Mid America Display, the custom product display and signage division of St. Louis corrugated packaging provider Boxes, Inc., is expanding its leading-edge digital production packaging supply chain and display graphics operations with the purchase of a second ultra-high-speed EFI Nozomi C18000 single-pass inkjet, direct-to-board digital printer; EFI MarketDirect PackCentral software; and an EFI VUTEk superwide-format printer from Electronics For Imaging, Inc.
When the new single-pass solution is installed later this month, Mid America Display will be the first company in the world to operate two Nozomi C18000 printers in a single production facility.
The company will unveil its second ultra-high-speed single-pass corrugated printer during a Dec. 4 open house event.
The 71-inch wide, LED-inkjet Nozomi C18000 is a groundbreaking production device that has earned multiple industry awards for its high quality, efficiency and productivity. According to Mid America Display and Boxes, Inc. CEO Mike Patton, it brings greater digital capacity and redundancy to the company’s offerings, meeting growing demand across all market segments.
The company selected the EFI single-pass solution based on the overwhelming success it has seen with its first printer.
“We feel EFI has the leading technology in this space,” Patton said. “That’s why we chose to stay with EFI for a second printer. Not only will this second Nozomi help us maintain our prime position as a leading packaging and display provider, it will be a primary resource for new, fast-turnaround, shorter-run work coming in with a new e-commerce division business launching this month.”
Driven to Xceed with advanced digital solutions
In addition to its two existing businesses – Boxes Inc. for packaging production and Mid America Display – the company is launching Xceed, a print-on-demand, e-commerce business for corrugated production, and Xceed Pro, a solution developed specifically for brands and agencies needing more-comprehensive online package ordering capabilities. The two additional EFI products Mid America Display recently added ahead of its second Nozomi C18000 printer installation – EFI’s MarketDirect PackCentral web-to-pack software and an EFI VUTEk GS3250lx Pro hybrid flatbed/roll-to-roll superwide-format LED inkjet printer – will help support the Xceed Pro launch.
The company’s new VUTEk printer is a 126-inch wide LED inkjet solution that prints eight colors plus white at speeds up to 22 boards per hour in production mode.
MarketDirect PackCentral, which provides streamlined, fully featured online design, is the backbone of Xceed Pro’s web-to-pack ordering capabilities, creating an end-to-end workflow from online job submission to an EFI Fiery digital front end (DFE) to the Nozomi printer. “PackCentral is a complete package for our e-commerce store front that has several benefits,” stated Boxes, Inc. and Mid America Display Chief Information Officer Tim Korte. “It allows our customers to upload their own print-ready files and receive an instant price so they can place their order online. Plus, we can easily use PackCentral to customize a website tailored to a specific customer’s needs or industry.”
Sustainable, efficient, high-graphic production
The new Nozomi C18000 printer being installed marks a dramatic increase in Mid America Display’s robust production capabilities, giving the company the ability to quickly meet almost any corrugated packaging and display supply chain need with a solution that improves sustainability and efficiency, eliminating the often significant waste from production make-readies and obsolescence that happens in analog litho-lamination based packaging supply chain operations. Operating at speeds up to 246 linear feet (75 linear meters) per minute – the equivalent of up to 10,000 35x35-inch (890x890-mm) boards per hour two-up – the Nozomi C18000 printer is the choice of leading corrugated producers worldwide. Its single-pass, piezo inkjet imaging system delivers accurate, high-fidelity color, including excellent, consistent reproduction on solid areas.
Both of Mid America Display’s Nozomi C18000 printers have a six-color (CMYK, orange and violet) plus white configuration of Genuine EFI Inks for superior-quality, expanded-gamut imaging with matte, satin or glossy finishes. The printers’ high-productivity, robust, industrial head architecture eliminates the downtime associated with replacing consumable printheads.
Boxes, Inc. and Mid America Display’s central U.S. location in St. Louis provides a strategic advantage in product distribution for efficiently and cost-effectively delivering products anywhere in the continental U.S. within two to four days. Installing a second Nozomi printer magnifies company capabilities in terms of delivering products wherever they are needed with shorter lead times and fast production cycles on new designs.
The EFI Nozomi C18000 is compatible with a broad range of boards – from N-flute to double-wall board, and including traditional Kemi, mottled, bleach and kraft materials. Its unique white ink offering allows the printing of high-quality, full-color images on brown kraft board. The printer is also the only ultra-high-speed, single-pass corrugated inkjet printer to have its output certified for OCC recyclability and repulpability by the Western Michigan University Recycling, Paper and Coating Pilot Plant – a leading certification organization for corrugated recycling.
The Nozomi printers at Mid America Display feature EFI’s ultra-fast Fiery NZ-1000 DFE and production system, which provides exceptional print and color quality, advanced color management, and efficient job management to produce versioned and variable print runs at engine-rated speed.
“Boxes, Inc. and Mid America Display will truly have one of the industry’s most advanced corrugated production facilities with the installation of the second EFI Nozomi C18000 printer. This company is a true innovator in post-print, direct-to-board, high-graphic corrugated production, and we are thrilled to continue our partnership with Mike Patton and his team to drive continued growth,” said EFI Chief Revenue Officer Frank Mallozzi. “The selection of products Mid America Display has added, including our brand-new MarketDirect offering for web-to-pack production, really reflects EFI’s commitment to fueling our customers’ success with a smarter, broader ecosystem that provides the right market-focused solutions.”
The EFI Nozomi C18000 is part of a complete ecosystem for corrugated manufacturing available from EFI, with leading edge inks, Fiery DFE technology, and a complete EFI Corrugated Packaging Suite business and production management workflow.
