In order to modernize its graphics capabilities by using more-efficient equipment and to ensure the highest level of competitiveness, the Peruvian packaging business Trupal recently purchased the EFI Nozomi C18000 Plus, an industrial digital corrugated printer delivering high-volume, single-pass direct-to-board inkjet printing, from Electronics For Imaging, Inc.
The versatility, high-quality graphics and speed provided by this technology will give Trupal the ability to streamline its production of corrugated outer packaging for fresh fruit exports.
The company, headquartered in Lima, will be the first in Latin America to install Nozomi technology, which is the corrugated packaging industry’s leading single-pass inkjet printing solution. Trupal will also be one of the first in the world to install the newly introduced Nozomi C18000 Plus model, which offers a range of advanced productivity and workflow enhancements.
With more than 50 years’ experience and 1,500 employees, Trupal is one of the leaders in rigid and flexible packaging solutions. The company’s production covers the entire process, from manufacturing the paper to producing the final packaging, and each product is unique for every customer.
By purchasing the EFI Nozomi C18000 Plus, Trupal hopes to significantly increase the versatility of its portfolio. “One of the aspects of the equipment that caught our attention was the variety of colors available. With its high speed, our aim is to achieve a 25% to 35% ROI,” said Leandro Mariátegui Cáceres, Trupal’s general manager.
Mariátegui was impressed specifically in conversations with EFI and with Nozomi users about the printer. “EFI is the market leader with many installations throughout the world and has a vast knowledge base to share with its customers,” he said. “This gives us complete security.”
During the pandemic, there has been a significant increase worldwide in the output registered by Nozomi users. “Nozomi users have recorded a 41% average increase in production year over year on their printers, a figure that is five times higher than users’ overall 8% rate of growth,” said Evandro Matteucci, general manager and vice president of Building Materials and Packaging, EFI. “We hope to be able to help Trupal – a true leader in packaging innovation for Latin America – benefit from the digital growth trend with the high-quality productivity the EFI Nozomi C18000 Plus delivers.”
Digital printing of corrugated packaging with the EFI Nozomi C18000 Plus creates new opportunities for manufacturing lots of any size, versioned packaging and just-in-time production of high-quality boxes. These market trends have made inkjet printing technology one of the fastest-growing segments in a strong corrugated packaging market that, according to research company Smithers, is growing 3.7% annually toward a projected $300 billion in total market value by 2023 .
A long-standing relationship
Beyond providing digital printing technology to Trupal, EFI also helps the company with production and corporate management tools needed to adopt a digital business model with short time-to-market requirements and low inventory. Trupal has used scheduling software from EFI for many years to manage the production of corrugated cardboard containers.
“EFI’s PC Topp software is a very advanced tool that helps us organize and schedule the entire production process in the plant,” Mariátegui said. “By Peruvian standards we are a large company, with 14 flexographic printing facilities in Lima and another four in our branch in the north of the country. This software, custom-built for the packaging industry, allows us to better utilize available resources on all equipment.”
Premium-quality packaging with cutting-edge technology
The company is now taking the next step in its evolution, reaching the cutting edge of the industry with its new printer. “Five years ago, we purchased conventional printing technology from one of EFI’s competitors, but the equipment wasn’t single-pass technology like Nozomi and did not meet our expectations,” noted Mariátegui. “The technology was limited and slow, supplies were costly, and the machine had low productivity. We were looking for a digital printer that provided versatility, high-quality graphics and productivity. We found all these qualities in the EFI Nozomi C18000 Plus.”
With this installation, the company will widen its presence in export packaging for popular, nutrient-dense agro-industrial products – commonly known as Super Foods – popular in Europe. These include tropical fruits such as mangoes, blueberries, avocados, oranges, lemons and tangerines among others.
According to Mariátegui, this market requires agility and state-of-the-art technology because they are gourmet products with well-designed packaging.
“With EFI Nozomi technology, we found the versatility and speed that we needed to improve our operations in the fresh fruit agricultural export sector, principally for air transportation,” said Mariátegui. “We often receive orders from Peruvian customers who need to export mangoes to Madrid, by plane, in 72 hours. If we cannot provide a fast response by producing durable and sophisticated outer packaging, we lose the customer and business opportunities.”
Trupal’s operations also involve producing packaging for processed foods and alcoholic beverages, such as wine and pisco – a traditional Peruvian brandy drink. With various quality and eco-friendly certifications, the company carries out its production activities using environmentally friendly processes, including recycling all manufactured paper and using Peruvian sugar cane bagasse as a raw material for producing the paper.
A new challenge
The installation of the EFI Nozomi printer is a new challenge for Trupal’s team, as it represents a step up for the company as it moves to new, state-of-the-art equipment. EFI will support this move with its Digital Solutions Program of professional services. “We are raising our standards and, as this is new technology, the team will have to go through rigorous training in order to understand the features and leverage all of the printer's benefits,” Mariátegui said. “We will also be offering our customers new options – such as the high-graphic color capacity we have added to our portfolio – at the speed required by the market and at an affordable cost.”
EFI’s team has worked closely with Trupal during this process. “I believe that by the second year, the equipment will be working at 100% of its production capacity,” stated Mariátegui. “If everything goes to plan, we may soon be able to purchase a second machine.”
The EFI Nozomi C18000 Plus printer
Specifically developed for corrugated cardboard production using EFI industrial single-pass technology, the new EFI Nozomi C18000 Plus printer includes improvements to increase productivity, quality and versatility in post-print corrugated packaging and display manufacturing. Job processing for the Nozomi C18000 Plus is 5% faster thanks to the latest version of the EFI Fiery NZ-1000 digital front end (DFE) used to control the printer. In addition, the new Plus model includes important variable-data, ink savings and cloud-management capabilities in its Fiery DFE.
The printer also includes advanced feeder and transport and vacuum systems that optimize productivity and printer uptime. And, the Nozomi C18000 Plus features an improved post-print quality inspection system to help users monitor quality and quickly identify inkjet nozzle issues or other defects.
The printer can run at speeds up to 246 linear feet (75 linear meters) per minute, producing up to 10,000 35x35-inch (890x890-mm) boxes per hour. In addition to its standard CMYK inkset, the printer is available with optional orange, violet or white inks for an imaging gamut of up to 97% of PANTONE Colors.
