“It started with a corrugated customer in industrial chemicals, for whom we manage their inventory, their colour, brand, and basically we do them a very good job,” says managing director Richard Smith. “So much so that they said ‘will you do it for our labels as well?’ So we did.”

The customer had previously used litho-printed labels, which meant carrying a lot of pre-printed stock that took up storage space and often had to be scrapped if the information changed. 

“Basically we make sure they don’t stray into difficulty, as they’re an own-label company. Everything they print is very eye-catching, striking and designed to elicit a customer response. 

“The print quality, accuracy and consistency has to be absolutely spot on, so when they asked ‘can you do the same for our labels please?’ We said yes, it seemed like fun to get into!”

Business manager Michaela Smith adds: “We realised that the way forward was for short-run, digitally printed labels that would lift their print from mediocre to outstanding, and that’s exactly what we’ve done. We decided on the N610i because it was extremely important for us and our customer that the colours were vibrant and that they jumped off the print. We have found that the quality of the labels printed on the Domino is outstanding.”

Charapak was originally set up in 1980 and has always worked in packaging, concentrating on flexo printing and die-cutting of corrugated materials. It now claims to be the UK’s largest independent manufacturer of corrugated packaging, specialising in promotional displays and retail ready packaging. The name came from founder David Charity, but the present directors acquired the company in a management buyout in 2008. 

Today it is has a turnover of £13m and employs 100 people, operating from a modern factory in Alfreton, Derbyshire. Corrugated printing up to 2x3.5m is handled by three Cuir flexo presses from France. A quality boost came in 2008 with the UK’s first Meiguang litho laminator, followed in 2015 with the UK’s first Bobst Expertfold 165 gluer. An Esko packaging pre-press system is used, which also now serves the digital label operation. 

A second Alfreton site is used by Charapak Integrated Fulfilment, which unpacks imported goods and repacks them for onward delivery.

In 2014 Charapak handled the packaging and fulfilment of hundreds of thousands of ceramic red poppies that had formed the hugely popular ‘Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red’ art installation at the Tower of London. The poppies were then sold to the public for charity at £25 each, raising some £15m for six services-related charities. 

Charapak Integrated Fulfilment packed the poppies and their long metal stalks into 450mm-long corrugated containers that were plain white on the outside but with a fully colour glossy printed interior, showing the installation, instructions and contact details for the six charities.

Moving into labels

The Charapak Labels operation is housed in the main factory, with the inkjet press in a temperature-controlled room. Finishing is handled by an offline AB Graphic Digicon rotary die-cutter. Two operators are trained on the press, which currently runs on single shifts. 

Richard Smith says “We started in May 2015, had a three month ramp-up period while we moved everything in, then said we would have nine months stabilising and settling down, then really pull the stick back. Now it’s working very much the way we wanted and it’s quite profitable.”

Why choose the Domino press? “The main reason was the durability of the ink,” says Smith. “This mattered to the original industrial chemical company, which packs several bottles and cartons in boxes where they bang and rub together. What was required was a degree of surface abrasion resistance.

“This was by far and away the best label printer that we trialled. We looked at Jetrion and ruled it out. We looked at HP Indigo, but the volume of the work we had together with the need for durability ruled the HP out too. We had a look at Epson too.”

He has high praise for Domino’s willingness to help. “The support we had from Domino in an industry we knew nothing about, the simplicity of the user interface and the fact that they held our hands through the whole process was really valuable to us.”

The Domino N610i is a fast seven-colour narrow web inkjet that takes rolls up to 333mm wide. It was introduced in 2013 at LabelExpo as a second-generation model from Domino, following its four-colour N600i. It can be configured with up to seven colours, including opaque white. Charapak’s press has six: CMYK plus orange and violet to extend the gamut. “It’s quite smart so that the press finds the most efficient way to use the colours and ink,” says Smith. 

Domino offers an integration configuration that can incorporate a flexo unit, but Charapak doesn’t have that. Instead it has a clear coating unit on the Digicon die-cutting line. 

When printing six or seven colours Domino recommends running at 50m/min. The top speed with just CMYK is 75m/min, with a resolution of 600dpi but excluding the largest drop size from the Kyocera greyscale printheads. This is notably faster than competitors’ models, only a few of which can hit 600dpi, at much slower speeds.

An Esko front-end is standard, which in Charapak’s case allowed easy integration into its existing Esko workflow. 

Easy installation

“We were one of the first in the UK to get the N610i, so obviously there is always a risk with being an early adopter,” says Smith. “But it was painless. We started learning quite a bit with the material substrates that we started working with, and getting glue squeeze from the pressure and things like that. Given it was new technology there were very few substrate suppliers that had any mileage or history with it. We did a lot of trial and error to find materials that worked.” 

The press has proved reliable in use, he says. “It’s broken a couple of times but it’s been something and nothing. When we first started we were under pressure because everything seemed to take a while, but now it doesn’t. We’ve got hours of capacity free so if we have a grumble it’s not disruptive. But really it is boringly reliable and predictable. 

“We have the highest level of service package, which is fully inclusive for peace of mind. We are obsessive when it comes to cleaning, and we’ve been complimented by Domino that we keep it in such good order.”

Are there any improvements he’d like in future? “Yes, I’d like it to be faster, wider and water-based!” Smith laughs. “That’s some way down the track. One thing I would like is a bit more productivity data out of it. A lot of that we capture manually. It’s not linked to the MIS.”

Would he buy it again?“Yes, I would. In a heartbeat. For all the reasons we’ve discussed, plus the help and support that Domino gave us. And that’s not to mention the deal we got! It’s a risk to take the first one, and we were also a prominent name – we’d just done the Tower of London poppies packaging and fulfilment – so it was a good deal. Still a lot of money though!” 

SPECIFICATIONS

Max web width 340mm

Max print width 333mm

Media types Polyethylene, polypropylene and paper self-adhesive label stock, plus selected unsupported materials (films)

Print speeds Up to 50m/min in high quality mode with white; 75m/min in rapid mode

Printheads Kyocera KJ4 four-level greyscale

Resolution 600dpi native, claimed to be equivalent to 1,340dpi with four drop sizes

Ink UV-LED cured

Ink colours CMYK plus options for orange, violet and white 

Footprint 5.6x1.9m 

Digital front-end Esko

List price £530,000 (six colours), £640,000 (seven colours), includes front-end, installation and training. No click charges

Contact Domino 01954 782551 www.domino-printing.com

Company profile 

Charapak was established in 1980 and is a privately owned business with a turnover of around £13m that employs around 100 people. It has won many awards for print and packaging over the years and last year it added to its tally with the Company of the Year award in the Derby Telegraph Business Awards. Its main operations are divided into corrugated packaging and display manufacture on one site, and packing/fulfilment and specialist coated packaging on another. 

The company has two large sites in Alfreton, Derbyshire, for printing and fulfilment, plus a sales office in London. It serves domestic and international customers in the industrial, food and drink, automotive, retail and e-commerce markets.

Why it was bought...

Labels are a new venture, set up in 2015 around the Domino N610i digital inkjet press and AB Graphic semi-rotary die-cutter. This move has opened up new business opportunities to supply both existing and new customers with high-quality printed labels with short lead times.

“It’s a new angle, a different dimension,” says managing director Richard Smith. “It lets us lock in customers that we can supply a full service to. I’m keeping my eyes open for what’s coming down the track.”

How it has performed... 

Business manager Michaela Smith says: “The key benefits in using the Domino press are its productivity, the quality, and the durability of the labels that are absolutely first class. Our customer now has zero inventory, lack of obsolescence and we print to order.”