Page 46 - Packaging News Magazine Nov-Dec 2021
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PACK PRINTING & DECORATION | www.packagingnews.com.au | November-December 2021
 CBS Printing pivots
into ready-meal packaging
 A pandemic-induced pivot for family owned and operated Australian commercial print business CBS Printing has led to the establishment of a thriving one-stop-shop food packaging business. Lindy Hughson reports.
aligned with their sustainability val- ues, the works,” Wilson said.
CBS has established a network of partners who can supply all the requirements for a ready-meal maker who needs the food processed, pack- aged, and delivered to the retailer. The company can also assist with branding and marketing strategies.
“From raw materials, to equipment, to packaging components, to brand design, and much more, we can add this value for these clients to take the burden off them so they can focus on what they do best, creating the meals,” Wilson tells PKN.
“Working closely with our partner network, we have made it possible to turn around packaging design pro- totypes in a week, providing sample sizes and mock-ups for the customer to show to their customer.”
“In the past year, I have spoken to over 1000 companies, fielding enqui- ries or connecting suppliers as part of our network,” Wilson says.
The packaging business has taken off so well, Wilson says, that the company is looking to brand it as a separate division of CBS Printing.
SOLAR INVESTMENT
The same forward-thinking approach driving the new packaging business, inspired CBS to install solar panels at its factory a few years ago, and the cost savings have helped fund this lat- est business expansion.
The 260 solar panels, supplied by Energus and installed on the roof of the 1300sqm factory in 2018 has since saved the company almost $30,000 on energy costs.
CBS Printing director, Stephen Wilson, said the decision to convert to solar was easy, after calculating the company’s return on investment to be under five years. “I see solar as an excellent long-term investment in both the property and our family business.”
Wilson says the decision to con- vert to solar energy was an important step in the company’s development of sustainable business practices, noting that “green packaging for ready-made meals is the way of the future”, as com- panies look to their supply chains to help deliver their corporate social responsibility policies. ■
CBS Printing has been providing commercial printing, design, and distribution services to the Macarthur area in NSW for over 40 years.
Printing is the company’s core business, with an established fleet of Ryobi four-colour UV presses and Heidelberg die-cutting machines in
situ at the Smeaton Grange facility. The advent of the pandemic, how- ever, saw a downturn in business from regular customers who were unable to operate due to Covid-19 restrictions. At the same time, demand was spik- ing for printed packaging to service
the burgeoning ready-meal sector. Until that time, the company had been supplying printed materials for packaging, but saw an opportunity to service a rapidly growing customer base of food service start-ups and small food companies who found themselves having to quickly move into home delivery and retail – uncharted terri- tory for most of them. Included in this customer base were companies already supplying ready-meals to retail, but who now had to service increased demand for a wider range of products. The snap decision was made to invest in an in-line DGM Smartfold
800 SL folder gluer machine, supplied by Graph Pak, which would enable CBS to convert flat printed sheets into ready meal sleeves.
The line’s capacity is 60,000 units an hour, converting packaging for a customer base that has grown rapidly to 166 ready-meal companies.
Joshua Wilson, head of the new packaging division, explains that beyond the packaging line installation CBS has created a full service, end-to- end solution for food manufacturers.
“We saw a huge gap in a full-suite service for these companies, who were faced with the major challenge of entering a market that was new to them – retail – and setting up their sup- ply chain. Many didn’t know where to start, sourcing ingredients, finding a manufacturer, finding packaging that
ABOVE: Ready packaging for ready meals: CBS converts flat printed sheets into sleeves.
   Working closely with our partner network, we have made it possible to turn around packaging design prototypes in a week.”
  








































































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