With the introduction of the Nozomi C18000, the company reinforces its commitment to the development of on-demand orders and just-in-time services
GRUPO LA PLANA BETS TO INNOVATE IN PERSONALIZED DIGITAL PRINTING AND SERVICES UNDER DEMAND TO REDUCE THE STOCK OF PACKAGING IN THE INDUSTRY
The company has invested more than 25 million euros in its plants, with a current production of 2 million boxes per day
Castellón, March 6, 2019.-Delivering any type of corrugated cardboard packaging “wherever the customer needs it and when they need it” is Grupo La Plana’s commitment to consolidate its leading position in the corrugated cardboard market, which has resulted in the installation of the new digital printing technology Nozomi C18000 at its plant in Onda (Castellón), as it has advanced today the CEO of the Group, Juan Ignacio Piquer.
The CEO of the Group explained that the natural evolution of the company is aimed at offering its customers “greater personalization of their products and flexibility to respond to consumer trends”. Therefore, we not only manufacture our own cardboard according to the needs of the customer, but we can design, manufacture and deliver any type of cardboard packaging just-in-time, reducing the production costs and packaging stock of any industry .Juan Ignacio Piquer explained that Grupo La Plana has opted for the new printing technology of EFI, Californian Silicon Valley company that leads the transformation of the generation of images from analog to digital systems, which allows testing and prototypes fast, as well as personalized campaigns with a digital technology of direct industrial printing on cardboard, simplifying the production process and reducing time and costs.
In fact, the new printing center is already operating since last February and its versatility has been contrasted to provide more agile and creative solutions to the packaging supply chain. The 1.8-meter-wide printer prints up to 75 linear meters per minute, or up to 10,000 890 × 890-mm plates per hour. In addition, the Nozomi C18000 works with six colors (CMYK, orange and violet) and offers sharp grayscale images that compete with high quality offset and flexo processes.
For Juan Ignacio Piquer, the implantation of this innovative process of digital printing allows to take the creativity of the designer to the packaging, thanks to the quality of the resulting images and the possibilities of photographic printing.
Permanent investment
In this aspect, the CEO of the Group has emphasized the pioneering character and its determined and firm commitment to technological innovation, which has materialized this past year in consolidating its presence in the Mediterranean Arc, as well as in central and northern Spain .
In total, the firm has invested more than 25 million euros in the expansion of its production centers, which will increase production by 50% and incorporate the latest technology from the sector in its facilities. In 2018, the company recorded a turnover of € 109 million, which resulted in the manufacture of 2 million boxes per day.
“We are aware that our product is integrated into the distribution chain of our customers”, so we can not limit ourselves to selling them as mere suppliers, but we collaborate in the solution of needs for new products and services, as explained by Piquer , who has apostilled that “we are always willing to investigate and collaborate closely with them in concrete actions”, with the presence of our technicians in the same packaging facilities to adapt the product and be more efficient.
Thus, the implantation of the Nozomi C18000 printing center represents a clear commitment to digital technology to expand the business, converting packaging into a marketing tool that provides solutions to the market with new sales arguments, such as personalization, so that the products of our clients always travel in first class, in the words of Juan Ignacio Piquer, general director of the La Plana Group.
For his part, the vice president and general manager of Industrial Printing of EFI, José Luis Ramón Moreno, has been “excited to undertake this trip” with Grupo La Plana as a perfect example of the strong commitment towards quality, sustainability and social responsibility The company demonstrates its commitment to direct digital printing technology on cardboard in one step.
With the aim of promoting the company’s commitment to leading the design and manufacture of the sustainable packaging of the future, the La Plana Group has opened its new centre of innovation, with more than 500 m2 dedicated to the development of innovative packaging solutions and point-of-sale displays.
Located at its Onda packaging plant, and based on a co-creation model with its clients, these facilities will be the epicentre of new innovation projects with an on-the-ground work approach. InnLab will cover activities for design, training, materials testing and new prototypes aimed at generating innovative solutions for the needs of industries including food and drink, ceramics, agriculture, consumer goods, the automotive industry and e-commerce.
All this will be possible thanks to the cutting-edge technology that the space will incorporate: from 3D design software for the creation of designs on-site, to machinery for testing the resistance, composition and characteristics of materials in terms of sustainability and environmental impact.
The centre will also include training spaces that can be used by its clients, as well as areas displaying the different formats of the solutions manufactured by the group.