• Digital drive with Durst: John and Chris Galea at Wagner Prestige Labels
    Digital drive with Durst: John and Chris Galea at Wagner Prestige Labels
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Wagner Prestige Labels is now producing a third of its labels on its new digital Durst Tau 330 RSC E inkjet label press and enjoying dramatically reduced waste levels.

Wagner’s choice of Durst’s RSC technology was driven by speed, quality and environmental considerations. “We decided to ramp up digital colour capacity to the highest we could, and the Durst Tau 330 RSC E came up trumps,” said John Galea, managing director of Wagner, based in Wetherill Park, Sydney.

“In only six months it has really proved itself, to the point that digital is now between 30 and 35 per cent of our business. The quality of the labels is right up there with flexo and letterpress.

“Another important benefit is that waste is greatly reduced, with the threaded meterage on the Durst Tau 330 RSC E even being able to be drawn back and printed. Waste is a big issue for label printers, especially with multiple versions, so anything we can do to reduce it is good for the environment.”

The Durst Tau 330 RSC E is at the heart of Wagner Prestige Labels’ one-stop solutions business, which has diversified into new areas. The company is part of the JV Group that brings together label, printing and embroidery companies to provide customers with a complete promotional service. Web inspection devices and processes including flexo, letterpress, screen, thermal paper, hot and cold foiling, die-cutting, laminating and, elsewhere within JV Group, dye-sublimation and embroidery for textiles plus general commercial printing are all part of the mix.

“We do everything in-house, and, if a customer wants a fully-embellished label with embossing, foiling, spot varnishing, fancy die-cutting, we have the equipment to do it,” said Galea. “You have to keep up with changes – change enables growth and diversity, but you also have to make sure the right job goes on the right machine. Before the investment in Durst’s RSC technology we were falling short on digital capacity. Our customers – trade, print brokers and end-user – are tending to order shorter runs, more frequently, so we carefully researched all the available options. The Durst has proved to be the ideal choice.”

Helmuth Munter, segment manager, Labels and Package Printing at Durst said, “The Durst Tau 330 RSC E was originally launched to bring affordable digital production to increasing numbers of small converters. It sets the base for the future of industrial digital inkjet printing in the label industry. In line with our ‘We Keep You Printing’ strategy, it’s also proving to be a real attractive prospect for forward-thinking companies like Wagner Prestige Labels that need variable, versatile, adjustable and configurable digital printing systems to expand their business reach, while enjoying other benefits such as waste reduction and a significant jump in production capacity.”

Matt Ashman, managing director of Durst Oceania said, "It is a pleasure to welcome Wagner Prestige Labels to the Durst family. Wagner has a reputation for excellence in quality and service, which allies with Durst. It is pleasing to see how the new Durst inkjet is helping to drive growth at the business."

Food & Drink Business

Western Australian producer, Brownes Dairy, has been put up for sale according to the Australian Financial Review (AFR), as one of its biggest lenders, China Mengniu Dairy, calls in its $200 million loan. A reduced demand for milk in China and the current positioning of the global market could be driving the decision.

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The Australian Industry Group (Ai Group) says Australia is at a “critical crossroads” when it comes to R&D and decades of rhetoric have not delivered material change.