US digital corrugated converter Visual Impact PrePrint is following the successful launch of high-volume, direct-to-board corrugated packaging printing on an EFI Nozomi C18000 press with the purchase of two additional presses of the same model, due for installation later this year at two more locations.
Set up just last year, the company is the digital division of Corrugated Synergies International (CSI), which is based Renton, Washington, and described as North America’s first dedicated sheet feeding company. The first Nozomi, installed in mid 2018, has already allowed CSI to capture significant new market opportunities at its new, high-volume trade printing operation in Santa Teresa, New Mexico. In 2019, it will become the world’s largest user with a second press scheduled for installation at a facility in the Las Vegas area, and a third press to be installed at a yet-to-be-revealed location.
‘We are having great success with our first Nozomi in New Mexico,’ said CSI vice president of manufacturing and print Jeffery Dumbach. ‘After receiving a significant number of requests for quotes, samples and proofs, the word really got out about the press’s amazing capabilities. We are getting orders for display work and club retail packaging, and our newest contract is for a double-sided e-commerce packaging application. Overall, our volumes are increasing every month.’
CSI’s New Mexico facility, which has 20 employees, provides high-end, direct-to-board trade printing for a wide range of clients across the western US. The digital printing operation is the first phase of an ambitious growth strategy for the New Mexico facility, which is in the process of adding a corrugator to serve domestic clients as well as meet surging corrugated packaging demand from clients in Mexico.
Mr Dumbach reports that the digital press allows Visual Impact PrePrint to replace litho lamination jobs with direct-to-corrugated printing. ‘The larger digital volumes, extreme high quality and faster time to market enabled by the Nozomi have driven many of our customers to take on jobs they probably would have turned down before because of the limited capacity that exists with multi-pass digital,’ he said. ‘And, they are getting better quality. Our customers are blown away with the image quality and the pop of theprint with its high gloss. We’re happy, and we have some very happy customers.’
The company is the first to have the complete corrugated ecosystem from EFI, with the Nozomi press and Fiery DFE fully integrated into the Corrugated Packaging Suite workflow software operating at multiple CSI facilities. The Suite’s Corrugated Business System and production manufacturing execution system work in conjunction with EFI Escada process control solutions to maximise order throughput.
