The Martin HBL Printer and Die Cutter that was installed in its Lower Hutt factory several months ago has now been fully commissioned and is being trialled by most of Charta Packaging's export clients.
General manager Trevor Burgess says that overseas high graphic printing is growing by 20 per cent a year and top quality shelf-ready and point-of-purchase packaging is becoming increasingly important as products vie for shelf space both locally and internationally.
"Not only does quality packaging sell more, it also increases the yield of the goods sold. These can often be sold at a higher price," he says.
He says that while there are other processes being used to produce this type of packaging, this is the first machine in Australasia that can handle high volumes, making it an economic choice for many exporters.
"Silk screen is a very slow process and not economic in larger runs. Laminated sheeting is reasonably automated but doesn't compete with this machine that does everything in one pass."
A significant portion of Charta Packaging's work is for the wine industry, and with wine a retail offering, he says the machine will give exporting vineyards a competitive edge in some overseas markets with the better quality, but cheaper packaging.
Burgess adds that the decision to invest heavily in new technology and build a major new factory was spurred by a fiercely competitive New Zealand packaging industry dominated by multinational companies.
With investment support from the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology, Charta began a world wide search for innovative systems.
It settled on the French-built machine because the technology produces colour printing to tolerances never seen before in the corrugated industry, which allows the same fine, high quality print that appears on individual product packets to be reproduced on corrugated cardboard display stands.
The print work is then covered with a special ultra violet gloss that ensures attractive bright print is protected from smudging or scuffing. Much of the processing is done in temperatures of 980 degrees, demanding complex procedures.
The Foundation invested $252,000 through its Technology for Business Growth programme, enabling Charta to develop the new print processes, supporting process trials and assisting several staff through courses at the Clemson University in the US where they learned the detail of the new technology.
Foundation business manager Barbara Webster says: "Charta is providing significant merchandising benefits to New Zealand exporters in competitive markets. This is also giving our exporters the opportunity to attract premium prices for their goods.
"Overseas evidence suggests this new form of packaging has the potential to increase export sales for an individual company by between 5 and 35 per cent," she says.
Meanwhile Charta Packaging formed an alliance with an international consortium of quality packaging manufacturers whose shelf-ready packaging has preferred access to stores such as the world's largest retail chain Walmart, the United Kingdom's largest retailer Tesco and Costco, which is a major warehouse operator in the United States and Canada.
