BusinessPrint invests in the litho carton packaging market

In the wake of a global “No Plastic” movement, the paper industry is witnessing a revival following its seemingly slow extinction due to the rise of social media and the digital world. This has led to a rise in demand for paper-based packaging. BusinessPrint has made significant investments in its litho carton packaging printing offering.

The printing company, BusinessPrint, in alignment with the macro environment has made substantial strides in the form of investing in state-of-the-art machinery, recruiting and upskilling the correct staff, revising and streamlining our processes as well as carefully positioning itself in the correct market segments to acquire the targeted revenue. The company, based in Pretoria, offers a turnkey solution for all your printing needs and have recently ventured into the litho carton packaging printing market.

The company first entered the litho carton packaging market in 2018 when growth in the sector boomed. BusinessPrint invested in machinery such as the Heidelberg XL106, the SBL High-Speed Die-cutter and the SBL folder and gluer as a massive contribution to their entry into the litho carton packaging market. “We have seen a tremendous return on investment in the Heidelberg XL106 and the SBL machinery. The press has allowed for very high-speed print runs as well as colour management and consistency. SBL machinery is state-of-the-art in die-cutting, embossing as well as folding and glueing. This has allowed us to complete an entire litho carton print job in-house,” explains, Shane Folgado, BusinessPrint’s Sales Manager.

Entry into a new market necessitated a revision in the company’s processes and an upskilling of the staff to ensure that quality cartons are printed. The company revised its processes by making amendments to its prepress processes in terms of its proof and production requirements among other things. Over and above the upskilling of staff, food packaging printers need to be ISO accredited as part of food safety which BusinessPrint is in the final stages of acquiring.

As mentioned above, BusinessPrint offers a turnkey solution from conception to the printing of the carton. The prepress department assists clients in developing efficient packaging solutions by either making improvements to an existing design or developing a new one based on a client’s brief. “From taking on existing designs to updating a design into a more suitable and better-to-use item, not forgetting new concept developments we have not only the expertise but also the processes and partnerships to allow us to offer turnkey solutions to existing and new clients,” Shane says.

BusinessPrint has already achieved a few successes in the litho carton packaging printing market including printing cereal and cookie boxes. “We are now in the FMCG, sports nutrition and the beauty and personal care markets. Our early successes have given us further confidence in the strategy we embarked on but more importantly, the learnings have made us more efficient and focused,” Shane continues.

While the move into litho carton packaging printing may have been motivated by the growth of the sector, BusinessPrint also aims to make positive contributions to the environment with its product offerings. “We are very committed to the environment. BusinessPrint was one of the first companies to change its plate-making process to a process less plate, therefore, reducing all chemicals and water in the respective process. We have an agreement with recycling companies that come and collect all of our waste including our contaminated waste that may come from our finishing processes and that happens daily. One of the primary focuses of the business is to consistently make a concerted effort to be environmentally responsible,” Shane explains.

As the world moves away from plastic packaging, it is predicted that the litho carton packaging market will grow which will translate into increased competition in the sector. BusinessPrint’s love for quality print has been its driving force since it first opened for business and will continue to keep the company relevant in the sector. “Managing Expectations, over and over” is the company motto to ensure that the client receives the best service possible within the stipulated time, every time. “We are big enough to handle everything big but we are small enough to handle the human element. We deal with all of our staff, from the lowest-ranked right up to the highest level in a very similar manner,” Shane concludes.

The company started as an architecture plan printing company called, Plandruk Dienste and has since grown to offer a multitude of services. The company grew over the years as the printing needs of their customers in Pretoria changed and they started printing flyers, posters etc. This change in services offered necessitated a change in the name which saw the birth of BusinessPrint.