Watershed Group has detailed the success it has seen since investing in a Mark Andy Digital Series hybrid press, as it continues to enhance its label production capabilities.

The company, Ireland’s largest privately-owned international labelling and packaging company, has completed a €3 million spend that included a move to new headquarters in Dublin and the addition of another Mark Andy P5E Performance Series flexo press.

By also previously adding the Digital Series hybrid press, Watershed moved into the market for premium drinks labels. The Digital Series hybrid press installed has a 330mm (13in) web width and is fitted with four flexo units, one with reverse print option, along with the CMYK+W inkjet engine, laminating and QCDC-SR die station.

Watershed’s move into the premium drinks labels market has been further supported by the acquisition of an existing speciality drinks business, ‘The Label Factory’, which provided an instant entry into that sector.

Watershed identified specialist technology offering future-proof, innovative, inkjet capability as being required to differentiate itself from other label converters, and allowing it to offer a wider range of ‘new and exciting’ print options to customers.

The Mark Andy Digital Series has provided Watershed unmatched speed and flexibility to cater for top-quality short to medium run labels across a range of substrates with inline finishing, as explained by Watershed director Patrick Murphy.

‘We know how good Mark Andy flexo quality is, so the commercial possibilities and cost saving benefits of combining flexo with the flexibility of digital inkjet in one press was too tempting to resist. The digital quality matches the flexo, and if need be, we can bypass the digital engine and run the press all flex.’

A notable success story using the hybrid press has been for the launch of gins by the well-respected Irish TV personality Graham Norton. This label featured a complex combination of print finishes, which the inline hybrid press was able to handle with aplomb. Read more about the project here.