FFP Packaging lands Whitworths deal
The range includes 30 dried fruit, nut and seed products and five sub-ranges called Morning Munch, Shots, Sprinkles, Toppers and Flavours.
FFP worked with repro (reproduction of graphics) supplier, Itarus, to produce six triple laminate stabilo packs, four 'skinny pillow' packs and three doy packs ensuring the color separations preserved the Whitworths’ brand identity.
Brand consistency
Martin Hardwidge, marketing consultant, FFP Packaging Solutions, said the company has a long-standing relationship with the manufacturer creating thousands of designs over the years.
“Thanks to this, the project was more a question of development for FFP that allowed us to marry the consistency of the brand across the range,” he said.
“Color management is a front of mind issue across retail because there is a demand that the brand should be uniform across all labels, cartons, packaging and so on and they want some sort of measurement in place for that.”
Hardwidge added the measurement of on-press performance is based on densitometer and spectrophotometer readings of a color-matched proof.
Spectrophotometers
“Checks include on-line spectrophotometers to make sure color standards are maintained,” he said.
“The issue for packaging is that we’re dealing with different kinds of material such as polypropylene (PP) or polyethylene and the surface or reverse side of the pack is laminated building layers, all of which may affect the way the ink expresses itself onto the final product.”
He added the Whitworths’ Breakfast range was a challenge, given the pack material, number of layers in the laminate structure, and associated design colors change throughout the product range.
Product launch deadline
The company also had to meet a tight timeframe ahead of the launch.
“At the heart of the approach is a detailed understanding of how each and every combination of ink and film substrate will behave on press so that the repro path can be managed accordingly,” said Hardwidge.
FFP won seven awards in the EFIA (European Flexographic Industries Association) competition last year, including two golds for its Platinum Print and 'Bowl Size Popovers' and five silvers.
According to Hardwidge, Platinum Print took two years of research looking at every aspect of the flexographic print process, from mounting tapes to ink types to stochastic screening algorithms.
He said it has advantages in soft edges in vignette areas, deep, strong solid colours and vibrant half-tone areas to bring images to life.
FFP will be showcasing its designs at easyFair’s Packaging Innovations show at the UK Birmingham NEC from February 26-27, 2014.