Highcon Systems Ltd has confirmed that Ireland-based McGowans Digital Print has taken the next step in its digital journey with installation of the country’s first Highcon Beam 2 digital cutting and creasing solution. In combination with its new Landa press, the company expects to utilise its new Highcon technology to expand into new and profitable packaging jobs, realizing a 30% increase in revenue within three months.
The Highcon Beam 2 has been installed as part of an end-to-end digital print and packaging workflow for folding carton and microflute corrugated packaging jobs. Implemented at McGowans’ Dublin facility, the Highcon technology is enabling the company to meet increasingly tight deadlines for short run jobs, with less set-up time and waste. The new Highcon investment will also support new business from McGowans’ all-new on-demand e-commerce packaging platform, BoxJob.com, which officially launches in May.
“What the Highcon brings to the table is real digital finishing. It’s not only cutting, it is creasing and stripping too. It does so much more than a traditional analog solution. The introduction of a digital finishing process here has dramatically streamlined our production workflow for increased efficiencies,” said Mal McGowan, Founder and CEO, McGowans Print.
“Crucially, having the Landa, Nozomi and HP Indigo working together with the Highcon Beam 2 also means that we can offer customers a ‘virtual house’ for all their packaging or display needs. Literally, customers can now make changes to their packaging designs on the fly, produce a smaller batch or simply run a limited seasonal promotion – but without the expensive or waste of unwanted stock, that also has to be stored in expensive real estate. Cool floor graphics and display applications are also reaping the benefits of digital cutting and creasing including improved production times for point-of-sale displays,” added McGowan.
McGowans specializes in commercial printing, Point Of Sale, and packaging jobs. It offers customers everything from initial concept work, to box design and the supply of complete finished printed products. Historically, the company has been among the first to adopt new digital technologies, proudly bringing new and often ground-breaking capabilities to the Irish market.
The Highcon Beam 2 at McGowans has now been fully operational for six months, supporting jobs from standard boxes to eye catching and sophisticated packaging and displays.
“It is the speed, flexibility and on-demand capabilities of the Beam 2 that sell this machine. The amount of work you can do with the Highcon is beyond good,” said McGowan. “Of course, large brands can rely on us for their short-run packaging requirements, but with the introduction of our new website www.BoxJob.com, we can now also support low volume business – perhaps a small business working online from home. We are excited to see what new doors the Highcon Beam 2 can open for us.”
The Highcon Beam 2 also contributes to the company’s sustainability goals. It does this by eliminating the wood, metal and rubber components needed to produce traditional dies, as well as the associated logistics and warehouse costs needed to store them. In addition, it also contributes to a reduction in traditional print volumes and its associated waste, by powering new digital short to medium run jobs.
“With the increasing demand for more complex and shorter-run jobs, the Highcon Beam 2 is the perfect solution for McGowan’s – improving its digital manufacturing capabilities, increasing capacity, improving lead times and opening the e-commerce market. This is a booming segment right now,” said Juergen Freier, VP Sales and GM, Highcon Europe. “We are proud to see our first digital cutting and creasing system in Ireland up and running at McGowans – they are a great fit for the technology, we are also working with Litho Supplies in Ireland, who is now an official reseller of Highcon equipment in another step on our digital finishing journey.”
