Packaging workflow studies “surface” at Pack Print

Earlier this month, Kodak demonstrated a tech-forward attitude towards exhibiting at the Pack Print show. During the event, PD met up with Ken Krause, who is a research-and-development executive at Kodak and a former packaging engineer who has worked for HAVI Global Solutions, Kraft Foods, General Foods Corp., The J.M. Smucker Companies and Procter & Gamble.
Krause used a Microsoft Surface-powered flat-panel display in combination with a packaging sample with an attached Byte tag to present a customer case study. At the show, Kodak’s exhibition included electronic presentations of a wide range of packaging applications from health and beauty to food and beverage.
One such presentation began with the placement of a Land o’Lakes package over the Microsoft Surface hardware. This action brought up three consecutive information panels. The first panel stated, “The Opportunity--The shrink sleeve label for this Land o'Lakes Seasoning product was traditionally printed gravure to meet the demanding quality requirements of the brand owner;” the second screen image displayed, “The KODAK Solution: Packstar Group demonstrated to their client that by utilizing the unique capabilities of their KODAK FLEXCEL NX Digital Flexographic System, they could move the packaging to their more cost-effective flexo press, gain all the benefits of a faster turnaround, and still achieve gravure print quality; and the third panel’s text was “The KODAK Technology-- Workflow: KODAK PRINERGY Workflow and KODAK TIFF Front End Software; Prepress: KODAK FLEXCEL NX Digital Flexographic System, KODAK FLEXCEL Thermal Imaging Layer, KODAK FLEXCEL NX Digital Flexographic Plates; and Other: Prepress and printing by PACKSTAR Flexible Packaging, Amherst, New York.”
Digital technology was not only prevalent in Kodak’s displays; it also was part of Krause’s message about how package printers can eliminate some of the complexity in the package printing workflow. “There’s nothing more sophisticated than the old way of doing things,” Krause opined and added that prepress workflows could benefit from digital technologies such as those offered by his company.