Leading Southern California package printer doubles capabilities and capacity

• Loyal Koenig & Bauer customer continues valued partnership by installing its fourth Rapida press
• QualiTronic ColorControl inline color measurement and control camera system monitors and maintains color consistency for color critical work and provides useful data for clients
• UV printing capability boosts throughput and turnaround

When an iconic Los Angeles Lakers basketball star retires from the game and needs a high-end custom-designed durable packaging creation to market his treasured autographed jersey, where do they turn? When a movie premier is taking place with A-list invitees to receive luxurious custom-designed swag boxes, who gets the nod to produce them? If a well-known perfume manufacturer is launching a new scent, it turns to K-1 Packaging to impress and dazzle consumers with its new luxury product. Not far from the towering Hollywood sign in the Los Angeles hills amid the glitz and glamour of the area’s celebrity-driven market sits the gleaming modern facility of the K-1 Packaging Group, a designer and manufacturer of high-end, graphic packaging materials.

Known for its strict process control throughout its entire operation to ensure accuracy and precision, its dedicated artisans, and its cost-efficient quality production using high-end technology, K-1 has positioned itself as an essential manufacturer of customized packaging solutions.

“Our main objective is to add value to a brand’s product by making it stand out on a store shelf and become more exciting and presentable,” says Mike Tsai, president of K-1 Packaging Group. “We produce unique eye-catching packaging designs and deliver premium quality all under the roof at our City of Industry headquarters. Our one-stop shop saves our customers time and minimizes communication between too many vendors.”

With its strong, steady growth, K-1 Packaging is addressing its valued customers’ needs with additional new press technology in the form of a second Koenig & Bauer Rapida 105 eight-color press, which will sit side-by-side with an existing Rapida 105 41-inch eight-color press. Having double the power of two presses allows K-1 the flexibility to easily move jobs between the two models depending on scheduling and other requirements. While much of the new press is identical to the current model, the investment, which is due to be delivered in early 2019, is teeming with modern automated technology, such as fully automated plate loading.

With color critical packaging a mainstay of its business, K-1 chose to power its new press with Koenig & Bauer’s popular QualiTronic ColorControl system, which it had included in its earlier Koenig & Bauer press model. K-1 found that this inline color measurement and control camera system that monitors and maintains color consistency by taking a snapshot of every printed sheet remains a vital component. The system produces measurement values that serve as a basis for fast dynamic inline control of the ink key settings. Furthermore, the system is able to output measurement reports for K-1 as well as its clients.

To provide fast turnaround and cater to the wide variety of packaging it encounters, K-1 specifically configured its new Rapida 105 press with a board package and UV capabilities. The board package will allow K-1 to expands its production portfolio and gain greater flexibility with a broader array of possible substrates to accommodate its customer’s wishes. Like the board package, UV capabilities provide the printer with more flexibility in terms of a wider range of substrates in which it can print on. K-1 has come to rely on UV capabilities to produce its highly-critical multi-color and specialized work in one pass. Having UV on its most recent Koenig & Bauer Rapida press allowed the firm to grow market share in this area of high-end carton work and is an essential tool on the upcoming Rapida press.

“Our partnership with Koenig & Bauer is a strong on-going basis,” says Tsai. “We feel they are dedicated to continually assist us as we grow and support us with proven solutions. No other press manufacturer is as committed to the printing industry as Koenig & Bauer and they continue to provide industry leading innovations. We’ve had a very positive experience with the reliability and performance of our Koenig & Bauer press models for nearly 20 years. This is an important investment for our firm and its future as well as our loyal customers and our combined continued growth.”

K-1 Packaging Group is a provider of custom packaging solutions for consumer products. The company offers fully integrated services from start to finish, conceptualizes, designs, prototypes, validates, and manufactures. It serves industries ranging from food and beverage, beauty and cosmetic supply, media software and hardware, nutri- and pharmaceutical, to various other consumer products. It is an ISO 9001: 2015 and G7 Master Certified company, which demonstrates its commitment to quality. K-1 is also environmentally responsible by using bio-renewable agri-based inks, 100% wind energy plant, and offering FSC and SFI substrates to its customers.

Related websites:

www.koenig-bauer.com 
www.k1packaging.com 

Due to its strong steady growth, Mike Tsai, (right) president of K-1 Packaging Group, has ordered a second Koenig & Bauer Rapida 105 eight-color press, which will sit side-by-side with an existing Rapida 105 41-inch eight-color press, from Marcus Schoen (left), his Koenig & Bauer sales manager.