SA Litho Label Printers has enhanced its shrink sleeve production capabilities, thanks to being a late market entrant and tackling the challenging jobs that other label printers couldn’t handle explains GM Dawrian Salies. ‘The benefits being that we could trial and test our shrink sleeves to perfection, so that no job is too challenging. The advantage is that the quality of our shrink sleeves is on par with global standards

‘Our decision to partner with Accraply, from a finishing equipment perspective, when we entered the market has put us in a position to obtain exceptional quality, and our six-year track record has given customers the confidence to trust us with renowned wine, spirit and cosmetic brands,’ Dawrian reports. ‘Currently, our focus is on growing our offering in the dairy industry. We see opportunities in the food and beverage sector where brands want to move away from paper-based and wrap-around labels to shrink sleeves. Shrink affords brand owners better shelf presence and a greater area for brand promotion.’

Many brand owners don’t realise that the range of substrates available in the country has become more limited over time, which has created greater technical challenges during product development. Generally, the available shrink sleeve substrates have a high shrinkage factor. However, this is not a one-size-fits-all solution because you need specific shrink percentages on very specific substrates that are determined by the container shape and the application process. ‘Glass bottles in the wine industry, for instance, pose challenges in application, and brand owners are restricted in terms of what they can design because of the high percentage of shrink in the neck area, and have limited scope to hide any flaws and ensure text legibility. They also need an aluminum cap over the shrink sleeve otherwise the bottle looks unfinished,’ he explains.

SA Litho cultivates customer partnerships based on open and honest communication, and believes its team should collaborate with designers from the developmental phase through to the project implementation journey to ensure its success.”

SA Litho will soon be conducting production trials on more sustainable shrink film substrates. The objective is to offer customers a more environmentally responsible solution without compromising the appearance and overall quality specifications their customers have become accustomed to. ‘One of the advantages of operating in a globalised society, is that we have access to the latest global technology and developments, thanks to our network of suppliers. They are more than willing to assist with challenges and finding the best solutions,’ Dawrian maintains.

The team, is, for example, working with one of the leading recyclers, that has been successful in recycling multilayer laminates, which traditionally have been deemed non-recyclable. Today, this recycler is successfully converting them into other end-use products such as pallets to generate a solution for customers that creates an almost zero to landfill scenario. ‘We are using these learnings and principles to assist one of our customers, whose waste stream has been deemed non-recyclable, to improve its recyclability,’ he comments.

SA Litho believes in partnering with customers and gets involved from the developmental stage through to the implementation journey, which includes conceptualisation to the final product. ‘We cultivate a partnership based on open and honest communication, and it’s important for our team to be part of the developmental phase with designers to ensure that each project is successful,’ Dawrian asserts.

Championing skills development

SA Litho Label Printers, being part of CTP Limited, has implemented a continuous improvement programme for its staff that encourages education and skills development. The current focus is on root cause analysis when faced with challenges and supports a culture where new suggestions to improve business and product performance are welcomed.

GM Dawrian Salies explains that management has facilitated a culture change within the business by partnering with facilitators. ‘ODI has developed a customised learnership to enable some of the key employees to obtain a formal NQF3 level qualification,’ he states. ‘This has changed their approach to production and helped to lower rejection rates significantly.’

SA Litho has also implemented Tracc via CCIs Growthcon to help production managers and team leaders communicate more effectively through various tools, including the use of visual management tools.

‘Additionally, we believe in fostering a learning environment and have extended our managers’ NQF 5 level qualifications to a business school programme focused on improving their general management skills. We believe education helps everyone at the same level to speak the same language and understand each other better,’ Dawrian asserts.

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