of the strat- egy. As a member of APCO [the Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation], we are committed to developing product solutions for our customer base that support improved recycling outcomes,” Smyth says.
Labelmakers recently announced its Recycled Cores Program, cur- rently in pilot stage. It is a good exam- ple of how Labelmakers is thinking creatively about waste minimisation
– specifically closed-loop solutions. In this case, polypropylene label matrix waste from its printing pro- cesses is collected and transformed into plastic cores, replacing the tra- ditional board material. Labels are supplied to customers on plastic cores and returned to Labelmakers for reuse in the label printing pro- cess. This initiative will divert 400 tonnes annually from landfill from its site in Victoria.
But Labelmakers is not just a printer; it has strong research and development capability in Melbourne, capturing materials development and sustainable label design. It says its local research and development team is “heavily focused” on innovation, continuous improvement initiatives, as well as cost optimisation.
A key pillar of Labelmakers’ value proposition is its vertically inte- grated business model. It is the only converter in Australia to manufac- ture its own pressure-sensitive label materials. ■
Personalised: Labelmakers able to print variable data on its new HP Indigo 20000
NEW AT LABELMAKERS: HP INDIGO 20000
Labelmakers is a major supplier of printed flexibles for the label industry. The company is seeing more demand from brand owners for shorter-run and more customised solutions in the flexibles space.
The HP Indigo 20000 digital press it has just installed is recognised as the world’s leading digital printing technology for this category of packaging, including shrink sleeves, linerless food wrap labels, wrap-around labels, and pouches.
The new HP 20000 strengthens its suite of digital offerings across Australia and New Zealand.
Labelmakers managing director Adam Bamford says the company chose the HP Indigo 20000 because it opens a new suite of offerings with regards to mass customisation, short-run campaigns, and is safe technol- ogy for primary food contact.
“The investment means we can better support brand and marketing teams explore new avenues for consumer engage- ment,” Bamford says.
“This is all without the cost of printing plates or cylinders associated with conventional printing.”
The HP Indigo 20000 – sup- plied by Currie Group – is located at Labelmakers’ Digital Flexibles and Linerless Division in New South Wales, a facility added in August last year following the group’s acquisition of Le Mac, the largest producer of shrink sleeves and linerless label in Australia.
For the past 33 years, ambition and innovation have been the key drivers at Label- makers, and are certainly not in short supply today, with their customers reaping the rewards of the company’s commitment to development.