ACTEGA Metal Print GmbH announced today that the German print specialist Kolbe-Coloco Spezialdruck GmbH will become the first beta customer worldwide of the groundbreaking, sustainable and cost-efficient metallization technology EcoLeaf™. The company, which focuses on high-end applications, will use the new solution to print self-adhesive labels with decorative metallic effects - a profitable process suitable for a wide range of markets. According to Kolbe-Coloco, the main reasons for the decision were the elimination of film and the sustainability benefits of EcoLeaf™.
Kolbe-Coloco, based in Versmold, only 1.5 hours by car from ACTEGA in Lehrte, is part of the Hamburg-based H.O.Persiehl group of companies, which employs 550 people. Installation of the EcoLeaf system and operator training on a highly specialised 12-colour printing press - a Gallus RC that supports offset, flexographic and screen printing processes - began in March 2020.
"Our company focuses on print services that create a stronger link between brand and consumer and thus boost sales. To achieve this, we use some of the best printing technologies on the market. EcoLeaf is a perfect example of this," says Michael Leon, Managing Director of Kolbe-Coloco.
"Dispensing with film is an enormous and extremely important milestone in our industry and this technology seems to offer exactly the right conditions for this. We are convinced that for this reason alone our customers will welcome EcoLeaf with open arms. What's more, it enables cost-effective, impressive metallic effects to be achieved. This solution therefore has the potential to make a strong impact on the market," continues Leon.
The basis of EcoLeaf is a silver pigment that is overprintable and makes it possible to create a rainbow of metallic colors (including gold). EcoLeaf can be used inline on analog and digital presses or in print finishing with new or upgraded presses and consists of a printed carrier image and a metallization unit that applies exactly the right amount of metal to the carrier image.
According to Jan Franz Allerkamp, Managing Director of ACTEGA Metal Print, Kolbe-Coloco is the ideal first beta customer: "In Kolbe-Coloco, we have found a like-minded and very innovative company that has highly automated, environmentally friendly and professional production processes and, moreover, has already proven several times that it is a real driving force in the industry. We look forward to working closely with Kolbe-Coloco in the coming weeks and months and to witnessing the positive effect of EcoLeaf on their business".
EcoLeaf will be commercially available from summer 2020.
