Südpack opens Polish printing site to meet booming demand
07 Jun 2022 --- Südpack has expanded its printing and finishing capacity at a Polish production site and calls the expansion a “strategically important step” toward meeting the steadily growing demand for Südpack solutions. The company also says it is setting the course for future, environmentally sustainable growth in the print sector.
The building complex is equipped with cutting-edge technology and was officially opened on May 5 and 6 with around 100 guests in attendance.
Südpack says the four-shift operation at an over 14,000 square meter site at the new plant in Kłobuck marks “another milestone” in Südpack’s story. It primarily stands for uncompromising performance, customer proximity and environmental sustainability.
New printing plate system
The formal inauguration of the factory also marks the beginning of a new era for Südpack in this region. The factory’s inauguration ceremony took place back in July 2020 at the site of a company Südpack acquired in 2015, Bahpol, which primarily specializes in flexo print.
Almost two years later, the extensive building work and installation of the complex printing, laminating and slitting equipment are largely complete.
Almost two years later, the extensive building work and installation of the complex printing, laminating and slitting equipment are largely complete.The production facilities have been gradually ramped up over the past few months. The first machines have been in four-shift operation since the end of 2021. The new printing plate system that Südpack needs to implement is resource-saving and contains “highly” efficient SPQ technology.
The new printing plate is a “huge” investment that Tharcisse Carl, managing director at Südpack, believes will pay off since the company has received many inquiries from customers looking to further optimize the carbon footprint of their products and make their packaging printing much more environmentally sustainable by adopting a holistic approach.
Customer benefits
Carolin Grimbacher, managing partner at Südpack, says: “SPQ stands for Sustainable Print Quality – and the name says it all. Because this innovative printing technology enables us to significantly reduce ink and solvent consumption, while significantly improving the print quality. SPQ is revolutionizing flexo printing. And is certainly the way forward.”
The company says its new equipment has been very successful for initial customer orders. At the same time, Südpack customers are also benefiting from much greater flexibility and speed now that the pre-press stage is carried out in-house.
Earlier this year, Südpack and Clean Cycle signed an agreement to invest long-term in Carboliq, the provider of a “unique” chemical recycling technology developed by Recenso.
The companies pooled their expertise in material management to advance the chemical recycling technology. Their aim is to expand available capacities for the highly efficient technology to a wider range of plastics.
Meanwhile, Dow and Südpack Medica joined forces with life science research and biopharmaceutical company Sartorius to support the global COVID-19 vaccination fight by manufacturing bioprocessing bags, which they say are essential for the production and transportation of vaccines.
The collaboration created sterile bioreactor bags made from multilayer films that can help achieve greater speed, quality and flexibility in the vaccine development process.
Last year, Südpack acquired Netherlands-based LPF Flexible Packaging from the Clondalkin Group for an undisclosed fee. LPF is a manufacturer of high-barrier films for sensitive products, which Südpack said constitutes a key part of its future growth strategy.
The plastic laminates specialist serves the packaging markets for food, pharmaceutical and technical products, and its customers include globally leading brands, the company says.
Edited
By Natalie Schwertheim
