Hampshire Label, the label and packaging division of New Jersey Business Forms, currently does robust trade in integrated label products for dot-coms and the warehouse & distribution industry.  With the acquisition of the Durst Tau 330E, which Hampshire announced at this week’s Labelexpo Americas trade show, the company said it will move assertively into the UV inkjet label market.

From its roots as a regional manufacturer in 1974, New Jersey Business Forms has weathered shifts in technology and heavy market consolidation, and is today one of the top three providers of business forms in the U.S.  Through strategic acquisitions, the company has added complementary capabilities in sealed forms and labels & packaging.  New Jersey Business Forms added Hampshire Label to its offerings two years ago.

“Our first move in modernizing the label & flexo and packaging business was to install a 10-color Mark Andy P5 press in our Englewood, N.J., facility,” Co-owner Andrew Harnett said.  “We have a lot of old presses in New Hampshire, so we moved one down and liquidated two.  The Mark Andy is a 17-inch-wide press, which is definitely configured for long runs.  Our second step was to add a digital process to support short to medium runs. That's what the Durst is for us.”

Management at Hampshire Label spent 10-12 months researching new digital technologies before deciding on the Durst Tau 330E, Harnett said. “There are new players and new technologies coming on board all the time,” he noted.  “We always make it a habit to look for the new and relevant products. We first signed on as a reseller of the VIP Color desktop printer powered by Memjet.  It's perfect for end users, but I don't think it's a real production solution in terms of large-volume printing and the range of compatible materials."

“I was impressed with the wide range of products Durst had,” Harnett continued.  “One of the things that caught my eye was their large-format packaging press, and we’ve had a lot of experience buying European products.  Our Roanoke, Va., plant runs a number of Hunkelers, so we've experienced the technology and the quality of those machines.  We’re just not the kind of company that signs on what everybody else is doing.  We are looking for a different solution and we’ve found that with the Tau 330E.”

Durst Tau 330E
The Tau 330E is a digital UV inkjet label press printing 8-inch or 13-inch widths in four or five colors at speeds of up to 157 ft./min. and resolution of up to 1,260 dpi.  The system has been engineered with particular attention to equipment cost, while maintaining the proven speed and printing quality of the flagship Tau 330 printing press.  By reducing the color offering from seven in the original Tau 330, Durst is able to offer a more economical model. 

“With the Durst Tau 330E, the speed, color fidelity, and the 13-inch wide web width really stood out for us,” Harnett said.  “We like being one of the first adopters of this machine in the US.  We didn't want to get into any proprietary material requirements, and we wanted to avoid pre-coating of stocks if possible in order to do printing.  So the Tau 330E was a great solution for us.”

Harnett said the acquisition of the Tau 330E opens opportunities for robust growth.  “We are going after new markets, growing our presence in the label industry,” he said.  “We have a strong background of work, but we're definitely looking for new growth, organic growth.  We’re excited to have an opportunity to build more direct sales.  We recognize the value there because we've seen and been able to grow on trade-only business for years.  Durst has also introduced a new front end software solution, which we're looking forward to checking out as well.”

Hampshire Label’s Tau 330E was displayed on the show floor at Labelexpo Americas and it will be shipped to the company this week.