Nosco, Inc., a subsidiary of Holden Industries, Inc., has announced its entrance into the printed flexible packaging space using HP Indigo technologies. As it deepens its digital footprint in the US, Nosco will utilize the HP Indigo 20000 digital press and Pack Ready to deliver on-demand flexible packaging.

Nosco is the first US print provider to adopt HP Indigo technology for labels, folding cartons, flexible packaging, and lamination using the Pack Ready Laminator by Karlville. Nosco will focus its flexible packaging applications in segments such as natural health, with products including resealable and child-resistant pouches, sachets, stick packs and new product trials.

“We believe digital printing is the print method of the future, which is why we are pursuing all available HP Indigo digital products. It is a big growth engine to add new customers,” says Craig Curran, Nosco president. “After the success in labels and folding carton with HP Indigo, the HP Indigo 20000 is the right solution to expand our high-quality digital printing to flexible packaging, enabling our clients to gain print consistency and precise color matching across all platforms.”

Over the last 10 years, the flexible packaging market has taken off, doubling in size to $228 billion in 2019. Smithers Pira forecasts the market will continue growing by an annual rate of 3.3%, reaching $269 billion in 2024, with digital printing a key market growth driver.

Nosco was an early adopter of HP Indigo technology 15 years ago. Today, more than half of Nosco’s orders are printed digitally at three of the company’s six US facilities. The new HP Indigo 20000 for flexible packaging will bring the number of HP Indigo digital presses operating at Nosco to nine.

“It’s amazing and rewarding to see how Nosco has grown and developed new business with HP Indigo digital printing, while extending the benefits of more sophisticated and sustainable packaging to its clientele,” says Alon Bar-Shany, HP Indigo general manager. “The broad HP Indigo digital packaging portfolio is uniquely positioned to enable converters to transition any labels and packaging product to digital.”

The new HP Indigo 20000 and Karlville Pack Ready Lamination System will be installed this summer at Nosco’s Carrollton, TX facility alongside the site’s HP Indigo WS6600 digital press and ABG Digicon Series 3. The company will also install and utilize Karlville slitting and inspection equipment to further its position in the flexible packaging space.

The HP Indigo 20000 digital press provides converters the freedom to produce nearly any flexible packaging application with unlimited variation thanks to its high-powered digital front end for variable data. Pack Ready Lamination uses no adhesives and requires no curing time, thereby optimizing the benefits of digital printing with reduced turnaround time. 

In line with the company’s flexible packaging endeavors, Nosco also recently installed an HP Indigo 8000 digital press for labels in Gurnee, IL. This addition will allow the company to convert more flexo printing business to digital, especially longer runs, as well as add to its product redundancy for digital labels and overall digital growth. The company will also use the HP Indigo 8000 to continue its ongoing efforts of providing customers with anti-counterfeiting and diversion support by utilizing the machine to implement various security-related solutions.