Javier Quesada, founder and CEO of Kento Digital Printing, delivered an engaging presentation at the FuturePrint TECH Packaging and Labels conference in Valencia, offering a practical exploration of digital transformation in the corrugated packaging sector. Specialising in hybrid digital printers for corrugated, Kento has installations across Europe, America, and Africa. Quesada’s session focused on a real-world case study with Cervezas Gran Via, a mid-sized brewery in Seville, Spain, as it transitioned from basic shipping containers to high-quality, retail-ready packaging.
From Basic to Branded Packaging
Cervezas Gran Via, producing 3 million litres of beer annually, aimed to expand from the hospitality sector into retail. To succeed, the brewery needed to replace its plain corrugated boxes with visually striking packaging that could compete on supermarket shelves. The challenge was to identify the most cost-effective and high-quality printing method for small to mid-sized production volumes.
Evaluating Print Technologies
Quesada walked the audience through the brewery’s decision-making process, comparing the costs and benefits of various printing technologies in both preprint and post-print workflows. He analyzed:
- Offset Printing: While offering superior print quality, offset was expensive and involved multiple production steps, making it inefficient for smaller volumes.
- Preprint Flexo: More cost-effective than offset, preprint flexo still faced significant plate costs, which were a barrier for smaller runs.
- Digital Preprint: This method eliminated the need for plates but incurred high ink costs, especially for full-coverage designs like those required by Cervezas Gran Via.
- Post-Print Digital: Though it provided quality output, post-print digital was costly due to ink consumption and lacked the efficiency of traditional flexo setups.
- Hybrid Post-Print: Kento’s specialty, hybrid post-print combines flexo for solid backgrounds and digital for high-impact graphics. This approach reduced ink usage and plate costs while delivering exceptional print quality, making it the optimal choice for the brewery.
Cost Comparisons
Quesada shared detailed cost comparisons from different suppliers, highlighting the advantages of hybrid post-print for Cervezas Gran Via’s needs. For production runs of 2,000 to 60,000 boxes, Kento’s hybrid solution offered the best cost-performance ratio. It minimized fixed costs and optimized ink consumption. While full digital printing remained expensive at lower volumes, flexo began to close the cost gap as volumes approached 50,000 units.
Strategic Impact
Packaging represents up to 6% of Cervezas Gran Via’s total material costs, making this decision not just about design but also strategic business positioning. By adopting hybrid post-print, the brewery achieved improved shelf presence, maintained cost control, and embraced a scalable, sustainable packaging solution.
Quesada concluded by inviting attendees to enjoy Cervezas Gran Via beer, packaged using a Kento hybrid press, symbolizing the successful intersection of innovation, practicality, and digital transformation in packaging. This session underscored how targeted solutions and real-world applications can drive digital adoption even in traditionally conservative industries like corrugated packaging.
.
.
.
#DigitalTransformation #PackagingInnovation #CorrugatedPackaging #PrintTech #HybridPrinting #BrandImpact #SustainablePackaging #PrintingSolutions #FuturePrint #KentoDigitalPrinting #CervezaGranVia #PrintingIndustry #PackagingDesign #EcoFriendlyPackaging #PrintingTechnology
