Amberley Labels, part of the Coveris Group, has taken delivery of a Kurz DM-Jetliner digital embellishment unit, as the UK-based converter looks to scale up its capabilities.

Kurz’s DM-Jetliner is a digital pre-print foiling unit that can be integrated inline with narrow web HP Indigo presses. It facilitates the creation of unique metallisation and metallic effects through the use of inkjet digital adhesion in combination with a silver base for inline Indigo ink application, allowing custom metallic colour varieties and combinations on a single label.

Amberley Labels was previously acquired by the Coveris Group to support long-term growth plans in the beverage, personal care and fragrance label sectors. Over the last 18 months, Coveris Group has backed the brand, supporting major investments in capacity, capability and identity, ‘to strengthen Amberley’s position as a world-class leader in the premium labels market.’

A multimillion GBP investment in next-generation print and finishing equipment at Coveris’ existing Tenens Way labels facility in Boston, Lincolnshire has seen the site positioned under the Amberley brand umbrella, matching its state-of-the-art operations with a new visual identity. Amberley’s original site in Blandford, Dorset also continues to be upgraded and enhanced, and it is here where the Kurz DM-Jetliner has been installed. The Kurz unit is configured inline with an HP Indigo 6000 Series digital press.

This, highlights David Richards, the converter’s managing director, gives Amberley and its customers access to almost endless possibilities. Specifically, he notes, ‘A lot of our customers, brands and designers want labels with foil, and this set-up has removed a lot of the complications and barriers to achieving that look and feel. If they’ve bought into the digital process already, then foiling with digital print on top means we are opening them up to a world of almost endless possibilities.

‘For us, it means we are able to create almost any foil effect and colour we wish. When you combine that with variable data printing (VDP), and the HP Mosaic and Collage technologies, you start to see the full scale of the possibilities. We are actively communicating that to our customers, and are starting to see people think about and conceptualise how they can take advantage of such capability to create standout labels with unique foil effects and designs.’

He continues, ‘The percentage of work where we already use foil is huge, so the opportunity to have something completely inline, combining the quality of the HP Indigo print with foil, I knew was perfect for us and our customers’ requirements.’

Looking good

Mr Richards says this includes those in the cosmetics market, which accounts for a large proportion of Amberley Blandford’s business, where quality perceptions are high so the demands on those supplying the market with labels and packaging are stringent. This includes an ever-more important sustainability narrative, delivering luxury labels without environmental compromise.

‘Sustainability is a major driver in the cosmetics market,’ he says. ‘So it is necessary that we as a supplier are able to provide a service and products that plug into that. With the Kurz DM-Jetliner, foiling becomes more economical and environmentally friendly, and supports our work to send no waste, no foil and no labels to landfill.’

On a practical level, this investment allows Amberley to: improve the quality of finished and embellished labels, with perfect registration and fast, seamless application; rationalise the processes and materials required; and provide customers with a faster turnaround.

These are benefits offered to customers of all sizes, from large multinationals to start-ups. Mr Richards identifies perfume brand Jo Malone as a case in point, which started as a small independent business before going global and being sold to Estée Lauder by the close of the 20th Century.

‘It’s important not to lose sight of that, and to make sure that customers of all sizes get our support and know where they can turn for help. Investment in the latest technology supports this as it makes sure that not only can we support big customers, we can help those looking to get into the market.’

He examples, ‘Having an inline primer (ILP) on the Indigo press means we do not have to worry about the substrate, whilst a seven-colour (CMYK+OGV) process means we can hit a wide colour gamut. We also have a white that replicates screen, and the addition of digital foil rounds out the offer.

‘We are able to produce some amazing labels with such a set-up. With it being inline, we give easy access to all of these technologies to all and any customer, whether they require 500 labels or are a premium brand needing millions.

‘It really is very exciting, as the opportunities are limitless,’ Mr Richards reiterates.

This converter case study was first published in the March/April 2021 issue of Digital Labels & Packaging, which you can read online here; register here to receive the magazine, for free