TriState takes world’s first Idera

TriState Container Corporation has become the world’s first print provider to acquire Idera, the new Xeikon digital printing solution for corrugated packaging converters.

TriState is an independently owned third generation manufacturer located in Pennsylvania. It provides a wide variety of corrugated solutions from shipping containers to custom high graphic corrugated requirements through two divisions - TriState Container, and ProCorr Display and Packaging.

Idera was created to bring easy, flexible, and sustainable packaging to the corrugated packaging industry. The Idera architecture and specifications provide speed, flexibility and agility to corrugated converters, delivering new opportunities with customers, and internal productivity gains to the converter.

Idera prints on coated and uncoated corrugated sheets up to 63-inches wide x 110-inches long, enables variable printing speeds between 196ft/min and 393ft/min flexibility in terms of in-line priming, varnishing and drying, and peripherals such as automatic pre-feeding and stacking.

Allen Friedman, president, TriState said: “I saw my first single pass digital press in a corrugated converting operation about five years ago. What struck me was the potential impact this technology could have on addressing limitations of current analogue technologies, and the requirements converters place on packaging buyers to maintain internal efficiency and cost.

“As an independent, we are always looking for how we can create greater value for our customer, while building competitive advantage for ourselves. We believe the Idera digital press positions TriState to achieve both. We envision internal and external benefits for TriState. Internally, we can move jobs to the digital press that are better suited to digital technology.

“Externally, we see this as a perfect fit for customers with emerging or proliferating brands. These types of jobs may be too small for flexo runs and too large for multi-pass. In the past, these brands were afraid of the associated time and costs when they wanted to improve print quality or make a design step change. Many have indicated a desire to change their order behaviour. We also see an opportunity to develop design capabilities for our customers.”

Friedman concludes: “We’re looking forward to promoting Idera’s high print quality to our customers and being able to print short and long runs with all the benefits of a digital print-on-demand solution, including reduced waste. Even more importantly, we have kicked off a long-term partnership with Xeikon, as I believe it is one of the few providers with the competences, resources and approach to succeed in the digital corrugated box market.”

To develop Idera, Xeikon combined its long established in-house digital expertise with the experience and manufacturing footprint of its parent company, Flint Group, the number one supplier of inks for corrugated packaging.

Sebastien Stabel, market segment manager, Carton Packaging for Xeikon notes that: “Xeikon is, of course, excited about digital potential in the corrugated market, but it is critical to successfully implement this reference installation. Together with TriState we have developed a business model, as well as a technical solution to kick-off digital production.

“Idera is backed up by Xeikon’s own food-compliant Idera AT inks, industrial inkjet and workflow know-how. We have worked closely with Flint Group, our partners, and most importantly our customers, to customise hardware and ink sets to address the changing needs of the corrugated market.”

Xeikon has appointed a dedicated digital carton press sales manager, with Victor Ortiz taking the role.

The nascent digital carton printing sector essentially kicked off at the last drupa, and is seen as a land of opportunity for carton printing companies, by enabling short run, variable data and on demand printing.