Two years ago, Bennett took a leap of faith by investing in one of the first large-format, single-pass, direct-to-corrugated digital printers in North America. Kathy Bennett, CEO of Bennett Packaging of Kansas City, Inc., announced at their 30th Anniversary Celebration late last year, that their second Barberan Jetmaster digital press would arrive in early 2018.
Investing in a second printer of this caliber, from the same manufacturer, is a testament to the success the Bennetts have seen with the new digital printing technology. Over the past two and a half years, Bennett cusotmers have benefitted from the efficiencies from the digital process, and Bennett has seen an increase in market share. The current 66-inch Jetmaster is operating three shifts, each day, at the Lee’s Summit headquarters.
Bennett’s second Jetmaster is 48 inches wide and better aligns with projects that would normally be printed on a 40-inch offset press. It is still not the goal to transition all projects to a digital press, however. Craig Bradley, VP of Manufacturing R&D states, “Not all projects are suited for digital. Digital printing is just one of our capabilities here at Bennett. And although about 90% of our litho-lam jobs and 20% of high-graphic flexo direct print jobs, have transitioned to digital, we anticipate that we will continue to utilize all of the equipment in our facility.”
Robert Sweet, Bennett’s Sales Manager concurs: “This digital press gives our customers another production option when they want high-graphic packaging and retail displays. Digital print may be preferred for a project simply to increase the speed to market, or because different creative versions are needed for the same structure, or to help fulfill a client’s sustainability efforts of reducing raw materials in their packaging.”
Regardless of why the digital process may be chosen for a particular project, there is no denying the quality of the output. Bennett has been awarded numerous accolades for this new printing genre over the past couple of years.
The success of digital printing has resulted in an increase in demand by customers within the corrugated industry. Bennett is proud to be ahead of the curve in this printing evolution and with their partnership with Barberan, is able to add capacity to their production facility with their second digital press.
About Bennett
Celebrating 30 years of success, Bennett is a woman-owned, packaging and display company providing customized solutions that protect and promote their customer’s products. Offering services and manufacturing, from concept to design, from testing to production and from pack-out to distribution, Bennett is a turn-key partner.
