Whitebird (Hamilton, Ontario), a leading distributor and manufacturer of corrugated solutions, packaging, sanitation and safety supplies (and one of our leading independent box makers), has purchased an EFI Nozomi C18000 – Canada’s first single-pass, ultra-high-speed corrugated inkjet press. The move will enable Whitebird to offer much faster turnaround times and greater versatility in its high-end corrugated packaging production. The second-generation company is becoming a driver in the industry’s important analogue-to-digital transformation with the award-winning press – the first single-pass, ultra-high-speed digital corrugated packaging production system scheduled to be installed in Canada.
Whitebird will now be able to produce premium, shelf-ready packaging and corrugated displays in the exact quantities that customers need with the new press – “a key advantage that’s been all but impossible to achieve in the past, considering the larger fixed costs and minimum run lengths required on high-graphic corrugated packaging using analogue flexo and litho lamination methods,” said EFI. The Nozomi press shortens the time needed to launch new designs from weeks or months to just days – which means that Whitebird clients throughout Canada and the U.S. will be able to drive greater product sell-through and better marketing performance, with more-targeted corrugated packaging and display advertising strategies. The new press, which is scheduled to be installed in the fourth quarter of 2018, also builds on Whitebird’s longstanding commitment to customers by adding fast-turnaround digital production to its popular same-day and next-day ordering processing, while delivering services the company already offers on inventoried items.
“Our customers know that they can achieve greater sell-through with clever versioning strategies and interesting new designs, but excessive analogue run-length requirements often restrict them to only using packaging that they already have in inventory,” said Whitebird Vice President William Heikoop. “We looked closely at the single-pass offerings in the market, and it was clear that the EFI Nozomi press was the best option to provide more versatility in the corrugated packaging supply chain, while better serving customers with superior-quality, direct-to-board digital print.”
The 71-inch-wide (1.8-metre-wide) EFI Nozomi C18000 single-pass LED inkjet ultra-high-speed press delivers operating speeds up to 246 linear feet (75 linear metres) per minute, can print up to 10,000 35-inch x 35-inch (890 mm x 890 mm) boards per hour, two-up. Its single-pass, piezo grayscale inkjet writing system delivers accurate, high-fidelity colour, including consistent reproduction on solid areas. The EFI Fiery NZ-1000 Digital Front End (DFE) print server and production system used to drive the press, provides ultra-fast performance, outstanding coluor management, and the ability to produce versioned/multi-SKU work as well as personalized packaging at full press speeds. Additional features and benefits include:
- Compatibility with a broad range of boards, from F-flute to triple-wall board, and including traditional Kemi, mottled, bleach and kraft materials – with all of them printing at full press-rated speeds.
- Assured sustainability with output certified for OCC recyclability and repulpability by the Western Michigan University Recycling, Paper and Coating Pilot Plant – a leading certification organization for corrugated recycling.
- A 100% inline image quality inspection system that actively manages and optimizes inkjet nozzle alignment and uniformity for superior imaging quality.
- A high-productivity, permanent head architecture that eliminates the downtime associated with replacing consumable printheads.
“Whitebird’s executives have long seen the promise of what digital can achieve, and we’re excited to help them put that vision into action with Canada’s first ultra-high-speed, single-pass digital corrugated packaging press,” said José Luis Ramón Moreno, Vice Presdient and and General Manager, EFI Industrial Printing. “The significant advantages that Whitebird’s clients will receive with the EFI Nozomi’s high-end LED inkjet technology, will further improve the company’s already strong reputation as a customer-centric packaging manufacturer that delivers exceptional service and fast turnarounds.”
