Golden West Packaging Group (GWPG) has invested in an HP PageWide C500, as it seeks to target opportunities that are emerging in the wines and spirits market, and which have been accelerated by the coronavirus pandemic.
GWPG supplies a range of digitally printed products including corrugated cases, trays, pallet skirts, case sleeves, headers and displays, to the wine and food industry. GWPG also supplies a wide variety of custom boxes for computers including HP. GWPG principally serves the US West Coast and Mexico, as well as customers further afield.
The addition of the industrial-scale HP PageWide C500 Press builds on GWPG’s experience with high-value corrugated display and high-graphic retail packaging production using HP Scitex 15500, 11000 and FB700 presses.
Strategically located in California’s wine country at the company’s Heritage site in Livermore, the HP PageWide C500 digital corrugated press is specifically allowing GWPG to react quickly to fulfil packaging orders for key clientele in wine and spirits. GWPG also supplies packaging for agriculture and specialty foods, including a wide variety of products that require agility and speed-to-market.
Brian Fellows, vice president of sales and director of digital at GWPG, said, ‘The HP PageWide C500 is changing the rules of the game with substantially faster package supply. Our customers now have new freedom and the flexibility to do what they want, when they want it.
‘Today, during the pandemic, the demand for fast turnaround combined with production flexibility provides our customers the options they need for an ever-changing marketplace.’
Mr Fellows exampled how lead times using the C500 can be reduced to 10 working days or fewer, compared to several weeks using traditional methods requiring plates and tooling. In addition, by leveraging Heritage’s range of digital options, orders as small as a quantity of one up to millions can be fulfilled. Direct-to-consumer, subscription, and online purchases including home delivery, especially for the holiday season, are also driving demand for flexibility in printing that can be fulfilled by digital printing.
‘We don’t see how analogue methods of printing will be able to keep up with this demand,’ stated Mr Fellows.
The HP PageWide C500 press also satisfies Heritage’s sustainability credentials and focus on environmental best practice. For example, the 250,000sqft Heritage site is 90% solar-powered and uses a closed-loop water system so no wastewater runs into the local ecosystem.
The HP press uses ‘true water-based’ inks that can be used safely for food applications, including without adding another contact layer. HP’s water-based inks are odourless and free of UV-reactive chemistries and can comply with stringent global food safety regulations, including Nestlé guidance and Swiss Ordinance. The HP PageWide C500 can also print on 100% recycled media.
‘This especially resonates with eco-conscious wine and food suppliers,’ said Mr Fellows.
