Pioneering printing technology is now available for corrugated packaging companies to take advantage of the growing demand from the beverage industry for special-edition packaging to celebrate major events.

Customised campaigns by drinks brands, like Budweiser’s Rise as One (packaging of its famous beer tied in with the football World Cup) and soft drinks manufacturer Irn-Bru’s special range of cans to celebrate the XX Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, are soaring. 

Now there is state-of-the-art, cost-effective digital printing equipment from SUN Automation Group® that allows corrugated packaging to align more closely with opportunities for unique customised packaging to engage consumers with sporting themes or at other key times.

SUN Automation’s range of new digital printers – CorrStream® 66, 40 and 20 – provide the corrugated packaging industry with unrivalled output, reduced operating costs, improved efficiency and outstanding print quality. The range brings inkjet sophistication to mainstream applications as a real alternative to conventional analogue methods.

The CorrStream range brings an extra dimension to brand owners and retailers through the print on demand of high quality, colourful shelf ready packaging (SRP) in smaller batch runs to specific print or order quantity – with no minimum requirement – for seasonal, regional or event-based promotions.

CorrStream’s CMYK digital printers allow graphics to press in hours instead of days, small or large production runs at speeds of up to 70m/min (4200 1m2 sheets per hour), plus graphic changes, data merge capabilities and mass customisation.

With increasing demands from the beverage sector for packaging to attract and excite consumers, CorrStream is the first digital application to offer reliability, product output levels and aqueous inks more familiar to box plant needs.

SUN Automation’s Global Product Manager for CorrStream, Sean Moloney, said “This equipment brings corrugated in line with other event-specific packaging formats for the drinks industry – if the whisky label can be customised so can the outer box. This is a new opportunity for corrugated to be supplied on demand for any event (same box, different prints).

“Interest from marketeers and packaging buyers in digital packaging is growing, due to its ability to provide high quality, variable graphics with short lead-times and lower stock costs. The corrugated industry needs to react and become yet more flexible in offering even greater variety in print to aid sales in an ever more sophisticated consumer space.”

CorrStream’s single pass solution – one of the first in the world to use this technique – is the culmination of several years’ development work and brings much needed added value back to the corrugated industry. Enquiries for the new range have been pouring in and SUN Automation has already sold its first CorrStream 66 series printer.

The introduction of the CorrStream printers can help corrugated remain a packaging winner during the world’s favourite sporting competitions. For more information contact Sean Moloney: [email protected] or visit: www.sunautomation.com.