Grafopack (Package Printer)

Grafopack, located in Odena near Barcelona, produces displays and packaging amounting to some 20,000 m2 annually.

Think Global. Act Local.

Thinking on a global level forces you to respond on a local level. Grafopack, a package printer located in Odena, Spain has digitised its entire prepress activities and further extended its service, enabling it to increase productivity and react more quickly to the demands of the market.

Printer's Motto Sets Digitisation In Motion

Increasing globalisation has led to consolidation in the packaging industry. "Globalisation is leading to a decrease in the number of potential customers, and the ones that remain are larger and more demanding," explains Grafopack managing director Joan Tort. Grafopack is one of the largest packaging printers in Spain. With its sister company Novograf, the two Corporación Empresarial Valls' subsidiaries command a market share of just under 8%. And with its partnership with Sweden's A&R Carton, which ranks No. 2 in Europe, Grafopack has become a member of a powerful European network.

Grafopack concentrates on producing high-quality packaging and point-of-sale displays serving clients in Spain and France. The names for which it produces striking packaging are among the world's leading brands.

A Strong Partner in the Supply Chain

Grafopack offers its customers a comprehensive service, ranging from design and package development to printing, finishing and logistics. "Thanks to our services we are able to develop and implement tailor-made solutions for our customers," says Tort. Since package printers nowadays are ever more closely integrated within the supply chain, the packaging they produce must be delivered just-in-time in accordance with strict quality standards. Grafopack holds ISO 9001 certification for quality assurance. It also holds ISO 14001 certification for environment management, which allows the company to comply with internationally accepted environmental standards.

Innovation, a Matter of Course

In order to maintain its leading place in the highly competitive packaging market, Grafopack depends on quality, service and innovation. One example of innovation lies in the organoleptically neutral packaging demanded by the confectionery industry. "Organoleptically neutral" means that the taste and flavour of the packaging contents must not be compromised in any way, by the cardboard, printing inks or the production process. In collaboration with the manufacturers, Grafopack has developed packaging to guarantee organoleptic neutrality for its products. Tort sees this as a further mark of distinction for his company.

In terms of quality, too, Grafopack strives to introduce new features. Irene Castillo, head of procurement and logistics at Grafopack, points to the example of iridescent inks that create a mother-of-pearl appearance. The cosmetics industry in particular is very keen on this effect.

The Quest for Greater Productivity

Another challenge faced by Grafopack is to meet ever-shorter delivery periods, which can only be done by raising productivity and capacity. "Our customers expect us to be able to forecast their production requirements, providing them with the right amount of packaging, in the right quality, at the right time," explains Tort.

To increase its prepress productivity and at the same time speed up the process, Grafopack began to digitise its prepress operations in the late 1990s. As its partner in this process it chose Agfa. "Agfa managed to convince us not just with its solutions but also its comprehensive know-how. They provided powerful support for us in designing the entire workflow, and took full responsibility for servicing the entire configuration. This meant we had only one partner to deal with whenever there were any problems," Tort recalls.

For translating the packaging and display designs into printing instructions it uses Artwork Systems' Artpro. The RIPped data is then sent to the :Apogee PrintDrive, which drives both the :Sherpa 54 proofing system and the :Xcalibur VLF CtP system. "This configuration gives us a thoroughbred ROOM concept, affording a high degree of production reliability both for us and for our customers. The proof and the printing plate correspond with each other 100%," says Castillo.

The :Xcalibur system began operation at Grafopack in May 2001, and already nearly 75% of all the printing plates are produced by the system. Grafopack produces a total volume of 12,000 printing plates per year. Grafopack uses :Thermostar P970 plates, which offer high quality and stability on the press.

Flexible Workflow Strengthens Customer Bond.

In addition to making significant improvements in quality, digitisation has enabled Grafopack to make enormous gains in flexibility and to reduce its lead times. "Nowadays we can make last-minute alterations with a few clicks of the mouse. Furthermore, digitisation allows us to involve our customers more closely in the production flow," explains Castillo. In terms of quality, the introduction of the :Xcalibur has enabled Grafopack to venture into new territories with screen rulings of up to 200 lpi (80 lpcm), as well as stochastic screening, with very good results. The CtP system is also very reliable, according to Tort. So far there have not been any serious incidents, as the Agfa service team has always reacted very rapidly.

The advantages of the :Xcalibur system extend to the press as well, explains Tort. "The :Xcalibur enables us to control the dot gain precisely and to compensate as necessary."

Grafopack plans to further extend its service in the near future and to integrate its customers even more closely within its chain of production. Another goal is to reduce the processes between initial order and final delivery. An attractive possibility being considered by Grafopack for achieving this objective is the :Delano project management software from Agfa.