HP Indigo 12000 for folding cartons to expand production with in-house customization
The first HP Indigo 12000 digital press for folding cartons in Southeast Asia has been installed in Thailand.
Founded in 1959, Sahachaikijkarnpim Co., Ltd. specializes in custom folding and printing cartons for food and consumer products, from shelf-ready displays to promotional and gift packaging, beverage cartons and more. The company installed the HP Indigo 12000 for digitally printed folding cartons in January 2020 at its Bangkok headquarters.
Faced with rising demand for short-run jobs, Sahachaikij wanted to streamline its production workflow. Unlike offset printing-the method the company has traditionally used for short print runs-digital print technology removes the need to use separate plates for each run.
"With the HP Indigo 12000 for folding cartons, we don?t need to constantly replace plates, saving us set-up time and waste for short-run jobs. That means our customers benefit from faster turnarounds," says Nuttapong Sahachaiwatana, the firm?s Managing Director. "Since we installed the press, the number of short-run jobs that we handle has increased by about 20 to 25 percent. We?ve actually seen profits almost double in this area."
Multiple high-value features
Best-in-class HP Indigo technology is also giving Sahachaikij the agility to respond in real time to customer requests for more relevant and localized packaging.
"Customers are constantly looking for us to help them vary product packaging. That can mean supplying them with dozens of new stock keeping units (SKUs) on every job?a time-consuming process," says Sahachaiwatana.
"Now, we can print multiple SKUs, see which ones work best for the customer, then fine-tune in real time. Being able to proof artwork this way, in advance of actual production, really helps to deepen customer engagement."
At the same time, the HP Indigo 12000 for folding cartons is helping Sahachaikij deliver consistent color matching from run to run. "That?s solving what has been a real challenge for us in the past. We serve a choice clientele who set the bar quite high?no compromise on quality. Offset printing doesn?t always deliver the color consistency these clients demand."
Other high-value features of the press include its premium print quality, ability to match saturated Pantone colors and its opaque white ink for metalized and colored substrates. "There is also its ability to print on a very wide range of substrates. In fact, I find the press?s flexibility when it comes to printing on thick substrates?including metalized ones?one of its most exciting features," Sahachaiwatana says.
New growth opportunities
Currently, the company is using its HP Indigo digital press to complement its offset printing. "With the digital press in full production, the jobs we run on our B2 offset printer are no longer stuck in a bottleneck. It means we are freeing up capacity to run the offset more profitably at a higher utilization," comments Sahachaiwatana.
Looking ahead, the firm also sees new growth opportunities in the digital printing arena.
"We?re increasingly seeing customers invest more in enhanced printing techniques and special effects to grab consumers? attention," says Sahachaiwatana. "Our goal is to become the go-to firm for customers who want to differentiate themselves with these more innovative approaches and personalized offerings. With the Indigo Digital 12000 for folding cartons, we have the capabilities we need to achieve that and stay ahead in the market."
If you?d like to find out more about how the HP Indigo 12000 digital press for folding cartons is helping Sahachaikij gain a competitive advantage, you can watch a video interview here https://youtu.be/u1o4x4yXXm8
