Ruud Bos, business manager, Domino Benelux (left) with Kimmo Palkonen, managing director, Karico
Karico Oy, based in Espoo north-west of Helsinki in Finland, has invested in a seven colour Domino N610i digital label press as part of a new roll to roll production line for its labels.
The new press is integrated with a finishing line with flexo stations, foiling, varnishing, laminating and die-cutting, and is the first modular digital hybrid installation of its kind in Finland. The company, which has been supplying self-adhesive labels to customers in a wide variety of industries, including cosmetics, packaging, food and beverage since 1976, plans to use the flexible and extended label production capability to gain new business in a variety of market sectors.
‘With shorter runs, the benefits of digital are quite obvious,’ said managing director Kimmo Palkonen. ‘However, we were looking for a solution that could truly compete with flexo presses for longer runs.’
The €1.8 million turnover company has been a pioneer in adopting UV inkjet technology, being one of the first companies to install a digital label press in Finland. Mr Palkonen said, ‘We were already familiar with the technology having purchased our first UV inkjet system in 2009 and our customers have been praising its intense, vibrant colours ever since. UV-cured inks are durable and extremely chemical resistant making them ideal for printing labels used on electrical equipment, detergents and chemicals.’
He continued, ‘At Labelexpo 2015, we made the decision to invest in the seven colour Domino N610i digital label press. I’d say quality and speed were the two determining factors behind our decision.
‘The white ink in the colour set is highly opaque, making the print quality very attractive on clear and metallic substrates. You can also print three dimensional, textured effects with the white ink giving the labels more depth and vitality. In addition, our hybrid system makes it possible for the labels to be varnished or finished with gold or silver foil. These added-value design capabilities enable brand owners to create distinctive, high impact labels.’
