Installations News
Ontario lands Canada’s first EFI Nozomi C18000 installation

Whitebird is looking to offer faster turnaround and greater versatility in high-end corrugated packaging production with its recent acquisition of the EFI Nozomi C18000 inkjet press, making it Canada’s first installation of the corrugated inkjet press, EFI says.

With the Nozomi press, the second-generation, Hamilton, Ont., independent boxmaker will be able to produce shelf-ready packaging and corrugated displays in the exact quantities customers need — a key advantage over the larger fixed costs and minimum run lengths required on high-graphic corrugated packaging using analogue flexo and litho lamination methods, EFI explains. Scheduled to be installed in the fourth quarter of 2018, the new press is expected to shorten the time needed to launch new designs from weeks or months to just days.

“Our customers know they can achieve greater sell-through with clever versioning strategies and interesting new designs, but excessive analogue run-length requirements often restrict them to only using packaging that they already have in inventory,” said Whitebird Vice President William Heikoop. “We looked closely at the single-pass offerings in the market, and it was clear that the EFI Nozomi press was the best option to provide more versatility in the corrugated packaging supply chain and better serve customers with superior-quality, direct-to-board digital print.”

The 71-inch (1.8-metre) wide EFI Nozomi C18000 single-pass, LED inkjet, ultra-high-speed press operates at speeds up to 246 linear feet (75 linear metres) per minute and can print up to 10,000 35×35-inch (890×890-mm) boards per hour two-up.

Leveraging a piezo grayscale inkjet writing system, the Nozomi press is designed to deliver high-fidelity colour, including consistent reproduction on solid areas. And, the EFI Fiery NZ-1000 digital front end (DFE) print server and production system aims to produce versioned/multi-SKU work and even personalized packaging at full speed.

“Whitebird’s executives have long seen the promise of what digital can achieve and we are excited to help them put that vision into action with Canada’s first ultra-high-speed, single-pass digital corrugated packaging press,” said José Luis Ramón Moreno, vice president and general manager, EFI Industrial Printing. “The significant advantages Whitebird’s clients will receive with the EFI Nozomi’s high-end LED inkjet technology will further improve the company’s already strong reputation as a customer-centric packaging manufacturer delivering exceptional service and fast turnaround.”