Printers taking part in London Packaging Week at Exel last week expressed satisfaction with the footfall, the number and quality of visitors and the interest shown in carton printing.
This cut across those like D2, who were taking part for the first time or Pipi Print and Packaging, returning for the 15th occasion.
The Leicester print also had beer on tap and a selection of Indian snacks, but the main focus was on the health care and beauty cartons, less so for the patient information leaflets and self adhesive labels it also prints. “We produce everything you might find in a pharmacy,” says sales director Hitesh Parmar. “Coming here enables us to see new customers and existing customers in one hub.”
They were being told about the Fujifilm Jetpress inkjet press that was installed last year. “It has opened up so many new markets, including lower quantities that we could not produce before. It is transforming our business.”
That has been built around two B2 litho presses which it would now like to complement with a B1 press with UV, when it can source a machine to the right specification.
Philtone is another that has something unique to talk about, in this case inline cold foiling. “That’s the message we are putting over and what the vast majority of people we speak to want to talk about,” says Richard Bracey. “Most do not understand what we can do with cold foil though they do understand hot foiling. They still do not know about cold foiling.”
The Bristol company has been finding work as a trade supplier to others that want cold foiling for greetings cards, packaging and so on, either as something they can’t do in-house or to handle overflow work. “This is our third time coming to this exhibition and it’s definitely noticed the quality of the visitors. We only need to meet one new customer to make it worthwhile.”
Falconer is another regular attendee, promoting the special packaging that it can produce. Sales director Colin Gow points to the packaging produced for its own customers as a Christmas gift. The 2025 project is a closely guarded secret though he says that the focus is on textures and shapes that can be achieved through print and different types of board.
Examples of the intricate merry go round and opening house from previous years were on show. “We have been doing this for the last six years. It started as an alternative to the thank you gift of a bottle of wine each year. Now every year we are trying to raise the bar with what can be done with packaging,” he says.
Work begins immediately after the new year with ideas and the first designs, mock ups and models. “We then deliver them by hand in the last week of November and through the next month. And it is no more expensive than the bottle of wine.”
The company began with 300 examples and now produces 450 for customers, members of staff and some suppliers.
“We like to use Holmen’s Incada XL board. It’s local to us, has great environmental credentials and it converts well.”
Across the aisle from Falconer, Curtis Packaging had designed its stand like a beauty counter in a retailer, but rather than sections dedicated to major brands, it had one area for each different material and effects.
This was necessary Rob Finnegan says because the company’s stand intended to last year’s show was stolen along with the van it was in on the eve of the event. Last year that meant cobbling together a presentation using Ikea cabinets. This year it had time to produce something to showcase the quality of its beauty packaging. “This is a new stand with new branding,” he says. “We wanted it to be bit of a beauty showroom.”
The Redhill company’s focus is fixed on quality rather than mixing with more standard cartons arguing that it is not possible to operate with tow levels of quality. That combines with sustainability though the use of vegetable inks and water based coatings and being the pioneer in the UK for the Kurz project to recycle and reprocess unused foils. “It’s a point of difference in what we can do,” he says.
Alongside Curtis, first time exhibitor D2 Printing, was enjoying the show. “Being able to meet people face to face is great for selling the business and what we can do,” says David Harrison. “We have some nice stiff to show, some good customers and a lot of meetings lined up already.”
The company is producing ever increasing volumes of packaging alongside its commercial print. It has led to investment to keep everything in house with the result that packaging now accounts for 80% of turnover. “Because we are in London, we can service all the major brand, though we have a clientele that stretches across the country.”
