Orora Group has showcased a range of new kit, including Australia's first EFI Nozomi C18000 digital press for corrugated board, to customers at its Innovation Expo in Oakleigh, Victoria. The inaugural event is part of the packaging giant's push for innovation in its business model.
Since 2015, Orora has invested $45 million into an innovation initiative to drive the company forward, and an extra $30 million will go into the fund moving forward. According to Brian Lowe, group general manager for fibre at Orora, the initiative proves that Orora is serious about innovation, and this expo was a way of conveying that attitude to its customers. "It's one thing to say we want to be an innovative company and do things differently, but talk is cheap," he said.
The big-ticket item at the show was the Nozomi, newly installed and already printing in CMYK plus orange and violet; white ink is expected to come later this year. "It has the most sophisticated digital printing capability available in the world today for corrugated boxes," said Lowe.
Other technology on display included the Highcon Euclid IIIC laser cutter, originally designed for greeting cards but repurposed for corrugated board; the Limitronic Limitag V6 Orion mobile in-line printer for on-demand four-colour applications; the BCS Boxer, which produces a wide range of different carton shapes and sizes from a flat corrugated sheet; and a Ghelfi carton erector that creates "no-crush" trays.
According to Lowe, this focus on innovation is a strong value proposition for Orora's business and customers. "For us, based on the investments we have in place and the industries we're focused on, we believe the best opportunity we have to grow our business and the value of our company is through innovation," he said. "It's not just through focusing on large-volume, low-specification work - that's not what we believe will make us and our shareholders the most value over time across the segments we supply."
Lowe believes it's vital for companies like Orora to keep pace with print and packaging buyers who seek to frequently overhaul their branding. "Brands are not content with running the same thing for the next five years - they want to look at the next month or six months ahead and decide what they're going to change up," he said. "If you don't have the capability to support that, then I'm not sure you can offer what the customers and the marketplace want."