Company plans to extend closed-loop color management process to UK flexible packaging plants

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – X-Rite Incorporated, a global leader in color science and technology, and its subsidiary Pantone LLC, today reported that Coveris UK, a market leading service, print, innovation and technology provider across label, board and flexible film packaging, has extended its X-Rite ColorCert Suite and eXact Scan implementation to two additional plants. The company plans to make this closed-loop color management process a standard across all seven Coveris UK label plants. Coveris UK also has future plans to add the X-Rite solution to its UK flexible packaging operations.

Coveris UK first implemented ColorCert and eXact Scan as part of a pilot project with Asda, a Walmart subsidiary, to better serve in the delivery of high quality labels and packaging for fresh and chilled foods. Asda’s goal was to engage key suppliers in a more streamlined and color-accurate manufacturing process. With completion of a successful pilot in its Burnley plant, Coveris UK has moved to implement this solution in its Gainsborough and Louth plants as well as extending it to additional customers.

“As a result of our ColorCert implementation, we consistently rank as one of Asda’s top suppliers for quality,” said Mark Faulkner, Prepress Studio Manager, Coveris UK. “We have now rolled out this process to other larger customers like Marks & Spencer and are processing all new product lines through ColorCert for all our clients. With more than 500 product lines in over four months, our results have been amazing and our customers appreciate the ability to monitor production quality in real-time.”

Coveris UK is using the X-Rite ColorCert Suite for process control, and has acquired six X-Rite eXact Scan next-generation handheld scanning spectrophotometers for use in its Burnley, Gainsborough and Louth plants. The company also uses X-Rite’s Color iQC and NetProfiler as part of a complete, end-to-end color-managed production process. This combined solution has become the default process control solution for new jobs from all customers across all seven UK label sites, with Coveris UK being the first label converter in the UK to adopt this advanced color management process.

In addition to its use in prepress and the pressroom, Coveris UK has taken advantage of the capabilities of this solution in its ink room. Faulkner adds, “Our ink supplier is using ColorCert together with X-Rite’s InkFormulation Software and X-Rite eXact Scan, enabling faster and more accurate ink formulation as well as identification of unachievable inks before they are sent to the press. This end-to-end closed-loop solution has resulted in substantially improved color consistency, reduced waste, faster throughput, and delighted customers.”

The ColorCert Suite is the leading platform in the packaging market that allows brand owners, premedia, ink companies, and printers to connect color specifications and control from design execution to printed results. It provides both brand owners and converters with a transparent and fair evaluation of print and color quality results allowing them to shift from a visual to analytical workflow to collaboratively improve results. The ColorCert Suite enables packaging converters to better manage the complexities of their workflow. Print managers can use production data from the ColorCert Suite to easily understand color tolerances and verify whether production is meeting a client’s expectations. Packaging printers can also use the Suite to better manage CMYK, extended gamut, and spot color workflows, regardless of the printing process, substrate, or industry standard.

“A major benefit of this implementation,” Faulkner added, “is the ease with which we can analyze any variability in our color production and quickly understand – and correct – anything that might be putting us out of tolerance. We are able to do this on a customer-by-customer basis and in near real time. It’s quite an achievement.”

Coveris UK is dedicated to providing packaging solutions that enhance the safety, quality and convenience of client products. The company prides itself on delivering outstanding customer service and quality, being flexible and fast to respond, and investing to stay ahead of market trends and be able to grow with its customers. “Our adoption of ColorCert and related tools from X-Rite are a key enabler in our ability to meet these goals,” Faulkner concluded.