Under the leadership of CEO Tommy du Sart, REN-Flex has become South Africa’s leading provider of in-mould label (IML), flexible packaging and shrink label solutions to the packaging industry.
REN-Flex has consistently shown their commitment to quality and innovation by investing in the latest digital printing press technology. They were the first company in SA to invest in the HP Indigo 20K, and this year became the launch customer for the HP Indigo 25K.
Maintaining a competitive edge
The new HP Indigo 25K is REN-Flex’s second HP Indigo digital press, and as part of their recent investment, they have also had their HP Indigo 20000 upgraded. At the launch event in August 2022, Du Sart explained how the 25K has opened up a great many new opportunities for the company.
The arrival of the 25K is the next step in REN-Flex’s evolution, as the company continues to diversify away from paper printing. This is a trend that REN-Flex is confidently predicting will not only continue, but accelerate.
The Ophirton, Johannesburg plant, where the 25K has been installed, focuses on flexible packaging, in line with the growing demand for food-safe pouches as customers look to simultaneously reduce costs and increase the recyclability of their product packaging.
Exceeding customer expectations
Now that the 25K is fully operational, REN-Flex can deliver an expanded short-run offering, with the proven ability to rapidly switch between jobs with minimal turnaround times. The result is increased throughput and even happier customers.
Exciting new technology
One of the key features of the HP Indigo 25K is its colour automation technology, which gets to the correct colour fast and keeps it consistent, and uses artificial intelligence and algorithms to boost print time by as much as 25%. The end result is more automation with less waste.
This has helped REN-Flex secure more IML work and become the leading supplier of IML solutions in the country – an important development as previously most IML work was directed overseas.
With the capability to match the quality of IML work from international companies, REN-Flex is attracting new business and seeing additional orders come in. They are now confident that the future of the company is more secure than ever.
Introducing the HP Indigo 25K
Despite its advanced technology, the HP 25K can be easily operated by one person thanks to the unwinder that removes the need for heavy lifting, and the intuitive Windows-based operating system.
This seven-colour press offers genuine offset printing quality, without compromising on colour register or quality. It can print on substrates ranging in thickness from 10 – 350 microns, making it ideal for both flexible packaging and labelling applications.
Ink options include specific spot colours and security colours, while the Spot Master inline scanning technology allows precise matches to specific pantone references. These colours can be perfectly matched within three minutes, helping to minimise media wastage and reduce downtime between jobs.
New service software alerts the operator to a possible failure using predictive press care technology with the intention of “fixing it before its broken”.
The HP Indigo 25K can be easily integrated with print embellishment and cutting devices as part of an integrated, full-service printshop.
Kemtek after-sales service
The entire installation process took two weeks, with Kemtek providing training onsite and at our Centre of Excellence in City Deep. As part of the purchase, REN-Flex received a dedicated uptime kit (UTK), which allows for autonomous maintenance and automated parts ordering when required.
A bright future
With REN-Flex’s operations now largely being directed by the second generation of the Du Sart family, and with the HP Indigo 25K firmly bedded in, the future of the company is very secure indeed. They are anticipating that the next five to 10 years will be particularly interesting, as the printing industry continues to transition away from paper, and the food sector continues to embrace flexible, sustainable packaging options.
To learn more about digital flexible packaging and labelling solutions from HP Indigo and Kemtek, contact Carl Zerle on (+27) 083 632 3232 or by e-mail at carlz@kemtek.co.za or Pierre Driver on (+27) 082 446 3860 or by e-mail at pierred@kemtek.co.za.
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