EPAC TO OPEN SECOND FLEXIBLES PLANT IN ANZ

Digital flexibles packaging print producer ePac is going to build a second plant in Australia or New Zealand within 18 months, with the location yet be decided.

The global innovator, which began operation in 2016, only opened its first Australian plant in November, in Melbourne, and added a second pouchmaking line less than six months later. The ANZ business is headed by Jason Brown.

The new plant will likely be based on the Melbourne operation, which runs with two HP Indigo 25K digital presses for flexibles printing, and two pouchmaking lines.

The ePac model around the world is to work with entrepreneurs, offering small businesses big business marketing, through providing short-run, on demand, fully printable, cost effective pouches, for foods, petfoods, lollies, snacks, nutritionals, coffee and the like.

Printing on the whole pouch enables the entrepreneurs to optimise the real estate, rather than buying standard pouches and sticking a label on, and to compete in perception with the big brands.

Globally ePac has committed to establishing eleven new sales and manufacturing locations in the next 18 months, which will be located across Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East/North Africa, and North America, bringing its worldwide footprint to 36 locations.

In the Asia Pacific region, a second plant will be added in Indonesia, as well as Australia or New Zealand, and a new operation will start up in Malaysia. The company also plans to establish an Asia-based Global Services group to manage operations in the region.

The company says it provides “new cost-effective, time-efficient, tailored and sustainable offerings for support small and medium sized businesses looking to level-up their brand presence”.

The first ePac production facility in the region is eight kilometres from the Melbourne CBD, at the new Newlands Road food manufacturing hub, located in the heart of Coburg’s thriving industrial district.