Installations News
SupremeX installs Koenig & Bauer Rapida 105 PRO

In 2020, Montreal-based SupremeX, a manufacturer of business envelopes, labels and packages, installed a new fully-automated UV-equipped 41”, seven-colour Koenig & Bauer Rapida 105 PRO. This helped the company meet the increased demand for packaging materials, and it saw its revenue in its Packaging and Specialty Products segment increase by 10 per cent due to growth in e-commerce packaging.

“Organic growth came primarily from new e-commerce packaging customer relationships we have been developing over the past several months,” said Stewart Emerson, president and CEO. “Our main growth driver in 2020 was our Packaging and Specialty Products segment. Growth came primarily from new subscription-based e-commerce packaging customer relationships that we’ve been developing and nurturing.”

“Having our new Rapida 105 PRO gave us 40 per cent extra efficiency and throughput and helped us to deliver these orders,” said Islem Yezza, vice president and general manager at SupremeX Folding Carton. “We have increased our output exponentially each month with the new press.”

According to Yezza, n-flute cardboard, which the company uses for many of its food and cosmetic industry customers, saw a five-times higher use. The firm was able to expand its n-flute printing to at least 500,000 sheets on the Rapida 105 PRO, producing half-a-million n-flute each month.

Due to the pandemic, e-commerce demand has seen a permanent uptick, according to Yezza, and it will continue to be a key driver for SupremeX’s business. The firm is committed to continuing to grow its packaging platform through equipment investments like this one.

“Ever since it was installed, our Rapida 105 PRO has contributed to our growth and enhanced our capabilities, quality, competitiveness, and added much-needed capacity. It turned out to be exactly what we needed during this unforeseen pandemic and has operated as a top-notch best of breed press,” added Emerson.

SupremeX recently received an AA accreditation for its BRCGS packaging certification for food safety, and were also awarded the EcoVadis Silver CSR medal.